Veggie burrito bowls are made by loading up cilantro lime rice with seasoned black beans, pico de gallo, and toppings like crunchy romaine and queso fresco. Add this recipe to your meal prep rotation for a filling vegetarian lunch or dinner you can assemble in minutes!
Better Than Chipotle? I Think So!
These flavor-packed, meal-preppable, easy breezy burrito bowls are faster, cheaper, and — dare I say? — better than the vegetarian burrito bowls at Chipotle.
And since you’re making them yourself, you can add or omit whatever toppings your heart fancies.
Me? I’m a sucker for refreshing pico de gallo, crispy lettuce and corn, creamy avocado, and just a sprinkle of queso fresco. But the sky’s the limit when it comes to dressing up homemade burrito bowls, so get creative and let me know what toppings you pick.
Enjoy! Heidi
Heidi’s Tips for Meal Prepping This Recipe
- Store the seasoned black beans, pico de gallo, rice, and toppings in separate airtight containers.
- If packing a veggie burrito bowl for lunch, add only the ingredients you plan on reheating to one large container. Everything else (i.e. the cold toppings) can be combined into another container, or several smaller ones.
- Add the toppings just before serving to keep everything as fresh as possible.
Topping Ideas and Substitutions to Try
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Consider this veggie burrito bowl recipe a springboard for your own Tex-Mex creation. I’ve listed my favorite toppings below, plus some swaps you can try if desired.
- Seasoned black beans — Swap with pinto beans, refried beans, or another protein (carnitas, seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken) etc.
- Pico de gallo — I made my own pico, but feel free to buy it pre-made or replace with homemade salsa, mango salsa, or avocado salsa verde.
- Lettuce + shredded purple cabbage — Use another favorite leafy green or sub in Mexican coleslaw.
- Corn — I used frozen and thawed corn and added it straight to my bowl, but you can use another fresh, roasted, or grilled veggie. (Fajita vegetables would work great here, too.)
- Queso fresco — Swap with shredded cheddar or Pepper Jack, or opt for a decadent drizzle of queso dip.
- Avocado — Citrus guacamole or spicy jalapeño guacamole would take this burrito bowl to the next level.
Heidi’s Tip: You can also add a warmed 8-inch tortilla to each bowl as a bed for the burrito bowls.
Assembling the Veggie-Packed Burrito Bowls
- Season the black beans. Black beans go straight from can to saucepan and are simmered with a few spices to bring on the flavor.
- Make the pico de gallo. It actually tastes better after it’s had time to chill for an hour, so try to make it ahead of time if you can. If not, no biggie!
- Dress the greens. A little oil, lime juice, and salt make the shredded Romaine and purple cabbage crave-worthy.
- Assemble your burrito bowl. I’ve given suggested serving sizes for each of the toppings below, which makes pre-portioning the burrito bowls into those fancy meal prep containers so much easier.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Veggie Burrito Bowl Recipe
The toppings below are just suggestions, so feel free to customize these bowls as you see fit. I’ve provided some topping suggestions and meal prep instructions in the post above.
Servings 4
Calories 709kcal
Ingredients
Seasoned Black Beans
- 1 15-ounce can black beans
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pico de Gallo
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 jalapeño , seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Rice and Toppings
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce with slivered purple cabbage
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 cups cooked cilantro lime rice (or use white rice or brown rice)*
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- ¾ cup queso fresco, crumbled (about 3 ounces)
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
Instructions
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Prepare the seasoned black beans. In a small saucepan over medium-high, heat the 15-ounce can of black beans in their juice with 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid.
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Make the pico de gallo. Combine 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, ⅓ cup chopped yellow onion, ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon canola oil, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
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Dress the greens. Toss 2 cups romaine lettuce with slivered purple cabbage with the remaining tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon canola oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
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Assemble the burrito bowls. In four shallow bowls, add ½ cup beans, ½ cup rice, ¼ cup corn, ⅛ cup pico de gallo, and 1 cup greens. Top each burrito bowl with 3 tablespoons crumbled queso and ¼ sliced avocado. Serve with extra lime wedges and more cilantro and jalapenño if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 709kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 1180mg | Potassium: 1029mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2633IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 223mg | Iron: 4mg
More Easy Tex-Mex Recipes
Storage Tips
If the toppings, rice, and beans are stored separately, everything should last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Wait to dress the greens if you’re meal prepping these vegetarian burrito bowls as they’ll wilt in the dressing.
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