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These customizable Quinoa Bowls with Miso Sesame Dressing will become a weeknight staple. With a quinoa and veggie base topped with a zesty and flavor-packed sunflower-based dressing this easy quinoa bowl recipe makes a great dinner or lunch recipe for the whole family.
Let’s talk about this Quinoa Bowl Recipe!
The real secret to a delicious recipe is in the sauce. That’s the trick to eating well: pack it all into a bowl and load it with sauce. Bowl eaters – you know what I’m talking about! This quinoa bowl recipe is no exception.
Even though I’m completely obsessed with the sauce used on my Buddha Bowl, I figured it was time to share something new. This miso sesame dressing is to-die-for. Luckily this recipe makes a ton of sauce (more than is needed for the bowls) which I firmly believe is the selling point of these Quinoa Veggie Bowls. Not only cause you enjoy it on the bowls, but you can also add it to salads and slaws and grains and just about anything under the sun. Trust me, I’ve tested this on everything.
Ingredients in Miso Sesame Dressing
Like I said, this dressing is the star of the show. Highly recommend stocking up on these ingredients so you can whip this up whenever the craving hits!
- rice wine vinegar – can’t have dressing without vinegar! Rice wine vinegar pairs perfectly with the flavors but if you’re in a pinch, white wine vinegar will work as well.
- sunflower butter – any nut or seed butter will work here but I love the mild flavor of sunflower butter.
- coconut aminos – soy sauce or tamari works as well!
- maple syrup – the perfect natural sweetener to help balance the flavors.
- sesame oil – has such a unique flavor and adds a lot to the dressing!
- white miso paste – the sweetest and mildest miso on the market. If needed, you should be able to swap for yellow miso.
- ginger – I recommend using freshly grated ginger for the best flavor!
- limes – make lime juice by squeezing fresh limes for the best flavor.
- cumin and red pepper flakes – can add more or less depending on your spice preference.
Ingredients in Quinoa Bowls
Now that we know what we need for the dressing, here’s what you need for this quinoa bowl recipe:
- Quinoa – I love cooked quinoa but feel free to swap in your grain of choice. Rice or farro would be delicious. You can use white quinoa or tricolor quinoa.
- Vegetables – Obviously in a veggie bowl you need veggies! I use sweet potatoes, broccoli, shredded carrots and radish but there are endless veggie combinations.
- Herbs – I love adding fresh herbs to my bowls to add bonus nutrients and flavor. I use cilantro but depending on the rest of the flavors in your dish, rosemary and basil are two of my other favorite herbs.
How to Make This Quinoa Bowl Recipe
STEP 1: ROAST VEGGIES
Place sweet potato and broccoli onto a baking sheet and top with olive oil or avocado oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
STEP 2: COOK QUINOA
In a saucepan, boil + cook your quinoa according to the package instructions (generally around 15 minutes). Fluff with a fork and set aside.
STEP 3: MAKE SAUCE
Place all sauce ingredients, except for the water, in a blender (or food processor) and blend. Slowly add in the water until you reach your desired consistency. Add more water for a thinner sauce.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLE
Once your vegetables are cooked and you have prepped your other ingredients, assemble them into 4 bowls with quinoa at the base topped with roasted veggies, carrots and then drizzle with sauce. Top with desired toppings and serve.
Easy Recipe Swaps + Variations
Add in protein – quinoa is a great source of protein but you could also top your quinoa bowls with roast chicken or other protein! Keep things vegan by adding black beans.
Swap your veggies – any roasted and fresh veggies will work! Roasted brussels sprouts, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes or fresh cucumbers would be a nice swap in this quinoa bowl recipe.
Sprinkle with cheese – crumbled feta cheese would be delicious!
Replace sunflower butter – if you’re having trouble finding sunflower butter or just prefer something else, tahini or almond butter are great swaps.
More Bowl Recipes You’ll Love
- Macro Veggie Bowls
- Salmon Rice Bowls
- Chipotle Burrito Bowls
- Piri Piri Chicken Bowls
- Baked Falafel Bowls
- Cilantro Lime Tofu Bowls
Quinoa Bowls with Miso Sesame Dressing
These customizable Quinoa Bowls with Miso Sesame Dressing will become a weeknight staple. With a quinoa and veggie base topped with a zesty and flavor-packed sunflower-based dressing this easy quinoa bowl recipe makes a great dinner or lunch recipe for the whole family.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Bowls:
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 small-medium sweet potato, cubed
- 1 head of broccoli or 2 bunches of broccolini, chopped into florets
- 2 large carrots, shredded or julienned
- for topping: 1/4 cup sliced radishes, freshly chopped green onions, fresh cilantro
For the Miso Sesame Dressing*:
- 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp sunflower butter, unsweetened
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 1/2 limes, juiced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes (or more for spicier)
- 1/4–1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place cubed sweet potatoes and chopped broccoli/broccolini on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (or avocado oil). Roast for 20-25 minutes.
- Cook your quinoa according to the package instructions.
- While the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is cooking, make the sauce.
- Place all the ingredients together, except for the water, in a blender and blend.
- Slowly add in the water until you reach your desired consistency. Add more water for a thinner sauce. The sauce will thicken in the fridge. Simply add a little water and shake the container to loosen it up again.
- Once your vegetables are cooked and you have prepped your other ingredients, assemble them into 4 bowls with quinoa at the base topped with roasted veggies, carrots and then sauce.
- Top with desired toppings and serve
Really quick and easy week night meal! I used peanut butter but otherwise followed the recipe. The miso sauce is delicious! It will be nice to have the leftover sauce in the fridge to use for another bowl variation for another day. Excellent recipe!
So glad to hear that!
changed the quinoa for bulgur and it works! the miso sesame dressing is amazing
LOOOVE, LOOOOVE, LOOOOOOVE this recipe! So, so good! Have to make it again soon! 🙂
So glad to hear it!
Hi. I love you guys. Thank you so much for what you do. So many meals that are now in the regular rotation I have learned So many things in this article. Thanks for sharing this healthy tips giving article,
If you haven’t tried this flavor-filled recipe, then you have no idea what you are missing. And this has nothing to do with that fact that I am a big quinoa fan. Everyone in the family who had a taste of this meal pretty much had a similar opinion.
Sounds amazing! Can the sunflower butter be substituted with pepita seed butter? Or is there a better alternative? X
absolutely! feel free to sub with any nut/seed butter!