These healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls are amazing for meal prep and staying organized in the midst of a crazy week. The flavour-packed avocado creme makes the perfect burrito bowl sauce! Make these bowls up ahead of time for a quick, easy and healthy meatless meal! {Vegan, gluten-free & dairy-free}
Keep on track with your lifestyle goals with these delicious and healthy black bean burrito bowls!
It’s a super easy vegetarian meal prep recipe that’s loaded with goodness. Made with brown rice, Tex Mex flavoured black beans, lots of fresh veggies, and a delicious avocado creme, these burrito bowls will keep you feeling full and satisfied for hours.
Meal planning and prepping is key when it comes to maintaining a well balanced diet. When you plan ahead, you aren’t as tempted by those convenience foods since you’ll already have something delicious and ready to enjoy. Plus, these meal prep bowls are perfectly portion-controlled so it’s the ultimate way to reach your fitness goals when life gets crazy busy.
Prep it. Measure it out. Gobble it up. Easy as 1-2-3!
Be sure to check out my Buffalo Chicken Meal Prep and Chicken Pesto for more make ahead recipes!
Why Make this Recipe
- Healthy: With 17 grams of fibre and 14 grams of protein per serving, it makes for one filling, healthy and delicious meal.
- Make ahead: Great for easy dinners, but you can also pack up the leftovers in meal prep containers, which makes the perfect lunch the next day! There’s something about packing up your meal all neat and tidy in a meal prep container that can make you feel so organized.
- Family-friendly: This meal is always a hit with the whole family. It’s easily customizable so everyone can choose their favourite toppings to build the ultimate burrito bowl!
- Plant Based: This burrito bowl recipe is completely vegan, as well as being gluten-free, so it’s perfect for individuals with dietary restrictions or those looking to include more plant-based meals into their weekly menu rotation.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil: For cooking. I like to use olive oil since that’s what I typically have on hand, but canola oil will work well too.
- Black beans: Use no salt-added black beans and drain and rinse them well. You can also use other types of beans in this dish like kidney or cannellini if preferred.
- Corn: It’s best to use frozen or fresh corn in this recipe. You can use canned if you’re in a pinch.
- Taco seasoning: You can use homemade or store-bought. I prefer homemade since you can control the sodium level and exactly which ingredients are going into the seasoning mix.
- Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavour.
- Avocado creme: This avocado sauce lends a great creamy flavour and totally makes these burrito bowls. You can sub in guacamole, Greek yogurt or sour cream too.
- Rice: I like to use brown rice in these bowls for a little extra fibre and nutrients. Go for the quick cooking brown rice (we like to use Uncle Ben’s 20 minute rice) to get the meal on the table even faster. You can also use white or wild if you prefer.
- Vegetables: Tomatoes and lettuce make these bowls so refreshing. Feel free to sub in other vegetables that you have on hand, like green onions and peppers.
- Cilantro: For a fresh herby flavour. You can use parsley if you don’t like the taste or leave it out altogether.
- Salsa: Optional, but highly recommended!
Step by Step Instructions
How to make a burrito bowl
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Cook brown rice according to package directions. You should have four cups cooked rice total (this is about 1 cup dry brown rice).
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In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the beans, corn and taco seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and stir until combined.
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While the rice and beans are cooking, prepare the avocado crème.
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Finally, in bowls or containers, evenly distribute, brown rice, black bean mixture, diced tomatoes, and cilantro by themselves or on a bed of romaine lettuce. Top with a dollop or drizzle of avocado creme and your favourite salsa (optional, but recommended).
Recipe Tips
- I recommend using this homemade taco seasoning for these bowls. I like to make up a batch ahead of time to speed up the prep time.
- When cooking the bean mixture, you may wish to add a bit of water to the pan if it starts to get too dry while cooking. It helps to lift the spices off the bottom of the pan.
- Use quick cooking brown rice (we used Uncle Ben’s 20 minute brown rice) to make these bowls come together even faster!
- I recommend making the full batch of the black bean mixture and avocado creme. Even if you don’t want six of these meal prep bowls, you can use the leftover bean mixture for stuffed black bean sweet potatoes (which are equally amazing!) or these Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas. Or you can even freeze the leftover bean mixture for round two of the meal prep bowls or to throw into chili.
- Don’t skimp on the cilantro! I provided rough quantities, but feel free to pile these bowls high with those toppings for the ultimate flavour-packed meal.
- Divide and pack this recipe bowls into meal prep containers in advance for quick and easy meals on the go. Believe me, doing all of this in advance might seem like a lot of work, but it’s a serious game changer if you’re looking to get more organized and to stay on track with your health and fitness goals.
Just open the fridge. Grab the container. And head out the door. It’s that simple. You barely even have to think.
Aren’t those the best types of meals?
Recipe FAQs
Are burrito bowls healthy?
In this case, yes! With these meal prep bowls, the beans provide an excellent source of fibre, protein and iron, while the brown rice offers those complex carbohydrates that are lower on the glycemic index (which means less of a spike in your blood sugar level).
The vegetables incorporate some additional fibre, in addition to vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C and potassium, while the avocado creme adds some healthy fats, making for the perfect balanced meal!
Also because you can make the taco seasoning and creme from scratch, you can also control the sodium level, unlike many of the burrito bowls that you order at a restaurant.
Do you eat burrito bowls cold?
You can eat this burrito bowl cold or warm — it’s totally up to you! If I’m serving it up for dinner, I’ll often have it warm, but if I’m eating it for lunch the next day, I’ll generally eat it cold served over a bed of lettuce or some shredded cabbage.
That’s the beauty of burrito bowls. They are incredibly versatile and you can eat them warm, cold or at room temperature!
How to store
You can store the bean mixture and rice in the fridge for up to four days in air-tight containers.
Generally the avocado creme is best consumed in the first 2-3 days as it starts to brown after that period of time. Be sure to place a piece of parchment paper over top of the creme to seal it and store it in an air-tight container to slow down the browning process.
Can I freeze the bean mixture?
Yes! I love to make a huge batch of the bean mixture to use at a later date. Freeze cooled beans in a freezer-safe container and they will keep well for up to three months. Then, you just need to thaw them in the fridge overnight before adding to your burrito bowls.
Recipe variations
These meal prep burrito bowls are designed to be easy but also really versatile, so feel free to switch them up!
- Add more protein: Toss in some extra beans or tofu. You can even add some chicken or salmon if you don’t require these meal prep bowls to be vegetarian.
- Add more veggies: Along with the beans and corn, you can also fry up some onions, peppers and garlic.
- Add more heat: Add an extra dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the black bean mixture or serve up with some sliced jalapeno peppers.
- Switch up the grains: Use quinoa instead of brown rice.
- Make it lower carb: Skip the rice and just serve the beans and corn mixture over a bed of lettuce or in lettuce wraps topped with the avocado creme.
More delicious meatless recipes:
- Rainbow Vegan Falafel Wrap
- Vegetarian Quesadillas
- Vegan Black Bean Tostadas
- Healthy Pasta Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Feta Salad
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad
- Best Black Bean Burgers
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
For the black bean mixture:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 (540mL or 19 oz) cans no salt-added black beans (or 3.5 cups cooked beans)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning (can use homemade or store-bought)
- Juice of one lime or more to taste
For the bowls:
- 4 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 cup dry)
- Batch of avocado creme
- 4 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce optional
- Dollop of your favourite salsa optional
Instructions
- Cook brown rice according to package directions. You should have four cups cooked rice total (this is about 1 cup dry brown rice).
- In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the beans, corn and taco seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and stir until combined.
- While the rice and beans are cooking, prepare the avocado crème.
- Finally, in bowls or containers, evenly distribute, brown rice, black bean and corn mixture, diced tomatoes, cilantro by themselves or on a bed of romaine lettuce. Top with a dollop of avocado creme and your favourite salsa (optional, but recommended).
Video
Notes
- I recommend using this homemade taco seasoning for these bowls. I like to make up a batch ahead of time to speed up the prep time.
- When cooking the bean mixture, you may wish to add a bit of water to the pan if it starts to get too dry while cooking. It helps to lift the spices off the bottom of the pan.
- Use quick cooking brown rice (we used Uncle Ben's 20 minute brown rice) to make these bowls come together even faster!
- I recommend making the full batch of the black bean mixture and avocado creme. Even if you don't want six of these meal prep bowls, you can use the leftover bean mixture for stuffed black bean sweet potatoes (which are equally amazing!) or these Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas. Or you can even freeze the leftover bean mixture for round two of the meal prep bowls or to throw into chili.
- Don't skimp on the cilantro! I provided rough quantities, but feel free to pile these bowls high with those toppings for the ultimate flavour-packed meal.
- Divide and pack this recipe bowls into meal prep containers in advance for quick and easy meals on the go. Believe me, doing all of this in advance might seem like a lot of work, but it's a serious game changer if you're looking to get more organized and to stay on track with your health and fitness goals.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted August 2018 and was updated March 2021 to include better tips and photos.
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What’s the serving size?
The serving size would be for 1/6th of the recipe, or about 2/3 cup cooked rice, 3/4 cup of the bean mixture and about 2 tablespoons of the avocado crema. Hope that helps!
Love this recipe and how versatile it is. Made burritos the next night with the leftovers!
That’s awesome! Love how you repurposed the leftovers to make burritos! Thanks for stopping by to leave a review :)