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I’ve been making different versions of this nourishing, complete meal for over 6 years, and this easy setup truly knocks it outta the park every time. To top it off, this vegan burrito bowl is downright great for you, and is ready in under 30 minutes with minimal fuss. Plus, kids and even non-vegans love the heck out of it.
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Bowls like this have a satisfying balance of protein, greens, and more fresh flavors than you can shake a stick at. If you love my vegan tostadas, but are looking for something more filling, this is it! Nope, it's not just some copycat Chipotle burrito bowl. No, it's a recipe that blows that stuff outta the dang water, f'real.
Imagine a bowl layered with Mexican rice, beans, heavenly tofu chorizo, vegan nacho cheese and vegan sour cream and topped with fresh diced tomatoes, creamy avocado slices, and crisp baby arugula. Each element not only adds more layers of complementary flavor, but there’s not one single thingy in here that your body doesn’t want and need.
Now, grab your ingredients, and let’s make a meal that will bring a tear to your eye (I mean like a tear of joy, not one because you are so sad you have to wash dishes for the next 3 days).
Jump to:
- 🥰Why you'll adore this vegan burrito bowl recipe
- 🌶️Ingredients for the chipotle burrito bowl that dreams are made of
- ✊ Better than chipotle toppings:
- 🤯Variations
- 📖 How to make the best vegan burrito bowl
- 💡Serving Ideas
- 👉Top tips
- 🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
- ✌️Serve these with you vegan burrito bowl:
- The Chipotle Slayer (Easy Vegan Burrito Bowl)
🥰Why you'll adore this vegan burrito bowl recipe
✊ Vegan AF and GF: Like all my plant-based Mexican recipes, this taco bowl is made without harming animals or the planet. It also happens to be one of my completely gluten-free vegan recipes too!
🔥 Perfectly Layered Protein For vegans, complete protein is formed from the combination of beans, legumes and grains. This bowl has everything balanced perfectly for your body to thrive, so you can go on to pet a pony with great fervor, or overthrow the government, or whatever.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: After years of meticulous tweaking and fine-tuning, just like all of my vegan recipes I unleashed it into the arms of a dedicated team of over 350 recipe testers across continents, who have recreated it with resounding success. Join the legion of taco freaks who have made this bowl a go-to in their culinary repertoire.
💣 Learn the bomb vegan Mexican recipes
This guide to my most popular vegan Mexican recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🌶️Ingredients for the chipotle burrito bowl that dreams are made of
Chipotle in Adobo
Perhaps you know that chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños. But the ones I call for in this recipe are canned and preserved in a mixture of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and other spices. This stuff is a killer secret ingredient I mess with in tons of my recipes, including these dank-as-heck vegan fajitas that happen to go great as a side to this bowl. You will only need the chipotle chilies in this bowl if you are making the black bean variation. If you are making the bowl with vegan refried beans, don’t worry your pretty little head about ‘em.
Mexican Rice
You can really use just about any grain in these bowls, from quinoa to plain brown rice. But I designed the bowl around my aromatic, golden-colored vegan Mexican rice, which: ✅is so easy you can probably make it while trying to get a squirrel outta your kitchen ✅can be made while you get the rest of the ingredients prepped for the bowl ✅and is loaded to kingdom come with traditional Mexican flavors. Of course, if you are trying to emulate a burrito bowl from Chipotle, you can totally use cilantro lime rice (their white rice option), or just plain ol' brown rice instead.
Vegan Chorizo
My vegan chorizo substitutes traditional Spanish or Mexican sausage with perfectly seasoned, insanely textured tofu that resembles meat. Not a tofu person? You could swap these out for seasoned, store-fried ground vegan chicken or tempeh.
✊ Better than chipotle toppings:
What's fun about both taco night in general, and bowls like these is you can serve some of these toppings on the side so that people can dress their own bowls to their taste. It’s not just kids who think that’s fun. Anyone who likes fun thinks it’s fun too!
🌶️ Habanero Salsa: My homemade habanero salsa adds an intense kick. Of course, you can serve your bowls with pico de gallo, smokey salsa macha, homemade salsa roja, or a store-bought salsa if you prefer, and even pick a milder one if spice isn’t your thing.
🧀 Nacho Cheese: My vegan cheese sauce recipe is made from cashews and potatoes and has an insane creamy texture, and an out-of-this-world flavor. I am legitimately afraid I cannot break my addiction to this gang stuff.
🥛 Sour Cream: There are some decent options for store bought now, but many people tell me they love my vegan sour cream recipe the best. Homemade is also nice because you can add fun stuff to the sour cream, like minced chives or charred jalapeño.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Actual Tacos & Burritos:
I don’t wanna state the obvious, but, uh, I guess here I go - you know all of this stuff will get rolled up in a warmed 12-inch flour tortilla and turned into a great vegan burrito, right? Or fire up your favey hard shells or corn tortillas (you can even use the homemade ones I teach in my vegan Mexican class) and use the same components for this bowl to stuff ‘em to the darned brim.
Oaxacan Mole Bowl:
Mole, a signature sauce of Oaxaca, made from chilies, bitter Mexican chocolate, and spices, adds depth and an unmistakable authenticity. Pair this with a side of vegan elote, and you are good to go!
📖 How to make the best vegan burrito bowl
Get a nourishing meal thrown together in no time by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Black Beans, Blaze Away!
Drain and rinse a can of black beans and then mix them with a little fresh water, minced chipotles in adobo and a pinch of salt, and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes until the beans are thoroughly warmed.
Step Two
Refried Bean Reheat:
Not a black bean person, or wanna have your bowl with BOTH kinds of beans? Heat up some refried beans over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until heated throughout. Feel free to add a splash of water if the beans are drying too much.
Step Three
Rice Ready
Prepare your vegan Mexican rice by cooking it fresh according to your recipe or reheating if it’s pre-made. Ensure it's hot and fluffy, ready to lay the foundation of your bowls.
Step Four
Chorizo Crisp-Up:
Heat up your vegan chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook it until it’s thoroughly hot and starts to get a bit crispy on the edges; about five minutes should do the trick.
Step Five
Slice and Dice
While your main components are heating up, get your fresh ingredients ready. Slice your avocado, and prepare any other fresh items like jalapeños, minced red onions, or radishes. Make sure your baby arugula is washed and dried too.
✅ If you want to make cute-looking avocado flowers like these:
- Cut an avocado in half, and carefully scoop the “meat” out of the shell using a spoon. Remove the seed.
- Then, working with one half avocado at a time, cut it into thin strips while keeping the other half avocado in its original shape.
- Spread the slices at an angle along the entire side of a long-shelf knife. Then, carefully spiral the slices together. It takes a little practice. Use avocados that are nearly ripe, but not so soft that the slices mush as you spiral them.
Step Six
Veggie Burrito Bowl Building Begin:
Lay down a hearty base of vegan Mexican rice (or cilantro rice if you are rocking it that way) in each bowl. About half a cup per serving should suffice for most people’s appetite, but feel free to tweak the portion to your liking.
Step Seven
Add that Hefty Stuff”
Top the rice with your choice of black beans or refried pinto beans and a helping of the sizzling vegan chorizo.
If you want to add roasted sweet potatoes or sliced red bell peppers here too, it ain't a bad idea at all.
Step Eight
Garnishes Galore:
Finishing your bowl with avocado slices and a handful of arugula or shredded romaine lettuce is cool, too.
Either serve the fun topping on the side, or if you would like to make everyone’s bowl in the kitchen yourself, add the diced tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes), salsa, nacho cheese, fajita veggies, and a dollop of vegan sour cream.
Garnish with some fresh stuff: fresh cilantro, vegan cotija, minced onion, a lime wedge, and some radish slices. Maybe some red chili sauce too? Why the heck not?
💡Serving Ideas
This is such a complete meal, that I am not gonna go crazy telling you a zillion other things you gotta make with it….
…but vegan Mexican lentil soup could be super dope, right?
And if you are a dessert person, buñuelos or Peruvian picarones are the obvious choice. The less obvious? Vegan carrot cake or Vegan apple pie! I mean, if it’s been years since you had a killer donut since you stopped eating animals, you really better make my vegan apple cider donuts or vegan apple fritters. Promise me, ok?
👉Top tips
- Ingredient Prep: This bowl is an example of lots of little things that come together to make a complex and lovely meal. The assembly is the easy part if you take the time to organize and prepare all your ingredients before starting. This mise en place approach ensures smooth, kinda effortless feeling cooking and perfect timing, especially when you need to coordinate multiple components that you want warm, like rice, beans, chorizo, and toppings.
- Adjust as You Go: Especially if you are using any store-bought beans, chorizo, or cheese, and taste and adjust your seasonings as you cook and assemble. Adding a bit more salt, chili powder, black pepper, taco seasoning (to the chorizo or beans), a squeeze of lime, or a sprinkle of fresh herbs can make all the difference in brightening up the dish.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, you can create oil-free vegan taco bowls by using water or vegetable broth to sauté your ingredients. Additionally, opt for oil-free versions of any dressings or sauces to maintain the oil-free status of the dish. Things like the tofu chorizo can be made in an oven or air fryer to avoid using oil.
To prevent avocado from browning, don’t cut into the ones you won’t be using right then and there. If it’s too late, and you've already sliced ‘em, sprinkle lime or lemon juice over the slices before storing them in an airtight container that doesn’t have much room for air.
🥶Refrigeration:
To store your burrito bowl in the refrigerator, keep the components like leftover rice, beans, vegan chorizo, and vegetable toppings separate in glass containers with lids. This will help maintain their texture and freshness. These components can be refrigerated for up to five days. Assemble the bowls just before serving to keep everything crisp and delicious. If you want crisp, crunchy lettuce, ideally store it whole, rather than cut.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Transfer the chorizo, Mexican rice (or cilantro-lime rice), and beans to separate saucepans to reheat. Heat them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
If using a microwave, place the rice and beans in a microwave-safe dish and cover with a microwave-safe lid or a ceramic plate to keep the moisture in. Heat on high for one to two minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure even heating. For the best results, sprinkle a little water over the rice and beans before microwaving to keep them moist.
✌️Serve these with you vegan burrito bowl:
Master the art of vegan Mexican cooking in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
The Chipotle Slayer (Easy Vegan Burrito Bowl)
Ingredients
Beans (for 4 servings)
- 15 oz. can black beans drained
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons chipotle chilies in adobo sauce minced
Or
- ½ cup vegan refried beans per serving
Other Components:
- ½ cup vegan Mexican rice per serving
- ¼ cup diced tomato per serving
- ½ cup vegan chorizo per serving
- ½ avocado sliced (per serving)
- ½ cup baby arugula per serving
Optional Condiments and garnishes:
- Habanero salsa
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Cilantro leaves
- Minced red onion
- Lime wedges
- Thin radish slices
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the black beans if not using refried beans. In a small saucepan, combine the drained black beans, salt, water, and minced chipotle in adobo. Simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes until the beans are heated through. Mash lightly if a smoother consistency is desired.
- Alternatively, heat the refried beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add water or stock as needed to make sure the refried beans aren’t dry.
- Cook the vegan Mexican rice according to the recipe, or warm it up if it is already prepared.
- Heat the vegan chorizo in a skillet over medium heat until it is thoroughly heated and beginning to crisp around the edges, about five minutes.
- While the components are cooking, prepare the fresh ingredients. Slice the avocado, jalapeños, radishes and wash and dry the baby arugula if needed.
- Begin assembling your taco bowls. Start with a base of one-half cup of vegan Mexican rice in each bowl.
- Add one-half cup of either the black beans or refried beans to the bowl alongside one-half cup of heated vegan chorizo.
- Top the bowl with slices of avocado and a handful of baby arugula. Garnish with optional items such as diced fresh tomatoes, habanero salsa, vegan nacho cheese, vegan sour cream, cilantro leaves, minced red onion, lime wedges, and thin radish slices. Serve immediately, allowing everyone to customize their bowl to their taste preferences.
Notes
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Sharon says
I made vegan refried beans, Spanish rice and chipotle chorizo! All were five star recipes! Perfect combination. This bowl recipe was really good!
Dietmar says
I will make this regularly now- it’s so easy to make and so tasty. The vegan chorizo is so much better than anything you can buy online. I had leftovers and put them on a sandwich. I never made Mexican rice before and absolutely loved it. And everything else just makes a perfect dish.
My recommendations - don’t use store bought refried beans. And play around with the spice level. I was too conservative the first time. It was tasty, but not spicy enough (I only used jalapeños). So make it a bunch of time til you feel comfortable with the heat.
hg says
This dish was so good, my wife even took the leftovers for lunch the following day. She's a little high maintenance when it comes to leftovers, so this really says a lot about how good this dish is.
Marna says
Make this! I made it with black beans, Habanero salsa and the vegan sour cream...soooo good, seriously. Oh and use the baby arugula...perfect match!