These vegan Summer Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Chickpeas, marinated tofu and quinoa are just as delicious as they are nutritious!
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How to make this recipe
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Squeeze liquid out of tofu and dice into cubes. Mix together marinade and pour over tofu for 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cook quinoa and preheat BBQ.
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Slather cobs of corn with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for up to 10 minutes.
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Mix together ingredients under the turmeric chickpeas heading.
- Prep the remaining veggies.
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Assemble your Buddha bowls. Top with dressing, serve and enjoy.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil such as canola or sunflower oil will work here
- Corn – I recommend corn on the cobs but use canned corn kernels if you’re in a pinch.
- Quinoa – rice or any other type of grain will work in this recipe, or you can just leave it out altogether and add another veggie to the sheet pan
- Arugula – any other leafy green will work. I suggest kale or baby spinach.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Zucchini – sub in another vegetable of your choice.
- Avocado – you can leave this out if you don't have one on hand
- Sunflower sprouts – use bean sprouts or mung bean sprouts. Otherwise you can also leave this out altogether.
Dressing/Tofu marinade
- Extra-firm tofu – medium tofu can also be used but it won’t be as firm. Tempeh or soy beans can also be used as a plant-based protein source.
- Olive oil – any neutral oil such as canola or sunflower oil will work here
- Apple cider vinegar – white vinegar will also work.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos, liquid aminos or tamari will also work.
- Water – you only need a little amount so use water but if you have leftover vegetable broth that can also be used.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic is preferred but feel free to use garlic powder in a punch.
Turmeric Chickpeas
- Chickpeas – any canned legume will work here, such as canned lentils, kidney beans, black beans, etc.
- Olive oil – any neutral oil such as canola or sunflower oil will work here
- Lemon juice – use fresh or bottled lemon juice. If you’re in a pinch, feel free to use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to add the acidic touch.
- Turmeric – use dried turmeric for this recipe. If you don't have turmeric, curry powder will change the flavour, but it would work as a sub in.
- Garlic powder – fresh or jarred minced garlic will also work but garlic powder is preferred.
- Paprika – cayenne pepper or chili powder will also work.
- Salt (to taste)
What is a Buddha bowl?
Buddha bowls are traditionally vegetarian bowls that combine various healthy foods and delicious flavours. Basically, you want to try to cram as many healthy “superfoods” as possible into one bowl. There is no one right or wrong way to make a Buddha bowl so get creative and mix and match flavours to your preferences. Though Buddha bowls are traditionally vegetarian, you can add meat as a source of protein, if you prefer to do so.
Storing leftover Buddha bowls
You can store any leftover Buddha bowls (already assembled) in the fridge up to 5 days. Store the dressing separate to ensure that the ingredients remain fresh and the arugula doesn't get soggy. For any sliced or open avocado, I recommend adding a bit of lemon juice to prevent it from browning. Try to only use the amount of avocado you need to preserve it longer.
Freezing leftover quinoa
Unfortunately, this Buddha bowl isn't a freezer-friendly meal. However, if you made extra quinoa, you can freeze the leftover cooked quinoa for another time. Store in glass containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge the night before you're ready to cook with it.
More Buddha bowl recipes
- Sweet potato and kale Buddha bowls
- Sheet pan Buddha bowls with turmeric and tahini dressing
- Build your own Buddha bowls
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these bowls into your weekly lunches.
Summer Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cobs of Corn
- 2 cups cooked multi-coloured quinoa (usually 1 cup dry & 2 cups water cooked in a rice cooker or pot on the stove)
- 2 cups Arugula
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup sunflower sprouts
Dressing/Tofu marinade
- 1 package extra-firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Turmeric Chickpeas
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dried turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Remove tofu from package and squeeze out excess liquid with a clean towel. Chop into 1-inch cubes. Mix together marinade ingredients and add tofu cubes, submerging in liquid and marinating for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions and preheat BBQ to high heat.
- Slather cobs of corn with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on grill for 8-10 minutes until charred a bit on the outsides. Remove from grill and let cool.
- Mix together ingredients under the turmeric chickpeas heading. Let sit 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the veggies.
- Divide quinoa among bowls, followed by the rest of the veggies. Slice corn off cobs and add to bowls. Remove tofu cubes from marinade and add to bowls along with chickpeas, reserving tofu marinade as dressing for each bowl. Use as much dressing as you'd like for each bowl (you don't need much) and serve!
Nutrition
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Natasha @ Salt & Lavender says
Loooool I am one of those quinoa haters. It’s a texture thing I think. And they look like little eyeballs staring at me. 😀 And it was so painfully trendy that I’m just over it now since I never liked it to begin with. I do like rice… jasmine is my favorite haha. There are things I like more than rice, though. In any case, love all the colors in these bowls!!
Taylor Stinson says
How the hell can you hate quinoa?!!! LOL I can see your point with the eyeballs though hahahah don’t do that to me!!! At least we are on the same page with jasmine rice. I’ll actually look for an excuse to add it to a recipe!
Foodie Sisters says
Beautiful bowl! I love the freshness and dressing seams to be delicious! Do you think roasted chickpea will be good here?
Clare Saunders says
So excited to have discovered your website! I’m always struggling to find delicious vegetarian recipes that aren’t full of carbs, and your site has delivered loads!
I too struggle to make tofu taste good, but my husband and I both enjoyed this! While I loved the marinade for the tofu, I decided it would be a bit too much as a dressing. But have saved it in a jar and I’ll definitely use again to marinate tofu!
Taylor Stinson says
Yay, so happy you liked it Clare!!! This is definitely my go-to tofu marinade I can’t use any other marinade or sauce. So good! I may just have to revisit these bowls again soon!