Vegan Burrito Bowls with Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat
Skip Chipotle and make your own delicious burrito bowls at home! These vegan burrito bowls feature cilantro lime brown rice, fajita veggies, and homemade chickpea walnut taco “meat”. So much flavor and nutrition packed into this meal!
Burrito bowls are one of my go-to weeknight meals! I’ve been making different versions of burrito bowls for years. They always hit the spot and are super satisfying, even when you’re lacking dinner inspiration.
These vegan burrito bowls have so much Mexican-inspired flavor and ingredients – we’ve got lime, cilantro, onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and more! All the components taste amazing together in one big bite. The star of the show, in my opinion, is the homemade chickpea walnut taco “meat”. It’s flavorful, different, and simple to make.
What’s in vegan burrito bowls?
Here are all the ingredients you need to make all the components of these vegan burrito bowls:
- Brown rice
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Romaine lettuce
- Chickpeas
- Walnuts
- Avocado
- Bell pepper
- White onion
- Garlic
- Salsa
- Tahini
- Spices: chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
How to make chickpea walnut taco meat
As I mentioned before, the star of this dish is homemade chickpea walnut taco meat. Filled with spices and aromatics, this vegan meat alternative adds filling fiber and protein to your meal. Here’s how to make it!
Start by sauteing diced onion and garlic in olive oil. Add walnuts and continue to cook, coating the walnuts in oil and letting them toast a little.
Then, add your chickpeas and spices. Stir well so all the ingredients are well coated in spices. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir salsa into the chickpea/walnut mixture, then remove from heat.
Transfer everything to a food processor. Pulse 5-10 times to crumble up the chickpeas and walnuts a bit. If you don’t have a food processor, you can just mash some of the chickpeas with a fork, or leave everything whole!
Assemble the chickpea walnut taco meat in a bowl along with the other components: cilantro lime brown rice, peppers and onions, shredded lettuce, avocado, salsa, and drizzle with tahini lime sauce. Enjoy your burrito bowl!
Note: If you’re someone who wants to add more plants, but not go 100% vegan, feel free to add 2-3 ounces of lean protein like chicken.
Are vegan burrito bowls healthy?
These vegan burrito bowls are just brimming with nutritious ingredients!
- Walnuts: February is American Heart Month, and walnuts are a heart-healthy* food. Walnuts are the only nut that contains an excellent source of omega-3 ALA (2.5g/oz). Omega-3 fatty acids are essential in our diets, and they are associated with benefits for heart health, brain health, and inflammation. Decades of research shows eating walnuts may beneficially affect various heart-health parameters, including cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and blood vessel function.
- Chickpeas are a good source of plant-based protein and dietary fiber. A one-cup serving has 11 grams and 10 grams, respectively. About ⅓ of the fiber in chickpeas is soluble fiber, which may help lower cholesterol.
- Brown rice is a whole grain, and whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber. Diets high in fiber have many health benefits, including weight management, heart health, and digestive health.
- Avocado is rich in healthy unsaturated fatty acids. Most of the fat in avocado is monounsaturated fat, which may help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. One cup of avocado provides 14 grams of monounsaturated fat, 10 grams of dietary fiber, and 708 mg (20 percent of your daily needs) of potassium.
If you love this recipe, you may also like
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos
- Chili Spiced Tofu Tacos
- Spanish Chickpea Spinach Stew
- Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Lime Tahini Sauce
Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
Print
Vegan Burrito Bowls with Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: main dish
Description
Skip Chipotle and make your own delicious burrito bowls at home! These vegan burrito bowls feature cilantro lime brown rice, fajita veggies, and homemade chickpea walnut taco “meat”. So much flavor and nutrition packed into this meal!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup California walnut pieces (check the packaging to ensure they’re from the USA or California!)
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup salsa
Tahini Lime Sauce
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1–2 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2–3 tbsp cold water
Additional ingredients
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, finely chopped
- 2 avocados, peeled and sliced
- Salsa
Instructions
- Prepare the rice on the stovetop according to package instructions. When rice is done cooking, stir in the lime juice, salt, and cilantro.
- Prepare the chickpea walnut taco meat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cooking for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the walnuts to the pan, stirring to coat them in olive oil. Let the walnuts cook for 2-3 minutes so they become lightly toasted.
- Stir in the chickpeas, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the salsa and stir to coat everything. Remove from heat, then transfer everything to a food processor.
- Pulse in the food processor 5-10 times to achieve a crumbly, chunky texture.
- Make the sauteed peppers and onions by sauteing the sliced peppers and onions in a frying pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- To make the tahini lime sauce, whisk together the tahini, lime juice, salt, and garlic powder. The tahini will thicken up, so just add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir until desired consistency.
- Assemble the burrito bowls with a scoop of rice, shredded lettuce, chickpea walnut taco meat, peppers and onions, avocado slices, salsa, and a drizzle of tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Keywords: vegan, gluten free, vegan burrito bowls
Save this recipe for later to one of your Pinterest boards
* California walnuts are certified by the American Heart Association. Heart-Check certification does not apply to recipes, research or information unless expressly stated. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One ounce of walnuts offers 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3.
Thank you California Walnuts for sponsoring this blog post! I’m grateful to partner with brands I love to cook with, and all opinions are my own.