Introduction to Buddha Bowls ⋆ Holistic Lifestyle Guide

everything you need to know about buddha bowls

You might have heard of buddha bowls, aka bliss bowls, hippie bowls, or macro bowls. These became popular a few years ago, so although I am late to the buddha bowl party, it is never too late to incorporate them into your life and reap all the benefits!

I am obsessed with them right now and wish I had started eating them sooner!

Video version of this article:

Table of Contents

What Is a Buddha Bowl?

In simplest terms, a buddha bowl is just a bowl full of healthy ingredients and foods! Since there are so many categories of food items in a buddha bowl, you can easily just eat this as your meal, no need for any side dishes.

When you make side dishes, you have to have separate seasonings for each one of them, making dinner complicated. Simply your life with buddha bowls, by throwing everything together and drizzing the top with your favorite dressing or sauce that ties everything together.

Why Are Buddha Bowls So Good?

These meals so incredibly satisfying because they include a variety of flavors, textures, and temperatures. It is best to include something bitter, something tangy, and something sweet; something smooth and something crunchy; something cool and something warm.

It’s also fun to have a variety of colors! Remember we also eat with our eyes, and meals that are visually appealing get our saliva flowing and our stomachs ready for the nourishment and enjoyment that is to come!

As I have personally discovered, this is the best way to make yourself eat vegetables and other various less-than-exciting health foods. Foods that may not taste so great on their own suddenly become palatable in a buddha bowl. The secret is…

The Secret Is the Sauce

To make any buddha bowl go from bland to addicting, the answer lies in the sauce. The sauce flavors the entire bowl, which is how your broccoli or flax seeds can pass by your taste buds virtually unnoticed! This is great news for anyone who wants to eat more vegetables (or anything healthy) but can’t stand the earthy flavor.

Some people just buy salad dressing and use that for the sauce (this word is really interchangeable with dressing), but most store bought salad dressings contain too much sugar, or oil (if you are trying to avoid those).

You can make your own to be as healthy as you want. Just a simple search of “buddha bowl dressing recipes” will give you a good rabbit hole to fall down, if you have a good chunk of time. I spent half my day yesterday printing out recipe after recipe and I am certain I have only touched the surface.

An Easy Delicious Buddha Bowl Dressing Recipe

One recipe that so far seems to be my favorite is this extremely simple one. Note; this dressing hardens in the fridge overnight and turns clumpy so for best results, make this the same day you need it. No need to make a huge batch ahead of time, it is so fast and simple it can be thrown together in 5 minutes anytime you want a fresh one.

HONEY-MUSTARD DRESSING:

3 TB honey

2 TB Dijon Mustard

¼ C apple cider vinegar (I’m sure any vinegar would work)

½ C olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl, combine honey and mustard; mix together.
Add vinegar and whisk until blended well.
Gradually pour in the oil.

Buddha Bowl Ingredients

Buddha bowl ingredients can technically be anything you want; they are very versatile and the possibilities are endless! But newbies will want some general guidelines, so you’re in luck!

I love to compile my own lists using all the various shorter lists I find in books and on other websites, to make an even better comprehensive list! So, I will share mine with you. Feel free to print this out and hang it on your fridge, it will come very much in handy if you plan to eat buddha bowls every day like I have been doing!