34 Easy Rice Bowl Recipes
Rice Bowls are the answer when you need a quick and easy dinner! Find 34 delicious rice bowl recipes that are packed with protein, veggies, and the best sauces and toppings.
It's hard to find a better meal than a rice bowl. Protein, perfectly steamed rice, and tons of fresh veggies are packed into one delicious, picture-worthy meal. Plus since rice bowls are endlessly versatile, you can make them work with any combination of protein, rice, veggies, and sauce you have on hand.
When I have no idea what to make for dinner, bowls are almost always the answer. It's a meal everyone loves to eat. It's a meal everyone can customize, adding whatever they like. Most importantly, it's a meal I can almost always assemble from items in my pantry and fridge.
Start with a base of white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. Add a protein source like cooked chicken, shrimp, salmon, eggs, or beans. Then add veggies and sauce. That's it! Easy, delicious, and good-for-you.
Why We Love Rice Bowls
There are so many reasons to love a delicious rice bow, but these are at the top of the list.
- Quick and Easy: Rice bowls should be quick and easy. Start with cooked rice (or use frozen/microwave rice), add a pre-cooked or quick-cooking protein, and any combination of vegetables. Use a quick homemade or store-bought sauce and dinner is done.
- Versatile: Rice bowls work with almost any combination or rice, protein, veggies, and sauce. Pick a cuisine or flavor profile and build from that using what you have.
- Start with your pantry and fridge: Shop from your own fridge and pantry when building rice bowls at home. Rice bowls are great to use up leftover ingredients or any produce/protein that needs to be used.
- Healthy and nutritious: Most rice bowls are naturally healthy and packed with nutrients from the wide variety of veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins being used.
Our Favorite Rice Bowl Recipes
To get the creative juices flowing, here are some of our favorite rice bowls! Plus tips for adding different veggies, sauces, and proteins. Remember one of the best things about rice bowls is that they are endlessly versatile and customizable.
Think about these bowl recipes as blueprints to create an easy meal that's perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep.
Peruvian Shrimp Bowls
These Peruvian Shrimp Rice Bowls with seasoned shrimp, steamed rice, and a creamy aji verde style cilantro sauce are your new favorite healthy bowl recipes! They are quick, easy to make, and great for dinner or meal prep.
Crispy Asian Salmon Bowls
These Crispy Asian Salmon Bowls are a quick, flavor-packed meal featuring honey-soy glazed salmon bites, fresh veggies, fluffy rice, and a drizzle of spicy mayo. It’s a restaurant-quality dish that comes together in 30 minutes and is perfect for meal prep!
Asian Rice Bowls (Build Your Own)
Easy Asian Rice Bowls that are quick to make, versatile, and can be made with any rice or grain, fresh or frozen vegetables, ground meat, and the best pantry sweet and spicy Asian sauce.
Easy Sushi Bowls (Build Your Own)
Build your own Sushi Bowls at home with this quick, easy, and healthy recipe! Seasoned sushi rice is topped with crunchy vegetables, avocado, nori, and your choice of protein. Drizzle homemade spicy mayo over top for an affordable meal that hits the spot whenever you’re craving sushi!
Korean Beef Bowls
These easy Korean Beef Bowls come together in less than 20 minutes! Packed with the most delicious Korean-inspired ground beef, tons of fresh vegetables, and rice.
One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
This easy One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice is packed with chicken breast, black beans, perfectly cooked rice, peppers, onions, and tomatoes all cooked in just one pot! This easy dinner is ready in just 30 minutes! Add all your favorite toppings and dinner is done.
Ground Beef Bulgogi Bowls
In just 20 minutes, make the best Ground Beef Bulgogi Bowls with sweet and spicy ground beef, fresh veggies, and steamed rice. It's a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love.
Chicken Taco Bowl
These Chicken Taco Bowls are the best easy dinner or meal prep lunch! Packed with seasoned chicken, rice, black beans, and all your favorite taco toppings. Ready in 30 minutes!
Chicken Kofta Bowls
These Chicken Kofta Bowls are made with ground chicken cooked in Middle Eastern spices and garlic for a flavor-packed bowl that's served with brown rice and vegetables. It's easier to make than traditional kofta and still has all the same great flavor.
Hoisin Tofu Bowl
These easy Hoisin Tofu Bowls with crispy tofu, brown rice, and tons of vegetables are quick and easy to make, full of flavor, and work great for meal prep.
Teriyaki Veggie Brown Rice Bowls
Teriyaki Vegetable Bowls with homemade sauce over a bed of nutty brown rice with crunchy peanuts is your new favorite meatless meal.
Spicy Tuna Salad Bowls
Spicy Tuna Bowls made with canned tuna, avocado, cucumber, brown rice, and the most delicious spicy dressing made with Greek yogurt.
Thai Basil Ground Beef Bowl
This Thai Basil Ground Beef Bowl makes the perfect twenty-minute weeknight meal and you won't believe the flavor! Served with cauliflower rice, it's a healthy meal you will make again and again.
Shrimp Sushi Bowls
Shrimp Sushi Bowls are a healthy and easy way to have sushi at home. This delicious dish is made with tons of veggies, brown rice or cauliflower rice, shrimp, and homemade spicy mayo.
Teriyaki Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Easy Teriyaki Chicken Quinoa Bowls made with chicken breast, tons of vegetables, and homemade teriyaki sauce. Serve it over quinoa or swap in favorite grain for a quick and healthy meal or meal prep.
Salmon Sushi Bowls
Salmon Sushi Bowls are a quick, easy, and healthy recipe perfect for any night of the week! Bake the salmon in a teriyaki-style marinade, then serve it with fluffy sushi rice, crunchy vegetables, buttery avocado, savory nori, and a creamy Sriracha mayo.
Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Bowls
Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Bowls are packed with bold flavors, crisp textures, and wholesome ingredients, all in one satisfying meal.
Blackened Shrimp Bowls
Blackened Shrimp Bowls will send you on a trip to the tropics with their bold, zesty, and fresh flavors. Juicy, spiced shrimp paired with sweet mango salsa, creamy avocado, and hearty rice make this a filling meal you’ll want to keep on repeat!
Chili Lime Chicken Avocado Bowls
Chili Lime Chicken Bowls with Cucumber Avocado Salsa is the perfect balance of bold, zesty flavors and cool, refreshing crunch. Ready in 30 minutes, packed with protein, and great for an easy dinner or meal prep.
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls with brown rice, black beans, tender chicken breast, and all the toppings are an easy dinner that the whole family loves.
The Easiest Mediterranean Shrimp Bowls
Mediterranean Shrimp Bowls are fresh, light, and downright addicting! Packed with juicy shrimp, crunchy veggies, and a creamy tzatziki drizzle, this dish brings all the vibrant Mediterranean flavors to your table in half an hour.
Chicken Fajita Bowls
These easy Chicken Fajita Bowls are the perfect rice bowl recipe for a quick dinner or week of meal prep. Packed with seasoned chicken, peppers, onions, and corn served over rice with all the best toppings. These bowls are high in protein, healthy, and super versatile.
Southwest Steak Bowls
Tender and delicious Southwest Steak Bowls with perfectly cooked steak, black bean and corn salsa, cilantro, steamed rice, and the most delicious cilantro lime dressing. Quick, easy, and healthy!
Salmon Poke Bowls
Make your own Salmon Poke Bowls at home with raw or cooked salmon and all your favorite toppings. These poke bowls are easy to make, taste amazing, and are much more affordable than restaurant build-your-own poke bowls.
DIY Hawaiian Poke Bowls
These poke bowls are packed with delicious ahi tuna marinated in a traditional Hawaiian-style poke sauce served with steamed rice and a colorful assortment of vegetables. They’re incredibly fresh, flavor-packed, and easy to customize with different fish, toppings, and sauces.
Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl
This Southwest Chicken Rice Bowl is a healthy and flavorful meal that’s so easy to prepare! Tender chicken is marinated in chipotle sauce, then mixed with fluffy brown rice, crisp veggies, and fresh herbs. Serve it as a quick weeknight dinner, or meal prep a batch for busy weeks!
Thai Bowls (Build Your Own)
These Thai Bowls are easy to make, healthy, and can be made with any combination of grains, vegetables, and protein you like. Just add the amazing homemade peanut sauce and your Thai Bowl is ready.
Salmon Rice Bowls
These quick and easy salmon rice bowls are packed with delicious sesame salmon, sliced cucumbers, edamame, and tons of fresh herbs served over your favorite rice or grains. Easy, delicious, and great for meal prep.
Sweet Potato Bowls
Hearty and nutritious Sweet Potato Bowls made on a single sheet pan in just 30 minutes! Made with tender roasted sweet potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, black beans, and corn all served over brown rice and topped with cilantro, avocado, and a delicious creamy sauce.
Buffalo Chicken Bowls (30 Minute Meal!)
These 30-minute Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bowls made with roasted buffalo chicken, cauliflower, rice, and veggies are easy to make, nutritious, and versatile! Drizzle with ranch or blue cheese for a meal everyone loves.
Asian Ground Turkey Bowls
These 15-minute Asian Ground Turkey Bowls are inspired by the flavors of lettuce wraps! Made with ground turkey, mushrooms, bell peppers, and water chestnuts tossed in a delicious Asian sauce with rice and tons of crunchy veggies.
Fish Taco Bowls
These fish taco bowls are packed with spicy blackened mahi mahi served over a bed of warm rice with mango avocado salsa, shredded cabbage, fish taco sauce, and a generous squeeze of lime for the ultimate quick and healthy meal.
Greek Chicken Bowls (Grilled or Rotisserie Chicken)
Healthy and delicious Greek Chicken Bowls with marinated grilled chicken, quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and olives in a delicious Greek dressing. Easy to make and great for meal prep.
Shrimp Taco Bowls
These shrimp taco bowls are just what you need for a quick, easy, and flavorful dinner! Juicy shrimp is seasoned to perfection, then served over a bed of fluffy rice with crunchy veggies, creamy avocado, and tangy pico de gallo. Dress it up with your favorite toppings for the ultimate customizable meal!
How to Build the Perfect Rice Bowl
Hopefully, the recipes above got your creative juices flowing! Use this simple formula below to build your own rice bowls using any ingredient or cuisine as inspiration.
1. Choose your base
Start building your rice bowl with a base of cooked white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, cauliflower rice, or wild rice. Really any rice or grain, like quinoa or farro, can be used.
To speed up meal prep, use frozen rice or microwavable rice. If you are looking for a lighter dish, replace some of the rice with greens or veggie noodles.
2. Add protein
To make these bowls hearty and filling, it's important to include protein. There are so many options, including lots of vegetarian options.
- Chicken, meat, and seafood: Any protein can be used in these rice bowls. Some favorites include salmon, shrimp, chicken, ground meat, tuna, and steak.
- Plant-based and vegetarian protein: Make these bowls with tofu, tempeh, seitan, eggs, edamame, chickpeas, beans, lentils, hemp seeds, and nuts.
- Asian favorites: Build your bowl around this honey garlic salmon, Thai chicken skewers, hoisin chicken, or teriyaki shrimp.
- Mexican burrito and taco bowl inspiration: Make a Mexican-inspired rice bowl with chicken tinga, carne asada, tofu sofritas, or salsa verde chicken.
- Mediterranean proteins: Start with rice and then add this slow cooker Mediterranean chicken, chicken shawarma, or baked falafel.
3. Add vegetables
Any delicious rice bowl recipe is usually packed with vegetables. Use fresh raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, pickled veggies, and even frozen vegetables to speed things up.
Normally, I like to include at least one green, such as kale, spinach, lettuce, or arugula. Then, I add something fresh and crunchy, like cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, green onions, or cucumbers.
From there, consider adding any cooked vegetables you may want, such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, sugar snap peas, or bok choy.
4. Choose a sauce
The sauce is one of the best parts of making a rice bowl! It's truly what brings all the elements of the rice bowl together.
Store-bought sauces are great when you are short on time. Ideas include teriyaki sauce, salad dressing, salsa, pesto, hummus, or buffalo sauce.
If you have time to make a homemade sauce, try one of these:
- Tzatziki
- Peanut sauce
- Creamy chipotle sauce
- Honey mustard
- Ranch (or jalapeno ranch)
- Teriyaki sauce
- Chimichurri
- Pesto
- Romesco
5. Tasty Toppings
The last step in building a delicious bowl is adding some fun toppings. Consider adding:
- Fresh herbs: Basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, chives, oregano, or dill
- Nuts: Sliced almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, or pine nuts
- Seeds: Try adding toasted pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, or sunflower seeds
- Salsa: Add some pico de gallo, corn salsa, green salsa, or spicy ranchero sauce
- Hummus: Classic hummus, black bean hummus, or avocado hummus
- Pickled veggies: We love adding sauerkraut, pickled ginger, or pickled red onions
- Cheese: Try some queso fresco, feta cheese, goat cheese, or shredded cheese
- Healthy fats: Like avocado, guacamole, or yogurt
- Citrus: Squeeze some fresh lime juice or lemon juice over the top
Best Rice Bowl Shortcuts
Looking to speed up meal prep or dinner? Use these shortcuts! They save so much time.
- Precooked rice: Instead of making rice from scratch, grab store-bought shelf-stable or frozen rice. You can also invest in a rice cooker for perfectly cooked rice every time.
- Ready-to-go proteins: Instead of making fresh protein, grab something ready to go from the store. Options include rotisserie chicken, frozen meatballs, chicken or turkey patties, frozen grilled or shredded chicken, chicken sausage, canned tuna, shrimp cocktail, canned salmon, baked tofu, tempeh, thick-sliced deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, or cooked protein from the salad bar.
- Frozen or packaged veggies: Instead of chopping and roasting veggies, grab frozen ones or my favorite fresh veggies, which come in steam-ready microwave bags. Undercook them slightly so they don't get soggy!
- Canned beans or lentils: Canned beans and lentils are a great source of fiber and protein. Just make sure to drain and rinse well so they don't have that canned/tin flavor.
- Packaged sauces, salsas, and dressings: Grab your favorite store-bought salsa, pico de gallo, tzatziki, stir-fry sauce, salad dressing, peanut sauce, hummus, etc. Grocery stores are full of amazing sauce options.
- Leftovers: Don't skip utilizing leftovers! Leftover roasted veggies, grilled meats, and sauces are so great to throw in a rice bowl.
Tips for Meal Prep
Rice bowls are great for meal prep since they keep well in the fridge. Keep these tips in mind when making rice bowls for meal prep.
- Meal prep: For the best results, prepare the rice, protein, sauce, and vegetables separately and let everything cool to room temperature. Then assemble the bows, starting with the cooked rice. Add the protein layer. Then add the vegetables starting with the cooked vegetables and then the raw vegetables. Pack the sauce and any delicate toppings (like avocado) on the side.
- Storage: Keep these rice bowls in the fridge for 4-5 days, adjusting depending on the protein. The sauce will last for 5-7 days in the fridge.
- Freezing: If you assemble these rice bowls with cooked rice, cooked proteins, and cooked vegetables, they are freezer friendly. Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Then add the fresh vegetables and sauce after they are defrosted and reheated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about making these rice bowls.
Are rice bowls healthy?
Most rice bowls are healthy since they are made with whole grains, protein, and vegetables. This means they are full fo nutrients, lean protein, and fiber.
With that said, sometimes rice bowls are not as healthy when they contain very large servings of rice, sauces packed with sugar or saturated fat, or lots of high-fat or fried crispy toppings.
What type of rice is used in rice bowls?
Any type of rice can be used in a rice bowl. The most popular options include cooked jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice, and sushi rice. Additionally some bowls use quinoa, lentils, farro, barley, or cauliflower rice.
More Tasty Bowl Recipes
Looking for even more bowl recipes? Try one of these recipes.
Quick and Easy Rice Bowls
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped (or vegetarian protein)
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn
- 2 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
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* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.
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