grain bowl with lemon tahini dressing

last updated on October 29, 2026

If you are needing an easy dinner recipe, this grain bowl with lemon tahini dressing is your best bet! It is fresh and flavorful and so easy to make.

I love making bowls for dinner. They are so versatile and such an easy way to get some great vegetables in your diet! Plus they are so simple to make and taste incredible. This recipe will show you how to replicate this exact bowl, but I’ll also walk through the elements of a good bowl so you can make variations of this non-stop!

what is in this grain bowl with lemon tahini dressing?

how to make a grain bowl

Let’s talk about the elements of a great grain bowl! I love the combination I show you in the recipe below, but I want to teach you the building blocks of great bowls so you can make your own as well!

base

All great bowls start with a base. You can certainly just do greens for the base, but then it’s more like a salad. But that’s totally ok too! I love to do some sort of grain and a type of greens. I think it makes a good combination of nutrient dense greens and a healthy carb that will keep you full for longer! Below I’ll list a few of my favorite options for grains and greens.

vegetables

Vegetables are an essential part of any bowl! You can decide what vegetables you want based on what flavor you are going for or by what you’ve got in your fridge! I typically do the latter which is great for days where I’m trying to clean out my fridge. In this bowl I did tomatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes, but below I’ll list out some of my favorite veggies to add to bowls. I love doing a combination of roasted vegetables and raw vegetables!

protein

Protein is not essential (I didn’t add any in this bowl), but I usually like to add some! You can easily keep this bowl vegan or add some meat. Do whatever is best for you! Or whatever you have on hand. Here are some of my favorites.

• chicken
• boiled eggs
• steak
• chickpeas (vegan)
• tofu (vegan)

toppings

We can’t forget the toppings! They make the bowl much more exciting and add some essential flavor. You can take the toppings a lot of different directions depending on what flavor profile you are working with, but here are some of my go-tos.

• cheese (halloumi or parmesan are my favs!)
• nuts and seeds (pecans, peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds)
• herbs (cilantro, dill, basil, chives)
• kimchi
• hemp hearts

sauce

The sauce is one of the most important parts of a bowl! It ties everything together and is absolutely essential. I love making homemade dressings for a bowl, but if I am in a hurry I also love using store bought! Also, dips and spreads are great on a bowl as well. The recipe for the lemon tahini dressing I used on this bowl is listed at the bottom of this post, but below I’ll list a few dips and store bought dressings I love!

• hummus
• romesco sauce
• honey mustard dressing
• sesame dressing

other bowl recipes

If building your own bowl is too overwhelming, make the one I’ll detail at the end of this post, or try one of these!

• sweetgreen chicken pesto parm bowl
• autumn harvest bowl
• meatball quinoa bowl
• sesame tofu bowl

grain bowl with lemon tahini dressing

[category] Main Course, Salad

[published] September 7, 2022

[PREP] 15 minutes mins

[COOK] 20 minutes mins

[TOTAL] 32 minutes mins

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Ingredients

bowl

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 4 cups kale
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 red onion
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 an avocado sliced
• fresh dill and chives optional

lemon tahini dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp garlic
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add quinoa and turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until water evaporates and quinoa is cooked.
2. Prep the vegetables: Cut the sweet potato into small chunks. Julienne the red onion. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Add all the vegetables to a baking sheet. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until sweet potato can be easily poked with a fork.
3. While the vegetables cook, prepare the dressing. Add all the ingredients for the lemon tahini dressing to a bowl and whisk until smooth. If the mixture is thick add a bit more water. Pour your desired amount of dressing onto the kale and mix until well combined.
4. To assemble the bowl, add the kale and quinoa to the bottom. Top with roasted vegetables, avocado, fresh dill and chives, and extra dressing. Enjoy!