This Vegan Quinoa Bowl is made with roasted vegetables, protein-rich edamame, and lemony quinoa for an easy plant-based meal that’s perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep.
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowl
I love a big bowl of vegetables as a main dish, but I’m always thinking about protein and fiber to make it more satisfying. This Vegan Quinoa Bowl uses quinoa and edamame as the base, which adds plant-based protein and fiber, while the sheet pan roasted vegetables make it hearty, cozy, and filling. Nutritional yeast gives everything a savory, almost cheesy flavor, and the mix of warm roasted vegetables with fresh arugula makes every bite so delicious. My photographer loved it so much, she told me she wasn’t expecting it to be this good!
Why This Vegan Quinoa Bowl Works
It can be challenging to get enough protein and fiber in your diet, especially if you’re vegan. By focusing on vegetables and whole grains, it’s easy to reach your fiber goals. For protein, you have to get creative by adding it where you can. That’s where nutritional yeast, quinoa, and edamame come in.
- Nutritional powerhouse: With a whopping 7 different vegetables and all clean, whole ingredients, this healthy vegan quinoa bowl is packed with vitamins and minerals. Plus, it’s gluten-free and dairy-free.
- High in protein, even though they don’t contain meat
- Customizable: There are so many ways to switch things up to suit your tastes. I give over a dozen options below!
- Colorful: Eating the rainbow is an excellent way to ensure you’re getting a variety of nutrients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This simple vegan quinoa bowl recipe includes 7 vegetables! See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Nutritional yeast is a common vegan alternative to Parmesan cheese because it has a similar nutty flavor.
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt
- Vegetables: Cherry tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, broccoli florets, shallots, shelled edamame, baby arugula
- Quinoa: Check out my quinoa cooking instructions to make sure it’s fluffy and not soggy. The secret is to use less water than most packages instruct.
- Quinoa bowl dressing: Lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil
How to Make Vegan Quinoa Bowls
Line your sheet pan with parchment paper to make cleanup easier. If you’re doubling the recipe, put the vegetables on two sheet pans to ensure they have enough space to roast. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Roast the vegetables: Spray the tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and sliced shallots with olive oil and season with all the spices. Roast at 400°F for 25 minutes until they’re tender.
- Prepare the quinoa salad: Mix the quinoa, chopped shallots, lemon juice and zest, vinegar, edamame, and remaining salt in a large bowl.
- How to assemble: Divide the arugula between two shallow bowls. Top with half the quinoa and roasted veggies.
Meal Prep Tips
This roasted vegetable quinoa bowl recipe serves two people, but it’s easy to double for leftovers. You can also do most of the prep ahead of time if that’s more convenient. Here’s everything you can prep the day before:
- Cook the quinoa either on the stove or in the Instant Pot.
- Combine the spices in an airtight container.
- Clean and cut mushrooms, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and shallots.
- Thaw the edamame.
- Prepare the vinaigrette (chopped shallots, vinegar, lemon, and oil) in a jar.
Before dinner the next day, while the vegetables roast, mix the quinoa and edamame with the dressing.
Customize Your Bowl
- Not vegan? Feel free to swap nutritional yeast for grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.
- Mushrooms: If you can’t find shiitakes, any mushroom, like baby bella, white button, or oyster, will work.
- Sweet Potatoes: Try it with butternut or acorn squash.
- Broccoli: Replace it with cauliflower.
- Shallots: Replace them with red onions.
- Arugula: Use spinach or watercress
- Other veggie options: If you don’t like mushrooms or don’t have a certain vegetable, you can add almost any other type here. Try it with bell peppers, asparagus, carrots, or Brussels sprouts.
- Don’t like quinoa? Swap it for brown rice, farro, or couscous.
- Vinegar: Substitute red wine vinegar with white wine or apple cider vinegar.
Ways to Add More Protein
Below are vegan and non-vegan ways to increase the protein in these quinoa veggie bowls.
- Cooking liquid: Boil your quinoa in bone broth to boost its protein content.
- Meat: Add chicken, shrimp, or meatballs.
- Vegetarian protein: Use tofu or plant-based sausage.
- Dressing: Whisk some tahini into the lemon vinaigrette.
- Nuts and seeds: Garnish with pistachios, pecans, hemp hearts, or sunflower seeds.
What to Serve with Vegan Quinoa Bowls
This bowl is a meal in one and doesn’t need a side, but if you want to make this a multi-course meal, here’s some ideas:
Storage Tips
- How to store: Keeping the quinoa, vegetables, and arugula in separate containers will keep everything fresher for longer. However, if you’re taking them with you on the go, it’s fine to refrigerate the veggies and quinoa in one container, and the arugula in another.
- Refrigerator: The quinoa and roasted vegetables will last 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat in the microwave until it’s warm. Then, stir in the arugula. It’s also fine if you’d rather eat the leftovers cold or at room temperature.
More Vegan Bowl Recipes You’ll Love
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup arugula and about 2 ½ cups veggies + 2 TB vinaigrette
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Preheat oven to 400°F.
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In a small bowl combine nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and 1 ¼ teaspoons salt.
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Place the veggies and sliced shallots, except for the chopped shallots and edamame, on a large sheet pan and spray generously with olive oil, add the spice mixture and toss well, spraying with more oil as needed. Roasting for 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
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While the veggies roast, prepare the quinoa: In a large bowl combine quinoa, chopped shallots, with the juice of 2 lemons, zest from 1 lemon, red wine vinegar, edamame and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and toss well.
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Add 1 cup arugula to two large shallow bowls and separate the quinoa evenly over the top.
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Separate the roasted veggies evenly over each bowl.
Last Step:
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Double the recipe for meal prep.
Serving: 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup arugula and about 2 ½ cups veggies + 2 TB vinaigrette, Calories: 552 kcal, Carbohydrates: 87.5 g, Protein: 25 g, Fat: 14.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Sodium: 1262.5 mg, Fiber: 19.5 g, Sugar: 17 g
