Easy Vegan Fajita Bowl

We love our grain bowls!  They’re easy to put together, work great for meal prep, and can be changed up to what you have on hand or what’s in season.  Swap out the beans, rice, veggies, and sauces and make new creations.  

Top the veggie fajita rice bowls with spicy pickled onions or swap out the avocado crema for vegan chipotle sauce or a vegan cashew crema. For more power bowls try a peanut tofu Buddha bowl, vegan sushi bowl, vegan power bowls, or a tofu burrito bowl with tofu meat crumbles.

Recipe features

• These colorful vegan fajita bowls are easy to make!
• They’re customizable, swap out ingredients for what you have on hand!
• The recipe is vegan, oil-free, plant-based, gluten-free, and great for meal prep!
• It’s simple to make for a weeknight meal!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and the exact measurements for the vegan fajita bowl recipe.

Rice - Use white rice, brown rice, quinoa, millet, cilantro lime brown rice, Mexican-inspired brown rice, cauliflower rice, or oil-free roasted potatoes.

Black beans - I use two cans of black beans for convenience, but 3 cups of cooked black beans can be used.  They can also be substituted with cooked marinated tofu, chickpeas, pinto beans, or oil-free refried beans. For more black bean recipes try vegan black beans with tomatoes and jalapeno or a black bean burrito bowl with chipotle dressing.

Bell peppers - I normally use a mix of red and orange bell peppers, and sometimes I’ll use yellow too.  We enjoy the sweetness that cooked orange and red bell peppers add to the vegan fajita bowls.  Green bell peppers, red onions, yellow onions, or white onions will also work.

Poblano pepper - Green poblano peppers can vary in heat, they are usually mild but sometimes can have a slight kick that’s milder than a jalapeño.  If you’re concerned about the heat level, substitute with another bell pepper.

Corn - I use Trader Joe’s canned corn for convenience.  Thawed frozen or cooked fresh corn can also be used instead of canned.  Use about 1 ½ cups of frozen or freshly cooked corn.

Spices - An assortment of spices are used to flavor the fajita veggies including ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Cherry tomatoes - They add a fresh component to the dish but can be substituted with what’s in season, your favorite greens, or they can be left out.

Vegan avocado crema - This can be substituted with guacamole, sliced avocado, vegan crema, vegan sour cream, or cashew cilantro sauce.

How to make a vegan fajita bowl

Start the veggie fajita bowls by cooking the rice according to the package instructions and prepping the veggies.  Slice the peppers in half, remove the stems, the membranes, and the seeds.  Thinly slice the bell peppers.  Since poblanos peppers can be much longer than a bell pepper, slice the pepper in half then make thin slices to be roughly the same size as the bell pepper slices.

Measure out the ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

This is an oil-free recipe for the fajita vegetables so having a small glass or a squeeze bottle of water nearby is convenient if the vegetables start to stick.  If you’re not oil-free, the veggies can be sautéd in a neutral-tasting oil, avocado oil, or use a non-stick cooking spray.

Add the peppers to a preheated non-stick large skillet on medium heat.  Sprinkle the fajita seasoning from the small bowl over the peppers and stir to coat.

Stir occasionally and cook until they are tender but not mushy.  Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan if the peppers and seasonings start to stick.

While the veggie fajitas are cooking, make the avocado crema. 

Portion out the cooked rice into separate bowls then top with the cooked peppers, drained and rinsed beans, drained corn, and sliced cherry tomatoes.  Add a dollop of avocado lime crema to the vegan fajita bowls and any of your favorite toppings.

Tips

• This is an oil-free recipe, but if you’re not then feel free to use oil to sauté the peppers.
• For oil-free cooking, keep a glass of water nearby if the spices or peppers start to stick or burn.
• If you don’t care for beans straight out of the can, drain them, rinse them, and add them to the pan with bell peppers to warm through before serving.

Topping ideas

The black bean vegan fajita bowl is very customizable.  Switch out toppings for what you prefer.  Here are just a few suggestions.

• Pico de gallo or cucumber pico de gallo 
• Salsa
• Mango corn salsa
• A dollop of guacamole or fresh avocado slices
• Avocado lime crema
• Vegan chipotle sauce
• Cashew cilantro dressing
• Fresh cilantro
• Spicy pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños
• Fresh sliced jalapeños
• Vegan cashew lime crema

Storage

I store the cooked peppers separately because while in storage they may release some liquid.  The rice, beans, and corn can be stored together, but the cherry tomatoes and sauces can be stored separately.  Once cooled, store the components in airtight containers in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

Heat up the peppers, rice, beans, and corn when ready to serve leftovers.  Then top with any fresh components.

Related recipes

• Tofu burrito bowl
• Chickpea vegetable rice bowl with a cashew dijon dressing
• Vegan taco bowl
• Vegan black beans
• Vegan black bean burrito bowl with chipotle dressing

I hope you enjoyed the veggie fajita rice bowl recipe!  If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.