Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burrito Bowls

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Make these healthy chipotle lime black bean burrito bowls in 30 minutes for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.

If you’re like us, then you absolutely love digging into a fresh and healthy bowl when the weather starts warming up. These chipotle lime black bean burrito bowls are the perfect recipe for spring and summer – super satisfying, bright, and fresh!

Packed with the wonderful flavors of fresh cilantro, chipotle peppers, and lime, this vegetarian burrito bowl is one of our new go-to weeknight recipes. A mixture of seasoned black beans and corn gives these bowls just the right amount of protein, while the spicy and zesty chipotle lime aioli ties all the components together perfectly.

It’s filling, it’s satisfying, and it’s guaranteed to be your new favorite summer burrito bowl!

What This Recipe Entails

You’ll have to prepare a few separate components for these burrito bowls: the rice, the sauce, fresh pico de gallo, and seasoned beans and corn. Then it’s just a matter of assembling and adding the finishing touches, like fresh avocado and cilantro!

• Prep time: 25 minutes
• Cook time: 3 to 5 minutes

We’ve included the cilantro lime rice preparation in “prep time” – note that it will take about 25 minutes to cook. However, you can prepare everything else while the rice steams! You can also always prepare the rice ahead of time and reheat it to make these burrito bowls even quicker to throw together.

Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burrito Bowl Ingredients

These vegetarian burrito bowls require a number of ingredients, but they’re very easy to make! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cilantro lime rice
• Chipotle aioli – light mayo, chipotles in adobo, lime juice, salt
• Pico de gallo – roma tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice, salt
• Vegetable oil
• Canned black beans
• Canned corn (whole kernel)
• Chipotle powder
• Salt
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Lime wedges

We love making this easy cilantro lime rice for all things Mexican food – burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, you name it! For these healthy black bean burrito bowls, we opted for brown rice instead of white as it’s more nutritious.

We definitely recommend making the chipotle aioli and pico de gallo from scratch for this recipe. They’re both so fresh and flavorful, and much better than anything you can buy from the store! But as always, feel free to substitute with store-bought alternatives if you want to make this recipe even quicker and easier.

How To Make Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burrito Bowls

To make our chipotle lime black bean burrito bowl recipe, you’ll need to prepare the components separately – cilantro lime rice, chipotle aioli, pico de gallo, and seasoned beans and corn – before assembling.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Since we’ve modified our original cilantro lime rice recipe for these bowls, here’s a quick guide to making it with brown rice:

1. First, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, stir in the brown rice, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover.
2. Steam for about 25 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy.
3. Next, fluff the rice and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro and stir to combine.

Chipotle Aioli

This 4-ingredient chipotle aioli is the best sauce for a black bean burrito bowl! It’s bright and flavorful with just the right amount of kick if you like a spicy sauce on your burrito bowls. Here’s how to make it:

1. Add the canned chipotles in adobo to a food processor. Pulse until a smooth puree forms.
2. In a small bowl, combine light mayo, 2 tablespoons of the pureed chipotles, juice from half a lime, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until evenly combined.

You won’t need the entire can of chipotles, but it’s easier to puree the whole thing and then take what you need for the aioli. Store the remaining chipotle puree in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and use it in other recipes that call for chipotles in adobo (like our homemade ranchero sauce) – or save it for when you want another batch of this aioli!

Pico De Gallo

We’ve also modified our original pico de gallo recipe to use in these bowls. This version is a little tangier and has more zing, thanks to the red onion. Here’s how to make it:

1. Combine diced roma tomato, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice, and salt in a bowl.
2. Stir well and set aside.

Seasoned Beans and Corn

The main substance of these burrito bowls are the seasoned black beans and corn! Here’s how to cook canned black beans for a burrito bowl so they’re tender and delicious:

1. First, add the vegetable oil to a medium frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the black beans and corn. Sprinkle with chipotle powder and salt and stir to combine.
3. Cook until the beans and corn are soft and warmed through, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Assembling Your Burrito Bowls

Once you have all the separate components prepared, you can assemble them into this delicious and healthy chipotle lime black bean bowl! 

You can assemble your bowls however you like – but here’s how we like to build these burrito bowls:

1. First, add cilantro lime rice to one half of a large, shallow bowl.
2. Then, add the pico de gallo and seasoned beans and corn to the other half of the bowl, keeping them each in their own quadrant.
3. Next, top with sliced avocado.
4. Then, drizzle about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chipotle aioli over the bowl.
5. Finish with freshly chopped cilantro and a lime wedge for serving.

When it’s time to dig in, squeeze the lime wedge over the whole bowl – the extra acidity really makes the flavors pop!

Serving Suggestions

You can make chipotle lime black bean burrito bowls for a nutritious lunch or dinner. They’re perfect for when you’re craving a Chipotle style burrito bowl with fresh flavors and lots of delicious ingredients.

Serve these burrito bowls with tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole on the side. Or, just use the chips to scoop up your burrito bowl instead of using a fork!

Storing and Reheating

You can store leftover burrito bowls in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep all the components separate, or combine just the rice and beans/corn mixture, if you’d like to reheat these ingredients. Or, combine everything but the avocado, cilantro, and lime wedges in a single container to enjoy cold later on.

If reheating the rice, beans, and corn, combine them into one container and heat in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes per serving.

Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burrito Bowl Meal Prep

You can easily meal prep these burrito bowls for the week if you want easy grab and go lunches. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Prepare all the components – rice, aioli, pico, and beans/corn – according to the recipe.
2. Portion out the rice and beans/corn into entree-size meal prep containers that can be reheated in the microwave, if you’d like that option.
3. Portion the pico de gallo and chipotle aioli into separate, smaller containers (you can use a dressing cup for the aioli) so they can be added to the bowls later.
4. Slice avocado and lime wedges fresh for each bowl before lunch. If you’re taking lunch on the go, slice these ingredients in the morning and pack them in a small air-tight container.

If you simply want to enjoy these bowls cold, then you don’t need to keep all the ingredients in separate containers. Add the pico straight to the rice, beans, and corn, drizzle it with aioli, and store it in the fridge. Then add freshly sliced avocado and a lime wedge the day of!

Chipotle Lime Black Bean Burrito Bowl Variations

There are a number of ways you can change up this burrito bowl recipe to make it yours! Here are just a few suggestions:

• Add sliced grilled chicken to amp up the protein in your black bean burrito bowl
• Swap regular mayo for vegan mayo in the chipotle aioli for a vegan-friendly black bean burrito bowl
• Top your burrito bowl with crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese if you’re looking for a little something extra

How will you customize these burrito bowls? Let us know in the comments!