Vegan High-Protein Refried Bean Veggie Bowl is packed with plant-based protein. A one-pot, easy, no-chop recipe, with homemade vegan ranch dressing.
It's easy to get enough protein on a vegan diet if you eat the right foods. This refried bean bowl makes it especially easy–no chopping required to make these flavorful refried beans!
Load your bowl with chopped veggies you already have on hand. Then add the beans, and a generous drizzle of Creamy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing.
This was inspired by my Vegan Potato Salad with Beans on this site, as well as this Vegan Mexican Quinoa Bake.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Refried beans:
These refried beans are a standalone recipe. You can skip the bowl and just make the beans.
- Pinto beans
- Green onions
- Jalapeño
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Dried oregano
- Cumin
- Tajin seasoning (optional)
- Olive oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Salt & black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
High-Protein Refried Bean Veggie Bowl:
- Refried beans (see ingredients above)
- Brown rice or grain of choice
- Red bell pepper
- Roma tomatoes
- Avocado
- Frozen sweet corn kernels
- Kalamata olives
- Fresh cilantro, parsley, or green onions for garnish (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
📖 Instructions
For the Refried beans:
You don't need to chop the green onions or jalapeño for this recipe. Simply add them whole and remove them once the beans are done simmering.
This no-chop method adds tons of flavor to the beans with very little effort.
Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and simmer for another 3 minutes.
You'll want to remove the green onions and jalapeño before mashing.
Add the olive oil and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, and the beans start to sizzle. Mash and stir the beans at this time.
Transfer a serving of the chopped veggies, rice, and avocado to a bowl. Add the desired amount of refried beans. Drizzle generously with Creamy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing.
🌱 Substitutions
- Pinto beans - instead of pinto, you can use kidney, or black beans
- Flavoring - add minced garlic, and chopped bell pepper to the saucepan with the simmering beans for even more flavor
- Chopped veggies - use veggies you already have on hand
- Rice - instead of rice, serve with a grain of your choice
- Dressing - Use store bought dressing to save time. Most types work with this recipe.
🍲 Variations
Skip the bowl and just make the refried beans.
You can serve them with these Crispy Roasted Potato Bites, 30-Minute Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes, or use as a dip with these Homemade Baked Potato Chips.
You can also serve them as a filling for tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. Or spread them inside a quesadilla.
🔪 Equipment
For mashing the beans, use the side of a spatula, or a potato masher. Use a paring knife to score the jalapeño.
⏱ Storage
Refrigerate any remaining refried beans, and Creamy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing separately in airtight containers for 4 to 5 days. For reheating the beans, add to a saucepan with some water, and a little olive oil.
Refrigerate any remaining veggie bowl ingredients (minus the avocado) in an airtight container. Good for one day.
The refried beans stand up well to freezing. For serving, thaw the beans in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan with some water, and a little olive oil.
'Refried' beans does not mean they are fried twice. This word comes from the Spanish name of the dish—'frijoles refritos'. The use of the prefix 're,' in this case, is to emphasize the word 'fritos,' or fry. 'Refritos,' in this case, means 'well-fried'.
For this recipe we are cheating and using one pot to flavor and sauté the beans, so as to avoid chopping aromatics.
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📖 Recipe
High-Protein Refried Bean Veggie Bowl
Ingredients
For the refried beans:
- 15 ounces pinto beans canned, with liquid
- 3 green onions ends trimmed, pressed with a knife
- 1 small jalapeño scored at the bottom
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Tajin (optional)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Fresh lime juice to taste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the vegan ranch dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise vegan
- ¼ cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Other optional bowl ingredients:
- ¾ cup cooked brown rice or grain of choice
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 small Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup sweet corn kernels (frozen) thawed
- ⅓ cup sliced kalamata olives
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro parsley, or green onions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Simmer the beans: Place the beans and liquid, green onions, jalapeno, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and Tajin (if using) into a small saucepan. Add ⅔ cup water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat before reducing the heat to a simmer. Stir and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove the jalapeño and green onion. Add the olive oil and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, and the beans start to sizzle.
- Mash the beans: Mash and stir the beans at the same time, until about three quarters of the beans are mashed, or until the desired consistency. Remove from the heat. Add fresh lime juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make the dressing: Transfer the mayonnaise, nondairy milk, cider vinegar, parsley, dill, onion powder, and paprika to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. Season with salt and black pepper.
- For serving: Add the desired amount of beans, chopped veggies, and grain to a bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of ranch dressing for serving.
Notes
- Substitute the pinto beans with black or kidney beans as desired.
- Use chopped veggies you have on hand to fill the veggie bowl.
- Substitute the homemade vegan ranch dressing with store bought ranch, or with a dressing of your choice.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Laura
Are the Kcalories per serving?
Nisha Melvani
With all the add-ins.
Rochelle
Love this recipe! Made it twice now, so simple with things that are pantry staples. I didn't see instructions to remove the jalapeno and green onions so took them out before mashing - not sure if that's right, but still tastes good!
Nisha Melvani
Absolutely! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. Glad you are enjoying it.
Neena Chandiramani
Great way to get my protein!
Nisha Melvani
I agree! Thank you.