Low-Carb Vegan Dinner Bowls
on Sep 16, 2020, Updated Mar 25, 2026
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If you’re looking for a satisfying high-protein, low carb vegan meal that’s still filling, nutritious and easy to prepare this low carb vegan dinner bowl is a great option. It’s packed with plant protein, fibre, healthy fats and colourful vegetables to support steady energy and long-lasting fullness.
Unlike many low carb vegan meals that can feel overly restrictive or lacking in flavour, this bowl is balanced, customizable and works well for meal prep, weeknight dinners or post-workout recovery meals.
🔍 A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes.
- Cook Time: 30 minutes.
- Servings: Makes 4 servings.
- Nutrition: Under 500 calories with 23g protein per bowl.
- Dietary Info: Vegan, can be gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free.
- Difficulty: Moderate effort!
Reader Review
Finally a well rounded, delicious, and healthy vegan meal! Love this recipe!!! It’s great for people who want to learn to love tofu. The cornstarch is key! Definitely a hit for non-vegans too!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kirstin
Why You’ll Love the Low-Carb Vegan Bowls
- It’s high in protein and fibre.
- It supports stable energy and satiety.
- You can customize it with different vegetables.
- It’s meal-prep friendly.
- It can easily be gluten-free.
- It’s grain-free.
- It’s low carb and high in protein while still being satisfying and filling.
I have a few more low-carb vegan recipes like this one too, check out this roasted broccoli cauliflower salad and vegan protein salad next.
I also love making bowls and have so many fun ones to try! There are tons to try and you can find them all on my Vegan Bowls page but some personal favourites are:
What makes a vegan meal low carb?
Low carb vegan meals typically:
- Focus on non-starchy vegetables.
- Use plant-protein sources like tofu and tempeh.
- Include healthy fats from nuts, seeds or avocado.
- Limit grains and high-starch foods.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Tofu: Use firm or extra-firm tofu. You don’t have to but you can press it before hand if you like. This will help it absorb a bit more flavour and get crispier. See how to press tofu.
- Soy Sauce: Use any soy sauce you like or gluten-free tamari.
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot starch also works.
- Almond Butter: The dressing can be made with almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
- Rice Vinegar: Seasoned or unseasoned rice vinegar works though note that seasoned rice vinegar has added sugar so it will add a bit more carbs to the recipe.
- Sriracha: Any chili garlic paste works here. I like Sriracha or sambal oelek.
- Sweetener: For low-carb you can use a pinch of stevia or monk fruit sweetened, other maple syrup, coconut sugar or any other sweetener you like works. If you’re not using stevia, I prefer maple syrup over a granulated sugar so the dressing has a smoother consistency.
- Cabbage: Use green cabbage.
- Coconut Oil: You can use any cooking oil you like here. I’d suggest coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil or sesame oil.
- Broccoli: Easy to swap for other veggies like carrot, snap peas or cauliflower.
- Kale: I like kale for bowls because it holds up well and doesn’t get soggy, though you can substitute baby spinach, spinach or any other green you enjoy.
Variations and Additions
- Cabbage: For a low-carb replacement, use broccoli rice or cauliflower rice. Brown rice, quinoa and farro also work well but it wouldn’t be low-carb.
- Seeds: Add a sprinkle of hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for added fats and protein and some crunch!
- Tofu: Try it with the marinated tempeh from these Baked Tempeh Rice Bowls or edamame instead of tofu. Chickpeas can also replace the tofu, however, they’d be higher in carbs.
- Roasted Vegetables: Add a mix of roasted low-carb veggies cauliflower, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts for extra nutrients and flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast: Add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a cheesy and umami flavor.
- Alternative Dressing: This miso tahini dressing or the peanut sauce from this Kale Peanut Brown Rice Salad would also be good in this recipe.
- Gluten-Free Option: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Want spicy baked tofu? Add 2 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha or 1 tsp cayenne or red chili flakes. You can also play around with other ingredients like rice vinegar, sesame oil or sweet chili sauce.
How to Make Low-Carb Vegan Bowls
Before you Start: It’s optional to press the tofu but if you’d like to take that step, you’ll need 20-30 minutes to press it. Use a tofu press or wrap the block of tofu in a dish cloth, put it on a plate and place a heavy object on it.
Step 1: Add the cubed tofu to a bowl with the soy sauce or tamari, cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Gently toss it to coat.
Step 2: Add the cubed tofu to a baking tray lined with parchment paper so each piece has some space around it. This is key for crispiness! Bake the tofu for 20-30 minutes until browned, puffy and crispy.
You can flip it once half way through but I usually skip that step. It still gets crispy even without flipping it!
Step 3: Remove the outer leaves of the head of cabbage, chop it in half and then into smaller chunks. Add the chunks to a food processor and pulse a few times to create a rice-like consistency.
Step 4: Heat the coconut oil or another oil of choice in a large skillet or wok then add the “riced” cabbage, green onion and cilantro. Saute the mixture for 6-8 minutes until the cabbage is tender and browned.
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 5: To make the sauce, add all of the ingredients to any bowl or container and whisk or shake until completely smooth and creamy.
Step 6: Drizzle the finely chopped kale with 1-2 tsp oil of choice. Massage the kale with your hands until it’s softened and dark green.
Step 7: Steam the broccoli stovetop, in an Instant Pot or in the microwave. I like to steam broccoli on the stovetop.
Bring the water to a boil then steam the broccoli in a steamer for 4-5 minutes until tender but still bright and crisp.
You could also stir fry the broccoli for a few minutes in the pan after you cook the cabbage!
Step 8: 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.
Expert Tips
Broccoli will turn from tender and bright green to mushy and drab green at about 7 minutes of cooking time. Be careful not to overcook it!
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.
Pressing the tofu is optional but I do find you get a slightly better texture if you do! Even 5-10 minutes of pressing is beneficial.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can but it does require some effort and planning to make sure you’re getting all the nutrition you need.
A lower carb, rather than low carb diet, would be preferrable with a focus on starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato and squat and whole grains like oats for your carbohydrates as these foods contain many essential micronutrients. Include plenty of vegetables, tofu, tempeh, seeds and healthy fats.
Absolutely not. Carbohydrates plan an important role in regulating hunger and appetite, supporting hormonal balance and stress response and providing sustained energy for daily activity and training. Fat loss is driven by overall calorie balance over time, not by eliminating carbohydrates.
A well-planned low carb vegan meal can be very nutritious! Though I recommend including adequate carbohydrates in your diet, this meal contains plenty of protein and fibre, healthy fats and micronutrient-rich ingredients o support energy, digestion and overall health.
For sure! You can either add them or swap rice, quinoa or farro for the cabbage “rice”.
Storing & 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.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
More Recipes to Try!
Low-Carb Vegan Dinner Bowl
Ingredients
For the Baked Tofu
- 1 package firm or extra-firm tofu, 350g, pressed (see notes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- pinch black 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 Almond Butter Sauce
- 4 tbsp almond, peanut 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 stevia, a few drops liquid stevia or 1 tbsp maple syrup
- salt and pepper
For the Bowls
- 1 avocado
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 4 cups finely chopped kale
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 or a 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.1 package firm or extra-firm tofu, 350g, 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp cornstarch, pinch black pepper
- 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.1 small green cabbage
- Add the "riced" cabbage to a large skillet with the oil, cilantro, green onion and garlic 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.1 tsp coconut oil, 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped green onion, 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro, 3 cloves garlic
- 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.4 cups broccoli florets
- 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.4 cups finely chopped kale
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or container until smooth and creamy.4 tbsp almond, peanut or sunflower seed butter, 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp Sriracha sauce, 4 tbsp unsweetened cashew, pinch stevia, salt and pepper
- 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.1 avocado
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on March 20, 2019.
This was an excellent bowl. Mu husband and I loved it.
So much better than I expected. Everything mixed together is so much yummier than the individual items.
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it.
Finally a well rounded, delicious, and healthy vegan meal! Love this recipe!!! It’s great for people who want to learn to love tofu. The cornstarch is key! Definitely a hit for non vegans too!
Thank you very much! Glad you like it!
I made this recipe tonight and cannot stop thinking about it. I highly recommend it. I followed the recipe as outlined with the exception of using avocado oil instead of coconut. It still turned out amazing. My meat eating husband was pleasantly surprised too! A true winner for both of us. Cannot wait to eat it again.
Wow, this is delicious! I just hosted a friend for dinner who is on a low carb, gluten free diet and cooked this up. I’ve never had riced cabbage before and wasn’t sure I’d like it (or frankly enjoy a meal without carbs) but we both loved how this turned out. I can’t wait to make it for other friends and add to my regular dinner rotation. Thank you!
Btw I think the instructions may have left out when to add the minced garlic. I added them with the cilantro and green onion.
Thanks, I’ll update that! So glad it was enjoyed.
It IS very good. You have a wonderful ability to develop a tasty dish.
OMG!! That was the most delicious bowl I’ve ever made!! Thank you for this recipe!!
Oh wow! Thanks so much! So happy you liked it.
I’m eating this right now, and it is delicious! It’s definitely worthy of joining the frequent rotation.
Hi I haven’t made this dish yet but am really looking forward to as it looks amazing. My question is could I fry the tofu as I do not have the use of an oven.
Many thanks
Ruth 😊
Sure, yes no problem. Use a little oil in a hot pan and fry over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until browned on all sides.