Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls
Published 1/27/2017 • Updated 3/19/2024
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These Vegetarian Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls are the perfect vegetarian meal prep recipe to make so you can enjoy a healthy lunch or dinner the entire week! I often make a variation of these on Sundays so that my husband and I can have a veggie-packed lunch throughout the week. What I love about these quinoa bowls, is that the veggie options are endless! I’ve made these with peppers, onions, and mushrooms and they’re so good!
Featured Comment
“Ooh, Spicy! Just the right amount of heat for me, and the quinoa does a nice job balancing all that flavor. Do make the dressing…it adds so much pizzazz to this! YUM!” – Romy
These Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls are kind of like a buddha bowl with grains and veggies but with a Kung Pao twist. They’re super easy to make and are the perfect healthy dinner, all wrapped up in one delicious bowl. And these bowls are super customizable to your liking. You can add whatever type of grains, veggies, and toppings you like to make them truly your own.
What is in these Kung Pan Quinoa Bowls?
We love using quinoa for this grain bowl as it’s packed with fiber and has a deliciously nutty flavor and fluffy texture.
As for the veggies, we sauté green onions, chickpeas, broccolini, and matchstick carrots in our homemade Kung Pao sauce. The sauce is made with sriracha, chili paste, tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos, and honey for the perfect blend of spicy, savory, and sweet.
Finally, we top everything off with our Greek goddess dressing and sauce. We used cilantro instead of basil and added a little bit more olive oil to thin it out for the perfect green sauce for this bowl. You could also use store-bought Greek goddess dressing if you like.
FAQ
Absolutely! Feel free to use brown rice or cauliflower rice for a more low-carb option.
Yes! You can really use any kind of veggies you have on hand. Try adding peppers, onions, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, bok choy, or spinach.
It’s traditionally made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and some type of spicy chilis. However, this recipe is a more mild version with soy sauce, sriracha, and chili paste. It’s only slightly spicy.
Absolutely. Feel free to dial back on the sriracha or chili paste for a less spicy sauce.
Absolutely! Just make a huge batch of quinoa and double up on your veggies to spread them out throughout the week! You can also increase the sauce ingredients.
quick meal prep tip!
Make the quinoa the day before and chop up all your veggies so you have everything ready to go!
Storage
Store Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls in an airtight container or meal prep containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you add protein, the bowls will keep for 3-4 days.
Serving Suggestions
If you want to add a protein boost, add some:
- baked chicken breast
- air fryer salmon bites
- honey sticky pork
- lean ground pork
- slow cooker pulled pork
- lean ground beef
- crispy tofu
- air fryer salmon
If you don’t want to use the Greek goddess dressing or peanuts, feel free to garnish with these instead:
- sesame seeds
- soy sauce
- firecracker sauce
- peanut sauce
- stir fry sauce
- teriyaki sauce
- red pepper flakes
Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
Kung Pao Veggies
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup green onion, minced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas
- 4 cups broccolini
- 1 heaping cup matchstick carrots
- 2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
Other
- peanuts, sesame seeds, and green onion
- 1/2 cup green goddess dressing, store bought or homemade
Instructions
For the Quinoa
- In a large pot, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to low and let simmer for around 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated.
For the Kung Pao Veggies
- Place sesame oil in a large pan and heat on medium/high heat.
- Then, add in the vegetables and beans and sauté for 3-5 minutes to lightly cook the veggies so that they are still crunchy.
- Once veggies are at the desired texture add in the sauce ingredients and sauté for a few minutes.
For the Bowls
- Prep bowls by separating the quinoa out into 4 portions.
- Then do the same with the veggies. Top with peanuts, sesame seeds, green onion, and a few tablespoons of the Green Goddess Dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever come across.
Ooh Spicy! Just the right amount of heat for me and the quinoa does a nice job balancing all that flavor. Do make the dressing…it adds so much pizzazz to this! YUM!
Before trying this recipe, I never had quinoa before. I must say, I made this for dinner and it was a massive winner! All the flavours go so well together, it’s easy to make and the taste is purely mouth watering. My partner and I really enjoyed your kung pao quinoa bowls, thank you so much for posting this! P.S The green goddess dressing makes everything look and taste divine! I run away from so much parsley and basil but this dressing is a jackpot and encourages me to eat more herbs! Thank you!
QUINOA FOR THE WIN!!!! It’s my fav!