Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

Nourishing grain bowl with quinoa, fresh vegetables, chickpeas, and creamy tahini dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Protein

04 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced
09 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
10 - 1 cup fresh baby spinach

→ Healthy Fats & Toppings

11 - 1 ripe avocado, sliced
12 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
13 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

→ Dressing

14 - 3 tablespoons tahini
15 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup
17 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
02 - While quinoa cooks, prepare all vegetables. Thinly slice red cabbage, julienne carrots, halve cherry tomatoes, slice bell pepper and cucumber, and slice avocado just before assembly.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange chickpeas, red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, spinach, and avocado in colorful sections on top of quinoa.
05 - Drizzle each bowl with tahini dressing. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds over each bowl. Serve immediately.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • Every bite tastes different because you control the vegetable-to-grain ratio, making it feel custom-built for your mood.
  • It comes together in 40 minutes flat, leaving you actual time to sit down instead of still being in the kitchen.
  • Leftovers stay fresh for days (if you skip the avocado and dressing until eating), perfect for meal prep without the sadness.
02 -
  • Don't add avocado until you're ready to serve—it browns faster than you'd expect and turns the whole bowl from vibrant to sad-looking by lunch tomorrow.
  • The dressing needs to be slightly thinner than you think it should be because the quinoa will absorb moisture and the vegetables will release juice as they sit.
03 -
  • Toast your own pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry pan for three minutes—they go from forgettable to absolutely essential with this tiny bit of attention.
  • If you want the bowl to feel fancier, arrange everything in sections like a composed salad instead of mixing it together, and serve the dressing on the side so people can control how much they use.
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