Healthy Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowls
Published 3/15/2020 • Updated 11/18/2024
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A Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowl recipe that’s a vegetarian’s delight! They’re made with roasted veggies, a delicious slaw, homemade coconut quinoa, and a yummy peanut sauce.
Have no fear, the most delicious vegetarian meal is about to hit your screen. This veggie-packed meal has been a Fit Foodie favorite for years, and we’ve reinvented the photos and tweaked the recipe ever-so-slightly so that you’ll love it even more!
It All Starts with Coconut Quinoa
This recipe features one of our favorite grain-like sides, coconut quinoa! Coconut quinoa is similar to our perfect quinoa recipe but better 😛
Why, you ask? Well, it’s made with full-fat coconut milk, making the texture silky smooth and it’s slightly sweet thanks for maple syrup. Here’s what you need:
- quinoa
- coconut milk
- water
- maple syrup
Since this is a quinoa bowl recipe, we thought we’d take it up a notch and add a little Thai flare. Coconut is a popular Thai flavor and it compliments the rest of the dish quite nicely.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Next comes the roasted sweet potatoes. I like how meaty sweet potatoes are. They give any vegetarian meal substance. They’re slightly sweet but savory at the same time and just perfect in every way.
We kept these roasted sweet potatoes simple with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little black sesame seeds.
If you’re not a fan of sweet potatoes or would love to add more veggies to your roasting pan. Here are some suggestions:
- russet potato
- onion
- broccoli
- bell pepper
- green beans
- cauliflower
Remember, you can pretty much make any of our buddha bowl recipes your own by choosing what veggies to use and what not to use!
Thai Slaw
Next up is a glorious veggie-packed Thai slaw. The thing I love about slaw is that It’s served cold. The rest of this dish is meant to be eaten hot, so when you mix in a cold slaw, the texture is just the best!
Here’s what you need:
- purple cabbage
- edamame
- red pepper
- carrot
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- lime juice
- spy sauce
- ginger
- salt
Homemade Peanut Sauce
The homemade peanut sauce really is the cherry on top. It’s slightly sweet and salty all at the same time and you must not skip this part!
The base of this sauce is peanut butter. It’s thinned out with water, sweetened with a little maple, and made more savory with some soy sauce (or tamari).
I’m tempted to keep a big jug of this in my fridge at all times because I could literally add it to any and all recipes. How good would this be on top of our sous vide salmon, baked chicken, or ahi tuna poke bowls?!
Amazing Meal Prep!
Quinoa bowls make for amazing meal prep and that’s just a fact. This recipe will get you 4 total meals and you can easily double the entire recipe to make it 8.
So, grab your favorite glass meal prep containers and get prepping.
More Quinoa Bowl Recipes
- Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls
- Tofu Quinoa Burrito Bowls
- Sweet Potato Vegan Buddha Bowls
- Mediterranean Buddha Bowls
Healthy Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
Coconut Quinoa
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 15 oz. canned full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Purple Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup purple cabbage, sliced
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 large red pepper, sliced
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Peanut Sauce
- 2.5 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Toppings
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- squeeze of lime juice
- Black sesame seeds, to toaste
Instructions
For the Coconut Quinoa
- Prepare the coconut quinoa by following these directions!
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Then, place diced sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to fully coat.
- Then, season with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and black sesame seeds. Toss to combine.
- Roast sweet potatoes at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes.
For the Purple Cabbage Slaw
- Place purple cabbage, edamame, carrot, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Make dressing by whisking together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger, and salt.
- Then, toss veggies in dressing. Set aside.
Peanut Sauce
- To make peanut sauce, place all ingredients into a medium bowl or jar and mix together to combine.
Assembly
- Evenly distribute the coconut quinoa, sweet potatoes, and coleslaw into four bowls or meal prep containers.
- Drizzle with peanut sauce if eating immediately and top with cilantro, chopped peanuts, a lime wedge, and more black sesame seeds.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was slightly modified on March 1, 2020.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photos by The Wooden Skillet.
Does the calorie count include the coconut quinoa?
It does not!
Can this be divided by 4 and refrigerated for 4 days of lunches
Yes it absolutely can be!
Can you eat this cold or do you have to warm it up?
Either one…I’ve honestly done both!
How do you use the peanut butter?
Melted and drizzled on top!
Oh my God this recipe was delicious! When he says it was the best non meat dinner he’s ever had you know you have a winner! I’ll be making this again for sure.
I added avocado, cucumber, and green onions. It’s excellent with the cilantro and peanuts (don’t skip this part). The coconut quinoa was also terrific. Thanks so much, making a new Mom’s life so much better. 🙂
I loved this recipe! So many delicious flavors and textures! Will definitely be making again! I added pumpkin and a white potato to the baked mix which went well! I’m also a big eater so I would say this serves 3 bigger servers for the bigger eaters! Yum! (Also can’t believe I’ve never tried coconut quinoa! Divine!)
COCONUT QUINOA IS LIFE. I love all of your additions!
I’m reading the coconut quinoa recipe and I don’t see coconut Or quinoa in the ingredients list. Am I missing something?
We linked to our coconut quinoa recipe, so you had to click on the link! Here it is: https://fitfoodiefinds.com/2016/01/make-coconut-quinoa/
Are the nutrition facts for the veggies and dressing without the quinoa?
Good
Is this salad best served warm?
You can do either or! The way we served it was having the quinoa warm and the veggies raw/cold!
Just wondering…is there supposed to be any coconut in this recipe? The title is “Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowl” but I don’t see any coconut ingredients listed. Thanks!! Kimmie
It’s made with my Thai Coconut Quinoa (linked in the recipe) –> https://fitfoodiefinds.com/2016/01/make-coconut-quinoa/