An easy vegan Mexican-style Sweet Potato Bowl with black beans and brown rice. Topped with a flavorful, creamy cilantro-lime cashew sauce! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

This Mexican-inspired sweet potato rice bowl is such a satisfying meal.
It combines seasoned roasted sweet potatoes, fluffy brown rice, black beans, and veggies. Then it's topped with a simple and creamy cashew-lime sauce.
Plus it's filled with protein, fiber, and many other plant-based nutrients.
So great for a hearty dinner or meal prep!

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. Or use white rice, cauliflower rice, or this tasty Cilantro Lime Rice.
- Sweet potatoes: We will dice these into medium chunks, then roast in the oven until fork tender.
- Black beans: Or you can substitute pinto beans or even vegan ground beef crumbles if desired.
- Green onion (scallion)
- Sweet corn: Either canned corn, frozen, fire-roasted, or cooked fresh.
- 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: Find the full recipe below in the recipe card. You will need raw cashews, dairy-free milk, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

Customizing
Sauce: Instead of the homemade cashew cream, use your own favorite southwestern-style creamy dressing, chipotle sauce, or simply top it with guacamole and salsa!
Spices and seasoning: We 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: Roast your sweet potatoes with dry chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, or simply top your bowl with hot sauce to taste.
Serving
Feel free to garnish with any extra toppings before serving. A few ideas include:
- Salsa or hot sauce
- Fresh cilantro
- Crumbled tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
Family-style meal: Rice bowls can be 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 Cashew-Lime Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice (uncooked)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 3-4 green onions
- 1 1/2 cups cooked sweet corn (canned, frozen, cooked fresh, etc.)
- 1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes (or roma, etc.)
- 1 avocado
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- Olive oil for drizzling (optional*)
- Salt to taste
For the cilantro-lime cashew cream:
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked if needed**)
- 1/2 cup almond milk, plain & unsweetened (or water)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 4 Tbsp. lime juice (about 2 limes or more to taste)
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Rinse and cook rice according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Peel and dice sweet potatoes into about 3/4″ cubes. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil,* cumin, smoked paprika, and salt to taste. Toss to combine.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, make the cilantro-lime cream: Place all cream ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Rinse and drain black beans, slice onion, and dice tomatoes and avocado.
- Assemble your bowls (or set out toppings to let others assemble theirs like a burrito bowl bar).
- Place rice on bottom, top with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and desired toppings. Drizzle sauce over top.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: 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.
If you are enjoying this Mexican-inspired Black Bean Sweet Potato Bowl recipe, also check out:
- Mexican Fiesta Baked Potatoes
- Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- Vegan Burrito Bowls with Creamy Chipotle Sauce
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Krista
This was delicious! Even my teenage daughters loved it! None of us like cilantro, so I put parsley in for the sauce. Still, very delicious!
Kaitlin
Hello, Krista! So glad you all enjoyed this and glad you were able to substitute with parsley! Thanks for sharing your kind and helpful feedback!
Caroline
One of my favorites! The sauce is so creamy and tasty. It's good on fajitas too!
Kaitlin
Thanks for sharing!
Annie K
Made this for supper tonight and it is FANTASTIC! We set up the ingredients buffet-style to accommodate our pickier eaters, but everyone has gone back for seconds...love this! Thanks for sharing this recipe — I'll be sharing it all over.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
That's so great! Thanks for sharing!
Jens C. Kruse
Thank you!
ultigirl
I love your idea of a "rice bowl" bar, where people can add their own ingredients.
My mom loves to cook so it can be very difficult to cook for her because she also wants to offer advice and feedback on how to tweak a recipe. By making it a "rice bowl" bar, she can taste and build her own perfect meal.
I knew I wanted to cook for my parents, but I was so stuck on how to make a main course that I wouldn't spend all night arguing over with my mom. Love this! I'll be sure to post back with how it went.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Absolutely! Hope you enjoy!
Caroline Beauclair
Loved it! This bowl made me so full! And it's so healthy. Will definitely make again!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Great to hear you enjoyed, thank you!