A rice bowl is the perfect answer to the what’s-for-dinner question, particularly if you don’t know what to make or don’t have a lot of time when you get home in the evening. Rice Bowl Recipes are healthy, quick, easy, and delicious — and they can be made in minutes in a number of flavor profiles from a Mexican burrito bowl to an Indian curry bowl to a Japanese Teriyaki Bowl.
You’ll be able to put an easy rice bowl dinner in your regular menu rotation with this collection of recipes and topping ideas. Whether you make homemade coconut rice to top with Chicken Tikka Masala or top your Spanish Brown Rice with Shredded Beef and avocado, you’ll never be bored come dinner time!
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Mothers of varying cultures have served them to feed their kids cheaply and nutritiously for centuries. Chipotle has practically built an empire on them. Even the most inexperienced college kid can make them. What are they?
Rice Bowls!
They are an ideal dinner idea when you’re looking for great food on a budget.
When we were paying off debt, this meal was an easy fix. I could easily cook up a pot of rice for less than a dollar and add whatever meat, cheese, or veg we had on hand. Easy and delicious, it’s a great meal to help you save money.
Why Make This
It’s easy. The Rice Bowl, like this Cilantro Chicken Rice Bowl, make a quick and easy meal that tastes great and uses all kinds of little bits of leftovers so no food goes to waste.
It’s versatile. It’s the perfect dinner to make when you’re not sure what to make. Get the rice cooker going, and then start rummaging through the cupboards and fridge for things to add on. Shop the kitchen and eat like a king!
It tastes great. The beauty of it is that you don’t have to have a lot of any one topping. Everyone can build his own combination with whatever you have, making it a great budget meal for kids.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Rice Bowls:
Rice
Rice is easy to cook and typically inexpensive. There’s great debate about the health benefits of brown v. white, so I say go with what you like and can afford.
While plain cooked rice is certainly simple and traditional, don’t limit yourself to that. Consider these different rice recipes to serve as the base of your bowl:
Protein
To make a rice bowl more of a meal and to satisfy the people you’re feeding, it’s always good to include a protein of some kind. Depending on what flavor of rice bowls you’re making, the sky’s the limit for choices.
Consider some of these meaty add-ons for your next rice bowl dinner:
Remember that grilled fish, seafood, as well as plant-based proteins are appropriate here as are beans of all kinds. Eggs and cheese are great additions, too!
Potstickers or dumplings are also fun toppings.
Vegetables
Grilled or sauteed, vegetables taste great in a rice bowl, adding fiber, nutrients, and flavor.
Don’t forget fresh veggies! While cooked veggies are great, some fresh ones add interest and texture to your rice bowls.
Sauces and Condiments
Part of the fun is making your rice bowl suit your own tastes. Be sure to lay out a selection of sauces so folks can make their own flavor combinations.
Bottled condiments, such as hot sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, and sour cream are great, as are fresh lemon or lime wedges, but don’t forget some homemade sauces for fun.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make easy Rice Bowls:
- Scoop rice into a bowl, about ⅓ full. Be sure the bowl is large enough that you can mix and move the different components around.
- Top with proteins and veggies, again, leaving space to mix and match bites of different elements.
- Drizzle or dollop on the sauce of your choice.
How to Meal Prep a Rice Bowl
Rice bowls are great for meal prep lunches! When you assemble them, consider if any of the elements will get soggy. If your toppings are very wet, you may want to pack the rice separate from the wet elements and combine them when you serve them.
Likewise with sauces or cold toppings. Pack those separately from the rice bowl so that you can reheat the latter and then add the cold sauces or toppings right before eating.
Meal prepped rice bowls should be good in the fridge for up to 4 days, so you can easily make a batch at the beginning of the week to enjoy for most of the week’s lunches.
FAQs
The best rice is the one that matches the flavor profile of your other elements. Use Mexican rice for a burrito bowl, sushi rice for an Asian-style bowl, and a pilaf for a Mediterranean style bowl.
Start the bowl with a base of rice and then layer on protein, veggies, and sauces, taking care not to overfill the bowl. You want to be able to move the elements around and get different flavors in each bite.
Typically vegan or vegetarian, a Buddha bowl is a combination of rice or other whole grain topped with veggies, plant proteins, and sauces. They can be served warm or cold.
Our Favorite Rice Bowl Recipes
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
Basic Rice Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cup cooked rice can be pilaf, steamed rice, or Mexican rice
- 2 cup cooked protein can be any kind of meat, fish, shrimp, beans, or plant-based protein
- 4 cup cooked veggies can be steamed, sautéed or roasted
- condiments for rice bowls to match flavor profile of other ingredients
Instructions
- Scoop rice into a bowl, about ⅓ full. Be sure the bowl is large enough that you can mix and move the different components around.4 cup cooked rice
- Top with proteins and veggies, again, leaving space to mix and match bites of different elements.2 cup cooked protein, 4 cup cooked veggies
- Drizzle or dollop on the condiments of your choice.condiments for rice bowls to match flavor profile of other ingredients
Notes
- Mexican Rice, Pinto Beans, Carnitas, Salsa
- Cilantro Rice, Black Beans, Shredded Beef, Guacamole
- Steamed Rice, Sautéed Chicken, Stir Fry Vegetables, Sriracha
- Rice Pilaf, Hummus, Grilled Vegetables, Meatballs, and Tzatziki
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 26, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
BUSY MOM IN AL
We mixed brown rice with quinoa and the kids loved it! Thanks for the ideas. It is going on my monthly rotation.
Jessica Fisher
Yay!
Kathy
As someone with prediabetes – or anyone, for that matter – a very good substitute for the rice in the bowl is cooked quinoa! Easy to make, high protein and fiber ?and everyone in the family, even the picky ones, love it.
Jessica Fisher
Yes! I listed it in the proteins, but it’s good to point it out again. If only my kids love quinoa as much as they love rice! haha!
Janet
Well this was very a timely post. I got home from work today to find I had 4 unexpected guests for dinner — four tweens that had just come from a 90-minute gymnastics class — can you say ravenous wolves. We talked about ordering pizza, but I told my husband we didn’t have it in the budget this late in the month. I had put chicken breasts in the crock pot this morning. I shredded it and that was the protein for our meal. I started pulling from the cupboard and freezer and made a buffet. In addition to the chicken, I made a large batch of rice along with green beans, black beans, shredded cheese and salsa. Since we were having rice bowls, I pulled out the chopsticks for a fun twist. The kids all ate hearty and were very complimentary.
Jessica Fisher
Good for you for sticking to budget and making it work. I bet you did more than feed them. That little seed could grow on their own dinner tables someday. 🙂
Denise
Typo perhaps? Should
Be sauces instead of sausages? ?
Be sure to lay out a selection of sausages so folks can make their own flavor combinations.
Janel
Got to throw in a shout-out for your Cilantro Chicken Rice Bowls. Love that sauce!
https://goodcheapeats.com/2015/02/cilantro-chicken-rice-bowls/
Jessica Fisher
Thank you! Yes! It is yummy!
Diana
I love rice bowls! They’re not my husband’s favorite, so I don’t make them as often as I might otherwise for supper. But I definitely use this idea often for lunch. I like canned tuna, fresh basil, and hot sauce over fresh or reheated rice. I really like the idea of branching out into different toppings and sauces though. Yum!
My favorite way to reheat rice: heat oil in pan, add some onion. When the onion is slightly browned but not too soft, add rice and stir till warmed through. It’s a variation on fried rice that leaves the flavor fairly neutral so you can add whatever toppings you want. Today I had it with leftover gumbo, for example 🙂 I like leftover rice so much better this way!
Also, have you ever tried the kind of rice that says “Thai fragrant” on the package? I think it’s Mahatma brand, but I don’t know if it’s jasmine or basmati or whatever. It definitely has a different flavor and is really great with Asian toppings.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds great to reheat rice that way! Not sure about the Thai fragrant. I would guess a jasmine. Did you ask Google?
Michelle
We love rice bowls (and sometimes noodle bowls with the same concept) in our family as they let the grown ups and kids customize to their hearts’ desire. E.g., I eat vegetarian but the rest of the family doesn’t.
The main ones we do are:
Mexican (beans, cheese, all the taco toppings, etc)
Asian (edamame, cabbage, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, cucumbers, soy/ginger sauce, etc)
Buffalo (I make buffalo chickpeas for myself, chicken for the boys – add carrots, celery, blue cheese, etc)
BBQ (chicken/chick peas, pineapple, red onion, etc)
Italian (usually Italian chicken sausage, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, etc)
and of course Leftover free for alls 🙂
Jessica Fisher
We’ve always focused on Asian and Mexican, but I really wondering about busting out in different directions. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sandi
These ideas sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing.
karen J
Love, love, love the simplicity and yumminess of rice bowls. We generally keep ours simple-rice (brown or white), black beans, cheddar cheese, salsa, sour cream, with avocado and cabbage if we have it. We could easily eat this meal one a week (or more!) Looking forward to trying some of your variations.
Jessica Fisher
Let us know what combinations you concoct!
Kelly
Would you mind sharing what brand of rice cooker you have? And any details about it such as if it works well with brown rice, maximum amount it makes, etc? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
I bought the Black and Decker from Walmart years ago, but I’ve heard that Aroma is really the best brand to get.
Katie
I bought my husband an Aroma at Costco for Christmas-LOVE IT! Super easy to use and it was $29.99. They are still in stock at our PHX location. It’s got a lot of different options on it, I use the quick start mostly. I’m glad I didn’t buy the one he really wanted (Zojirushi), as it was almost 5 times the cost for the basic one and we don’t use the rice cooker as often as he thought we would. Great appliance!
Jessica Fisher
Good to know! I’m kinda hoping ours will break down and I can buy that one. LOL!