Vegan Poke Bowl: Easy & Customizable

Vegan poke bowls are easy to make, healthy, and can be modified depending on what’s in season. Keep reading to see how we make our simple and vibrant vegan poke bowl.

Whether you’re missing old sushi habits or you merely want to add a new vivacious dish to your culinary repertoire, this vegan poke bowl provides a healthy meal with a variety of vegetables and fruits and can be easily modified to suit both your palate and the season. We offer a range of ingredients that can be used in the vegan poke bowl, however many of these foods can be swapped out and customized.

The main idea is for the poke bowl to have a base of rice, with a mixture of fresh and cool veggies such as radishes, carrots, cucumber, avocado, and green onions. The bowl should also have a ‘main star’; this recipe uses sautéed mushrooms. Depending on where you live, you can find US-grown mushrooms such as crimini, portabello, shiitake, and porcini (though crimini or button mushrooms are the easiest to find). You can also substitute these for roasted beets, sweet potatoes, or something else that is in season.

Seasonal Ingredients

As this vegan poke bowl is easily customizable, we highly recommended sourcing most of your ingredients locally and based on what’s in season. We’ve compiled a list of seasonal ingredients that would fit well in your poke bowl that you can find in many regions of the US. Some of these seasonal ingredients may cross over into the next season depending on the growing conditions of the year. It can also be quite convenient to just head to your local grocery store, co-op, or farmers market to see what local produce they have available. 

Summer Seasonal Ingredients:

• Apples
• Apricots 
• Basil
• Bell Peppers
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Green Beans 
• Peaches
• Radishes 
• Zucchini

Winter Seasonal Ingredients: 

• Beets
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage 
• Kale
• Oranges
• Sweet Potatoes (roasted)
• Radicchio
• Winter squash (roasted)

Vegan Poke Bowl Ingredients

Makes 2 vegan poke bowls

• 1 cup cooked amaranth, buckwheat, or other preferred grain (regional if possible)
• Rice vinegar
• 3 green onions
• ½ lb. radishes, watermelon or daikon
• 1 avocado
• 2 carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 2 cups edamame or green beans (shelled)
• Pinch sea salt
• 8 oz. mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari + more for garnish
• Juice from one lime
• 1/2 tbsp. sriracha
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ½ tsp. ginger, grated
• Sesame seeds
• Vegan ponzu 
• Vegan sriracha mayo

Additional (Optional) Ingredients:

• Seaweed 
• Seasoned tofu, steamed or fried 
• Tahini for garnish
• Any other seasonal produce 

Vegan Poke Bowl Recipe – Step 1: Prepare Grain Base

If you’ve chosen amaranth or buckwheat, bring grain and 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer until the water has been absorbed. If using a rice cooker, follow the cooker instructions. If using a different type of grain, cook according to package instructions. 

When the grain is done, give it a few splashes of rice vinegar and stir in salt to taste. 

Step 2: Prepare Veggies

Thinly slice the green onions and radishes. Slice the avocado, and julienne the carrots and cucumber (or peel strips with a veggie peeler). Sprinkle all the veggies with salt. Finish by sautéing the edamame beans in a medium skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes or until hot. 

Step 3: Prepare Mushrooms

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Slice the larger mushroom caps in half and keep smaller mushrooms whole. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, lime juice, sriracha, garlic, and ginger. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a few pinches of sea salt while cooking.

Once browned on all sides, carefully pour in the bowl of sauce and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes until dark brown and glossy. Remove from heat. 

Step 4: Assemble the Vegan Poke Bowl

Assemble bowls by beginning with about half a cup’s worth of rice per bowl. Neatly place sliced radishes, cucumbers, carrots, and edamame around the bowl, alternating colors to make the bowl pop.

Finish by placing fried shiitakes in the center of the bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, then drizzle vegan sriracha mayo, ponzu, soy sauce, and any other preferred toppings over the vegan poke bowl.

Read on:

• How to Ferment Vegetables: A Beginner’s Guide
• Homemade Ramen Broth: Vegan & Healthy
• How to Make Tempeh: Easy Homemade Tempeh Recipe

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Tags: Guide recipe Vegan