Recipe inspiration

This hummus bowl recipe was inspired by a meal I had in Vancouver, Canada at Nuba, a Lebanese restaurant chain. It’s not a vegan restaurant, but they have lots of plant-based offerings.

I ordered Najib’s special filled with olives, pickled vegetables, hummus, tahini sauce, and lemony roasted cauliflower.

It’s food that on the face of it doesn’t sound complicated. And yet, they took what’s inherently delicious about vegetables and turned it up a notch. It was positively dreamy.

Since that Vancouver trip, I’ve been making lemony roasted cauliflower on the regular. (It can be cooked in the air fryer or oven!) It’s wonderful on its own, but it’s even better in this mouthwatering hummus bowl!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Cooked rice: Cooked rice makes up the base of the bowl. You can make it from scratch following the package directions. Or heat frozen rice for a quick lunch or dinner. Use another type of grain, if you’d prefer.

Roasted cauliflower: Simply seasoned with lemon juice and optional sumac, roasted cauliflower can be made in the air fryer or oven.

Hummus: Homemade hummus is my go-to here. However, if you’re short on time, use store-bought.

Green salad: Baby spinach, onion, and grape tomatoes add color and freshness.

Olives: Grilled olives are a current favorite, but Castelvetrano or kalamata are also terrific here. (Grilled olives are one of my regular Trader Joe’s purchases.)

Lemon: A squeeze of lemon just before serving makes the hummus and cauliflower really pop.

Tahini dressing: I always have a batch of tahini dressing in the fridge. Made with just 3 ingredients, it comes together lightning fast.

Pita: Warmed pita helps with scooping up hummus. To make this dish gluten-free, leave it off (or buy gluten-free pita).

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Hummus bowls with spinach salad and lemony cauliflower by pita.

Put cooked rice into four bowls. Then add spoonfuls of roasted cauliflower and a dollop of hummus.

Add your salad ingredients: baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and onions. Finish with olives and a lemon wedge.

Drizzle everything with creamy tahini dressing.

Serve with warmed pita on the side (optional).

Make it your own

Grilled olives on table with hummus, salad, and roasted cauliflower.

You can make this mouthwatering Mediterranean hummus bowl your own by adding new ingredients or swapping out what’s there.

Make any of these variations:

Replace raw onions with pickled red onions
Vary the olives and serve warmed Castelvetrano olives
Replace rice with quinoa, farro, or couscous
Replace plain hummus with sun-dried tomato hummus, kalamata olive hummus, dill pickle hummus, or baba ganoush
Omit the pita or replace it with pappadum for crunch & scooping up hummus

Add any of the following:

Stuffed grape leaves
Add more veggies like crunchy cucumbers, red bell pepper, radishes, or fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley
Vegan feta cheese
Grilled artichoke hearts from a jar
Roasted chickpeas cooked in the oven or air fryer
Air fryer falafel (or oven baked)
Garlicky turnip pickles (from David Lebovitz)

Tip: This hummus bowl makes a great packed lunch option. Just keep the rice & roasted cauliflower separate, so that you can reheat them before serving with the remaining ingredients.

Also, keep in mind that there’s plenty of room for shortcuts here by using frozen brown rice and store-bought hummus, as opposed to homemade.