Hello, my chickpeas! Today we are combining many of my favorite ingredients to make a Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl With Creamy Cilantro Dressing! This nutritious Buddha Bowl combines roasted sweet potato, seasoned black beans, fresh avocado & spinach, and tops it all with a delicious cilantro sauce. It is filling yet bright in flavor!
By now you all probably know that I love a good Buddha Bowl. You know what else I love? Simple recipes that pack in lots of flavor! This Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl definitely checks both of those boxes.
Inspiration for Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl
When creating my free ebook, I tested a number of sauces and dressings - including a delicious Creamy Cilantro Dressing. I realized during the testing process that this dressing pairs perfectly with sweet potatoes, and this recipe idea was born.
The star of the show is definitely our roasted sweet potato, which is naturally sweet with some delicious seasonings! It pairs beautifully with the black beans and rice, and the Creamy Cilantro Dressing really ties everything together. The spinach and avocado pull in more fresh flavor, and the pumpkin seeds give us a fun little crunch.
Ingredients
This Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl packs in a ton of nutritious ingredients. Let's go over some of them!
- Sweet potatoes (and a bunch of seasonings) - to make our roasted sweet potatoes! So simple and so good!
- Black beans (and a bunch of seasonings) - our black beans are seasoned very similarly to the sweet potatoes. However, they have a different overall flavor profile since they aren't naturally as sweet.
- Cashews, lime juice, cilantro, and seasonings - to blend up into our creamy cilantro dressing! The cashews give us a creamy consistency, and the rest is for a bright and flavorful taste!
- Pumpkin seeds - we toast these up to provide a nice little crunch on our bowl!
- Spinach - every good Buddha Bowl needs some greens! This is an easy way to pack in extra nutrients AND add to the overall flavor combo of our dish.
- Brown rice - these serve as our bowl's base. They are wholesome and make our bowl perfectly filling!
- Avocado and optional lime wedge - some fun toppings to round things out!
How to Make Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl With Creamy Cilantro Dressing
This recipe may look long, but it's really not very complicated! There are a few things to prepare before assembling our bowl, but they're all pretty straight forward.
- Toss your sweet potatoes in some seasonings and roast.
- Heat up your black beans with some seasonings.
- Blend together your dressing ingredients.
- Toast your pumpkin seeds on the stovetop.
- Saute your spinach.
- Assemble everything together in your bowls!
Tips & Tricks
Some final thoughts for you:
- Brown rice is the official grain for this recipe, but use any grain you'd like! I've also made a version with quinoa and enjoyed that as well.
- Cook your brown rice (or other grain) in the instant pot if you'd like! I love doing this because I don't feel like I have to constantly check on it. I've included a note at the bottom of the recipe to explain how I cook brown rice in my instant pot. You can also check out my ebook for an "Instant Pot Cheat Sheet" on how to cook any grain you'd like!
- Adjust the lime juice or water in your dressing to reach your desired consistency. The thickness of your dressing may vary a bit based on your blender. If you want to thin it out more, add some extra water or lime juice. If you like a thick sauce, use less!
- Switch out the greens if spinach isn't your thing. I think that Kale would also be really yummy here! Keep in mind though that a tougher green like Kale will take longer to sauté.
- Looking for more Buddha Bowl recipes? You may also love my Plant Based Banh Mi Buddha Bowl or my Sesame Tofu Buddha Bowl!
- Check out my ebook for other buddha bowls like this one!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl With Creamy Cilantro Dressing
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes - diced (around 4 cups diced)
- 4 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- a few sprinkles of salt and pepper
Seasoned Black Beans:
- 1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- sprinkle of salt
Creamy Cilantro Dressing:
- ¼ cup raw cashews - soaked in very hot water for 20-30 minutes
- ⅓ cup cilantro - roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 3 tablespoon water
Buddha Bowl:
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 6 cups spinach
- 2 cups cooked brown rice* (or other grain of choice)
- 1 avocado - diced
- Optional: 1-2 limes - cut into wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 425
- Toss your diced sweet potatoes with your lime juice. Add in your paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat all potatoes evenly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread diced potatoes evenly on the baking sheet.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes. Return potatoes to the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. (While the potatoes are cooking, feel free to prepare the seasoned black beans and the creamy cilantro dressing!)
- Remove from oven and set aside.
Prepare the Seasoned Black Beans:
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Toss your black beans and lime juice in the pan. Add a bit more lime juice, or water, to prevent sticking if needed. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add your cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Adjust seasonings if needed, and remove from pan once everything is thoroughly warmed.
Prepare the Creamy Cilantro Dressing:
- Drain your soaked cashews
- Add all dressing ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth. Add more lime juice or water if you'd like, to reach desired consistency.
Assemble your Buddha Bowls:
- Toast your pumpkin seeds by heating a medium pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds and stir occasionally as you allow them to toast for about 4 minutes, or until they start to get golden and/or start to pop. Remove pumpkin seeds from the pan and set aside. Keep pan on the stove top (you'll use it in the next step).
- Sautee your spinach by tossing about half of it into your heated pan. Using tongs (or another large utensil), continue tossing it as it cooks down. This shouldn't take long. As it cooks down and there is more room in the pan, add in the rest of your spinach. Once all of your spinach is bright green, remove from heat immediately. This entire process should take 1-2 minutes.
- Assemble your bowls! To each bowl add your roasted sweet potatoes, seasoned black beans, brown rice, and sauteed spinach. Top each bowl with pumpkin seeds, avocado, creamy cilantro dressing, and an optional lime wedge. Enjoy!
Notes
Happy cooking, friends! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your bowl-making ways!
Stay Joyfully Balanced!
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