Keto Vegetarian Buddha Bowl
⏲ ~19 min total · prep 17 · cook 2 · 4 servings
Dinner⏱ 11 min total🔥 4.6g net carbs⚡ ≈736 kcal/serving~19% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 8 oz halloumi cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 3 cups cauliflower rice (from about 1/2 medium head)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
Instructions
- Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and 2 tbsp cold water into a pourable sauce; it will seize and tighten first, then loosen — keep whisking until it drizzles off the whisk.
- Sear the halloumi cubes in a dry 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 1/2-2 minutes per side, until each face is deep gold — no oil needed, the cheese releases its own.
- Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a second skillet over medium-high and stir-fry the cauliflower rice 4 minutes, until the raw cabbage-y smell cooks off and the grains pick up a few toasted spots.
- Pile the spinach on top of the cauliflower rice, add a splash of water, clamp on a lid, and wilt it 1 minute.
- Divide the wilted greens, cauliflower rice, and halloumi between two wide bowls and fan the avocado slices alongside.
- Zigzag the tahini sauce over each bowl and finish with a scatter of hemp seeds.
Why this recipe works
- Dry-seared halloumi The cheese goes into a dry, hot pan and releases its own oil, coming out with deep gold faces in under four minutes. No added fat, and no sticking if the pan is nonstick and patient.
- Tahini sauce with cold water Whisking cold water into tahini seizes it first, then loosens it to a proper drizzle. The same bowl carries the cumin and lemon, which seasons the whole plate from the top.
- Eleven minutes, two pans Cauliflower rice stir-fries in one skillet while the halloumi sears in the other. The spinach wilts on top in the last minute, and dinner lands before anyone gets impatient.
Tips for making this recipe well
Give the halloumi space
Cubes crowded together steam instead of sear. One layer, medium-high heat, and a dry nonstick pan; the cheese handles the rest.
Cook off the raw smell
Cauliflower rice is done when the cabbage-y smell fades and a few grains pick up toasted spots. That's four minutes over medium-high in coconut oil.
One splash, one lid, one minute
The spinach wilts in trapped steam on top of the rice. Any longer and it goes gray and gives up its water into the bowl.
No added salt
Halloumi is brined, and it seasons the entire bowl on its own. Taste before you reach for the shaker.
Loosen the sauce at the end
Tahini thickens as it sits in the bowl. A teaspoon of cold water brings it back to drizzling.
Serving suggestions
Two wide bowls, greens and rice as the base, halloumi piled on, avocado fanned along one side. The tahini sauce goes over in a zigzag and the hemp seeds land last. At 4.6g net carbs a serving, this is the vegetarian dinner that doesn't apologize for being vegetarian. Warm bowls keep the halloumi at its sear longer. The first cubes are the crispest, so serve straight from the pans.
Storage and meal prep
Keep the parts separate and everything survives. Cooked halloumi and cauliflower rice hold 3 to 4 days in airtight containers in the fridge; re-sear the cheese in a dry pan for a minute and reheat the rice in a hot skillet. The tahini sauce thickens in the cold and loosens with a teaspoon of water. Spinach and avocado are worth preparing fresh; reheated wilted spinach turns watery, and cut avocado browns on principle.
Variations worth trying
- Egg on top A fried egg replaces the halloumi for a different kind of richness. Season the egg; the cheese won't be there to do it.
- Roasted broccoli Swap the spinach for roasted florets when the oven is already on. The stovetop timing stays the same.
- Harissa in the sauce A teaspoon of harissa whisked into the tahini turns the bowl warm and red. The lemon stays where it is.
Frequently asked questions
Why no oil for the halloumi?
Halloumi releases its own fat as it heats, and added oil only makes the pan greasy. A dry nonstick skillet at medium-high gives the cleanest gold faces.
Can I use frozen cauliflower rice?
Yes, and don't thaw it first. It needs about a minute longer in the pan to cook the water off and pick up its toasted spots.
Is halloumi very salty?
It's brined, which is why the recipe adds no salt of its own. The lemon and spinach balance it, so taste before adding anything.
My tahini sauce seized into paste.
That's tahini meeting water, and it's temporary. Keep whisking and add cold water a teaspoon at a time until it drizzles off the whisk.
Can I skip the hemp seeds?
Yes, though they're the crunch on top. Toasted sesame seeds do the same job in the same amount.
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