Falafel Over Rice Recipe (Vegan Buddha Bowl)

Try this easy and delicious Falafel Over Rice Recipe in just 5 minutes. With plenty of protein and a variety of flavors and textures, this Mediterranean-inspired recipe is perfect for using up leftovers and makes a moist and flavorful meal that is low in calories and high in nutrition.

Serving falafel over rice makes a great alternative to eating falafels with pita bread.  I love the versatility of this recipe as it’s perfect for using up leftovers such as leftover rice, fresh or cooked vegetables, pickles, or other condiments you have on hand.

I am a massive fan of having a variety of different tastes on my plate.  If you are a fan of buffets and variety, you’ll adore this twist on a classic Buddha bowl.

This recipe doesn’t involve any cooking and only takes 5 minutes to prepare.

This recipe falls just below 400 calories and has 14.6g of protein per serving.

By combining a variety of flavors and textures, these recipes come together to create a delicious and nutritious meal. For moist and flavorful Mediterranean rice, the combination of yellow rice, creamy vegan Italian dressing, falafel hot sauce, and olive oil can’t be beaten. 

For a Middle Eastern twist, try adding falafel and no oil, no tahini hummus to the mix. For a bit of sharpness, pickled tomatoes can give your meal an acidic burst of flavor. The possibilities of flavor combinations are endless when you have so many delicious recipes to choose from! 

To get my full list of the best falafel recipes, check out this post.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe contains 381.4 calories per serving
• This recipe contains 14.6g of protein per serving
• One serving of this recipe contains 46% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C
• This recipe is made from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
• This easy recipe takes 5 minutes of active preparation time only and no cooking time.
• This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of Russian pickled tomatoes and creamy vegan Italian dressing.
• I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday, simple ingredients such as tomatoes, onion, garlic, and ginger.
• This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free, free from refined sugar, vegetarian, and are based on whole foods.  
• All of my recipes follow my own diet plan called the Plant Plate 400. In addition,  my recipes also adhere to the following diets, the Mediterranean diet, the 1200 Calories a Day diet, Clean eating, the Macrobiotic diet, the Alkaline diet, the Ornish diet, the Daniel Fast, and the Starch Solution diet.

Ingredients

Ingredient Substitutions

• Mediterranean yellow rice: Substitute with cooked rice.
• Middle East falafel: Use store-bought falafels.
• Russian pickled tomatoes: Replace with any type of pickled tomatoes or any store-bought pickles.
• Vegan Italian dressing: Use any salad dressing you want, homemade or store-bought.
• No oil no tahini hummus: Use any hummus, homemade or store-bought.
• Falafel hot sauce: Use any hot sauce, homemade or store-bought.
• Cucumber: Replace the cucumber with any vegetable of your choice except potato.
• Black olives: Use either green olives or capers, or you can omit this if you want.
• Sesame seeds: Use any plain, raw seeds.

The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate

Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System.  This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal. 

The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste

This recipe is a complete meal because it contains all 5 components of my Plant Plate and contains around 400 calories per meal.

The diagram below helps you see the 5 different components of a Plant-Based Plate.

Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.

Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.  

Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions.  It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe. 

Plant-Based Protein

• n/a

Leaves, Fruit & Veg 

• Cucumber
• Pickled tomatoes
• Black olives

Aesthetic Additions

• Sesame seeds

Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates

• Rice
• Falafels
• Hummus

Taste 

• Hot sauce

How To Make This Recipe

Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to make the recipe.  See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full detailed instructions.

• Arrange the elements in a bowl and pour the dressing over it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Store Leftovers

This recipe is best served immediately when it is fully assembled. 

WAYS TO USE THIS RECIPE

Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe:

• 2 Minute Falafel Hot Sauce Recipe
• Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe (Oil Free)
• Russian Pickled Tomatoes Recipe (EASY)
• No Oil No Tahini Hummus Recipe (48 Calories Per Serving)
• Easy Mediterranean Yellow Rice (Vegan)
• Middle East Falafel Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Falafel Gyro Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Creamy Chickpea And Lentil Curry Recipe

Vegan Meat Side Dishes

Here are some vegan meat side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe, and are great substitutes for regular meat.  These are all under 150 calories per serving.

• Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs
• 10 Minute Plant Based Black Bean Burger
• Easy Vegan Meatloaf
• Smoky Tempeh Bacon
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
• Vegan Jackfruit Shredded Chicken
• Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon
• Crispy Roasted Soya Chunks

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan meat recipes.

Vegan Dips

Here are some vegan dips or vegan sauces that go very nicely with this recipe, and are very quick to make.  These are all under 50 calories per serving.

• Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
• Creamy Edamame Guacamole
• Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
• Creamy Hummus Recipe (No Garlic)
• Creamy Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing
• 2 Minute Hot Sauce Recipe
• Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe
• No Oil No Tahini Hummus

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan dips recipes.

More Tasty Vegan Dinner Recipes

If you’re looking for some easy, vegan dinners, that are around 400 calories per serving, check out some of my other recipes:

• Vegan Burger And Fries Recipe (385 Calories, Gluten Free)
• Easy Vegan Souvlaki
• Speedy Soya Chunks Biryani

You can see all of my 400-calorie vegan meals here.

Recipe

Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.