New day, new burrito bowl! Seriously though, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of burrito bowls, or run out of fun variations on the burrito bowl theme. This week I made my burrito bowls vegetarian style with crumbled tempeh seasoned with southwest spices, roasted sweet potatoes, creamy avocado, sweet corn, thinly sliced spicy jalapeños, and just a light drizzle of sour cream. These Tempeh Burrito Bowls are meal prep ready and completely customizable, so read on for all my ideas for substitutions and add-ins!

Tempeh Burrito Bowls

What is Tempeh?

Tempeh is a vegetarian product made out of fermented soy beans, or other beans and grains (several soy-free varieties are widely available now). It’s an awesome meat alternative because it has a pleasantly firm texture, is full of protein, and fiber. Tempeh has a mild flavor on its own, so it takes marinades, sauces, and seasonings well, making it extremely versatile. If you’re not a fan of the soft, gelatinous texture of tofu, tempeh may be a better fit for you.

Customize Your Tempeh Burrito Bowls

Burrito bowls by nature are extremely customizable. You can make these bowls as basic or as fancy as needed to fit your budget or flavor preferences. While testing this recipe I did a super simplified version with just rice, the seasoned tempeh, salsa, and cheese, and it was awesome! I decided to get a little more fancy for the final product, but you could even go further by using Cilantro Lime Rice, or a Lime Crema instead of plain sour cream. Here are some more toppings you can add to or in place of what I used:

• Shredded cheese
• Bell peppers (fresh, roasted, or grilled)
• Black Beans
• Pico de Gallo
• Cilantro
• Green Onions
• Crumbled tortilla chips
• Grilled zucchini
• Pickled red onions
• Fresh squeezed lime
• Or any other topping you like on tacos, nachos, or burritos

Love burrito bowls? Check out my other burrito bowl recipes: Easiest Burrito Bowl Meal Prep, BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowls, Poor Man’s Burrito Bowls.

Step by Step Photos

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and dice a sweet potato (about 1 pound) into 1/2-inch cubes. Spread the cubes out onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp oil, then toss until the cubes are coated in oil. Add a pinch of salt, then roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way through. Set the roasted sweet potatoes aside.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the tempeh. Tempeh comes in a sort of “brick” like this, but we’ll be crumbling it so that it resembles ground meat. You’ll need one 8oz. package of tempeh.

Use your hands to crumble the tempeh into a skillet. Tempeh is fairly soft, so it should crumble easily.

Also add 1 cup water, 1 Tbsp cooking oil, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet. Stir everything briefly to combine. You’ll be stirring more as it cooks, so the tomato paste doesn’t need to be completely incorporated at this point. Just make sure the spices are well distributed.

Place a lid on the skillet and place it over medium heat. Allow the skillet to come up to a simmer. Let the tempeh simmer, stirring every few minutes, for about 10 minutes total or until the liquid reduces to a thick sauce like in the photo above. 

Now it’s time to begin to build the tempeh burrito bowls. Add about 1 cup cooked rice to each bowl. Divide the seasoned tempeh between each bowl.

Also divide the roasted sweet potatoes, corn, and avocado between the bowls.

Top each bowl with a few slices of jalapeño, a tablespoon or two of salsa…

And finish with a drizzle or dollop of sour cream. Enjoy the tempeh burrito bowl immediately, or refrigerate for later.

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