This tempeh and sweet potato buddha bowl is so delicious and flavorful! It’s packed with freshness and a beautiful balance of textures, and is just so comforting to eat after a long day. This bowl is filled with healthy protein from the tempeh and whole grains, and has everything you need to make a well-balanced, nutritious meal!
So, What is a Buddha Bowl?
For those of you who don’t know (or have been living under a rock!) a buddha bowl is defined as meal made up of whole grains, a source of protein, roasted vegetables, and some kind of dressing. And these aren’t all vegetarian or vegan, but they are very easy to customize to a plant-based diet and whatever ingredients happen to be in season. The roasted vegetables can be anything from carrots, corn, and asparagus, to squashes and potatoes. Honestly, the sky’s the limit for the number of variations you can make of Buddha bowls, but this recipe is a tried and true classic, especially for those of you who are just getting on the Buddha bowl trend!
Preparing the Tempeh
This tempeh and sweet potato buddha bowl uses tempeh, a fantastic plant-based protein source, as the name suggests. as the Tempeh is a soy product made of fermented soy beans, often times combined with some sort of grain. Tempeh is more protein dense than tofu and has a nuttier taste, but it also requires some practice and knowledge to cook it well. Unlike tofu that is generally flavorless, tempeh has a strong flavor, but this flavor can be delicious if you steam your tempeh before marinating it and pair it with the right kinds of seasonings.
When you steam your tempeh, you get rid of some of that odd taste and allow the tempeh to puff up so that it can better absorb the flavors in your marinade. Tempeh also goes very well with salty asian marinades using soy sauce and hoisin sauce as well as a little bit of spice. Generally, the longer you marinate the tempeh the better, so I suggest a minimum of 1 hour of marinating before baking the tempeh. Of course if you’re on a time crunch, I’m not going to stop you, but the tempeh won’t be as flavorful as it would have been if you allowed it to marinate longer.
When baking the tempeh, it should get nice and crispy on the outside. When cooked in this way, the tempeh also has a meatier texture in the middle and slight crunch on the outside, almost like fried/breaded meat, but healthier and without the environmental consequences! Crispy tempeh is also often used as a vegan alternative to bacon because of that nice crunch and slightly salty taste, although I have yet to try this at home!
The Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
A Buddha bowl can’t really be called a Buddha bowl unless it has some kind of roasted vegetable, and what’s tastier than some oven-roasted sweet potato and broccoli! And, these veggies are so easy to prepare. Just dice up the sweet potato and toss it with the broccoli along with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices! Once it’s all baked, the broccoli should be crisp on the outside and the sweet potato should be tender and easily pierced by a fork. The sweetness brought by the sweet potato to this tempeh and sweet potato buddha bowl is oh so tasty and the perfect accompaniment to the bright dressing and nutty tempeh.
Preparing the Dressing
This hummus and avocado dressing makes the perfect addition to any sandwich, salad, or buddha bowl! The avocado and hummus add a beautiful creaminess along with healthy fats to keep you satiated, and the bright pop of lemon adds a freshness to the dressing that really makes it stand out. Plus, this dressing is so easy to prepare and just requires mixing a couple of ingredients together in a small bowl!
I’ve enjoyed this dressing recipe with falafel in a pita sandwich, on pasta salads, vegetables, burritos, tacos, and recently decided to test this out with buddha bowl. I mean, I knew how good this dressing was, but OH MY GOODNESS it goes SO WELL with this recipe!
Recipe
All in all, this tempeh and sweet potato buddha bowl is the perfect balance of flavors and textures and is sure to leave you feeling full and satisfied! It has the whole-grains, protein, healthy-fats, and veggies that are essential to any well-balanced and healthy meal! So, without further ado, here’s the recipe!
Tempeh & Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
For the Tempeh:
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce (or sub with maple syrup)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp chipotle paste (or sub with chili powder)
- 1 8 oz block tempeh
For the Sweet Potato and Broccoli:
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
To Assemble:
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- ¼ medium avocado
- 2 tbsp hummus
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
For the Tempeh Marinade:
- Prepare the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, cayenne pepper, and chipotle paste in a large bowl. Make sure that there aren't any clumps and that the mixture looks smooth, and set this aside.
- To prepare the tempeh, first cut the 8 oz block into quarters. On a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, add the ¼ water a wait for it to come to a slow boil. Add in the tempeh and cover the saucepan with a lid to allow the tempeh to steam for 3-5 minutes or until it has started to puff up slightly. Remove the tempeh from the heat and wait for it to cool down before cutting the tempeh into thin strips, about ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- Add in the tempeh to the bowl with the soy sauce marinade and stir to coat the tempeh on all sides. Then, arrange the tempeh into one layer(if possible) on the bottom of the bowl and refrigerate the bowl with the tempeh. Leave the tempeh in the fridge to marinate for an hour, stoping to flip over the tempeh about halfway through the time or more often if you were unable to get the tempeh all in one layer at the bottom of the bowl. Marinate the tempeh for at least 1 hour and as much as 24 hours, so if you want to meal-prep this a day ahead, that'll work too! Towards the end of the marinating time, begin to preheat your oven to 400 °F.
- Remove the marinated tempeh from the bowl and arrange in a single layer on a medium sized sheet pan and set aside.
For the Sweet Potato and Broccoli:
- Clean and cube the sweet potato into about 1' cubes and place this in a large bowl. Add in the 4 cups broccoli as well as the olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano and mix everything to combine (you can use your hands for this part). Spread the sweet potatoes and broccoli in a single layer on a large sheet-pan and set this aside. The sweet potatoes and broccoli cook at the same temperature as the
Roasting:
- In the preheated oven (400 °F), roast the sweet potatoes, broccoli, and tempeh for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the heat and flip things over as best as you can and turn the baking sheets around in the oven to allow for an even bake. If you are roasting the tempeh or sweet potatoes and broccoli on different racks, switch the baking sheet that is on the top rack to make sure nothing gets burnt. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the tempeh starts to turn crisp and the sweet potato is easily pierced by a fork.
- Remove everything from the heat and allow to cool down for at least 2 minutes before assembling the bowls.
To Assemble:
- To prepare the buddha bowl dressing, mash the avocado in a small bowl and mix with the hummus, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Thin out the dressing , mix in the tablespoon of water or more/less according to personal preference.
- Assemble the buddha bowls by serving one large scoop of brown rice into each bowl along with about ½ cup of sweet potatoes, a handful of broccoli, and half of the crisp tempeh. Then, generously drizzle the dressing on top and enjoy warm or cold! This recipe is perfect for meal-prepping and makes a delicious, nourishing and comforting meal! 🙂
Curious for more?
If you loved this tempeh and sweet potato buddha bowl, check out some of my other recipes including tofu and edamame rice bowls, spicy vegan tacos, lentil veggie burgers, and the best vegan chili! Plus, remember to subscribe down below to get updates when new recipes are posted, and check out my new youtube channel, ecofoodstuff. I have yet to make a video for this recipe, but so far I’ve finished a video for my vegan pancake recipe and sweet potato chili!
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