Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

Vibrant grain bowl with quinoa, colorful vegetables, chickpeas, and tahini dressing for a wholesome meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Protein

04 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced
09 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
10 - 1 cup fresh baby spinach

→ Healthy Fats & Toppings

11 - 1 ripe avocado, sliced
12 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
13 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

→ Dressing

14 - 3 tablespoons tahini
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup
17 - 2 tablespoons water
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
02 - While quinoa cooks, slice red cabbage thinly, julienne carrots, halve cherry tomatoes, slice bell pepper and cucumber, and slice avocado. Measure out fresh baby spinach.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange chickpeas, red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, spinach, and avocado in colorful sections on top of the quinoa.
05 - Drizzle each bowl generously with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything comes together in under 40 minutes, which means dinner won't turn into a midnight project.
  • The tahini dressing is so good you'll find yourself drizzling it on things that have nothing to do with this bowl.
  • You can prep most components ahead and assemble fresh, making weeknight dinners genuinely stress-free.
  • It actually tastes like a celebration on a plate, not like you're punishing yourself with health food.
02 -
  • Add avocado right before eating or at least just before serving, because exposure to air turns it from creamy and golden to an unappealing gray situation within minutes.
  • If your tahini dressing breaks or gets too thick, don't panic—just whisk in a little water at a time until it comes back together, which it always will.
  • Toast your pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes if you have fresh ones; it's the difference between nice and genuinely unforgettable.
03 -
  • Invest two minutes in toasting your seeds—it's the small thing that guests always notice and ask about, and it costs nothing but presence.
  • If you want a spicy version, whisk a dash of sriracha or chili flakes into your dressing instead of trying to add heat at the end, because it distributes better and tastes more intentional.
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