7-ingredient Lazy Buddha Bowl with crispy roasted chickpeas, candied sweet potatoes, and a Creamy Garlic Sauce that packs in flavor. Meal prep this recipe for a quick weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy.
Eating healthfully and deliciously made easy with these vegan Lazy Buddha Bowl recipes, rich in plant-based protein, iron, and fiber. Choose chickpeas or lentils as your plant-based protein, and sweet potatoes or carrots as your veggie. Or meal prep both recipes for the week. This recipe makes enough sauce for both bowls.
This was inspired by Easy One Pot Quinoa on this site, as well as this Best Vegetable Bowl recipe.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Cashews give the garlic sauce a creamy texture and add heart healthy fats, and a modest amount of protein.
- Chives add a mild onion flavor similar to leeks. They are rich in several nutrients and antioxidants.
- Roasted chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and quinoa is the protein-vegetable-grain combination I typically use for this Lazy Buddha Bowl. However, I also make it will lentils, carrots, and rice on occasion. Both options are delicious.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍠 Substitutions
- Sweet potato - instead of sweet potato, you can use root veggies you already have on hand (carrot, parsnip, beet, turnips, potatoes)
- Chickpeas - use a different plant-based protein (cooked lentils, tofu, butter beans, tempeh)
- Quinoa - substitute with farro, brown rice, couscous, barley, millet, or a different grain of your choice
- Chives - the chives in the creamy garlic sauce can be replaced with a different herb (parsley, dill, basil, cilantro)
- Cashews - use firm silken tofu, or soaked almonds or sunflower seeds instead for the sauce
Add a drizzle of my homemade Easy 7-Minute Chili Crisp to pack in even more flavor. Visit my Veggie Bowls page for more Buddha Bowl ideas.
📖 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cook the quinoa (or a grain of your choice) according to the directions on the packet.
Step 1. Transfer the sweet potatoes, and chickpeas to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Change the oven setting to grill or broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the chickpeas are crispy.
Step 1. (optional): Transfer cut carrot rounds, and cooked Puy lentils to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Change the oven setting to grill or broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the carrots are crispy.
Step 2. Meanwhile, transfer the cashews, garlic, chives, lemon juice, and ½ cup water to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add more water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt, and more lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
Step 3. Combine the components. Serve with a generous drizzle of garlic sauce, and a sprinkle of nuts and seeds as desired. Or meal prep this recipe in advance and refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
💡 Expert Tips
- Place the chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Do not overcrowd them or they will not brown and crisp evenly. Broil for about 3 minutes once the sweet potatoes are done cooking for extra crispy chickpeas. For even crispier chickpeas, dry them between the layers of a kitchen or paper towel before seasoning.
- For the lentil and carrot Buddha bowl option, use Puy, French or green lentils. These hold their shape better than other lentil varieties. Cook the lentils until al dente before roasting them. Do not overcook them or they will be mushy.
- Storage: Refrigerate the sauce and Buddha Bowl ingredients in two separate airtight containers for up to 5 days. Serve the bowl warm or chilled.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
For a complete and balanced meal, it should contain the following 5 components: whole grains, veggies, protein, a dressing with heart healthy fats, and toppings such as nuts, seeds, herbs or sprouts.
Buddha bowls are about balancing the different types of food that you eat, and not eating too much of any one thing. They are also known as bliss bowls, nourish bowls, or power bowls, and are a healthy one-dish meal.
Chickpeas are very healthy. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. These characteristics may support weight management, blood sugar regulation, and brain health while reducing the risk of chronic disease including heart disease and cancer.
🍽 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Buddha Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked)*
- 2 medium sweet potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces*
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Dash of garlic powder
- Dash of onion powder
- Salt to taste
For the Creamy Garlic Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in boiled water for 10 minutes, or overnight, drained
- 3 cloves garlic
- 7 chives plus more for garnish*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the packet.
- Roast veggies and protein: Transfer the sweet potato and chickpeas to a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. Change the oven setting to grill or broil and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the chickpeas are crispy.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, transfer the cashews, garlic, chives, lemon juice, and ½ cup water to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Add more water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt, and more lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
- Combine sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and quinoa. Serve with a generous drizzle of garlic sauce.
Notes
- *For a Lentil & Carrot Buddha Bowl: Substitute sweet potatoes with 4 medium carrots, chickpeas with 1 cup cooked Puy or green lentils, and quinoa with ¾ cup uncooked rice. Or meal prep both recipes in advance. This recipe makes enough sauce for both bowls.
- Place the chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Do not overcrowd them or they will not brown and crisp evenly. Broil for about 3 minutes once the sweet potatoes are done cooking for extra crispy chickpeas.
- Storage: Refrigerate the sauce and bowl ingredients in two separate airtight containers for up to 5 days. Serve the bowl warm or chilled.
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.
Neena Chandiramani
Lovely 🥰 combination of ingredients!
Nisha Melvani
Thank you. Enjoy:)