Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

Colorful grain bowl with quinoa, fresh vegetables, chickpeas, avocado, and tangy tahini dressing for satisfying nourishment.

# 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 and 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 fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
17 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

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 by slicing red cabbage, julienning carrots, halving cherry tomatoes, slicing bell pepper and cucumber, and slicing avocado.
03 - Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl 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 and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can prep everything in advance and assembly takes about two minutes, which means weekday lunches actually happen.
  • It's naturally filling without feeling heavy, so you won't crash mid-afternoon like you do with most grain bowls.
  • The tahini dressing tastes creamy and indulgent but is packed with real nutrition, not mayo or mystery ingredients.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rinsing step for quinoa—I learned this the hard way when my first bowl tasted vaguely soapy and I nearly gave up on the whole recipe.
  • Make the dressing thinner than you think you want it; as the bowl sits, the grains absorb liquid and what felt like the right consistency becomes glue.
  • Assemble the bowls just before eating if possible; the longer everything sits together, the more the colors bleed and the vegetables lose their crisp texture.
03 -
  • Toast your pumpkin seeds yourself if you have time—raw seeds are fine but toasted ones have a depth that makes people ask what that incredible flavor is.
  • If you're making these for a crowd, prep all the components in separate bowls and let people assemble their own; it takes the pressure off you and makes people feel invested in what they're eating.
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