Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
This vegetarian burrito bowl recipe features lime-marinated kale, black beans and avocado salsa verde. It's vegan if you skip the cheese.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 10, 2025
This unexpected burrito bowl is an absolute delight. If you’re looking for a hearty meatless meal, give this recipe a try. These burrito bowls feature cooked brown rice, lime-marinated kale, seasoned black beans, and a quick and irresistible avocado salsa verde that brings it all together.
This burrito bowl is a complete and balanced meal that makes great leftovers. To make it more of an event, serve it with tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole, perhaps with a zingy cocktail on the weekend (try a margarita, paloma or ranch water).
I developed this recipe over ten years ago when I was craving a wholesome meal with greens after returning home from a weekend road trip. It’s economical and practical, but above all, delicious! This recipe is still one of my favorites, so I’m sharing it again today with updated photos and a video to show you how it comes together.
Burrito Bowl Components
Each component is simple to make, and once combined, they create a stellar meal. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s what makes each component special.
Cooked brown rice: Follow my brown rice cooking method for great results every time—you’ll boil the rice in an abundance of water, like you would for pasta. Prepare the remaining components while it cooks for 30 minutes.
Lime-marinated kale: First, we’ll massage the kale to make it more tender and palatable (I’ve emphasized this in my kale salad recipes). All you do is scrunch up big handfuls at a time until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant—don’t worry about hurting the kale. Then, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, chopped jalapeño (optional), cumin and salt, and stir it into the kale.
Avocado salsa verde: I’m obsessed with this ultra-flavorful sauce. It’s just ripe avocado blended with salsa verde (store-bought is fine), plus fresh cilantro and lime. You could double this component to serve with chips.
Seasoned black beans: Canned black beans become tender and delicious when you sauté them in olive oil with shallot or red onion, garlic and chili powder.
Garnishes: Choose from sliced cherry tomatoes, toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), hot sauce or crumbled feta. I love the accents of salty, creamy feta on my bowls, but you can easily make this recipe vegan and dairy-free by omitting it.
Watch How to Make Burrito Bowls
Planning on leftovers?
Enjoy this recipe for up to four days. Store individual components separately in the refrigerator for best results. Reheat the beans and rice before topping them with marinated kale and salsa verde.
More Burrito Bowls to Try
If you enjoy this burrito bowl recipe, don’t miss these:
- Fresh Black Bean Burrito Bowl
- Mango Burrito Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
- Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowls
- Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
- Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Please let me know how your bowls turn out in the comments. I hope this one becomes one of your favorite meals as well.
Kale and Black Bean Burrito Bowl
This vegetarian burrito bowl features super flavorful components—lime-marinated kale, seasoned black beans, brown rice and avocado salsa verde. This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian and vegan/dairy free if you skip the feta cheese. Recipe yields 4 burrito bowls.
Ingredients
Brown rice
- 1 cup brown rice, rinsed (short grain/arborio or long grain/basmati recommended)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Lime-marinated kale
- 1 medium bunch curly kale, ribs removed and chopped into small, bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (omit if sensitive to spice)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Avocado salsa verde
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced into big chunks
- ½ cup mild salsa verde (any good green salsa will do)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves (a few stems are ok)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Seasoned black beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped or ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 cans black beans (15 ounces each), rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for spice)
Optional garnishes
- Cherry tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- Hot sauce, such as Cholula
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Bring a big pot of water to a boil, pour in the rinsed brown rice and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, drain the rice and return it to the pot. Cover and let the rice steam in the pot for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice with a fork and season with ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste.
- Make the kale salad: Place the chopped kale in a big mixing bowl. Massage the leaves with your hands by scrunching up big handfuls at a time until the leaves are darker in color and fragrant. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, chopped jalapeño, cumin and salt, then pour the dressing into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Make the avocado salsa verde: In a food processor or blender, combine the avocado, salsa verde, cilantro and lime juice. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Warm the beans: In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Sauté the shallot and garlic until fragrant and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the beans, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook until the beans are warmed through and softened, stirring often, about 5 to 7 minutes. If the beans seem dry at any point, stir in a small splash of water.
- To serve, spoon generous portions of rice, beans and kale salad into individual bowls. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of avocado salsa verde and garnish as desired. Each component of this recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For leftovers, reheat the beans and rice and serve alongside marinated kale and salsa verde. To ensure the salsa verde stays bright green, store it in a bowl with plastic wrap pressed against the sauce.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Not Without Salt’s jalapeño and lime marinated kale tostada. Recipe updated in 2024 to include massaging the kale for an improved texture, plus additional garnish suggestions.
Make it vegan/dairy free: Don’t add cheese.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This looks so yummy and filling!
Oh girl, fried cheese curds are the bomb diggity. I rarley indulge, but they are so so good!!
This looks wonderful. Not in the same sense as fried cheese curds which have their own worthy attributes – but healthy and delicious! Great inspiration.
This sounds delicious! But here in Germany we don’t get kale at this time of the year, do you have a suggestion what I could use instead?
Hi Marilena, that is a good question. I’m not sure what would be a comparable substitution, but I do think romaine lettuce or any other sturdy green would do. Just toss the greens with the dressing right before serving, or they may wilt.
I love this burrito bowl! I was just thinking today about how I could eat black beans differently, and I was really at a loss between tostados and maple baked beans. This is so unique and I’m so glad I can keep this recipe on hand for another great weeknight meal. Pinned!
Thanks, Katy! Glad the recipe could provide some inspiration. I eat lots of black beans and have more ideas for them here.
This looks so very good! I’m happy to hear you had a good time in our fair city – and visited a chunk of my favourite spots! Tao is just down the street from my office and I’ve developed a dangerous juice habit there.
Thanks, Angharad! I would’ve been happy to eat at Tao for every meal—the whole menu sounded so good!
You had me at Lime Marinated Kale! Yummy!
Yum, this would make a perfect summer dinner for me!
Yummm, yummm, yummmmm! I sure wish you all had the time to start a menu planning business for folks like me who LOVE your recipes but have a little one at home that makes menu planning tricky at times. I would be happy to pay for a service like this from you.
Thank you, Satya. That’s a great idea. I’m afraid I’m not the best menu planner myself, though, so I’m not sure I would be the best person to start a menu planning service. This is sort of unrelated, but I use a free application called Evernote to organize my favorite recipes and grocery list, so you might also find it helpful.
Not sure what I love more- the avocado and black beans in this burrito bowl (delish) or fried cheese curds! Like cheese curds gone to heaven.
Such a pretty bowl and so my kind of bowl!! I love all these foods! What a perfect, healthy, easy dinner!
I love Minneapolis – there’s so much great food there! Burrito bowls are quickly becoming a Friday night routine around here, but I’m always looking for variations. Love this one – especially since my CSA has been bombing me with Chinese kale lately – it would definitely be great in these.
This looks delicious!
I know the feeling. Every time I am on a vacation and gobble a little too much gourmet meal, all I crave for on returning back, is something comfy and loads of greens. That burrito sounds fantastic and definitely refreshing.
This looks like the perfect antidote to a weekend of fun and excess! So tasty.
This looks like something I ate for lunch the other day, except mine was not nearly as good looking as this :-) I love yummy bowls like this!
Sounds like a lovely way to spend a long weekend! I have a good friend out in Los Angeles, and while I can’t drive there, it’s great going to visit and having her show me so many wonderful things! I love the idea of deconstructed dishes. It’s such a fun, out-of-the-box way of preparing meals (not to mention healthier!).
Weekends like that are so awesome but I always understand the urge to kind of cleanse yourself through healthy delicious food when you get home! This burrito bowl would definitely do the trick!
I have Kale from my garden that was just waiting for a recipe like this. I have most of the other ingredients and lack only the fresh tomatoes. It looks so good that I believe it’s for dinner tonight!
I’m jealous that you have kale growing in your garden, Kurt! Someday I will have a garden of my own. Hope you love the recipe.
I have so been there! I often crave something healthy with something green, yet satisfying after any eating vacation, which all vacations short or long turn into :) This sounds perfect!
This sounds soooo good!! Love this idea!
Mmmm, this looks like exactly what I need to get me through this week (which promises to be super hectic)! Hearty and healthy at the same time, and enough flavors to look forward to.
Wow, I’ve never marinated kale in lime before! I’m loving this whole recipe! Pinned :)
Wow, this sounds unbelievably good! Saving this one for sure. Never thought of kale in a burrito bowl but definitely love it, so why not? Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you had time to dream this up before the mental overload of Ikea. :) This looks absolutely fabulous…
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been imagining something similar but don’t have the wherewithal to put it together like you do, and I appreciate your talent more than I can say! I’ll be making this later in the week, and the sweet potato burrito will not be far behind. Both sound amazing -and right up my alley- and I can’t wait to try them!! Thank you again in advance; with recipes like these I know I’ll be anything but disappointed!
P.S. My vote for your Watercress and Forbidden Rice Salad is in. I so hope to hear that you’re going to Thailand!
Thank you, Liz, for your comment! I’m so glad you appreciate the recipes, and thank you for your vote.
I’m just amused that it was your first Ikea trip! The bowl (of course) looks awesome. I’m also gonna have to tell my friend who will be out that way to get some cheese curds–yum!
You’ve just given me a reason to visit Minnesota – fried cheese curds sound too good to pass up. And this bowl of kale and black beans, it made me crave for something light and green. It’s lovely.
How did I miss this? I friggin love burrito bowls! And Kale! Need this. P.S. when we going to san fran?! xo
I don’t know! Let’s go to San Fran, though. Early fall, maybe?
This recipe looks heathy. satisfying and delicious! I tried to vote for your Harvest Rice recipe, but the contest was closed. :(
Thanks, Lori! Thank you for trying to vote for me, too.
Your blogs gorgeous photos are a perfect example of what I talk about in this post! Love it.
The photos in this post are jumping off the page! Beautiful! And looks delicious, too. :)
Ohhh, I really want to visit Minneapolis someday. Sounds delightful. And sooner than someday, I am going to make myself this salad. This is exactly the kind of thing I love having for lunch, with all those veggies and beans. It looks so fresh and beautiful!
Can’t wait to try this – lime marinade for kale! Brilliant!
thanks so much for this–love,love,love it!
Love that you created this in your head on the drive home! I do the same thing these days as I take care of the little one. My mind is full of ideas – now I just need the time and two free hands to make them!
This was delicious! In lieu of the plain tomatoes, I made a tomato and roasted corn chunky salsa…. but besides that made everything as you put forth. I am officially obsessed with the avocado salsa verde and may be making in non-stop all summer long.
Thanks, Sara! Your salsa sounds fantastic; I thought about adding corn to the dish but decided to keep it simple. Sounds like you’re as obsessed with the salsa verde as I am!
Oh YUM. This looks great! Definitely seems satisfying yet simple. I want to make it immediately. All the ingredients just blend so well together. Thanks for sharing!
This looks delicious–will be making as soon as my avocados are ready!
Bevin
My mind is full of ideas – now I just need the time and two free hands to make them!
Oh man, I just made this and let me tell you I am just so happy. I’m a college student who’s trying to eat healthy on a budget, and this is just perfect. Thank you for posting this!!
Thanks, Danielle! I’m happy to hear it! I don’t mention ingredient costs much, but I do try to keep them low.
I made this dish early in the week and have enjoyed eating it throughout the week. This morning I re-mixed the last of the leftovers (minus the brown rice) into breakfast by warming it and adding a couple fried eggs. So good!
Thanks for commenting! I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe. I bet it is terrific with fried eggs.
I just stumbled onto your blog and noticed this recipe–it looks wonderful! I’m intrigued by your method of cooking brown rice, since I eat a lot of it. This may be a dumb question, but when you’re steaming the rice for 10 minutes with the lid on, is that with the heat on or turned off?
Hey Kim, I’m so sorry I didn’t answer your question sooner. Turn off the heat before you steam the rice for 10 minutes.
Wonderful! My new favorite :) Made this tonight. Got Rave reviews! :)
So glad you enjoyed the burrito bowl, Alexia!
My husband and I just made this for lunch and absolutely LOVED IT! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad! Thank you for commenting, Toni.
This was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing:)
I made this and ate it for lunch every day this week! So delicious and filling!
That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Heather. Thank you for commenting. :)
I’ve always been obsessed with making my own variation on a burrito bowl, but your recipe takes the cake! Soaking the kale in lime makes it so much easier to integrate into a dish where kale might seem a little out of place. I make this at least once a week, and my husband, a ravenous carnivore, loved it, too!
Yes! Thanks, Ashley! So glad you’re loving the burrito bowls.
I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. It’s hard to think of a recipe that is not only this delicious, but where every single ingredient is a great nutrition boost! After eating this, I legit felt like popeye right after he gulps down a can (ew) of spinach. Also, I’ve always been weird about raw kale (even though I’m addicted to the roasted stuff), but this marinated kale was fantastic! So thanks again! This has been added to the top of my list in the recipe rotation.
Erica, thank you for your comment! That lime-marinated kale is my favorite, too. I call that Popeye feeling, “kale belly.” :)
This meal was delicious! I’m trying to eat more vegan and this was so satisfying. Thank you!
Hooray! Glad you enjoyed it, Sarika.