How To Make A Buddha Bowl (The Easy Way)

Buddha Bowls are so delicious, good for you, and they instantly add variety (which we love at Gousto!) to an otherwise drab midweek lunch or dinner. You can even batch cook the ingredients ahead of time so they’re easy to make at home.

The best thing about them is that it’s up to you which ingredients you choose and how you prepare them. It’s all about what you enjoy eating.

For a Gousto twist, we love adding ferments like sauerkraut or kimchi. Not only do these funky vegetables add delicious flavour, but the good bacteria also help keep your gut healthy.

Follow our eight easy steps to make a perfect Buddha Bowl every time, or check out this week’s menu for more meal inspiration.

8 Easy Steps To Your Perfect Buddha Bowl

1. Choose Your Base

Any whole grain works here. Brown rice, couscous, bulgar wheat and freekeh are all great ones for Buddha Bowls. We’ve chosen quinoa as it’s high in fibre (something we should all try to eat more of), gluten-free and protein-rich. Plus, it soaks up flavour beautifully—perfect for building a bowl that’s both balanced and delicious.

2. Add Roasted Vegetables

The easiest way to sneak in extra portions of your five-a-day? Go for nutrient-packed veg that are in season as they usually taste better and tend to be cheaper at the supermarket. We used seasonal squash covered in olive oil and roasted at 180°C fan for 20 minutes.

Buddha Bowls are also a great way to use up leftovers. We chucked some slightly soft tomatoes on the same tray for the last 10 minutes, ’til they were charred and sticky.

Gousto tip! Roasting veg that’s turning is a great way to make leftovers extra delicious.

3. Include Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are full of vitamins and minerals, and are a really great plant-based source of iron and calcium. A diet rich in leafy greens can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. If you’re not into raw kale, try a salad green like rocket or watercress.

Not keen on raw kale? No worries—rocket, spinach, or watercress are great alternatives that add flavour without overpowering your bowl. You can also massage tougher leaves like kale with a little olive oil and lemon juice to soften them and mellow the flavour. And if you add your greens while your grains or veg are still warm, it slightly wilts them and helps soak up all the flavour.

4. Select Your Protein Power

Buddha bowls are traditionally vegetarian, packed with grains, greens, and plant-based goodness, but there’s absolutely no rule against adding meat if that’s what you fancy.

For example, Mexican-inspired chicken with paprika, oregano and cayenne would be delicious with avocado and roasted veg. Or if you wanted a Japanese-inspired bowl, roasted teriyaki-glazed tofu would be delicious. For a plant-based mezze-style bowl, hummus and chickpeas work beautifully. Or keep it simple: a boiled egg adds a satisfying boost without much fuss.

Let your protein guide the extras. Once you’ve picked a flavour direction, it’s easier to build the rest of your bowl around it.

5. Incorporate Healthy Filling Fats

Healthy fats are a great addition to your Buddha Bowl; they help keep you fuller for longer and provide a steady source of energy. Foods like avocado, flaxseed, oily fish, walnuts and chia seeds aren’t just delicious, they’re also a great source of Omega 3.

Just remember that while they’re good for you, they are high in calories, so it’s worth keeping an eye on portion sizes to strike a healthy balance. A spoonful of seeds, a few slices of avocado, or a sprinkle of chopped nuts is often all you need to add flavour and goodness.

6. Add Fermented Foods For Gut Health

These ancient side dishes will give your Buddha Bowl and (healthy) gut bacteria a boost.  We’ve picked sauerkraut here as it’s beginning to become more available in supermarkets but kimchi would work too. Just check the label that it contains live cultures, as the sterilised versions won’t give you that probiotic hit.

Gousto tip! Fermented food can be an acquired taste when you first try it, so go for a little at first, then add more if you like.

7. Layer On The Flavour With Fun Toppings

Now’s your chance to treat your Buddha Bowl like an ice cream sundae and go crazy with toppings. We’ve added crunch (and healthy fats) with nuts and seeds, and extra aromatics from leafy herbs and cress. Some other ideas could be: sesame, poppy and nigella seeds or sprouting seeds like alfalfa, mung bean or broccoli sprouts for an extra nutritional boost. Toppings are a great way to add texture, colour and flavours, so don’t be afraid to get creative.

8. Drizzle With A Homemade Dressing

Skip the supermarket salad dressings, because making your own is simple and so tasty, with none of the added sugar.  For an easy one, mix 3 parts good quality extra virgin olive oil with 1 part acid (like lemon juice or vinegar), season with salt and pepper and give it a good mix.

Sign-up For Gousto Meal Boxes For Fuss-free Meals

Hungry for more? Make mealtimes easy with Gousto. You can find delicious, balanced recipes from our Health Kitchen range in the Gousto Cookbook.

Or sign up today for our meal boxes and choose from this week’s menu of delicious, balanced recipes. We’ll deliver all the pre-measured ingredients straight to your door, ready to cook any day you like. No stress, just good food made simple.