Vegan Burrito Bowl Meal Prep with Smoky TVP Taco Crumbles and Black Beans
Smoky TVP taco crumbles, black beans, corn and brown rice with lime-dressed red cabbage, salsa and avocado. Four vegan burrito bowls built to pack for lunch.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Serves
- 4
Vegan Burrito Bowl Meal Prep with Smoky TVP Taco Crumbles and Black Beans is a vegan lunch recipe made with long-grain brown rice, water, fine salt. It takes 60 minutes of hands-on time, plus 10 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 533 calories, 24 g of protein and 18 g of fiber.
The TVP soaks in hot broth seasoned with tamari and tomato paste, so every crumble is flavored through before it reaches the pan. It is then fried with bloomed chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika until the edges brown and turn chewy rather than spongy. TVP and black beans together supply most of the protein, and the lime-salted cabbage stays crunchy in the fridge for days.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup185 glong-grain brown rice, rinsed
- 2 cups474 gwater
- ¼ tsp1.5 gfine salt
Smoky TVP Taco Crumbles
- 1½ cups75 gtextured vegetable protein (TVP) crumbles, dry
- 1½ cups360 gvegetable broth, boiling hot
- 2 tbsp36 gtamari
- 1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
- 1½ tbsp20 golive oil
- 1 small70 gyellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tbsp8.1 gchili powder
- 2 tsp4.2 gground cumin
- 1½ tsp3.5 gsmoked paprika
- ½ tsp0.5 gdried oregano
- 1 tbsp15 glime juice
Beans and Corn
- 1 can240 gblack beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup136 gcorn kernels, frozen or canned and drained
- ¼ tsp0.5 gground cumin
- 1 pinch0.4 gfine salt
Lime Cabbage
- 2 cups178 gred cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 tbsp15 glime juice
- ¼ cup4 gcilantro, chopped
- ¼ tsp1.5 gfine salt
To Serve
- 1 cup259 gsalsa
- 1 large195 gripe avocado, sliced just before eating
- 2 tbsp2 gcilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
- 1 65 glime, cut into wedges (optional)
Kit: medium saucepan with lid, large skillet, small saucepan, heatproof bowl, 4 meal prep containers
Tips
- Let the TVP sit undisturbed between stirs. Contact with the hot pan is what browns it and gives a chewy, ground-meat-like bite; constant stirring just steams it.
- TVP brands absorb differently. If the crumbles still look dry or have hard centers after soaking, add 2–3 tbsp more hot water and wait another 2 minutes.
- Tamari and broth are both salty, so taste the crumbles at the end before adding any salt. Low-sodium broth gives you the most control.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of water over the rice before microwaving so it steams back to tender instead of drying out.
Swap ideas
- Use 3 cups cooked brown rice or cooked quinoa in place of cooking rice from dry
- Cuts the total time to about 25 minutes; quinoa makes a lighter bowl and adds a little more protein.
- Pinto beans instead of black beans
- Creamier and milder, closer to a classic burrito filling.
- Soy sauce instead of tamari
- Same savory depth, but the bowl is no longer gluten-free.
- Add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or a diced jalapeño with the onion
- Brings real heat to crumbles that are otherwise smoky and mild.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
533kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2.3 g 12%
- Sugars
- 11.3 g
- Sodium
- 1652 mg 72%
- Potassium
- 1575 mg 34%
- Calcium
- 152 mg 12%
- Iron
- 6.5 mg 36%
- Vitamin C
- 39 mg 44%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Rice, brown, long-grain, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Salt, table, Soy flour, defatted, Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve, Soy sauce made from soy (tamari), Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Spices, chili powder, Spices, cumin seed, Spices, paprika, Spices, oregano, dried, Lime juice, raw, Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off cob, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Cabbage, red, raw, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw, Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve, Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties
Method
Cook the rice: combine the rinsed brown rice, water and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer without lifting the lid until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender, 40–45 minutes. Take off the heat and let it steam, still covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
While the rice cooks, soak the TVP: whisk the boiling-hot broth, tamari and tomato paste together in a heatproof bowl. Stir in the TVP, cover with a plate and leave until the liquid is absorbed and the crumbles are soft all the way through, about 10 minutes.
Make the lime cabbage: toss the shredded red cabbage with 1 tbsp lime juice, the chopped cilantro and 1/4 tsp salt. Scrunch it with your hands for about 30 seconds until it just starts to soften and turn glossy, then set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and turning golden at the edges, 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the soaked TVP along with any liquid left in the bowl. Raise the heat to medium-high, spread the crumbles into an even layer and cook, stirring only every 2 minutes or so, until the pan is dry and the crumbles are browned in spots and chewy, 6–8 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp lime juice, taste and add a pinch of salt only if needed.
Warm the beans and corn: put the black beans, corn, 1/4 tsp cumin, a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until steaming hot throughout, 4–5 minutes.
To eat now, divide the rice among 4 bowls and top with the TVP crumbles, beans and corn, lime cabbage, salsa and sliced avocado. Finish with cilantro and a lime wedge.
To meal prep, divide the rice, crumbles, and beans and corn among 4 containers, let them cool uncovered for no more than 30 minutes, then seal and refrigerate. Pack the cabbage and salsa in separate small containers. Reheat the rice, crumbles and beans until steaming hot, then add the cabbage, salsa and freshly sliced avocado.
Storage: Cool the rice, crumbles and beans quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour of cooking. Keep in airtight containers for up to 4 days, with the cabbage and salsa packed separately so the hot components can be reheated on their own until steaming. Cut the avocado on the day you eat. The rice, crumbles and beans also freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
Questions
- How much protein is in vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans?
- Each of the 4 servings has 24 g of protein, 18 g of fiber and 533 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans take to make?
- 15 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, so 60 minutes of hands-on time, plus 10 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans ahead?
- Cool the rice, crumbles and beans quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour of cooking. Keep in airtight containers for up to 4 days, with the cabbage and salsa packed separately so the hot components can be reheated on their own until steaming. Cut the avocado on the day you eat. The rice, crumbles and beans also freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
- What can I substitute in vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans?
- Use 3 cups cooked brown rice or cooked quinoa in place of cooking rice from dry — cuts the total time to about 25 minutes; quinoa makes a lighter bowl and adds a little more protein.. Pinto beans instead of black beans — creamier and milder, closer to a classic burrito filling.. Soy sauce instead of tamari — same savory depth, but the bowl is no longer gluten-free.. Add 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or a diced jalapeño with the onion — brings real heat to crumbles that are otherwise smoky and mild..
- Does vegan burrito bowl meal prep with smoky tvp taco crumbles and black beans contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 20, 2026 ·Tex-Mex