This easy rice bowl is a 30-minute dinner loaded with flavor-packed black beans, colorful veggies, and a zingy cilantro lime sauce you’ll want to put on everything.
Every time I ask readers what they want, I get a similar answer: fast and easy dinner recipes! That’s right: you don’t care how basic it is, you just want easy, healthy ideas to get food on the table.
So here’s one to file under dinnertime basics: this easy rice bowl! This 30 minute dinner features my easy black beans, a trick to make a bland can of beans taste amazing in 5 minutes. Pair it with rice and colorful veggies and a zingy cilantro lime ranch that you’ll want to bathe in. This bowl is so tasty and easy, I simply inhale it every time I make them!
Start With The Rice
The longest lead time on a rice bowl is cooking the rice. So get that started first! You can use any variety of rice you’d like. I like cooking rice on the stovetop, but a pressure cooker also makes quick work of it. You can also make the rice in advance and reheat it before serving. Here are my favorite methods for cooking rice:
- How to Cook Rice: My secret way to get perfectly cooked rice every time.
- How to Cook Brown Rice: A shortcut method on how to cook brown rice fast!
- How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot: A pressure cooker is great for rice: it’s an easy, hands-off method.
The Secret: Flavor-Packed Black Beans
The best part of this rice bowl, similar to a burrito bowl, is the easy black beans! This is the way to bring big flavor with only a few minutes of cooking. Once you’ve got your rice started, whip up those black beans. Here’s what you need to infuse huge flavor into these beans in no time:
- Canned black beans: You don’t even have to rinse them! The residual can liquid makes a creamy sauce.
- Fresh garlic: Minced fresh garlic brings big savory flavor.
- Cumin: A hint of cumin adds the final flavoring.
How to Make an Easy Rice Bowl
Now it’s time to make a rice bowl! The vegetable and sauce ideas I’ve provided here are just ideas: this is a free-form concept so anything goes! Here are a few ideas for vegetables and components you can swap in. This one is like to a burrito bowl, but you can use different flavors and sauces for a different vibe. The main guiding principle: maximize contrasts in color, flavor and texture:
- Make the rice. See above.
- Make the protein. You can of course use any type of protein you like: beans, tofu, tempeh, chicken, shrimp: you name it! This bowl would be great with Cilantro Lime Shrimp too.
- Prepare the veggies. Use lots of colorful raw veggies. Some favorites are avocado and cherry tomatoes. I like to add corn for sweetness and red onion for a savory crunch. Other ideas are bell peppers, leafy mixed greens, or roasted sweet potatoes,
- Add the sauce. Top it all off with a healthy sauce to bring it together: ideas below!
Sauce Ideas and Protein Variations
This rice bowl is covered in a creamy, zingy cilantro lime ranch that takes it over the top! You’ll love this tasty sauce: but we’ve got lots of other options too. If you’re looking for a vegan variation, review the list below:
- Add sauteed shrimp like these Shrimp Bowls with cilantro lime rice
- Add chicken like Instant pot shredded chicken, stovetop shredded chicken, or pan seared chicken breast
- For the sauce, use Cilantro Lime Ranch, my dairy-free Cilantro Sauce (cashew based), or zingy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Opt for spicy Chipotle Sauce instead
Tips for Building the Best Rice Bowl
A great rice bowl isn’t just about flavor: it’s about contrast. Here’s what I aim for every time:
- Color variety. Red tomatoes, yellow corn, green avocado, purple onion. Eating the rainbow isn’t just a health cliché — it makes the bowl visually irresistible.
- Temperature contrast. Warm rice and beans against cool, raw vegetables creates a layered experience in every bite.
- Texture contrast. Creamy avocado, crunchy onion, chewy beans, fluffy rice. Every forkful should have something going on.
- Don’t skip the fresh herbs. A handful of torn cilantro on top brightens everything and ties the bowl together.
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
Make this rice bowl even quicker by making the rice in advance. Refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. You may have noticed that when you refrigerate rice, it gets very dry. Here’s a trick for how to reheat rice so that it’s perfectly moist:
- Place the cold rice in a saucepan on the stovetop.
- Add a small splash of water.
- Heat the rice until it’s warmed through: the water will steam and absorb into the rice.
Dietary Notes
This rice bowl recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
A rice bowl typically includes a base of cooked rice, a protein (beans, chicken, shrimp, tofu), fresh or roasted vegetables, and a sauce or dressing. The combination is flexible: mix and match based on what you have.
Yes! For a lower-carb version, cauliflower rice works as a base. The beans and sauce are hearty enough to carry the bowl without traditional rice.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free as written. Make sure to double-check that any store-bought sauces or seasonings you use are certified gluten-free.
Add a small splash of water to the rice in a saucepan and heat covered over medium heat. The steam absorbs into the rice and restores its texture.
Absolutely. Bell peppers, roasted sweet potatoes, spinach, mixed greens, or sautéed zucchini all work well. The guiding principle: maximize color and texture contrast.
Easy Rice Bowl
Pin RecipeThis easy rice bowl comes together in a flash! This fast dinner stars black beans and veggies with zingy cilantro lime ranch sauce. Variation: Try my Shrimp Rice Bowl!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the black beans*
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Scant 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the rice bowl
- 1 ½ cups dry white rice or brown rice
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted (or canned corn)
- 1/4 red onion
- Cilantro Lime Sauce or Chipotle Ranch (or for vegan, Spicy Chipotle Sauce or Cashew Cilantro Sauce)
- Cilantro, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the rice, according to How to Cook Rice. (Or try Cilantro Lime Rice!)
- Cook the black beans: Mince the garlic. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant but not yet browned. Add the beans (drained but not rinsed), cumin, kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook 2 minutes until warmed through. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Make the sauce (see above).
- Slice the tomatoes in half. Slice the avocado. Defrost the corn. Thinly slice the red onion.
- To serve, place rice in the bowl and top with black beans and vegetables. Drizzle with the sauce and top with torn cilantro. The components for the rice bowl store up to 3 days refrigerated.
Notes
*If you’re cooking for 1 or 2, make half this recipe and cook 1 cup dry rice.
More Bowl Recipes to Try
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