Mexican Rice Bowl Recipe
This Mexican rice bowl recipe is inspired by homemade vegan Chipotle bowls. Packed with cilantro lime rice, black beans, fresh corn pico de gallo, guacamole, and a creamy avocado salsa. Great for meal prep, weeknight dinners, or easy lunches.
Ingredients
For the Bowls
- 3 cups cilantro lime rice or rice cooker brown rice
- 3 cans of beans or refried black beans vegan or Instant Pot pinto beans
- 1 batch guacamole
- 1 batch pico de gallo
Quick Creamy Chile de Árbol Avocado Salsa
- 2-3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ⅓ cup cashews
- 1 dried chile de árbol
- 1 avocado
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ⅛-1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
- 2 tablespoons jalapeño brine
- ¾ cup reserved cooking water
- 2 tablespoons oat milk
For serving
- vegan lime crema or vegan sour cream
- fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the rice and beans (if not already made), along with guacamole.
- To make the salsa, boil the tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, cashews, and chile de árbol until softened. Use a slotted spoon to move the boiled ingredients to a blender. Measure out ¾ cup of the cooking water, then discard the rest. Add the remaining salsa ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
- If using canned beans, drain and rinse them first. Serve them at room temp or heat them until warm. Once warm, toss the beans with the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste), and 2 tablespoons jalapeño brine for extra flavor.
- Layer the bowl with beans, rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, and any additional fresh toppings you like.
- Finish with lime crema, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges before serving.
Notes
- To make a quick corn pico, stir in about 1 cup of frozen corn (I like charred) and squeeze in a little extra lime juice/salt if needed.
- I usually make black beans or Instant Pot refried beans, and either leave them whole or lightly mash them. If in a hurry, canned work great too.
- Add shredded cabbage, quick pickled jalapeños, or tortilla chips for extra texture and flavor.
- For meal prep, store the components separately and assemble fresh when ready to eat.
- Tip: If you are making the rice and beans entirely from scratch today, expect a total kitchen time closer to 1 hour, though mostly hands-off.
Nutrition
Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1618mg | Potassium: 1080mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 5mg
