This healthy roasted carrot, kale and quinoa bowl makes a wonderfully nutritious and filling plant-based meal. Made with simple, whole food ingredients, easy to customize and ready in 45 minutes.

Roasted carrots, kale, quinoa, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a bowl topped with tahini sauce.

Why Make this Recipe

  • dietary restriction and allergy-friendly – this recipe is dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free – yep, these bowls are vegan!
  • nutritious – these bowls are rich in plant-based, fiber and micronutrients
  • simple ingredients – this recipe is made with every day, whole-food ingredients

What You’ll Need

  1. Carrots. Any color or size of carrots works but smaller to average-sized carrots work best.
  2. Quinoa. I love tri-color quinoa but any kind of quinoa works great.
  3. Chickpeas. Use drained and rinsed canned chickpeas or cook your own from scratch. I use about 1/2 cup per bowl but you can use more or less based on your nutrition needs.
  4. Pepitas. Raw pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, add crunch and healthy fats to the recipe.
  5. Tahini sauce. The dressing is easy to make with tahini, lemon, garlic, and sweetener.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Roast the carrots. To roast the carrots, give whole carrots a quick scrub then place on a baking tray.

Drizzle with 1/2 of olive oil or avocado oil and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roll the carrots around on the pan to coat then pop them in the oven.

6 roasted carrots on a baking tray.

Step 2. Cook the quinoa. To make the quinoa, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot on the stovetop.

Add 1 cup of quinoa to the pot, cover and reduce the heat to low. Lightly simmer for 15 minutes then remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Give it a fluff with a fork and it’s ready to go!

Cooked quinoa in a pot.

Step 3. Make the dressing. Whisk up all the dressing ingredients in any bowl or container until smooth and creamy.

Tahini dressing in a glass jar with a spoon sitting on a cutting board beside lemons.

Step 4. Prepare the kale. To prep the kale, wash it and remove the leaves from the stems, finely chop it then drizzle it with 1/4 tsp olive oil or avocado oil. Massage and squeeze the kale with your hands for 1-2 minutes until soft.

Finely chopped kale on a cutting board.

Step 5. Assemble the bowls. Add a scoop of cooked quinoa, some kale, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and the roasted carrots, drizzle with dressing and dig in!

Roasted carrots, kale, quinoa, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a bowl topped with tahini sauce.

Tips and FAQs

  • Swap the grain. The quinoa can be substituted with farro, brown rice or freekeh. For a gluten-free recipe, stick to quinoa or rice.
  • Swap the chickpeas. The chickpeas can be substituted with lentils, marinated tempeh or baked tofu.

Can I make this recipe in advance?

Definitely. This recipe works great for meal prep. Prepare the bowls in advance and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend storing the dressing separately until ready to eat.

A bowl of carrots, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, kale and chickpeas.

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Roasted carrots, kale, quinoa, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a bowl topped with tahini sauce.

Roasted Carrot, Kale and Quinoa Bowl

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

This cozy, nourishing carrot, kale and quinoa bowl is vegan, gluten-free and oh so flavourful and delicious. Whole roasted carrots melt in your mouth and pair perfectly with tangy lemon tahini dressing and crunchy pumpkin seeds. 

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Roasted Carrots

  • 8–12 medium whole carrots (2–3 carrots per bowl)
  • 1/2 tsp olive or avocado oil
  • sprinkle of salt and pepper

For the Lemon Tahini Sauce

For the Bowls

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry, about 1/2 cup cooked per bowl)
  • 4 cups de-stemmed and finely chopped kale (about 1 big handful per bowl)
  • approx. 2 cups chickpeas (about 1/2 cup per bowl)
  • 8 tbsp pepitas (2 tbsp per bowl)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. To make the roasted carrots, give whole carrots a good scrub to clean then place on a baking pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roll them around to coat.
  3. Roast the carrots for 20 minutes, shake the pan, then continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes until the carrots can be pierced with a fork but still have some firmness to them.
  4. To make the quinoa, bring 2 cups of water to a boil stovetop in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover and reduce heat to low. Lightly simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
  5. To make the tahini dressing, add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl or container and until smooth and creamy. Slowly add water to adjust the consistency, it should be thick and creamy but pourable.
  6. On a cutting board or in a bowl, drizzle the kale with 1/4 tsp olive oil or avocado oil. Massage and squeeze the kale for 1-2 minutes until softened.
  7. To assemble the bowls, divide the kale, quinoa, chickpeas and carrots between 4 servings. Top each with tahini sauce and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
  8. Enjoy right away or let cool and store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days. If storing, I recommend keeping the dressing separate.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 461
  • Sugar: 14 g
  • Sodium: 400 mg
  • Fat: 19 g
  • Carbohydrates: 61 g
  • Fiber: 14 g
  • Protein: 17 g

Keywords: kale quinoa bowl, carrot kale salad

UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally published on October 1, 2017. It was updated on April 16, 2020 with new photos and text.