This easy vegan breakfast bowl is loaded with healthy ingredients and also is packed with plant-based protein. Makes for such a delicious recipe for when you crave a savory breakfast, but also is perfect for lunch and meal-prep. Includes black bean, tofu, salsa, spinach and avocado, although can easily be customized!
Next time you crave a savory breakfast, you should try this vegan power breakfast bowl, it is SO good, nutrient dense, filling and simple too!
You can easily customize this healthy breakfast bowl to your taste, but we love to combine a hearty high-protein tofu scramble with savory black beans and spices. It makes for a Mexican-inspired breakfast bowl that's similar to a burrito bowl, but a little easier and quicker, I find. Garnishing the bowl with salsa is super convenient and adds a nice punch of flavor without much effort.
It also makes for a great recipe to meal-prep ahead and simply assemble your bowl when ready to eat. Perfect for breakfast, this savory power bowl will certainly keep you full for a while, but we also love it for lunch or even dinner.
And what a super nourishing bowl recipe! It is so well balanced featuring a shocking amount of fiber, protein, antioxidants and healthy fats. Wilted greens works so well here and actually is filled with plant-based protein, plus I recommend to use whole wheat bread for even more fiber.
This meal will leave you full and satisfied, plus will provide tons of energy to attack your day.
Hope you give it a try! ❤️
How to build a savory breakfast bowl
Normally, I would make myself a sweet breakfast bowl, such as this strawberry barley vanilla bowl or a frozen smoothie bowl, but this recipe totally makes me crave all the savory ingredients in the morning!
I already shared a savory breakfast bowl made with quinoa a while ago and I'm super excited to share more savory options to enjoy in the morning. This power bowl is definitely higher in plant-based protein compared to my first one, if that's something you are looking for.
To build a well balanced vegan breakfast bowl with savory flavors, then try to include at least one ingredient in each of the next categories:
- Grain: I actually swapped cooked grain for whole wheat rye bread this time. I love to mash the avocado over the bread and pile a few more ingredients on top. But, feel free to swap the bread for brown rice, quinoa, barley, etc. Complex carbohydrates from grains will give you good energy and help you stay full.
- Beans & tofu: I used black beans in this Mexican-style breakfast bowl, which worked out so well. Using canned beans makes it so easy to pack your bowl with more fiber and protein. Also try lentils, tempeh, chickpeas, edamame, white beans or mung beans. In this case, I also included tofu to boost the bowl with even more plant-based protein.
- Veggies: There are endless options for veggies, there is just no going wrong! So, simply use what you like or what you already have in the fridge. When using fresh veggies, try tomatoes, leafy greens, onions, sprouts, etc. If using cooked vegetables, then you can roast sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms, etc. When enjoying this bowl for breakfast, I like wilted spinach and tomatoes, but if I make it for lunch, I'll often roast a bunch of veggies as well!
- Healthy fats: Important for satiety and to keep hunger away. In this case I used avocado, but crushed walnuts or almonds, a cashew cream sauce, hemp seeds, olives... all work well.
- Sauce: You will need a tasty sauce to bring everything together! When making a Mexican-style breakfast bowl, I love just using salsa. Store-bought options now are pretty healthy and just so convenient. But keep reading for more sauce ideas!
Ingredients you'll need to make this bowl
- Bread: I love this rye whole grain bread. The flavor is great and the texture super earthy. It is also filling and it stores well, but simply use your favorite bread! My homemade buckwheat bread would also be great in this recipe and makes it gluten-free as well.
- Tofu: I used extra-firm tofu this time for a chewier recipe. I actually love to also make tofu scramble using soft silken tofu, I find it mimics the texture of scrambled eggs better. Feel free to try it out instead!
- Black beans: I think pinto or kidney beans would also work well.
- Veggies: onion, garlic, tomatoes, avocado, lime and spinach.
- Spices: chili powder, cumin powder and turmeric. You can also use chipotle or cayenne pepper for a spicier black bean mixture and feel free to add more spices or dried herbs to your tofu scramble, such as oregano, curry powder or onion powder. Add a pinch of black salt for an eggy flavor as well!
- Salsa: I used this chunky medium salsa to make it, but use your favorite brand. Check the ingredients to make sure there is no oil added and is lower in salt.
How to make it
So easy and pretty quick too, although you might want to meal-prep both the tofu scramble and black bean mixture ahead if you need this bowl super quickly before going to work during the week.
You can also make more of each and serve in a bowl one day and as a burrito wrap the next one to keep things interesting.
Make the black bean mixture
Start by cooking the onion on medium-high heat until tender (use a little oil as needed), then add the spices and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring often. Then, add the black beans, lime juice and a splash of water to help bring everything together.
Keep simmering only for a few minutes to warm it up and let the water evaporate or add more to create a saucy (but not watery) consistency.
Once done, transfer on a plate.
Make the tofu scramble
Use a paper towel to wipe the pan quickly and then spray a little olive or avocado oil in the pan. Crumble the tofu roughly over the pan using your fingers. You can break the larger chunks later on using a wooden spoon as well, so keep them a little bigger at first.
Sprinkle some salt over and add the garlic, chili powder and turmeric. Stir well and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the tofu turns slightly golden brown.
Then, add the cherry tomatoes, stir and cook for a few more minutes or until they start to soften.
When the tofu looks done, use your wooden spoon to push the ingredients on one side and add the baby spinach on the other side. Add a sprinkle of salt and splash of water and let the spinach cook until it is all wilted, then remove from the heat.
Assemble the bowl
While the tofu is cooking, toast the bread, slice the extra cherry tomatoes, chop some more red onion and slice the avocado.
To build your bowl, place some tofu scramble in your bowl with some black beans and wilted spinach on the side. Top with more fresh cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion and dollop some salsa over. Serve with the toasted bread, lime wedges and hot sauce, if you want.
Watch how to make it
How to meal-prep this recipe
To enjoy this bowl during a busy week, whether it is for breakfast or lunch, then you can easily meal-prep most components ahead of time. Then, simply assemble the bowl at meal time.
What you can make ahead:
- Tofu scramble
- Bean mixture
- Wilted spinach
- Chopped onion
When you want to eat, then simply toast the bread, slice the avocado (needs to be done at the end so it does not brown) and warm up the tofu scramble, spinach and bean mixture using the microwave. Then, combine in a bowl and top with salsa.
More customization ideas
There is so much more you can add to this vegan breakfast bowl recipe! Here are a few ideas:
- Vegan hash browns or roasted potatoes
- Corn, you can use frozen and thaw using the microwave
- Swap the spinach for kale
- Pickled red onion
- Spicy marinated jalapeño
- Chopped cilantro
- Roasted mushrooms
- Jarred roasted red pepper
More sauce ideas for this bowl
- Creamy tahini lemon sauce
- Tofu sour cream
- Avocado crema
- Cucumber pico de gallo
- Dairy-free green goddess
- Vegan chipotle mayo
- Pineapple pico de gallo
- Vegan white queso
- Spicy peach salsa
Need more vegan bowl inspiration? Check those out!
- Teriyaki cauliflower bowl
- Portobello poke bowl
- Vegan green nourish noodle bowl
- Falafel buddha bowl
- Quinoa and tomato compote bowl
- Miso tempeh noodle bowl
- Tofu peanut butter buddha bowl
- Mexican buddha bowl
- BBQ chickpea buddha bowl
- Quinoa poke bowl
I hope you like this vegan breakfast bowl recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Vegan Savory Breakfast Power Bowl (High-Protein)
Ingredients
Quick tofu scramble
- 16 oz extra -firm tofu
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes - halved
- salt - to taste
Black beans
- ½ red onion - diced
- 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 15 oz canned black beans - rinsed and drained
- ½ lime - juiced
- salt - to taste
- splash of water - as needed to create desired consistency
For the rest
- toasted bread
- avocado - sliced
- cherry tomatoes - halved, to garnish
- 1 large handful spinach
- salsa - to taste (about ¼-⅓ cup per bowl)
- red onion - finely diced, for topping
Instructions
Make the black bean mixture
- Warm up a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat with a little oil and then add the onion. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until tender, then add the garlic and spices and stir to coat the onion. Cook for 1 minute stirring often.
- Add the black beans, lime juice and a splash of water (1-2 tablespoon). Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes or until desired consistency (saucy but not watery).
- Once done, transfer on a plate and set aside.
Make the quick tofu scramble + wilt the spinach
- Wipe the pan with a paper towel and warm up a little more oil over medium-high-heat. Then, crumble the block of tofu into the pan using your fingers. Keep the chunks on the larger side, you can always break them up later using a wooden spoon. Add the garlic, turmeric powder and chili powder with a good pinch of salt and stir well to coat the tofu with the spices.
- Stir often and keep cooking until the tofu starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Then, add the cherry tomatoes, and stir. Keep cooking for 2-3 more minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften.
- Then, push the tofu scramble on the side on the pan and transfer the spinach on the other side. Add a little splash of water and some salt over the spinach and cook until wilted (2-3 minutes). Remove from the heat.
Build the bowl
- Place some tofu scramble, black bean mixture and wilted tofu in a bowl and garnish with more cherry tomatoes, avocado, salsa and red onion. Serve with a side of toasted bread and add some hot sauce too, if you want. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This recipe is amazing for meal-prep! Make both the tofu scramble and black bean mixture ahead, as well as wilt the spinach. Then, simply reheat in a bowl once ready to eat before garnishing with the other ingredients.
- Feel free to swap the bread for brown rice or quinoa, simply lay the rest of the ingredients over the grains.
- More sauces ideas includes chipotle mayo, white queso, pineapple pico de gallo and tofu sour cream.
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