Fajita Bowl

Skip the tortillas and put your fajitas in a bowl. This vegan fajita bowl recipe contains cilantro-lime rice, grilled vegetables, and sassy pinto beans, topped with lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, limes, and vegan southwest dressing.

Do you love vegetable fajitas? I do! But, I tend to eat way too many tortillas. So, I made a vegan fajita bowl recipe! Whenever I create a new vegan bowl recipe, I focus on my favorite combination of raw and cooked vegetables. This vegan fajita bowl layers grilled marinated vegetables on cilantro lime rice and sassy pinto beans. Then, I added greens, cilantro, avocado and topped it with my favorite vegan southwest dressing. 

Jump to:

• How to Marinate Vegetables for Fajitas
• How to Grill Vegetables
• How to Roast Fajitas on a Sheet Pan 
• Beans Ingredients
• Beans Ingredient Substitutions
• Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients
• Cilantro Rice Ingredient Substitutions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• More Vegan Mexican Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
•  
• 💬 Reviews

As a general rule, I always like to marinate everything overnight, but a few hours will suffice. Although I grilled my vegetables, the vegetables also roast well in the oven. 

On another note, adapt this recipe to meet individual preferences. For example, eggplant is an excellent substitute if you don't care for mushrooms. 

How to Marinate Vegetables for Fajitas

I chose my favorite combination of vegetables for this vegan fajita bowl recipe. But, feel free to add other vegetables or substitute vegetables you prefer. 

• Mushrooms: I prefer portobello mushrooms because they are firm and meaty.
• Baby Bell Peppers: Baby bell peppers come in various colors and taste sweet.
• White Onion: White onion is sharp in flavor; however, it sweetens when it's cooked.
• Zucchini: Zucchini is fresh this time of year and adds a fresh crunchy texture to the fajita bowl
• Jalapenos: Roasting or grilling jalapenos, without their seeds and veins, makes them sweeter than hot.

As a rule, I like to marinate pretty much everything overnight. In my opinion, marinating overnight gives the vegetable time to absorb the marinade flavors, making them perfect for grilling without oil. 

• Hatch Green Chili Sauce: Hatch Green Chilis Sauce is flavorful, sweet, and great to use as a marinade. I make my own creamy hatch chili sauce, also.
• Fresh Lime Juice:
• Cilantro:

Once the three magic ingredients are blended, pour the marinade over the raw cut vegetables, cover them, and shake it all about. Then, refrigerate overnight or as long as you can wait. 

How to Grill Vegetables

1. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees
2. Using a grill basket, place all the marinated vegetables in the base of the basket. 
3. Leave any remaining marinade in the base of the container to use later
4. Place the grill basket directly on the grill
5. Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes, making sure to open the grill, and toss the vegetables every 5 minutes. 
6. Return the grilled vegetables to the container with the remaining marinade. 

How to Roast Fajitas on a Sheet Pan 

1. In a large bowl, toss together the sliced vegetables, hatch chilis, lime juice, and cilantro, and mix until well combined in a container or Ziploc bag.
2. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Spread the marinated vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. (Line the pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easier cleanup.)
4. Roast for 30 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Beans Ingredients

• Pinto Beans:  Pinto beans are highly nutritious. Packed with protein, fiber and many other essential nutrients, pinto beans may help promote bowel regularity, control your blood sugars, and reduce your risk for cancer and other chronic diseases. Their affordability and versatility also make them a great staple in your pantry.
• Yellow Onion: Yellow onions have a nice balance of astringency and sweetness in their flavor, becoming sweeter the longer they cook.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Chipotle Seasoning: Chipotle powder is made from just one ingredient: dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. They are then crushed into powder form in pure, simplistic flavor glory.
• Cholula Hot Sauce: Cholula Hot Sauce has a complex chili pepper profile that raises the bar on flavor among mass-market hot sauces. It's an incredibly versatile mix of smoky, nutty, tangy, and every-so-lightly spicy. 
• Vegetable Broth: I used organic vegetable broth.

Beans Ingredient Substitutions

• Black beans substitute pinto beans in many recipes.
• White onion is an excellent replacement for yellow onion in this bean recipe.
• One clove of garlic equals about ⅛th of a teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Smoked Paprika has all the smoky flavor you crave, making it the best substitute for chipotle.
• Choose your favorite hot sauce.
• Water or Yondu mixed with water substitutes vegetable broth.

Another one of my favorite additions to a vegan bowl recipe is cilantro lime rice. I prefer to cook with brown rice but choose your favorite rice. 

Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients

To make cilantro-lime rice, all you need is a few ingredients. Rice is like a sponge, so it is the bland base for absorbing any flavors. Again, this bowl tastes fabulous with plain brown rice, but it adds a little more flavor when adding some additional flavors. 

• Long Grain Brown Rice: Brown rice is a rich source of dietary fiber, which can reduce your risk of death from heart disease. Brown rice also contains high levels of magnesium, which can help make you less vulnerable to heart disease and stroke.
• Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth: The vegetable broth flavors the rice while cooking.
• Lime Juice and Zest: I prefer using fresh limes.
• Cilantro: A pleasing combination of flavors reminiscent of parsley and citrus, the herb is a common ingredient in many cuisines worldwide; however, some think it tastes like soap.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Cumin: Rich and hearty, earthy and warm, with an edge of citrus; Cumin adds instant depth to any dish. Use ground Cumin rather than whole Cumin seed in recipes where you want the flavor to disperse evenly throughout.

Cilantro Rice Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose short-grain brown rice, jasmine rice, or rice.
• Use water instead of vegetable broth to reduce sodium even more.
• Try bottled lime juice and add ½ teaspoon more to replace the lime zest.
• If you don't like cilantro, choose a different herb, such as parsley, basil, or your favorite herb.
• If you've bought pure garlic powder, then it's pretty easy to substitute it for fresh cloves. One clove of garlic equals about ⅛th of a teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Coriander substitutes cumin in recipes.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• If you don't have a grill, use the sheet pan option instead.
• Do not cut or add the avocado until right before serving so it doesn't get brown.
• Add tofu sofritas to the bowl for added protein.
• Use plain pinto or black beans instead of making spicy pinto beans.
• Instead of cilantro lime rice, use brown rice mixed with your favorite fresh salsa for a shortcut.
• Add vegan sour cream for an added creamy component.
• Guacamole goes well with the fajita bowl ingredients.
• Vegan nacho cheese sauce drizzled on the bowl is a great way to add vegan cheesy flavor. Or sprinkle with our favorite shredded vegan cheese blend.

This fajita bowl recipe is full of fresh vegetables, rice, and beans!

More Vegan Mexican Recipes

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