We know, we know, sharing healthy recipes in January can seem a bit cliché. But this kind of food—simple, healthy, veggie-loaded, protein-rich food—is what we crave right now and we’re betting you are, too. While we love a basic Quinoa Salad, Quinoa bowls are a great catch-all, an easy way to turn what you’ve got around into a healthy, filling meal and this quinoa bowl recipe is one of our most popular recipes! Our irresistible quinoa bowl sauce is the key to this recipe. It’s a super savory, creamy, plant-based dressing made with edamame, garbanzo beans and nutritional yeast. Smoky, savory and creamy, it’s also a really great source of protein, B12s and so many other good things for your body. That said, you could also customize this quinoa bowl by topping it with any sauce or dressing you adore. Our Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce, Vegan Chipotle Cream Sauce, or even Tahini Sauce would all make delicious quinoa bowl toppings.
Why Everyone Loves this Quinoa Bowl Recipe
It’s a great meal prep recipe! This chicken quinoa bowl recipe is easy to throw together on a weeknight—it just takes about 30 minutes—but it’s also the ideal make-ahead meal. Prep all of the separate elements of the bowl on the weekend, and then you’ve got super healthy, filling lunches for the week! Just assemble when you’re ready for a quick and healthy meal.
Another awesome thing about doing quinoa bowls for dinner is that they’re naturally customizable, so they’re great for households dealing with multiple (conflicting) dietary needs or preferences. Lay out all of the various topping options and let everyone assemble their own bowls as they please. Everybody — even the pickiest eater — wins!
Speaking of customization, this recipe is actually a great option for serving to a big group (yes, we even included it on our list of favorite Super Bowl Recipes!).
You can easily make it vegan! Leave the chicken off, suddenly you’ve got a vegan quinoa bowl!
The BEST Quinoa Bowl Dressing Ingredients
Garbanzo beans: When we say this quinoa bowl recipe is protein-packed, we really mean it! Even the dressing has it, thanks to a chickpea base.
Edamame: Another protein hit, edamame (also known as soy beans) add another layer of protein packed flavor.
Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is a classic vegan ingredient that tastes a little bit Parmesan cheese-y and is loaded with B-12s. Yum!
Olive oil: It’s a dressing, you need olive oil!
Lemon juice: It’s dressing, you need acid! And lemon juice is our favorite dressing acid.
Canned chipotles in adobo: One of our favorite ingredients, chipotles peppers in adobo add so much rich, smoky flavor for basically no work. YES.
Herbs & spices: curry powder, oregano, fresh garlic, fresh cilantro
How To Make The Best Quinoa Bowl Ever
Cook perfect quinoa by following our recipe for Perfect Quinoa. If you buy from the bulk bins, you should rinse the quinoa before boiling. A lot of boxed quinoa brands are “pre-rinsed”.
Make the quinoa bowl dressing: dump all of the quinoa bowl dressing ingredients into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Assemble the quinoa bowls: Quinoa, then whatever toppings you want, a drizzle of the dressing, and dig in.
Quinoa Bowl Topping Ideas
Simple and healthy. That’s our mantra this month, and specifically for this quinoa bowl recipe. The toppings we suggest aren’t written in stone—use what you’ve got, or what you need to use up. Here are some quinoa bowl toppings we love:
Roasted vegetables: They’re slightly smoky flavor goes perfectly with our chipotle dressing.
Avocado and more avocado: Rich and creamy, it makes the quinoa bowl feel a little indulgent. It’s also a wonderful source of healthy fats.
Black beans: We’ve usually got a few cans of beans in the pantry, and they really bulk this bowl up!
Chicken: We love to poach chicken on the weekends to use throughout the week, and this is one of our favorite healthy ways to use it.
Baked tofu: Baked tofu is a great alternative to chicken. High in iron and protein, your body won’t know the difference.
More Healthy Bowl Recipes To Try
Bowls for Days
For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!
