This vegetarian poke bowl is packed with veggies and features an ultra-delicious soy-ginger dressing.
When I’m out and about, and need to grab a quick meal on the go, a poke bowl is one of my favorite options. I love the contrast of all the different ingredients and it’s a satisfying way to eat a lot of vegetables.
While raw fish is typically the star ingredient of a classic poke bowl, at home I make them sans fish – featuring shiitake mushrooms for a “meaty” texture, plus edamame for protein instead.
This veggie poke bowl is super customizable and easy to make. While the ingredient list looks long, this recipe is really more chopping and assembly than actual cooking.
The Recipe at a Glance
The foundation of this veggie poke bowl consists of seasoned rice, and sautéed shiitake mushrooms and edamame. These are paired with a variety of raw veggies (suggestions below) and two sauces – soy-ginger dressing and spicy mayo – which are common when you order a poke bowl. Scallions and sesame seeds are the final layer.
What is a Poke Bowl
Poke (pronounced poh-kay, rhymes with okay) is a traditional Hawaiian snack/appetizer of cubed and marinated raw fish. This is most often tuna with soy sauce, sesame oil, and raw onion/scallions.
Within the past decade, “poke bowls” have become super popular here on the mainland and there are a lot of poke places here in NYC. Rice is often used as a base for the fish, followed by a bunch of other toppings, like seaweed salad, avocado, cucumbers, sesame seeds, various sauces/dressings, fried shallots, you name it.
For me, a poke bowl is all about contrast. Contrast of textures – chewy fish, fluffy rice, crunchy vegetables; of temperatures – warm rice/cold toppings; and of flavors – sweet rice, briny fish, salty soy sauce, nutty sesame. With each bite, you get a little bit of everything.
Because this vegan recipe doesn’t use fish, it’s more “poke-inspired” than actual “poke”.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Shiitake Mushrooms + Edamame: These take the place of raw fish in this bowl, adding chewy textures and protein. Look for shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable aisle of the supermarket.
- Rice: I recommend brown rice for its fiber and mineral content, but you can use white rice too, and sushi rice is especially good here.
- Raw Crunchy Veg: Cucumbers, carrots, and radishes are a great combo for this, but you don’t have to use them all if you don’t want to. (You can also swap in sliced onions or shredded purple cabbage.)
- Avocado: Adds a nice creamy richness here to tie all the veggies together.
- The Sauces: I serve these with both a soy dressing and spicy mayo, which is usually how I order a poke bowl when I’m out.
Step-by-Step: Veggie Poke Bowl
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cook the Rice
In a small pot, combine rice with water and salt. Cover with a lid and simmer until the water is absorbed. (Do not stir the rice while it’s cooking to avoid mushiness!) Then turn the heat off and let the rice stand covered for another 10 minutes (still not stirring).
Then sprinkle rice vinegar and sesame oil over the rice, and gently fluff it with a spatula to distribute the seasonings. Be careful not to stir/crush the rice.
Step 2: Sauté Mushrooms + Edamame
Cook the shiitakes in a large skillet over medium heat until they’re golden brown. Then add the edamame and cook for another few minutes, just until it’s fully defrosted.
Step 3: Make the Spicy Mayo
In a small bowl, stir together mayo and sriracha until your desired spice level is reached.
Step 4: Make the Dressing
Combine all the soy dressing ingredients together in a jar, close tightly with a lid, and shake until everything is incorporated.
Step 5: Serve the Bowls
Divide the rice and mushroom mixture among bowls, and arrange all the raw vegetables on top. Garnish with scallions and sesame, and serve with the sauces.
Make-Ahead/Leftovers Notes
The rice, mushroom-edamame mixture, dressing, and spicy mayo can all be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be sure to reheat the rice and mushroom mixture before adding the raw veggies.
More Vegan Grain Bowls…
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
Print
Veggie Poke Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Hawaiian-Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The ingredient list for these poke-inspired bowls may look long, but this recipe is really more chopping and assembly than actual cooking.
Ingredients
For the Bowls
- 1 cup short-grain brown rice* (see note below)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or any other neutral oil)
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
For the Toppings
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (conventional or vegan)
- Sriracha or another hot sauce, to taste
- 2 Persian or kirby cucumbers, cut into small dice*
- 8 to 10 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 large or 2 medium carrots, grated or peeled into long strips
- 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
- 4 small scallions, chopped*
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds*
For the Soy Dressing
- 1-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari, if you’re gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred natural peanut butter or tahini
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine 1 cup rice with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 cups water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes (do not stir the rice during cooking to prevent mushiness). Then turn the heat off and let the pot stand covered for another 10 minutes to steam (still not stirring).
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each rice vinegar and sesame oil over the rice, and gently fluff with a wooden spatula to distribute. Do not stir/crush the rice to prevent mushiness.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced shiitakes with a pinch of salt and cook until lightly golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Then add 1 cup edamame and cook until it is fully defrosted and bright green, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- To make the spicy mayo, stir 1/4 cup mayo with 1 tablespoon sriracha. Taste and add more sriracha if more heat is desired.
- To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients (from ginger through sesame oil) together in a jar. Close tightly with a lid and shake vigorously to combine.
- To serve, divide the rice and mushroom-edamame mixture among 4 bowls. Top with cucumbers, carrots, radishes, and avocado, and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve alongside both sauces for drizzling.
Notes
- I always recommend brown rice for its fiber and mineral content, but you can use white rice too, and sushi rice is especially good here (follow package instructions instead when cooking sushi rice).
- This raw veggie combo works great here, but you don’t have to use them all the if you don’t want to.
- Feel free to use cilantro along with, or instead of, the scallions.
- Apart from sesame seeds, store-bought fried onions are also a common topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 515
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 6.5 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
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