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 marinated roasted beets, added lots of veggies like carrots and avocados, and topped it off with vegan sriracha 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.
So far, some of our best plant-based recipes include this creamy summer squash soup, tahini cauliflower steaks, and a ramen noodle salad.
📖Why My Recipe Works
- I love this vegan version of a traditional poke bowl because it is filling, tasty, and totally beautiful. So many colors!
- It uses leftover sushi rice, and pretty much any vegetable you have on hand, and is an ideal no-cook dinner recipe for summer.
- After testing many options for substituting raw fish, I found that the tenderness of roasted beets was the most accurate texture.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Beets- The "meat" of our poke bowl is roasted beets in lieu of fish. I always use pre-cooked beets to keep things simple. You can also substitute any leftover roasted beets, canned beets (yes canned beets!), or frozen beets.
- Sushi Rice- The rice for a poke bowl should be just slightly warm. Traditionally, you would use some type of sticky rice. But you can also substitute cauliflower rice, brown rice or white rice, or even quinoa.
- Vegetables- I use cucumbers, avocado slices, carrots, and frozen edamame. But the veggies are really up to you. You can try bell peppers, shredded red cabbage, microgreens, pickled onion, fresh radishes, pickled watermelon radishes, or even pineapple.
- Poke Marinade - The marinade is a combo of soy sauce (regular or GF), sesame oil and seeds, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger. I typically add crushed red pepper flakes but your call on how spicy you want this poke bowl to be.
- 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.
⏲️How to Make Vegan Poke Bowls
This recipe is for two bowls, poke bowls are not something you make for a crowd. Or maybe it is? Make your own poke bowl party? Need to noodle on that.
- Rinsing your sushi rice before is the key to getting the right texture. I typically rinse it at least 5 times.
- What makes sushi rice special is a winegar and sugar mixture you add while it is still warm.
- Roast the beets if needed but I use precooked and just dice them up.
- Let the beets sit in the marinade as long as possible so they soak up all that great flavor.
- Prep all your veggies while the beets are resting.
- Start by heaping in the rice. Add your beets to one side and then artfully arrange your toppings around the bed of rice. Drizzle the sriracha sauce over the bowl and garnish as you see fit.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- With so few ingredients, I don't recommend substitutions in the marinade for the beets.
- You want the rice to be at room temperature. Not too warm or cold.
- Additional ideas for garnishes include cilantro, green onions, thinly sliced jalapenos, pickled ginger, and nori.
- Allow the beets to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb some of this goodness.
- Other poke bowl sauce options include vegan avocado sauce, Thai peanut butter sauce, mango salsa, or a carrot ginger dressing.
How to Make Poke Bowls for Meal Prep
Poke bowls can be made the night before. However, my preference is to make each component and store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
When I am ready to eat I heat the rice in the microwave for 60 seconds. Then assemble the bowl.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more? Get more flavorful recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Vegan Poke Bowl with Beets
Ingredients
Beet Poke
- 1 cup cooked beets ½ inch dice
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- pinch of red pepper
Poke Bowls
- 1½ cup sushi rice warmed
- ½ cup edamame precooked and thawed
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- ½ cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot julienned
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons vegan sriracha or hot sauce
- 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.1 cup cooked beets, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, pinch of red pepper
Assemble Poke Bowl
- Divide rice between 2 bowls. Top with beets, avocado, edamame, cucumber, and carrots.1½ cup sushi rice, ½ cup edamame, 1 avocado, ½ cucumber, 1 medium carrot
- Ina small bowl, stir the mayo and sriracha until combined. Add additional sriracha to increase heat, if desired. Drizzle on the poke bowl and garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds, and thinly sliced jalapeno.¼ cup vegan mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons vegan sriracha or hot sauce, cilantro, jalapeno, sesame seeds
Video
Notes
- I use precooked beets in this recipe, the kind in a vacuum seal pack. But you can also use canned beets or roast your own.
- Bowls can be made one day in advance or the items meal meal-prepped and stored separately.
- Double-check your sriracha to ensure it is vegan as some contains fish sauce.
- To Roast Raw Beets- Trim the ends and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Wrap the beets tightly in the foil. Bake at 400 F degrees for 60 minutes, until fork tender. Unwrap the foil and use a paring knife to peel the skin off the beets. Chill before using.
Equipment
Nutrition
Common Recipe Questions
Yes, you can serve just the marinated beets as a vegan tuna option.
Capri says
This bowl is so light and refreshing! The beets are perfect for this poke bowl! I loved every bute.
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!
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!
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%!!!
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!
Elaine says
Delicious, bright and healthy - what else do you need in a bowl recipe right?! Can't wait to give it a try!