Vegan Meal Prep Bowls: 3 High-Protein Recipes for the Week

A good vegan meal prep bowl needs four things: a grain base, a plant protein, raw vegetables for crunch, and the dressing packed separately so nothing goes soggy. Get that right and the bowls hold for four days in the fridge. Below are three we make on rotation. Each one makes four serves and takes under 45 minutes.

The protein is the part most people get wrong. A bowl of rice and roast vegetables looks the part but leaves you hungry by three o’clock. Chickpeas, tofu and edamame do the heavy lifting in the recipes below, and each bowl lands between 18 and 24 grams of protein.

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls

The one to make if you have never done this before. No cooking beyond the quinoa, and it is the cheapest of the three.

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 20 minutes · Total time: 35 minutes Serves: 4 bowls · Cost: roughly $12 to $15 AUD for the batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

For the lemon and herb dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Take it off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. While the quinoa cooks, chop the capsicum, cucumber, red onion and olives. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Roughly chop the parsley.
3. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide the quinoa between four containers. Top each with chickpeas, capsicum, cucumber, red onion and olives, then scatter over the parsley.
5. Pack the dressing in a separate small container and add it just before eating. The bowls keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls

The highest protein of the three at roughly 24 grams a serve, and the one that tastes least like leftovers by day three. If you like this sauce, it is the same base as our vegan Thai peanut noodles.

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 25 minutes · Total time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 bowls · Cost: roughly $15 to $18 AUD for the batch

Ingredients

• 1 block (400g) extra-firm tofu, pressed
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup cooked edamame, shelled
• 120g rice noodles or soba noodles

For the spicy peanut sauce:

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sriracha, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon water, to thin
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (optional)

Method

1. Cut the pressed tofu into bite-sized cubes. Toss with the soy sauce, sesame oil and cornflour until evenly coated.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Cook the tofu for 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp. Add the broccoli and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until tender-crisp.
3. Cook the noodles according to the packet, then drain and rinse under cold water so they do not stick.
4. Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sriracha, water and ginger together until smooth. Add more water if it needs thinning.
5. Divide the noodles between four containers and top with the tofu, broccoli and edamame.
6. Pack the sauce separately and add it just before eating. The bowls keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Black Bean and Corn Bowls with Coriander Lime Rice

The cheapest bowl on the list and the one most likely to survive a fussy household. Add kimchi if you want some ferment in there.

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 25 minutes · Total time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 bowls · Cost: roughly $10 to $13 AUD for the batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 x 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 red capsicum, finely diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 avocado, diced (add fresh, not in advance)

For the lime vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Rest it covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir through the coriander and lime juice.
2. Combine the black beans, corn, capsicum and red onion in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, cumin and chilli powder together. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide the rice between four containers and top with the black bean and corn mixture.
5. Pack the vinaigrette separately. Add the avocado fresh on the day you eat it, or it will brown. The bowls keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Frequently asked questions

How long do vegan meal prep bowls last in the fridge?

Three to four days in an airtight container. The limit is usually the raw vegetables rather than the grain or the protein. Keep the dressing separate and the bowls hold their texture right through to day four. Anything with avocado in it should be eaten the day you cut it.

How do you stop meal prep bowls going soggy?

Pack the dressing in a separate container and add it at the last minute. That single change is the difference between a bowl that is good on day four and one that is mush on day two. It also helps to cool grains completely before you seal the container, because trapped steam turns into water.

How much protein is in a vegan meal prep bowl?

These three land between 18 and 24 grams a serve. The peanut tofu bowl is highest at roughly 24 grams, from the tofu and edamame together. The Mediterranean quinoa bowl sits near 18 grams, since quinoa is a complete protein and the chickpeas add the rest.

Can you freeze vegan meal prep bowls?

The grain and protein components freeze well for up to three months. Raw vegetables do not, so freeze the base and add fresh vegetables and dressing after thawing. Rice and quinoa both come back better if you add a splash of water before reheating.

What is the cheapest vegan meal prep bowl?

The black bean and corn bowl, at roughly $10 to $13 AUD for four serves, which works out around $3 a meal. Dried beans instead of canned bring it lower again. Tinned legumes, frozen corn and rice are the three cheapest sources of a filling plant-based meal in an Australian supermarket.

A note on the week you are actually having

Meal prep fails for the same reason most healthy eating fails, and it is not the recipe. Sunday you are organised and motivated. Wednesday you are tired, and the bowl in the fridge loses to whatever is quickest. That gap is not a discipline problem, it is a pattern one, and it is worth understanding what is going on underneath it.

If bloating or energy crashes are the thing getting in the way rather than motivation, that is a gut question instead, and our four steps to a healthier gut is the better place to start.

• Vegan Meal Prep
• vegan meal bowls
• high protein vegan