High-Protein Burrito Bowl Guide

It’s almost as easy to make a half-dozen high-protein burrito bowls as it is to make one. You’ll need beans, grains, and toppings either way, so why not make some bowls for later and enjoy imagining how grateful your future self will be?

Burrito Bowl Component Choices

You don’t need to choose something from every category, necessarily. Just choose four or more components plus toppings that sound good to you. Ba

Beans and other legumes (canned or home-cooked)

• Lentils (9g per ½-cup serving)

• Black, pinto, or other beans, mashed (8g per ½-cup serving)

• No-fat refried beans (8g per ½-cup serving)

Legume-based components

• Tempeh and Nut Mexican Crumbles (13.5g per one-fourth of recipe)

• Soy curls (11g per ¾ cup dry)

• Baked tofu (commercial) or my Baked Tofu (8g per one-fifth of recipe)

• Beefy Crumbles for Mexican Dishes (No-oil) (8g per one-fourth of recipe)

• Soyrizo (8g per one-sixth of 12-ounce package) (note that it contains some oil, though not excessive)

• Crumbled veggie or bean burger (commercial or homemade) (protein amounts vary)

Grains and starchy vegetables

• Quinoa (8g per 1-cup serving)

• Wild rice (7g per 1-cup serving)

• Russet or Yukon potatoes (7g per 1-cup serving)

• Black rice (6g per 1-cup serving)

• Brown rice (5g per 1-cup serving)

• Sweet potatoes (2g per 1-cup serving)

Vegetables

• Steamed greens (5g per 1-cup serving)

• Corn (5g per 1-cup serving)

• Roasted red peppers (less than 1g protein)

• Leftover roasted vegetables (protein amounts vary)

Sprinkles and squeezes

• Hemp hearts (3.5 per 1 tablespoon)

• Pepitas (2.5g per 1 tablespoon)

• Finely ground walnuts (1g per 1 tablespoon)

• Nutritional yeast (3g per 1 tablespoon)

• Smoked paprika (negligible)

• Chopped fresh cilantro (negligible)

• Lime juice (negligible)

Creamy toppings (cheese substitutes)

• Easy Cheesy Sauce (see below) (4.5g per 2-tablespoon serving)

• Commercial vegan sour cream or my Plant-Based Sour Cream (2g per 2-tablespoon serving)

• Vegan Crema (2g per 2-tablespoon serving)

• Cheeses from the Purely Plant-Based Cheese Cookbook

• Note: Guacamole and avocado don’t work well if you’re freezing the burrito bowl, but they are great for adding after reheating (1g per 2-tablespoon serving)

Salsas and spicy sauces (negligible amounts of protein)

• Red salsa

• Salsa verde

• Chipotle chilis and/or adobo sauce

• Tajin sauce

• Other hot sauces

Fresh toppings (negligible amounts of protein but good sources of antioxidants)

• Pickled red onions

• Shredded cabbage

• Chopped raw spinach

• Chopped onion

• Chopped tomatoes

• Chopped lettuce

• Chopped fresh cilantro

Layering Tips for Freezing

If you’ll be eating your prepped bowls within a week, they don’t need to be frozen. If you want them to keep for longer than that, I recommend freezing in individual servings, ideally in glass containers.

The foundation

Start with one or two choices of beans, tofu, tempeh, and starchy vegetables on the bottom of each container.

The middle

Then layer on the cooked grains.

The top

The top with steamed greens and/or other cooked vegetables.

Creamy toppings

To keep your sauces from getting lost in the grains during storage and reheating, you can freeze 2-tablespoons portions of Easy Cheesy Sauce, Vegan Crema, or other creamy topping in an ice-cube tray before transferring the cubes to a freezer bag. This trick allows you to pop one or two cubes directly onto your bowl before reheating. They’ll melt into a creamy drizzle!

After thawing and reheating

Add your salsa, spicy sauce, and fresh toppings.

Fun Combinations

Here are some combinations I like to make, but don’t be limited by these ideas. Add your own choices of salsa, hot sauces, and fresh toppings

The Classic: 33 grams of protein

Tempeh and Nut Mexican Crumbles, quinoa, roasted red peppers, corn (could reduce to ½ cup), Easy Cheesy Sauce (1/4 cup)

Smoky Black Bean and Potato: 30 grams of protein

Black beans, Soyrizo, steamed and smashed Yukon potato, steamed greens or broccoli, sour cream or crema

Green, Green, Green: 28 grams of protein

Green lentils, wild rice, steamed chopped greens, chopped cilantro, hemp hearts, salsa verde, sour cream or Crema

Beefy: 31 grams of protein

Beefy Crumbles for Mexican Dishes (or high-protein veggie burger, cooked and crumbled), no-fat refried beans, brown rice, pepitas, hemp hearts, Easy Cheesy Sauce

Reheating Your Bowl from Frozen

Microwave

1. Thaw only if you have the time. Thaw overnight in the fridge if you can, but you can go from freezer to microwave with glass containers.

2. Vent. Cover the container with its lid (loosely, so steam can escape), a microwave cover, or a damp paper towel.

3. Use low power. Set your microwave to 70% power for 3 minutes.

4. Stir and heat again. After 3 minutes, stir or redistribute gently, then heat for another 1–2 minutes.

Oven or Toaster Oven

1. Use the oven or toaster oven if you have more time and want to avoid the microwave. Ensure your glass containers are safe for going from freezer to oven.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.

3. Cover the glass container with aluminum foil.

4. Bake for 20 minutes if the food is thawed, or 40-45 minutes if it’s coming from the freezer.

Easy Cheesy Sauce

Makes a little over 1 cup, 8 servings (4–5g protein per 2-tablespoon serving)

Blend the following ingredients together in a small blender until smooth.

• ½ cup nutritional yeast

• ½ cup water 

• 3 tablespoons tahini

• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste

• 1½ tablespoons yellow (or white) miso (or ¾ teaspoon salt)

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

Taste and adjust seasonings or add more water if it’s too thick. The sauce is ready to use. Leftovers will last about a week in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Pro-tip: Freeze in 2-tablespoon portions using an ice-cube tray for easy burrito bowl assembly.