This vegan Greek Buddha Bowl makes a quick, healthy, and delicious lunch or dinner. Made with chickpeas, couscous, and an array of Mediterranean veggies, this nourishing bowl is topped with a simple hummus vinaigrette. Perfect for meal prepping and packed lunches, too!
I'm not a person who likes to spend a lot of time preparing lunch--which is probably why I make this Greek Buddha Bowl so often! Much of the inspiration for this recipe comes from how quickly these ingredients come together.
I use canned chickpeas, prewashed mixed greens, and cherry tomatoes because they require little prep work. Couscous cooks in about 5 minutes and you can cut the cucumber, mix the dressing, and assemble the bowl while you wait. It can't get much easier than that!
As a bonus, this Mediterranean Buddha bowl is easy to customize and is perfect for meal prepping and packed lunches!
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You'll love this recipe because it's:
- Quick & Easy
- Vegan / Vegetarian
- Easy to Make Gluten-Free
- WFPB
- Oil-free
- Healthy & Nourishing
- Perfect for Packed Lunches and Meal Prep
- Delicious
What is a Buddha Bowl?
A Buddha bowl is a whole meal served in a bowl. It usually contains a grain element, a protein element, vegetables (raw or cooked), and a dressing or sauce, all of which can be customized in any way you like.
Buddha bowls are named after the big, round Buddha belly shape, but they're also sometimes referred to as hippy bowls, grain bowls, nourish bowls, goddess bowls, or macro bowls.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Couscous is actually made of wheat so it's not gluten-free, but you can substitute with any kind of rice or quinoa for a gluten-free Greek Buddha bowl.
Ingredients
- whole wheat couscous: You can use regular if you prefer. Barley, quinoa, or rice would also make a good substitute.
- chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas just to make my life a little easier but you could also make the chickpeas from scratch.
- cucumber
- cherry tomatoes
- mixed greens: Any kind will do!
- kalamata olives: Black or green olives would also be fine.
- hummus dressing: I use this simple Greek-style hummus vinegrette. Feel free to substitute with any dressing of your choice.
Instructions
- Cook the couscous according to package directions. Couscous cooks very quickly! Some brands don't even require cooking and can be made with hot water. Just check your package for the appropriate instructions.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Wash and cut the cucumber into half-moon slices. Wash the cherry tomatoes (you can cut them in halve or quarters if you want).
- Follow the instructions linked here to make the hummus dressing, or use your own favorite Greek dressing.
- Add about one cup of greens to each bowl. Divide the other ingredients equally between the bowls. Drizzle with dressing.
- Serve right away and enjoy!
How to serve
Serve this as a super simple lunch or light dinner. This vegan buddha bowl is also perfect for packed lunches.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes! This is a perfect, easy recipe for meal prep. Double the recipe for 4 days of lunches. Divide each ingredient equally among airtight containers, keeping the dressing on the side.
How to store
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More easy lunch recipes
📖 Recipe
Greek Buddha Bowl (Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
- 1 ½ cup cucumber, sliced into half moons (about half of an English cucumber)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups mixed greens
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup hummus dressing
Instructions
- Cook the couscous according to package directions.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Wash and cut the cucumber into half-moon slices. Wash the cherry tomatoes.
- Follow the linked instructions to make the hummus dressing.
- Add one cup of greens to each bowl. Divide the cooked couscous, chickpeas, cucumber slices, tomatoes, and olives equally between the bowls. Drizzle with the hummus dressing.
- Serve right away and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2 buddha bowls. The vegetable measurements are approximate. When I make this for lunch, I don't usually measure anything except the couscous.
- I like using my homemade hummus dressing with this bowl, but you could substitute with any storebought or homemade dressing you prefer.
- You can double this recipe and meal prep 4 days of lunches.
- I really like olives! But if you wanted to reduce the fat and calories in this dish, using half the amount of olives would be a good place to start.
Nutrition
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Tracy
I really liked this recipe. I did reduce the olives by half (I love them, but calories!) and used farro instead of couscous because I had it at home. I was afraid that all the oregano in the salad dressing would be overwhelming, but it had really good flavor after mixing with the salad.
Julianne Lynch
Wonderful! I also love farro and I totally understand about the olives. I'm so glad you liked it!