This vegetarian fajita bowl is an easy dinner or lunch option that is also great for meal prep. You'll find flavorful fajita vegetables, black beans, and crisp lettuce over a bed of brown rice, all topped with a delicious cilantro lime ranch dressing. It can become an easy vegan fajita bowl too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you are vegetarian or simply looking for another recipe to add to your collection of meatless meals, this vegetarian fajita bowl/burrito bowl is sure to satisfy! We think you'll love how customizable this meal is too. If you are in need of a vegan option, they can very easily become vegan fajita bowls as well, simply by choosing a dressing that is vegan. There are a lot of different toppings you can choose and variations you can follow to make it exactly what you are looking for.
Ingredient Notes
- Romaine lettuce - the addition of crisp romaine lettuce is perfect for this recipe! You can buy a bag of pre-chopped lettuce at the store or buy heads of romaine lettuce and chop them yourself.
- Brown rice - we love to use brown jasmine rice for this recipe (look here for how to cook rice in the instant pot), but if you don't have brown rice on hand, white rice will work well too. These veggie fajita bowls would also be amazing with our cilantro lime rice.
- Black beans - we have used black beans in this recipe, but you could sub this for your favorite type of beans—pinto beans, refried beans, red beans, kidney beans, etc. Beans are a great plant-based protein option to use in vegetarian dishes! They are also a great source of fiber and other vitamins and minerals such as iron.
- Onion and bell peppers - these will be the fajita veggies needed for this bowl! We like to use a red onion for this recipe, but you could also use yellow onions, white onions, or sweet onions with no problem. We prefer to use yellow, orange, or red bell peppers.
- Spices - we'll be using a mix of pantry staple spices to create our own fajita seasoning for this recipe. You will need garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
- Cilantro lime ranch - don't skip out on this dressing! It adds so much extra flavor to these fajita bowls. You can find the recipe here. If you need a vegan option, try a ranch dressing from Primal Kitchen or Chosen Foods.
- Favorite toppings - there are so many different toppings you can choose to make these bowls your own. Consider using your favorite salsa (we love our corn mango salsa with these veggie fajita bowls), pico de gallo, fresh avocado or a dollop of guacamole, fresh cilantro, lime wedges or a squeeze of fresh lime juice, corn, green onions, cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, vegan sour cream, and red pepper flakes or hot sauce to add a little kick.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
In order to make this veggie fajita bowl recipe you will need the following equipment.
- An instant pot, rice cooker, or saucepan to cook the rice
- A cutting board and knife
- A large skillet or non-stick pan
- A rubber spatula
- A can opener
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A food processor or blender to mix the dressing
Step by Step Directions
1: Start by cooking the brown jasmine rice. Here are directions for doing this in an instant pot.
Open the can of black beans, drain, and rinse them under cool water. Set them aside.
2: Cut the bell peppers and red onion into thin slices and add them to a large skillet with the oil and seasonings. Bring it to medium-high heat and stir gently until the veggies are evenly coated. Continue to cook until the fajita veggies are tender, about 6-8 minutes. You can add the beans to the bowls separately, or add them to the fajita vegetables and mix them together.
3: Prepare the cilantro lime ranch and cut the lettuce.
4: Assemble the vegetarian fajita bowls. Start with the cooked rice, then add the fajita veggies, the beans, the lettuce, any additional toppings, and drizzle with the cilantro lime ranch. Enjoy!
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Tips & Variations
- If you do not prepare your rice using an instant pot, we recommend that you follow the package instructions to best cook your rice.
- There are several delicious variations for this recipe:
- Marinated mushrooms (baby bella mushrooms or portobello mushrooms would be a great addition)
- Plant based protein such as tofu or tempeh
- Sweet potatoes or other roasted veggies
- If you're not vegetarian or vegan, feel free to add your favorite prepped protein such as grilled chicken or sweet pork
FAQ
There are two different ways you can serve this meal. You can assemble everything in a large bowl and have everyone dish up from the same serving bowl or have each person assemble their own small bowl individually. Regardless, it will be a great meal that the whole family can enjoy!
We recommend storing the rice, fajita veggies, and toppings separately in an airtight container. Simply warm up the rice and veggies and assemble the fajita bowl again when you are ready for leftovers!
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. To make dairy-free or vegan fajitas, make sure the dressing you use for the cilantro lime ranch meets those criteria.
If you like this recipe, check out some of our other recipes that have vegetarian options!
If you make this Vegetarian Fajita Bowl, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Vegetarian Fajita Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (feel free to swap with white rice or our cilantro lime rice)
- 1 ⅓ cup black beans
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Cilantro lime ranch (recipe here)
- Optional toppings (corn mango salsa, pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, cheese, corn, etc.
Instructions
- Start by cooking the brown jasmine rice. Here are directions for doing this in an instant pot.
- Cut the bell peppers and red onion into thin slices. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the sliced veggies to the skillet and stir gently with a rubber spatula to coat the veggies in the oil.
- Add the fajita spices to the veggies and stir until they are evenly coated. Continue to cook until the fajita veggies are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Open the can of black beans, drain, and rinse them under cool water. You can add the beans to the bowls separately, or add them to the fajita vegetables and mix them together.
- Prepare the cilantro lime ranch and cut the lettuce.
- Assemble the vegetarian fajita bowls. Start with the brown rice, then add the fajita veggies, the beans, the lettuce, any additional toppings, and drizzle with the cilantro lime ranch. Enjoy!
Notes
- There are two different ways you can serve this meal. You can assemble everything in a large bowl and have everyone dish up from the same serving bowl or have each person assemble their own small bowl individually. Regardless, it will be a great meal that the whole family can enjoy!
- We recommend storing the rice, fajita veggies, and toppings separately in an airtight container. Simply warm up the rice and veggies and assemble the fajita bowl again when you are ready for leftovers!
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. If you would like to make dairy-free or vegan fajitas, make sure the dressing you use for the cilantro lime ranch meets those criteria.
- We often provide tips and suggestions for how a recipe can be created to be dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. It is your responsibility to select and use products as well as work in an environment that will meet those criteria. We are not responsible for any reaction or adverse event that may result from making our recipes.
NUTRITION
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Vegetarian Fajita Bowl." The dressing can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Cilantro Lime Ranch."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
Autumn
This recipe is so easy and delicious! A great way to eat healthy without over complicating things.
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So glad to hear you liked it, Autumn! Thanks for letting us know!