Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl – with black beans

April 2, 2019 by Amy Estes 59 Comments

Please note that some of the links are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links.

This Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl Recipe is a dish that everyone will love. Perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, seasoned cooked black beans, and sautéed garlicky kale all topped with an incredible avocado cream sauce. A quick and healthy dinner anyone can make.

Sweet potato buddha bowl in a round white bowl with black beans. With a spoon in the bowl and another bowl in front of it with a bowl of avocado sauce behind it.

I love a good sweet potato buddha bowl and I have made a few over the years like this chickpea buddha bowl. This recipe is one that I came up with on a whim out of ingredients I had at the time that just worked out so well and was so good that I had to share it!

The bright roasted sweet potatoes, hearty sautéed kale, and flavor-packed black beans all covered in a creamy, tangy avocado sauce just worked so perfectly together for a satisfying plant-based meal. I know you are going to LOVE it!

Healthy buddha bowl with chopped green kale, black beans and roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with a green sauce with a jar of olive oil and some herbs behind it.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Meal prep friendly: this recipe stores and reheats great!
Healthy: loaded with nutrient-rich ingredients like kale, beans, and sweet potatoes.
Plant-based: completely meat-free and full of delicious plant-based protein.
Colorful and hearty: packed full of bright veggies and fiber to keep you full and satisfied.

You may also love these Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos and this amazing Healthy Black Bean Burger that also have this incredible combination of flavors that just balance each other out so well.

What is a Buddha Bowl?

A Buddha Bowl is typically a vegetarian or vegan meal served in a bowl (obviously), which consists of a little bit of everything from grains, plant-based proteins, starches, a mix of raw and cooked veggies and finished off with fresh herbs, and a creamy sauce. Sounds amazing right?

Why is it called a buddha bowl?

There are several theories on this, especially since it is something that has become very popular over the last couple of years as we have shifted from calling them “grain bowls” to “buddha bowls.”

My favorite story and the one that sounds the most probable is that Buddha himself used to wake early in the morning and take a walk through town wherever he was, carrying a bowl that locals would fill with whatever food they could spare as a donation to him.

Whatever he had in his bowl at the end of the day is what he ate. Isn’t that such a cool story?

Ingredients for a sweet potato buddha bowl with kale and black beans and an avocado sauce with labels over each ingredient.

Ingredients you will need

Sweet potatoes – raw sweet potatoes that we are going to season and roast until they are golden and loaded with amazing flavor.
Black beans – low-sodium, canned black beans that will be seasoned and cooked for a few minutes until delicious and soft.
Bell peppers, and onion – will be used to give the black beans great texture and flavor.
Taco seasoning – low sodium. Use homemade taco seasoning or store-bought.
Garlic powder + chili powder
Kale – you can use any type of kale like dinosaur kale, curly kale, or red-leaf kale in this recipe.
Vegetable stock – low-sodium is best. You can also use chicken stock if you do not need to keep this recipe meat-free.
Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Salt and pepper – used to enhance all of the flavors.
For the avocado sauce – ripe avocados, greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, olive oil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and lime juice (even though I forgot to add it to the ingredients shot above).

How to make this Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl with black beans

Be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a complete list of recipe ingredients and detailed instructions.

Roast the sweet potatoes: Cut the sweet potato into small cubes, drizzle it with some olive oil, season with garlic powder and chili powder, salt, and pepper, and toss. Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet in a single layer and roast them for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F. Per the recipe card below.
Cook the black beans: Add some oil to a skillet and sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic. Season and add the black beans and cook for a few minutes to wake up all of that flavor. Set aside.
Sauté the kale: Heat up some olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat on the stovetop, Add in the sliced kale (you could also substitute in baby spinach here as well) and cook until wilted. About 3-4 minutes.
Blend the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Build your buddha bowl. Add some of the sautéed greens, roasted sweet potatoes, and cooked black beans to a bowl and drizzle on some of the creamy sauce, and enjoy!

You may need to take a moment and admire the beauty of this buddha bowl and maybe create an Instagram moment since it is so Insta-worthy.

Additionally, don’t forget to tag”pinchmegoodfood” in your post. Haha! But no really, if you do make this incredible recipe, please tag me. I would love to see how yours turned out!

Possible Recipe Variations

Make it vegan. You can top this buddha bowl with a Tahini sauce for a fully vegan buddha bowl version. Or substitute the greek yogurt with dairy-free greek yogurt.
Use squash in place of the sweet potato. I sometimes like to use roasted butternut squash instead of sweet potato if that is what I have on hand.
Switch up the greens. If you don’t have kale, then you can use collard greens or even baby spinach in place of the kale in this recipe. Just follow the same method noted in the recipe. Ultimately, you will get the same result just slightly different since different types of greens have different tastes and textures.
Out of black beans? Swap the black beans with these Oven Roasted chickpeas or these Taco Seasoned Crispy Chickpeas. They are equally as nutritious.
Additions to this recipe. You can definitely add in some chopped nuts, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds for more crunch.
Use a different sauce. If you are out of avocado then try topping this buddha bowl with homemade basil pesto or romesco sauce for added color and nutrition.

Pantry items to have on hand for making buddha bowl recipes at home

It is great to be prepared and have a good stock of items in your pantry for whenever you are in need of a quick and hearty meal like a buddha bowl. Here are some key staples I keep in my pantry at all times in the event I need to make a recipe like this.

Oil –olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil
Potatoes – sweet, white, red, and purple potatoes all work great!
Nut butter – tahini sauce, peanut butter, or almond butter for making quick dressings and sauces
Grains – quinoa, brown rice, millet, or barley
Beans – chickpeas, black beans, or kidney beans
Nuts and seeds for extra crunch, good fat, and protein – cashews, pistachios, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds
Spices – garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano, cajun seasoning, or even fajita seasoning.

Together with the tools noted below, they help me stay prepared in the event that hunger strikes. unexpectedly.

Comparatively, having these kitchen tools on hand also allows you to immediately create delicious buddha bowls of your own at any time.

Kitchen tools needed for making buddha bowls

Baking sheet
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Wooden spoon and spatula
Kitchen tongs
Vegetable peeler
Meal prep/storage containers and mason jars
Parchment paper
Sharp kitchen knives

Tips for making a buddha bowl

Making a buddha bowl consists of a few simple steps and is actually quite fun to make and eat! The best part of all is that you can pre-make most of the ingredients you need to make any buddha bowl and store them in the refrigerator to have on hand for quick snacks and meals.

You can even prep the kale in advance and have it ready to go!

Bowl filed with sautéed greens, roasted sweet potatoes, beans and bell pepper with a creamy green sauce with a spoon in the bowl.

Steps for making a basic Sweet Potato buddha bowl

First Start with a base. Choose a base consisting of leafy greens, like baby spinach or kale, cabbage, lettuce, rice noodles, or soba noodles.
Then Add in some plant-based proteins: Such as beans, tofu, tempeh, nuts, or seeds
Next pick your grains or starches: Quinoa, brown rice, millet, farro, buckwheat, or sweet potatoes.
Add some crunchy veggies. Choose a mix of raw and cooked veggies like cucumber, bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and squash.
Finally, top it and serve. Finish it all off with some fresh herbs like cilantro, chives, or parsley and some Tahini sauce, avocado, salsa, balsamic vinegar, greek yogurt, and Homemade Lemon Basil Pesto or Green Goddess Dressing.

As a result, it’s a beautiful thing that you will want to make over and over again! This is definitely a recipe you can eat for lunch or dinner the next day.

It is equally as good with an egg on top for breakfast as well.

What to serve with this Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl

Here are some fun meal additions that I like to serve with this recipe. Especially the ones that double as a topping.

Hummus: Such as this 5 minute Hummus, Classic Homemade Hummus, or this Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Hummus is also a great topping on buddha bowls like this one.
Crispy Baked Beet Chips are so fun to make and enjoy alongside this recipe as a fun, crunchy side dish. Better yet, dip the chips in some of the sauce!
Green goddess dressing – makes a great alternative o the avocado sauce.

White bowl of greens, beans, sweet potato and bell peppers covered in a light green avocado sauce.

Storing and reheating

To store: You can store each of the ingredients separately in airtight containers and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat: Just build your buddha bowl, reheat it in the microwave until warmed through, and top it with the sauce when you are ready to enjoy it.

More meatless dinner ideas to try!

Looking for more easy meatless dinner ideas? Here are some of the faves that I make quite frequently.

Veggie loaded bowl with diced roasted sweet potato, black beans, diced red bell pepper and creamy yogurt avocado sure with a spoon in the bowl with more green sauce behind it.

Questions? Leave a comment below!

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Made this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below!

You can also tag me on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood so I can see your creation.