grain bowl

noun

plural grain bowls

: a dish typically consisting of an individual portion of a cooked grain (such as rice, quinoa, or farro) served in a bowl with accompaniments such as vegetables, beans, meat or fish, and sauce

Like many cooks I know, I don't always follow recipes for grain bowls at home. Instead, I tend to use up what I have in the fridge and pantry, mixing and matching, figuring out how to make odds and ends delicious.

—Tejal Rao

Arrange, don't mix. Part of a grain bowl's appeal is the visual distinctiveness of its various parts—toss it all together, and it's no longer eye candy.

—Carrie Dennett

Examples of grain bowl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To use it raw, shred or thinly slice it and add it to coleslaws, salads, or grain bowls for a satisfying crunch. —Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2026

Finish roasted vegetables or soup with a generous pour, use it as a dip with bread, toss it into a grain bowl or whisk it into a quick salad dressing. —Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

The protein can easily be repurposed into salads, wraps, or grain bowls later in the week, and the sides reheat well. —Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026

Fried rice, frittatas, grain bowls and big soups are all built for this moment. —Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grain bowl

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol