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Home » Recipes

Greek Buddha Bowl (Vegan & Oil-Free)

Published: 29 Aug 2021 · Updated: 16 Apr 2024 by Julianne Lynch · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 4 Comments

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Greek buddha bowl pin.
Greek buddha bowl pin.

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!

Two hands holding a vegan greek buddha bowl.
This Greek Buddha Bowl makes a perfect quick lunch!

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, pre-washed 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! It's also WFPB, oil-free, and easy to make gluten-free (see substitutions below).

Jump to:
  • Ingredient notes
  • Instructions
  • Variations
  • Equipment
  • How to serve
  • Storage
  • FAQs
  • More easy lunch recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
Ingredients for Greek Buddha bowl.
Here's what you need to make this Greek Buddha Bowl.

Ingredient notes

  • whole wheat couscous: You can use regular if you prefer. Barley, quinoa, or rice would also make a good substitute (especially if you want to make it gluten-free).
  • chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas just to make my life a little easier but you could also make the chickpeas from scratch.
  • cucumber: Crisp cucumber is a must!
  • cherry tomatoes: For color and flavor!
  • 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.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Here are instructions with photos.

Ingredients for Greek Buddha bowl.
  • 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).
Ingredients for hummus salad dressing in bowl, unmixed.

Follow the instructions linked here to make the hummus dressing, or use your own favorite Greek dressing.

Two mediterranean buddha bowls and a hand holding forks.
  • 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!

Hint: This recipe makes two servings, but it can easily be doubled or tripled using the toggle function in the recipe card.

Variations

Here are a few ways to switch things up:

  • Gluten-free: swap out the couscous for rice, barely, or quinoa.
  • Roasted Chickpeas: instead of serving the chickpeas cold, roast them first for extra crunch.
Hands holding chickpea couscous bowl.
Dig into this high-protein buddha bowl with chickpeas and couscous.

Equipment

For this recipe you'll need a medium pot, cutting board, knife, and a mixing bowl.

All of my favorite products and kitchen tools can be found in my Amazon shop.

How to serve

Serve this as a super simple lunch or light dinner. This vegan buddha bowl is also perfect for packed lunches.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The ingredients will store better if they don't have the dressing on them.

Greek buddha bowl dressing in center surrounded by tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, and mixed greens.
Top your vegan buddha bowl with this quick hummus dressing.

FAQs

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.

Is this 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.

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.

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📖 Recipe

Vegan Greek Buddha bowl.

Greek Buddha Bowl (Vegan)

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!
4.86 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Share on Facebook Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Servings 2
Calories 418 kcal

Equipment

ROYAL CRAFT WOOD Extra Larg...Shop on Amazon
Cutting Board
HENCKELS Classic Razor-Shar...Shop on Amazon
Sharp Knife
Cuisinart 719-18 Chef's Cla...Shop on Amazon
Medium Pot

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
Get Recipe Ingredients

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!
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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

Calories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 17gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 1011mgPotassium: 711mgFiber: 12gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1054IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 107mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Buddha bowl, chickpea buddha bowl, greek buddha bowl, vegan buddha bowl
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Comments

    4.86 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Tracy says

    March 22, 2022 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Julianne Lynch says

      March 22, 2022 at 4:46 pm

      Wonderful! I also love farro and I totally understand about the olives. I'm so glad you liked it!

      Reply
    • Gabrielle says

      April 24, 2024 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      This was light and refreshing and delicious! I had to go backwards to make the hummus, which was excellent, so I could make the hummus dressing, also excellent.

      Reply
      • Julianne Lynch says

        April 25, 2024 at 9:57 am

        Great! I"m so glad you liked it!

        Reply
Julianne, founder of No Sweat Vegan.

Hi, I'm Julianne! A dedicated home chef for over 20 years and a vegan recipe developer since 2020. I love creating simple and comforting vegan food for the whole family. Most of my recipes are quick, Whole-Foods Plant-Based, and easy on the budget. Thanks for stopping by!

You can also find me at AirFryerVeg.com.

More about me →

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