Low-Carb Vegan Dinner Bowl
This popular low-carb vegan bowl features cabbage, broccoli, kale, tofu and a delicious almond satay sauce to top it off. If you’re looking for a lower-carb, high-protein vegan meal, this is it!
Table of Contents
Recipe Features
- Dietary Features: Vegan, grain-free can be gluten-free, can be oil-free, can be nut-free.
- Nutrition Features: For a plant-based meal, it’s lower in carbs while being rich in protein and healthy fats.
- Packed with flavour.
- Great option for meal prep.
Ingredient Notes
- Tofu: Use firm or extra-firm tofu. Option to press it before use.
- Arrowroot Powder: Can be subbed with cornstarch, optional but makes the tofu bake up nice and crispy.
- Nut Butter: You can use peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free recipe.
- Milk: Use cashew milk, almond milk or carton coconut milk.
- Green Cabbage: Red cabbage also works here but I do prefer green in this recipe, napa cabbage would also be suitable.
- Kale: You can sub this with any other leafy green, such as spinach, but I prefer kale so it doesn’t get soggy.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Make the tofu by mixing up all the tofu ingredients then baking on a parchment-paper lined tray for 30-40 minutes until browned and puffy.
Quick Tip: For extra crispiness, see notes in recipe card for pressing tofu before use.
Cube tofu and mix with tofu ingredients. Bake on parchment paper until crispy.
Step 2. Make the cabbage rice. Here’s how:
- remove the out leaves, chop in half then chop into smaller chunks
- add the chunks to a food processor
- pulse a few times to create “rice”
Quick Tip: If you don’t want to take the extra step to “rice” the cabbage, just chop it and add right to the skillet. It could also be done in an Instant Pot or roasted for variations.
- Add the “riced” cabbage to a skillet with the green onion and cilantro.
- Saute for 6-10 minutes until tender and browned.
Quick Tip: Mix the ingredients well to start then let it sit for a few minutes before stirring again to allow it to brown on the bottom. Scrape the browned bits back in and repeat!
Step 3. Make the almond butter sauce by whisking everything together until smooth and creamy.
Step 4. Prepare the rest of the bowl ingredients:
- finely chop the kale
- steam the broccoli
- dice the avocado
Finally, assemble the bowls by starting with a big scoop of cabbage rice then add the kale, broccoli, avocado and tofu, finishing off with the sauce.
Notes and Tips
- Oil-Free Option: Replace the cooking oil with broth or water.
- Gluten-Free Option: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
Variations and Additions
- Cabbage: For a low-carb replacement, use broccoli rice or cauliflower rice. Brown rice, quinoa and farro also work well but would add carbs.
- Seeds: Add a sprinkle of hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for added fats and protein and some crunch!
- Tofu: Try it with marinated tempeh or edamame instead of tofu. Chickpeas can also replace the tofu, however, they’d be higher in carbs.
- Oil: Try sesame oil as an alternative to coconut oil for cooking the cabbage rice.
Storing and Prep
- Almond butter sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge. You may need to thin it with a little water after storing as it tends to thicken in the fridge.
- Tofu can be baked up to 3 days in advance.
- Broccoli and kale can be chopped and stored raw for up to 3 days before preparing the bowls.
- Bowls are best served fresh but can be stored up to 3 days in a sealed container if you leave avocado off until just before serving.
Related Recipes
- 6-Ingredient Easy Cheesy Vegan Zoodles
- Low Carb Vegan Chow Mein
- Coconut Cauliflower Rice Buddha Bowl
- Healthy Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli Bowls
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Click here to leave a review.
PrintLow-Carb Vegan Dinner Bowl
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Prep Time: 20 mins
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Cook Time: 30 mins
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Total Time: 50 minutes
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Yield: 4
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Category: Main Dish
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Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
This Asian-inspired, low-carb vegan dinner options features a twist on traditional rice: cabbage rice! You’ll love the “fried” rice paired with avocado, broccoli, kale and a creamy almond butter sauce.
Ingredients
For the Baked Tofu
- 1 350 g package firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed (see notes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- pinch of black pepper
For the Almond Butter Sauce
- 4 tbsp peanut, almond or sunflower seed butter (60 g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar (unseasoned or seasoned)
- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce (reduce or omit if sensitive to spice)
- 4 tbsp unsweetened cashew, almond or coconut milk
- pinch of stevia, a few drops liquid stevia or 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt and pepper
For the Cabbage Rice
- 1 small green cabbage, riced
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
For the Bowls
- 1–2 avocado (1/4–1/2 per bowl)
- 4 cups broccoli florets, steamed (1 cup per bowl)
- 4 cups finely chopped kale, steamed or massaged (1 cup per bowl)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cube the pressed tofu (see notes) and place in a bowl. Mix with the rest of the tofu ingredients then place the pieces on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking tray. Bake the tofu for 15-20 minutes, flip and bake another 10-20 minutes until it’s brown and puffy.
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, slice in half then chop into chunks. Add the chunks to a food processor and pulse a few times until the cabbage has the consistency of rice. Alternatively, you can just finely chop or shred the cabbage using a mandolin. Add the “riced” cabbage to a large skillet with the oil, cilantro and green onion and cook over high until until tender and brown, about 6-10 minutes. Mix it well to start, then only mix every couple minutes so it can start to brown on the bottom.
- Steam the broccoli stovetop by brining a pot of water to a boil then using a steamer basked to steam the broccoli for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer basket, just add about 1 inch of water to a pot or skillet, bring to a boil, add the broccoli, cover and steam 5 minutes.
- Remove the kale leaves from the thick stems and finely chop. Either massage the kale with 1/2 tsp olive or avocado oil until softened and dark green, or steam for 1 minute to soften, using the same method as the broccoli.
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or container until smooth and creamy.
- To assemble the bowls, start with a big scoop of cabbage rice then add the kale, broccoli, avocado and tofu, then top with the sauce.
Notes
To press tofu, slice the tofu block into 3-4 slabs. Lay the slabs on a dishtowel on the counter top, then fold the towel over them. Place a cutting board or skillet on top of them along with a few heavy objects such as some cookbooks. Let sit for 15-30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. You can also use a tofu press if you have one. This is optional but will make it a little crispier.
Bowls can be packed and stored in the fridge up to 3 days if you leave the avocado off until serving. I would also recommend storing the sauce separately.
To save time, tofu can be baked up to 3 days in advance and almond butter sauce can be prepared up to 5 days in advance. Broccoli and kale can be chopped and stored raw for up to 3 days before preparing the bowls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fat: 27 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 14 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
Keywords: low-carb vegan recipe, low-carb vegan bowl
Originally published on March 20, 2019. Updated with new photos and text on September 15, 2020.
That peanut sauce is delicious! For a vegan keto version I added extra mayo and a splash of MCT oil to get the fat levels up. I also subbed a few veggies with just what I had a on hand and it was still so good!
Thanks for the recipe and keep these bowls coming 🙂
★★★★★
Great! So glad it worked out of for you. Thanks for leaving a review!
AMAZING! I’ve made this twice exactly as is but for the third time, I subbed tamari for coconut aminos since I find even the low sodium tamari a bit salty for my taste. My husband couldn’t tell the difference. Win. Win. The combination of the crispy tofu, sauce and cabbage rice was brilliant. SUPER YUMMY AND OH SO SATISFYING!
★★★★★
Ok, I have never commented on a recipe ever so you know this is good. The cabbage rice is brilliant. The way it is seasoned with the cilantro and green onion really makes it so delicious. I used homemade sunflower butter since I had a lot of seeds, and the sauce was wonderful. I’ve been eating this for lunch and dinner the last 4 days and I love it.
Thanks, Rachel! I’m so glad you love it.
This recipe is SO flavorful and amazing!!
I doubled the sauce because I like to eat lots with it:) Also the to all the kale-haters out there… steam it. So. Much. Better. (In my opinion) I also made some cilantro rice to go along with it incase I ended up not liking the cabbage but that was surprisingly very delicious as well!!!! Give it a go!!! Made it for my family of 5 and my mom couldn’t stop praising it and said it tastes like something you would order and eat at a fancy vegan restaurant! Thanks for the recipe!!!!! (Also didn’t take me very long to make, just have to be good at multitasking… just wanted to throw that out there bc I saw a review saying it took them forever too make. I did not find this to be true).
★★★★★
Excellent! I did everything just as you said and it was yummy! The sauce and the sautéed cabbage are really special. Thanks!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Marion! Thank you for the review.
One of my favorite things to make now, everything is so complementary. I love the twist with the riced cabbage, a nice change from riced cauliflower. Low carb and vegetarian, yay! So glad I spotted this on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. You might like the roasted cauliflower and broccoli bowl or vegan protein salad too, they’re similar and both really yummy. Thanks for the review!
DELICIOUS, but it did take me quite a while to make so probably not something I would have too often.
This is my new favorite recipe! It’s so simple yet so delicious! Thank you so much for the inspo ☺️
★★★★★
You are so very welcome, Devon! Glad you like it!