This easy vegan poke bowl recipe is a perfect no-cook dinner or work from home lunch. Unlike most vegan poke bowls we made this one without tofu. Instead, we used roasted beets, added lots of veggies like carrots and avocados, and topped it off with a vegan siracha mayonnaise.
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Like many of you, we are trying to eat more veggies so experimenting with plant-based dinner recipes has been a fun new challenge for us. So far some of our best plant-based recipes included this creamy summer squash soup, Persian-inspired saffron rice (sub veggie stock), and this sun-dried tomato risotto.
We love this vegan version of a poke bowl because it is filling, tasty, and totally beautiful. So many colors!
But the reason I love it so much is that it uses leftover sushi rice, pretty much any vegetable you have on hand, and is an ideal no-cook dinner recipe for summer.
Wondering how a recipe with roasted beets can be no-cook? Let me tell you!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Beets- The "meat" of our poke bowl is roasted beets in lieu of fish. I always use pre-cooked beets from the store, either the Just Beets brand which is a refrigerated item, or the shelf-stable beets from Costco. You can also substitute any leftover roasted beets, canned beets (yes canned beets!), or frozen beets. I used red beets for this recipe but golden beets are a perfect substitution.
Poke Marinade- The marinade for our vegan poke beets is a combo of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), sesame oil and seeds, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger. With so few ingredients I don't recommend substitutions. Each plays an important part. I typically add crushed red pepper flakes but your call on how spicy you want this poke bowl to be.
Rice- Our preference is to use sushi rice. We recently put together a very easy sushi rice tutorial. The rice for a poke bowl should be just slightly warm. You can also substitute cauliflower rice, brown or white rice, or even quinoa.
Veggies- For this recipe, we used cucumbers, avocado, carrots, and frozen edamame. The veggies are really up to you. You can try bell peppers, shredded cabbage, microgreens, sprouts, pickled watermelon radishes, or even pineapple. The best thing about poke bowls is how bright they are so chose colorful toppings.
Sriracha Mayo- We used a classic drizzle of sriracha mayo, made vegan by using a vegan mayo like JUST Mayo. You can make the mayo as mild or spicy as you like. Occasionally I substitute wasabi for the siracha for a big horseradishy bite.
Garnishes- All optional but I typically top my beet poke bowls with additional sesame seeds, cilantro, and thinly sliced jalapenos. Did I mention I like it spicy? You can also add pickled ginger, nori, or scallions.
How to Assemble Poke Bowls
This recipe is for two bowls, poke bowls is not something you make for a crowd. Or maybe it is? Make your own poke bowl party? Need to noodle on that.
OK, back to the recipe. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients and toss with your beets to evenly coat. Allow the beets to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb some of this goodness.
You want a big bowl for your poke. Start by heaping in the rice. It should be sticky! Add your beets to one side and then artfully arrange your toppings around the rest of the bowl. Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the bowl and garnish as you see fit.
How to Make Poke Bowls for Meal Prep
Assemble poke bowls can be made the night before. However, my preference is to make each component and assemble it when I am ready to eat.
I marinade the beets, make the rice, mix together the sriracha mayo, and cut all the veggies. When I am ready to eat I heat the rice in the microwave for 60 seconds. Then assemble the bowl.
Related Recipes
If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of our other vegetarian lunch ideas:
And if your dog also needs a plant-based treat, check out our carrot-watermelon pupsicles.
Let's us know how you like this spicy vegan beet poke bowl in the comments!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Beet Poke Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
Beet Poke
- 1 cup cooked beets, ½ inch dice
- 2 tablespoon tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- pinch of red pepper
Poke Bowls
- 1½ cups sushi rice, warmed
- ½ cup edamame
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise we like JUST Mayo brand
- 2 tablespoon siracha
- cilantro, jalapeno, sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Marinate Beets
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk all marinade ingredients. Add beets and toss to coat. Rest for 5 minutes.
Assmble Poke Bowl
- Divide rice between 2 bowls. Top with beets, avocado, edamame, cucumber, and carrots.
- Ina small bowl, stir the mayo and siracha until combined. Add additional siracha to increase heat, if desired. Drizzle on the poke bowl and garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds, and thinly sliced jalapeno.
Elaine says
Delicious, bright and healthy - what else do you need in a bowl recipe right?! Can't wait to give it a try!
Jessica Formicola says
I made these poke bowls for dinner last night and everyone loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Jen says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sharon says
This poke bowl is the perfect lunch! I love that it doesn't have heavy ingredients so it keeps me fueled for the day.
Jen says
100%!!!
Annissa says
I love the idea of using beets as the star of this recipe. What a beautiful array of colors and flavors. Can't wait to try!
Jeannette says
Beetroots are the BEST! What a great idea to have it in a poke bowl. I love how fresh this meal is. Yum!
Capri says
This bowl is so light and refreshing! The beets are perfect for this poke bowl! I loved every bute.