Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl

This quick and easy to make Quinoa and Sweet Potato recipe is easily one of the most popular quinoa recipes on this website. Packed with all-natural ingredients, like oven-roasted sweet potatoes and garden-fresh greens, this dish is something you’ll enjoy and feel good about. 

Even better, this fresh quinoa bowl recipe is topped with a yogurt tahini sauce that perfectly balances creamy and zesty Mediterranean flavors. Foodies and picky eaters alike will want second helpings of this 30-minute meal. Serve it as a filling and healthy lunch or a side dish with dinner.

Once you fall in love with this quinoa sweet potato bowl, you won’t be able to resist my other easy quinoa recipes. For spicy Mexican taste, try out my Quinoa Mexican Bowl or Quinoa Tacos. For a weekday meal guaranteed to please, you’ll adore my Butternut Squash Quinoa Bowl and Quinoa Power Bowl.

Why Should You Make This Recipe

There are so many reasons why this sweet potato black bean quinoa recipe is a fan favorite. Here are just a few things to love about this satisfying and delicious recipe:

• This filling yet nutritious quinoa bowl comes together in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect dinner for even your busiest Tuesday nights.
• Bursting with deep orange, creamy white, and verdant green, this stunning meal will be a hit at the table and on Instagram.
• You can serve this dish as a sweet potato quinoa salad or as a quinoa bowl, depending on how many greens you add.
• This vegetarian recipe can be made into a vegan sweet potato bowl or a meat-lover’s dream dish with just a few small changes. More on that below!
• Perfect for meal prep. Simply prep all components of the recipe, assemble right before serving, and enjoy throughout the week.

Ingredients

Only the most nutritious, flavorful, and simple ingredients are used to make this sweet potato grain bowl.

• The dressing: For the yogurt tahini dressing, gather plain Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. Alternatively, for a dairy-free alternative, you can use my garlic tahini sauce.

• Quinoa: For the grain of this quinoa bowl, gather quinoa, water, and kosher salt. Any quinoa can be used—black quinoa, white quinoa, red quinoa, or even tri-color quinoa! Whatever kind you use, just be sure to rinse your quinoa before cooking.
• Veggies: For the roasted veggies, gather sweet potatoes, red onion, olive oil, cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. For the fresh veggies, gather a can of black beans, arugula, and sesame seeds.

How To Make

For grain bowls as breathtaking as these, you won’t believe how quickly they come together. In just 30 minutes and four simple steps, you’ll have a healthy recipe you’ll want to brag about.

1. Roast the sweet potatoes & red onion: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with one layer of sweet potatoes and red onion. Evenly coat and toss the veggies with olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Roast them in the preheated oven for 17-18 minutes (until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked), and then set them aside to cool.
2. Cook the quinoa: Fill a small saucepan with rinsed and drained quinoa, water, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to low, put a lid on the saucepan, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed by the quinoa (about 12 minutes). Let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
3. Make the tahini dressing: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Assemble your sweet potato quinoa bowls: Divide the quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and onion, arugula, and black beans among four bowls. Top with yogurt tahini dressing and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve.

Make Ahead & Storage:

Not only is this quinoa yam bowl a hit when served fresh, but it’s just as scrumptious when it’s made ahead of time! Take the stress out of preparing healthy meals with these simple tips.

• Make-Ahead: For best results, store each component of this recipe in individual containers. This will preserve the flavor and texture of each ingredient. Since this dish can be served warm or cold, you don’t have to worry about letting ingredients return to room temperature, either. Just remove the ingredients from the fridge and assemble your buddha bowls when ready to eat.
• Storage: This sweet potato black bean quinoa bowl will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If possible, store the tahini yogurt sauce in a separate container. This is a great way to keep your leftovers from getting soggy.

Substitutions & Variations:

The best thing about quinoa bowls is how easy they are to customize. Whether you have a dietary restriction or simply want to change up the dish’s flavor balance, there’s an easy way to do it.

• Substitute the yogurt tahini dressing with my savory Avocado Cashew Sauce to make this mouthwatering dish vegan-friendly.
• Add zesty spice and make this recipe vegan by using my Chili Lime Dressing instead of the yogurt tahini sauce. The flavors of freshly squeezed lime juice mixed in with a little bit of chili powder turn this into a Southwestern flavored buddha bowl.
• Swap out the black beans for chickpeas and top with tzatziki sauce for a Greek take on this fan-favorite.
• Use any greens you want to top this meatless meal. From a spring mix to Romaine, and baby spinach to butter lettuce, any type of greens will work.
• Effortlessly transition from delicious quinoa bowls to quinoa salad by playing around with your greens-to-grains ratio. Use more greens to turn this into a delicious sweet potato black bean quinoa salad. Serve it as the perfect side dish with your favorite dinner recipes.
• Give your quinoa as much flavor as possible by cooking it in vegetable broth or chicken stock. Check out my guide for even more handy ways to make quinoa taste good.
• For Meat Lovers: Top it with baked chicken breasts. 
• Switch it up with different grains: Use cooked black rice, bulgur wheat, or wild rice as the base instead of quinoa for a change.

Similar Recipes You Might Like:

If you think that this is a recipe worth your weekly meal menu, I bet you would like the other recipes I hand picked for you below:

• Sweet Potato Noodles Recipe
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
• Mexican Quinoa in Instant Pot
• Quinoa Black Bean Corn Salad

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Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl Recipe

5 from 5 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields4 servings

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

This sweet potato quinoa bowl recipe is made with black beans, roasted red onions, salad greens and drizzled with yogurt tahini dressing. It is perfect for meal prep or as a healthy vegetarian meal.

Ingredients 

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For The Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Red Onions:

• ▢ 2 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes (approximately 5 cups)
• ▢ 1 red onion, peeled & sliced 1-inch thick
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

For The Quinoa:

• ▢ 1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For The Yogurt Tahini Dressing:

• ▢ 1 cup Greek Yogurt, full-fat or non-fat would both work
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tahini, stirred well
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For The Quinoa Bowls:

• ▢ 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 cup arugula, or any other salad greens (baby spinach, butter lettuce, spring mix etc)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white or black sesame seeds, optional

Instructions 

• To roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place sweet potatoes and red onion on a large baking sheet making sure they are in one single layer. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with ground cumin, salt and pepper. Give it a toss and roast in the oven for about 17-18 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fully cooked. Set aside to cool.
• To cook the quinoa: Place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan with water and salt over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and let it simmer for 12 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Let it rest for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
• To make the tahini dressing: Mix everything together in a small bowl (or a mason jar).
• To assemble the Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls: Divide quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and onion, arugula, and black beans amongst four bowls. Drizzle each bowl generously with yogurt tahini dressing. If you have it, sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Serve.

Notes

• Taste for seasoning: As it is the case with any vegetable dish, proper seasoning is the key to make this dish taste great. Be sure to taste the yogurt tahini sauce and sweet potatoes before serving and add more seasoning if necessary.
• Give it a toss: It is important to distribute the sauce evenly throughout the dish to make sure all ingredients are coated with it. 
• Make-Ahead & Meal Prep Instructions: For best results, store each component of this recipe in individual containers. This will preserve the flavor and texture of each ingredient. Since this dish can be served warm or cold, you don’t have to worry about letting ingredients return to room temperature, either. Just remove the ingredients from the fridge and assemble your buddha bowls when ready to eat.
• Storage Instructions: This sweet potato black bean quinoa bowl will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If possible, store the tahini yogurt sauce in a separate container. This is a great way to keep your leftovers from getting soggy.

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 1551mg | Potassium: 834mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 16178IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Vegetarian Main Dish

Cuisine: American

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