This cilantro lime quinoa bowl is great for breakfast or lunch. It is packed full of nutrient and protein dense ingredients like quinoa, black beans, egg, avocado and pepitas.
The Story:
This hearty bowl is then topped with a creamy, tangy cilantro cream sauce and bright pops of flavor from pickled onions, cilantro and lime. Full of flavor and nutrition to start your day. There are a few components to this dish, each easy to make, and is a great option to make ahead of time to meal prep for the week. Make all the components on the weekend, and then toss all the ingredients together for your weekday breakfast or lunch. While I love this bowl freshly made, I love it even more the day after because everything is already made and you just throw it together!
Jump to:
🧾 The Ingredients:
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make this cilantro lime quinoa bowl.
- Quinoa: Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own. It is a great addition to your diet and is filled with protein, fiber, and keeps you feeling satisfied. If you cannot tolerate quinoa, rice or riced cauliflower would work great here.
- Black Beans: For added protein, flavor, texture and to keep you feeling full and happy.
- Pepitas: I love the crunch and texture pepitas add. They have a mild flavor that works beautifully on bowls or salads.
- Pickled Onions: One of my favorite flavor profiles! Pickled onions add a great pop of color and bright flavor to this bowl. They are also great for digestion.
- Egg: A boiled egg gets added on top for comfort and rounds out the protein in this bowl.
- Avocado: You need a great, creamy fat to balance out the protein. Avocado brings a nice pop of color and a dose of micronutrients.
- Dairy-Free Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream: Top this bowl recipe with a cool, creamy sauce and it brings all the ingredients together to create a cohesive bite.
- Cilantro: Cilantro goes in the sauce, as well as a sprinkle on top for a pop of brightness.
- Lime: I need no excuse to add lime to everything! Add it to the cream sauce, and squeeze it on top for a vibrant flavor pop!
Step By Step Preparation Instructions:
- Step 1: First, prepare your quinoa according to your packaging instructions. For extra flavor, cook it with vegetable broth instead of water! If you’ve never prepared quinoa before, you make it very similar to rice, with a 2 to 1 ratio of liquid to quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a saucepan. Bring to boil, then cover and let simmer until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally. This process usually takes about 15 minutes. There are also several ready-made varieties that can easily be popped in the microwave and is done within minutes.
- Step 2: Boil your eggs as you like, or you can prepare them how you enjoy them best. My favorite way to soft-medium boil eggs: Place your eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Place on medium heat, and heat just until the water starts to lightly boil. Remove from the heat and let the eggs continue to sit in the water for 9-10 minutes. Immediately place the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Step 3: Now to pickle your onions: slice your onion into thin slices. In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, water and sugar and over low-medium heat, heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from the heat, and add in the onions. Allow them to sit in the vinegar mixture for about 15 minutes until they have a nice pink color to them and have softened. Allow to cool.
- Step 4: Next, make the sauce. In a food processor, add your yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, salt and lime juice and blend until smooth.
- Step 5: Lastly, it’s time to assemble. Assemble the quinoa bowl with quinoa, black beans, egg, pepitas and toppings of choice: cilantro, avocado, lime wedges and/or green onions. Drizzle the cilantro cream sauce on top, and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Enjoy!
More Breakfast Recipes:
📖 The Recipe:
Cilantro Lime Quinoa Bowl
This cilantro lime breakfast quinoa bowl is packed full of nutrient and protein dense ingredients like quinoa, black beans, egg, avocado and pepitas. Then it’s topped with a creamy, tangy, bright cilantro cream sauce and bright pops of flavor from pickled onions, cilantro and lime. No gluten or dairy, and full of flavor and nutrition to start your day!
Ingredients
For the bowl contents:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup black beans
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup pepitas
For the sauce:
- 1 cup dairy free yogurt
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the pickled onions:
- ½ red onion, sliced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoon sugar
For the toppings:
- sliced avocado
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedges
- sliced green onion
Instructions
- First, prepare the quinoa according to your packaging instructions.
- Prepare your eggs as you like best. Hard boiled or over easy work beautifully here.
- Now to pickle your onions: In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, water and sugar and heat over low-medium heat. Heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from the heat, and add in the onions. Allow them to sit in the vinegar mixture for about 15 minutes until they have a nice pink color to them and have softened. Allow to cool.
- In a food processor, add your yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, salt and lime juice and blend until smooth.
- Warm up the black beans, either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Lastly: it’s time to assemble. Assemble the quinoa bowls with quinoa, black beans, egg, pepitas and toppings of choice: cilantro, avocado, and lime wedges.
- Drizzle the cilantro cream sauce on top, squeeze fresh lime juice on top, and enjoy!
The Finished Product:
These filling, colorful, easy breakfast quinoa bowls are made with easy-to-make, whole ingredients to start your day right!
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