These vegan Comfort Rice Bowls are drizzled in a Café Yumm-inspired golden sauce and served with warm black beans and all the fresh toppings you want. Great for meal prep or a satisfying dinner!
If you’re looking for more vegan rice bowls, check out this peanut sauce-smothered Buddha Bowl, these satisfying Nourish Bowls, and these fully loaded Vegan Burrito Bowls!
Living in the Portland area, I’m admittedly a bit spoiled when it comes to vegan food. Even our chain restaurants have incredible vegan options! Two of my favorites are Café Yumm and The Whole Bowl, both of which inspired this recipe.
This Comfort Rice Bowl layers a base of brown rice and warm black beans with fresh toppings and the best golden sauce, also known as ‘tali sauce’. The bowl itself is satisfying and fun to customize, but for me, this recipe is all about the sauce. It’s essentially liquid gold with a perfect mix of savory, cheesy, and tangy flavors. You’ll want to drizzle on everything!
Why you’ll love this vegan rice bowl
- Copycat goodness – This black bean and rice bowl is inspired by two of my favorite Portland restaurant chains: The Whole Bowl and Café Yumm.
- Your bowl, your rules – Everything about this bowl is customizable, from the rice to the toppings to the sauce.
- Make-ahead meal – Prep the rice, beans, sauce, and toppings ahead of time for a 5-minute lunch that actually keeps you full until dinner.
How to make a comfort rice bowl
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
First, make the golden sauce by blending all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.
Cook the rice according to the package instructions or heat up some pre-cooked rice.
Dump the beans and the liquid from the can into a separate pot. Warm for 5 minutes.
Save the canned bean liquid
Normally, I’d tell you to drain and rinse the canned beans, but not here. That canning liquid is nice and starchy, giving the warm black beans an almost creamy consistency.
To assemble the yumm bowls, divide the rice into serving bowls, top with the warm beans and your desired toppings, and then drizzle the golden sauce on top. Enjoy!
Rice bowl topping ideas
Since we’re making a Whole Bowl / Original Yumm! Bowl copycat, we should top our rice bowls with ALL of the colorful toppings, like:
- Sliced black olives
- Red salsa or pico de gallo
- Diced tomatoes
- Avocado slices
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Chopped nuts
Frequently asked questions
Yes, both the sauce from Café Yumm and my easy homemade version are vegan-friendly.
So. Much. Use chickpeas, kidney beans, or pinto beans instead of black beans; add a handful of romaine lettuce or spinach to the bowl; swap the rice for cauliflower rice, orzo, or leafy greens; or swap the golden sauce for store-bought Yumm! Sauce or my Chipotle Sauce.
This Yumm! Sauce-inspired golden sauce is seriously addictive and good on almost everything. I recommend using it on all of your rice bowls and salads from here on out and enjoying it as a dipping sauce with crunchy comfort foods, like tortilla chips, these Vegan Chicken Nuggets, and my all-time favorite Potato Wedges.
You can prepare the rice, beans, sauce, and toppings a few days before assembling the bowls. Store the components in separate airtight containers in the fridge, then reheat the beans and rice before layering the prepped toppings and sauce on top.
Comfort Rice Bowl with Golden Sauce
Ingredients
Golden Sauce (Tali Sauce)
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- tiny pinch cayenne pepper optional for heat
Bowl Components – Choose what you like!
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black or kidney beans
- avocado slices
- sliced black olives
- chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- shredded vegan cheddar cheese
- Vegan Sour Cream
- pico de gallo or other salsa
Instructions
- Prepare Golden Sauce: Add all ingredients for the sauce to a blender (high-powered preferred) and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook Rice: Cook your rice according to package instructions. To make this recipe even easier, purchase frozen pre-cooked rice.
- Warm beans: In a small pot, warm the beans in the liquid from the can for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, simply drain and rinse the beans.
- Assemble Bowls and Serve: Divide the rice into 4-6 bowls (depending on appetites). Top with beans, any other ingredients you want, then add a few tablespoons of golden sauce to the bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
- Oil Free – You can leave out the olive oil in the golden sauce if needed.
- May use white or brown rice; white rice will take much less time to cook. For an even easier meal, use frozen pre-cooked rice.
- Nutritional information is an estimate only and does not include any bowl components except for the sauce, black beans and brown rice.
