Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl! A gluten-free and vegan lunch or dinner. Brown rice, the BEST peanut tofu, vegetables and roasted broccoli in a simple peanut sauce. If you are looking for a healthy buddha bowl recipe, this is it!
Grain buddha bowl recipes are hands down one of my favorite ways to eat. I love how incredibly customizable they are based on what you have on hand. Grab a grain, like brown rice for this version, a protein, like my peanut tofu and finish the entire think off with a drinkable sauce and plenty of veggies.
We eat this tofu buddha bowl at least once a month, but my sweet potato buddha bowl, tofu rice bowl, winter buddha bowl, and coconut Thai buddha bowls are also popular favorites in my house. Vegan buddha bowls are like a salad, but heartier!
As mentioned above, the real beauty of bowl recipes like this one is the fact that they are incredibly customizable. I usually recommend making the recipe as is, especially the peanut tofu, to get the hang of the tofu technique. From there, you can swap in other sauces and fresh vegetables for endless pairings.
With a step by step video, I’ll show you exactly how to make this tofu buddha bowl. For the full recipe with ingredient amounts, make sure to scroll down to the recipe card below.
Press, cube and bake the tofu. Once the tofu is baked, toss it with 1/2 of the peanut sauce to marinade. You’ll then finish cooking the tofu on the skillet to crisp up the edges and create golden brown, crispy tofu!
While the tofu is cooking, toss the broccoli with either olive or sesame oil and roast until tender.
Now that all of your components are ready, it’s time to combine. Layer into a bowl the cooked rice, cooked tofu, broccoli, chickpeas, carrots and broccoli. Then drizzle the remaining peanut sauce on top!
This tofu. Please try it. Please try it. 🙏 Make this your New Year’s resolution, the year you will love tofu at home. Getting you to love tofu is one of the reasons I created my free 7-day Plant-Based Protein course and I also teach you how to make the best baked tofu and how to cook with tofu. I forget where I learned this technique but it’s pretty foolproof in creating chewy, crispy chunks of tofu that aren’t drenched in oil.
To achieve the faux-fried texture, bake the tofu until it’s almost dry then remove from the oven and marinate in peanut sauce! From there, you’ll lightly sauté the marinated tofu in more sauce until hot and crispy and then pile on top of cooked grains and vegetables.
Or eat the entire thing straight out of the skillet. I’ve done both and they are equally good.
To prep this meal ahead of time, bake the tofu and marinade it in the peanut sauce, chop the broccoli and cook the brown rice. For a faster meal, saute the marinaded tofu while you roast the broccoli, then assemble.
This recipe can also be made completely ahead of time, then just reheating the warm items and tossing with the fresh carrots and spinach. That’s how we did it when we used this recipe at rootberry.
This tofu bowl is a perfectly balanced meal– complex whole grains, protein, vegetables and a fresh sauce.
We arrived back home late Friday night from our New Zealand trip, wired with caffeine and buzzing from the post-vacation high. After plowing through 5 episodes of Making a Murderer with take-out pizza, we greeted the sunrise by finally heading up to bed.
Of course, when your vacation ends on New Year’s Day, there’s a slight sense of anxiety that follows. Is everyone making plans and goals without me? It seems like my facebook and instagram have been taken over with pledges to do better, be better, look better.
I totally get the desire to want an overhaul come January 1st. I’ve spent the last three weeks sustaining on take out, cheese, and more Sauvignon Blanc than I’d care to admit. I’m sure there were vegetables in there somewhere but when you are relying on restaurant meals three times a day, healthy isn’t always what you get.
After sleeping off some of our jet lag, I got up the courage to head out to the grocery store to put together something that would nourish us both. These vegan buddha bowls are my favorite way to get back on the healthy eating track. They are packed with nutrition, flavor and contain enough protein and fiber to keep me full for hours.
While we are on the subject of New Year, New You, can we pledge to enjoy food more? It’s almost impossible to have a healthy relationship with food with the words Master Cleanse, detox, diet or fasting. As a Registered Dietitian with over a decade of experience working with disordered eating clients, I can almost promise that those fads will leave you hungry, unsatisfied and more hard on yourself.
There is an easier way. Eat until you are satisfied, enjoying each bite with acceptance and not punishment.Love food that loves you back. Fill your plate with colorful produce, lean protein, healthy fat and complex carbs. These vegan buddha bowls are the perfect balance of protein and carbohydrates to keep you full.
If you make these peanut tofu buddha bowls, make sure to come back to rate this recipe and leave a comment. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
PrintPeanut Tofu Buddha Bowl! A healthy lunch or dinner, perfect for the New Year! Brown rice, the BEST tofu, vegetables, roasted broccoli in a simple peanut sauce. Vegan and Gluten-Free.
Tofu Buddha Bowl
Peanut sauce
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Instant Pot Burrito Bowls, Ultimate Goddess Bowls, Vegan Green Rice Bowl, Vegan Gado Gado Bowl.
(156 comments) leave a comment
I’ve made this before but this time I put the sauce on the tofu and threw it in the convection oven. Tossed it a couple of minutes and sprayed it with chili oil. Yum. Id put the spinach on the bottoms and the hot stuff on top to wilt it and it’s good to go. Lots of good things in this simple and delicious dish.
Yum!
★★★★★
Yummy! I like when recipes also include how long it’s good for.
★★★★★
Found on pinterest. Very pleased with how it turned out.
★★★★★
This was so delicious! I always struggle to make tofu at home that I like as much as in a restaurant, but I finally was able to make it with this recipe! Highly recommend
★★★★★
I love sneaking extra veggies in this bowl. This recipe is always on repeat in my kitchen.
★★★★★
Yep, making this for a take to work lunch tomorrow. Had 2 parties this weekend and I’ll feel so much better after eating peanut tofu.
Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I added mushroom and onion to the broccoli because they needed using and it was perfect
★★★★★
Made this today. The sauce is SO yum but I added coconut milk and water break up the stickiness. I also added toasted chickpeas, avo, roast carrot and onion. Bliss!
So glad to hear, thanks Jessica!
I’m not a huge fan of recipes I find on Pinterest because they tend to be a bit bland. This was probably one of the best recipes I’ve ever made from Pinterest. The tofu for me probably needed a few more minutes in the oven. But the flavors were all so good and I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
So glad to hear, thanks Patty!