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.
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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
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees
- Using a grill basket, place all the marinated vegetables in the base of the basket.
- Leave any remaining marinade in the base of the container to use later
- Place the grill basket directly on the grill
- Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes, making sure to open the grill, and toss the vegetables every 5 minutes.
- Return the grilled vegetables to the container with the remaining marinade.
How to Roast Fajitas on a Sheet Pan
- 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.
- Refrigerate overnight.
- 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.)
- 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
I make vegan fajitas with portobello mushrooms, zucchini, onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, and any other vegetables I have on hand.
Brown rice has more fiber, nutrients, and minerals than white rice.
Another name for pinto beans is mottled beans. Pinto beans got their name from their appearance, which resembles a painted or pinto horse.
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!
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📖 Recipe
Fajita Bowl
Ingredients
Fajita Vegetables
- 16 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 yellow or white onions cut into thin slices
- 1 zucchini sliced lengthwise, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 baby bell peppers or 1 red bell pepper cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 jalapenos deseeded and deveined, cut into rings
Fajita Marinade
- ¼ cup Hatch Green Chilis
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 ½ cup long grain brown rice
- 3 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Sassy Beans
- 15 ounces pinto or black beans rinsed and drained (1 can)
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Cholula hot sauce
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
Other Ingredients
- 1 avocado sliced into thin slices
- 1 pint tomatoes cut in half
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- 8 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup vegan southwest dressing
- Tortilla Chips optional
Instructions
Fajita Vegetables
- Combine the marinade in a measuring cup and stir together.
- Add all the cut vegetables to a container with the marinade. Place a cover over the top and gently shake so all the vegetables are coated.
- Marinate overnight or at least a few hours.
Cooking the vegetables: Grilling
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees
- Drain the marinade from the container, and set aside to use after cooking. .
- Place the marinated vegetables in the grill basket.
- Place the grill basket directly on the grill grates.
- Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes, making sure to open the grill, and toss the vegetables every 5 minutes.
- Return the grilled vegetables to the container with the remaining marinade.
Cooking the vegetables: Sheet Pan
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drain the excess marinade from the vegetables, but keep the excess marine in a container after cooking.
- Place the vegetables in a single layer as much as possible on the baking sheet.
- Using a spatula, toss the vegetables after 15 minutes, then bake 5-10 minutes longer until tender and lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and add to a large bowl; add the remaining marinade and toss for additional flavor.
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Add rice, water, or vegetable broth and lime zest to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Take the heat and stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and garlic. Season with cumin to taste and serve immediately.
Sassy Beans
- In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic.
- Add the pinto beans (or black beans), seasoning, hot sauce, and vegetable broth.
- Bring to a simmer, and let the fluid from the fluid dissipate and thicken.
- Set aside.
How to Make Fajita Bowls
- Place ¼ of the cilantro-lime rice in the center of the bowl.
- Add a serving of sassy beans, grilled (or roasted) vegetables), add tomatoes, lettuce, avocado.
- Drizzle with vegan southwest dressing.
- Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Substitute plain back or pinto beans for sassy beans as a time-saving option.
- Another way to save time is to serve plain brown rice instead of cilantro-lime rice.
- If cooking in the oven instead of the grill, place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat it before adding the vegetables reducing cooking time by half the time, and you don't have to flip the vegetables.
- Marinate the vegetables overnight for deeper flavors or at least a few hours.
- After cooking for additional flavor, save the marinade to toss back into the vegetables.
- Make the cilantro-lime rice and reheat it for a time-saving tip.
- Allow your guests or family to make fajita bowls with their favorite ingredients by setting up a buffet.
- Add Guacamole, vegan refried beans, and Plant-Based Sour Cream for additional toppings.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Susan Garriques
These fajitas look delicious! Thanks for sharing. I’m adding them to the meal plan.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Susan, let me know what you think! I would appreciate your feedback.
Linda
OMG, marinating the veggies overnight took fajitas to a whole new level! My SO doesn’t like onions or peppers but he gobbled up every bite on his plate. Instead of beans, I had “chicken” soy curls that I made the day prior. This is going to be a regular dish in our house.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Linda, I'm so glad you liked the fajitas. I marinate everything overnight. Give it a try...tofu, tempeh. Everything absorbs more flavor overnight. Thank you for your feedback and the soy curl idea for others to try!
Dot
Chicken broth in a vegan dish?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Dot, it must have been an autocorrect I missed. Definitely vegetable broth. Thank you for letting me know. I have fixed the error.