This Vegan Poke Bowl will take your tastebuds right back to the beautiful Hawaiian beaches. Bursting with flavor, this Vegan Poke Bowl is the perfect Summer dinner! This poke bowl is healthy and simple to make. It is full of whole foods and is plant-based, and gluten-free. This dinner will have you wishing it was Summer all year long.
This Vegan Poke Bowl with Grilled Watermelon is the perfect Summer recipe. This recipe is so fresh and full of healthy and delicious ingredients. Watermelons are at their peak in mid-Summer and this recipe makes the most of this fresh, in-season fruit.
If you know me, you know that I love my bowl recipes. I love filling a bowl with good, nourishing ingredients. Check out this Vegan Big Mac Salad Bowl and this Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad for some more bowl inspiration.
Jump to:
Vegan Poke Bowl Ingredients
The ingredients in this vegan poke bowl are all whole food plant-based, these ingredients are powerhouse ingredients that are packed with nutrients.
For the Bowls
- Quinoa
- Edamame
- Red Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Togarashi Seasoning (See note in recipe card)
- Watermelon
- Seaweed Salad
For the Wasabi Mayonnaise
- Powdered Wasabi
- Water
- Vegan Mayonnaise (Check out this great recipe here!)
See the recipe card for quantities.
Vegan Poke Bowl Instructions
These Vegan Poke Bowls with grilled watermelon and quinoa are super easy to make and come together quickly!
About 3 or 4 hours before serving, cook the quinoa either on the stove or in the rice cooker. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, refrigerate until serving.
While the grill is preheating, make the wasabi. To make wasabi using wasabi powder, you will combine one tablespoon wasabi powder with two tablespoons of water and mix into a paste and let sit for fifteen minutes. This is the wasabi powder that I used. I let this sit while I am grilling the watermelon.
Slice the watermelon into triangles and season liberally with the togarashi seasoning. Place the sliced watermelon on the grill and grill for three minutes on each side before flipping. I love using a cast iron griddle to grill my watermelon, it gives it nice char marks and is easy to flip and handle.
When the watermelon is finished on the grill, set it aside to let cool. While the watermelon is cooling, finish the wasabi mayonnaise and slice the vegetables. Combine the wasabi with ½ cup of vegan mayonnaise and stir to combine.
Thinly slice the cabbage, cucumber, and carrots and dice the avocado. When the watermelon has finished cooling, remove the rinds and dice the watermelon.
To assemble the bowls, layer the quinoa and then top with the watermelon, cabbage, edamame, avocado, carrots, and cucumber. For an optional fun twist, add some seaweed salad and some pickled ginger as well. Drizzle with the wasabi mayonnaise. Serve immediately.
Hint: You can buy premade pickled ginger and seaweed salad at your local Asian market. If you don't have an Asian market near you, you can pick up some ginger here.
Substitutions
Please see below for some substitutions if you want to fit this into any lifestyle
- Keto - To make these bowls keto, scrap the quinoa and use hearts of palm rice instead. Follow the directions on the package and you should be golden.
- Pescatarian - If you want to make this with fish, feel free to swap out the watermelon and use sushi-grade salmon instead.
- WW Friendly - One poke bowl is equal to 18 WW points. Try using a lower carb grain such as hearts of palm rice instead to lower the point value.
Variations
Check out some fun variations of this delicious recipe!
- Less Spicy - Skip the Wasabi Mayonnaise and serve with some Ponzu sauce instead
- Grain Swap - Try serving this over white sushi rice for even more of a traditional spin
- Kid-friendly - leave off the wasabi mayonnaise and serve with plain watermelon instead of the togarashi grilled melon
Check out this other fun Asian bowl recipe!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. I love to use my cast iron griddle to grill my watermelon. I also love these deep bowls to serve in. They are the perfect size for eating a hearty grain bowl.
Storage
Store the quinoa, vegetables, and watermelon separately in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Good for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
When grilling the watermelon, cook it over indirect heat to avoid burning it. You want a nice char grill on it but you don't want to burn it.
Recipe
Vegan Poke Bowl with Grilled Watermelon
Ingredients
For the Bowls
- 2 cup cooked quinoa
- 2 cup edamame
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 3 tbs Togarashi Seasoning See note in recipe card
- 1 large watermelon
- Seaweed Salad see note in recipe card
For the Wasabi Mayonnaise
- 1 tbs powdered wasabi
- 2 tbs water
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise Check out this great recipe here!
Instructions
- About 3 or 4 hours before serving, cook the quinoa either on the stove or in the rice cooker. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, refrigerate until serving.
- While the grill is preheating, make the wasabi. To make wasabi using wasabi powder, you will combine one tablespoon wasabi powder with two tablespoons of water and mix into a paste and let sit for fifteen minutes.
- Slice the watermelon into triangles and season liberally with the togarashi seasoning. Place the sliced watermelon on the grill and grill for three minutes on each side before flipping.
- When the watermelon is finished on the grill, set it aside to let cool. While the watermelon is cooling, finish the wasabi mayonnaise and slice the vegetables. Combine the wasabi with ½ cup of vegan mayonnaise and stir to combine.Thinly slice the cabbage, cucumber, and carrots and dice the avocado. When the watermelon has finished cooling, remove the rinds and dice the watermelon.
- To assemble the bowls, layer the quinoa and then top with the watermelon, cabbage, edamame, avocado, carrots, and cucumber. For an optional fun twist, add some seaweed salad and some pickled ginger as well. Drizzle with the wasabi mayonnaise. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Jeannie says
this is such a protein and nutrient pack vegan meal, I really enjoyed it.
kaydimaggio says
So glad you loved it!
Amanda says
Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! 🙂
Pastor Natalie says
This looks so yummy. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.
Pastor Natalie
Letstakeamoment.com
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Gus says
Oh! I love Poke Bowls. Thank you for the frilled watermelon idea! I loved it! I am having a Watermelon crush at the moment, and this is definitely going into my next poke bowl!
kaydimaggio says
Hope you enjoy!
Choclette says
Ooh, I do love a good bowl of nourishing food. I've never quite grasped what the difference is between a poke bowl and a buddha bowl, but yours looks epic. I can only imagine what grilled watermelon is like, but I'm drooling.
kaydimaggio says
I hope you enjoy it! Buddha bowls are normally already vegan or vegetarian whereas the main ingredient in poke bowls is usually fish. 🙂
Brianna May says
This looks delicious!
kaydimaggio says
thank you!
Veronika Sykorova says
This looks so good! I've never had a poke bowl because I'm not a fan of raw fish so this is perfect! Our grill is out almost every day so I can't wait to make this!
kaydimaggio says
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 The watermelon is the perfect mirror for fish so it works perfectly!
Luca - Ruoka on valmis says
It looks so healthy and good!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Gloria says
So many healthy ingredients in this poke bowl. Love all the colours and textures. This makes eating healthy really easy.
kaydimaggio says
I always equate healthy eating with eating the rainbow! This has almost every color! 🙂
Marinela says
Wow, can't wait to make a batch of this vibrant summer bowl full of plant-based energy! Thanks for sharing Kayla!
kaydimaggio says
It's so yummy! I hope you enjoy it!
Emily says
I love poke bowls and can’t wait tot try your version!
kaydimaggio says
Hope you enjoy!
Amanda Dixon says
This is such a great vegan take on a poke bowl! It was refreshing and perfect for summer.
kaydimaggio says
So glad you liked it!
Aya says
This is so delicious! I would not have thought of grilling watermelon before. I can have this over and over again without getting bored.
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Rob says
Always on the hunt for great vegan recipes, and this sounds perfect! Can't wait to try it!
kaydimaggio says
Hope you enjoy!
Anaiah says
I loved this plant based poke bowl! It's one of the things I miss most and this satisfied every craving. It was packed with flavor in each bite and was so refreshing. The watermelon was incredible in this dish!
kaydimaggio says
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Kay says
My daughter is the biggest watermelon fan so I made her this for dinner! Verdict is out, SHE LOVED IT!
kaydimaggio says
So glad she liked it!
Joshua says
I never had grilled watermelon before and it really did enhance the flavors in this dish. I would have never thought to add it to my poke bowls but it was surprisingly delicious!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you liked it!
Addie says
Loved the grilled watermelon!!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you liked it!
Chef Dennis says
Yum! This is surely a tasty meal!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Ildiko says
Love the grilled watermelon! What a cool and colorful idea. Thanks
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Daniela says
This was the perfect dinner! Thank you for sharing!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Supal says
Okay these are AMAZING ideas!! I'm Indian–so a lot of my family members are vegetarian. I'm going to have to give the watermelon one a try!
kaydimaggio says
I hope you enjoy! They are so easy to throw together and have so much flavor!
Brianna says
Trying to eat more veggie meals, this was great!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you liked it!
Marnie says
This looks so delicious!! Love the variation tips too. Marnie xx
kaydimaggio says
Thank You! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Lauren Vavala Harris says
What a brilliant idea to make a vegetarian poke bowl! I love how fresh, colorful and summery this recipe is!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
What a beautiful, nutritious, full of color poke bowl! Your pictures are breathtaking! I'll come back soon in search of inspiration. Thanks for sharing!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you so much!
Lilly says
The grilled watermelon is my favorite part! So delish!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Linda says
Just had this vegan poke bowl and I'm hooked! So much freshness in one bite
kaydimaggio says
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Anna says
Grilled watermelon is such a game changer! I never tried it, until I came across this recipe, but I'm a huge fan of how grilling it elevates the flavour! It was delicious, everyone loved this salad (made it for our anniversary garden party), it was a hit!
kaydimaggio says
Glad you liked it!
Adriana says
Lvee the idea of treating the watermelon like poke, I bet it is delicious. I need to try this recipe soon before watermelon season is over.
kaydimaggio says
I hope you enjoy!
Addie says
This bowl is so fresh and flavorful!
kaydimaggio says
I'm glad you enjoyed!
Denise says
Your Poke Bowl is mouth watering! I can not wait to make this, I'm dreaming about the grilled watermelon!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy!
Sharon says
A whole new and delicious way to use grilled watermelon! I love the wasabi mayonnaise that goes on top.
kaydimaggio says
So glad you liked it!
Veronika says
This is such a fun way to use a watermelon! And I love the flavor combination you got here!
kaydimaggio says
Thank you!
Farrukh Aziz says
It looks so vibrant and bright! And all the ingredients go so well together. Makes a perfect quick snack! 😀
kaydimaggio says
Thank you! Hope you enjoy!