Mexican Sweet Potato Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cream

This easy Mexican Sweet Potato Bowl features brown rice, hearty black beans, and colorful veggies. Then it's topped with a deliciously creamy cilantro-lime sauce! It's immensely satisfying and great for family dinners. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

This Mexican-inspired sweet potato rice bowl is immensely satisfying and filled with plant-based goodness.

It features seasoned roasted sweet potatoes, fluffy brown rice, hearty black beans, and colorful veggies. Then it's topped with a creamy cilantro-lime sauce!

It's so great for a hearty lunch, dinner, or even meal prep. Plus it's a beautiful family-friendly meal that you can customize however you'd like!

Ingredients for Mexican Sweet Potato Bowl

For this recipe you will need:

• Brown rice: I use organic brown long-grain basmati rice, but use your own favorite. Use white rice, cauliflower rice, or this tasty Cilantro Lime Rice.
• Sweet potatoes: We'll dice these into medium chunks, toss them with warm spices, then roast in the oven until fork tender. (I roast mine without oil on a sheet of parchment paper, but feel free to drizzle your potatoes with a tablespoon of good quality extra virgin olive oil if preferred.)
• Black beans: Or you can substitute pinto beans or even vegan ground beef crumbles if desired.
• Green onion (scallion)
• Sweet corn: Most often I use canned organic corn for convenience. But you can use fire-roasted, frozen corn, or freshly cooked corn on the cob.
• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes: I like these because they are the most flavorful and sweet, but you can use roma tomatoes or other garden tomatoes if desired.
• Avocado
• Ground cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Cilantro-Lime Cashew Cream: For this simple blender sauce, you'll need raw cashews, dairy-free milk (or water), fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt. (Plus you can add the optional jalapeno pepper for a little spice.) Feel free to make this ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready, because I find the flavors only enhance with time!

Customizing

Sauce: Instead of the homemade cashew cream, use your own favorite southwestern-style creamy dressing, Chipotle Crema, or simply top it with fresh guacamole and Blender Salsa!

Spices and seasoning: I flavor the roasted sweet potatoes with cumin and smoked paprika. However change it up with a Taco Seasoning mixture, chili powder, dried oregano, garlic powder, or your own favorite flavors.

Veggies: Stir in other vegetables to this bowl like red bell pepper, red onion, zucchini, yellow summer squash, etc.

Make it spicy: This sweet potato bowl is mild as written. For a little heat, roast your sweet potatoes with a pinch of dry chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, or simply top your bowl with hot sauce to taste.

Serving

Garnish with any extra toppings before serving! A few ideas include:

• Salsa or hot sauce
• Fresh cilantro
• Crumbled tortilla chips
• Loaded Guacamole
• Lime wedges
• Dairy-free sour cream
• Cashew Queso

Family-style meal: Rice bowls are a great family-style dinner! Simply set out all the prepared ingredients on the counter, then let everyone assemble their own bowl with the toppings they enjoy!

For more inspiration, also browse all black bean recipes or Mexican-inspired recipes.

Mexican Sweet Potato Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cream

This easy Mexican-style rice bowl is immensely satisfying. It features roasted sweet potatoes, fresh veggies, hearty black beans, and a creamy cilantro-lime cashew sauce!

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comment

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Mexican-inspired, Oil-Free, Vegan

Servings: 4 large bowls

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 15 oz. can black beans
• 3-4 green onions
• 1 1/2 cups cooked sweet corn
• 1 cup grape tomatoes (or roma)
• 1 large avocado
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

For the cilantro-lime cashew cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked*
• 1/2 cup plant milk, plain & unsweetened (or water)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• Optional: jalapeño pepper

Instructions

• Cook rice: Rinse and cook rice according to package instructions.
• Roast sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Peel and dice sweet potatoes into about 3/4″ cubes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss potatoes with cumin, smoked paprika, and salt to taste. Spread on lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through.
• Make the cilantro-lime cream: Place all cream ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. (I use a small NutriBullet.) Add a splash more water if needed to thin to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust flavors if needed. (More salt, cilantro, lime juice, etc.) Set aside.
• Prepare ingredients: Rinse and drain black beans. Slice green onion, dice tomatoes, and dice the avocado.
• Assemble: Assemble your bowls (or set out the toppings like a "burrito bowl bar" to let others assemble their own). Spoon cooked rice on the bottom, then top with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, veggies, and desired toppings. Drizzle sauce on top.

Notes

*Soaking cashews: In a heat-safe bowl, cover the raw cashews with hot water (just under boiling) until they are submerged. Set aside and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then drain and rinse before adding to the blender. This makes them easier to blend.

Cashew cream: Expand this however you see fit! Add garlic, a splash of vinegar, more cilantro, or your favorite sweetener for a hint of sweetness. (It's also great made ahead of time because the flavors enhance as it sits in the fridge.)

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts

Mexican Sweet Potato Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cream

Amount per Serving

Calories

700

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

25

g

38

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

14

g

Potassium

 

1574

mg

45

%

Carbohydrates

 

107

g

36

%

Fiber

 

19

g

79

%

Sugar

 

11

g

12

%

Protein

 

21

g

42

%

Vitamin A

 

16933

IU

339

%

Vitamin C

 

26

mg

32

%

Calcium

 

125

mg

13

%

Iron

 

7

mg

39

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.

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If you're enjoying this Mexican-inspired Black Bean Sweet Potato Bowl recipe, also check out:

• Mexican Fiesta Baked Potato
• Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
• Vegan Burrito Bowls with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

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