This tofu banh mi sandwich is a take on the Vietnamese classic and is loaded with marinated tofu, herbs and homemade picked veggies for a sandwich filled with flavour!
I’m not generally a huge sandwich person, but if there’s one sandwich I can get behind, it’s this tofu banh mi!
I first tried a banh mi sandwich on a trip to Vietnam a few years ago, and I instantly fell in love. Vietnamese food is bursting with vibrant fresh flavours, and the banh mi sandwich is no exception!
So first let’s cover some basics here.
what exactly is banh mi?
Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a baguette type of bread and traditionally filled with meat, pork pate, pickled vegetables and mayonnaise. Fun Fact, the term “banh mi” refers to “baguette in Vietnamese!
For today’s recipe, we’re doing a vegan take on the classic and using some marinated tofu in place of the meat, and a vegan mayonnaise.
How to make banh mi
Banh mi (like most sandwiches) are pretty easy to make, but will require a bit of prep work. For starters, you’re going to want to marinade the tofu and pickle the veggies overnight for best results. Though if you’re short on time, at least one hour should do .
Once the ingredients are prepared, it’s as simple as cooking up the tofu and then assembling the sandwich.
Many traditional banh mi recipes will use a soft variety of baguette, but I love making this sandwich with a crusty Italian baguette.
A few notes on the recipe
This tofu banh mi sandwich starts by marinading some lemongrass tofu. If you can’t find fresh lemongrass, you can just leave out this ingredient entirely.
The tofu is best marinaded overnight, so I’d definitely recommend doing so if you have the time. But if you’re a bit pressed on time, just marinade it for at least an hour. Same goes for the picked veggies. The longer you let them soak the more “pickled” they’ll get!
I use a mix of daikon and carrots for the pickled veggies, but you also use some radishes, red onion or even some purple cabbage to mix things up!
If you love this make sure to check out this banh mi bowl with sticky tofu for a fun twist on this classic recipe!
Enjoy!
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This is a vegan take on the classic Vietnamese sandwich. It’s made with marinated tofu, pickled veggies and crusty baguette!
Ingredients
Tofu:
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 1-inch cube ginger, chopped
- 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
Picked veggies:
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup carrots, cut into sticks or peeled
- 1/2 cup daikon, cut into sticks or peeled
Other:
- 1 baguette
- 1/4 cucumber, sliced
- cilantro
- green onions
- vegan mayonnaise
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Make the tofu: Mix the marinade together and place the tofu in the marinade. Let sit overnight or at least 1 hour before baking. Bake tofu at 420 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Make the pickled veggies: Mix the vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Cut the carrots and daikons into thin sticks and place in the pickling mixture overnight or for at least an hour.
- Build your banh mi: Cut a piece of the baguette and spread some vegan mayonnaise and hoisin sauce onto the bread. Fill with the marinated tofu, pickled veggies, sliced cucumber, green onions and cilantro. Optionally add some sriracha for spice!
Notes
Feel free to add in any veggies or sauces you like to this sandwich!
If you like your bread warm, gently head the banh mi in a panini press for 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 535
- Sugar: 20g
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 72g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 15g
Keywords: How to make a banh mi vegan, what is a banh mi
Such a good sandwhich! I made it a few days ago and my husband has already requested it again 🙂 I assumed one recipe used one 350g block of extra firm tofu — however I guessed how thin to slice it and went with 3 slices per block. The slices seemed a bit thick, so I’m trying 4 slices per block this time around.
So good though! <3 Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Hi Maya, thank you for the review! Some blocks of tofu may differ in size slightly, but you can slice the tofu as thin or as thick as you like! If you slice it more thinly, it can be slightly more flavourful after marinading since you will have more tofu in touch with the marinade. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
It´s such a great idea! I love Vietnamese food but I´ve never tried to make a sandwich like this one. Your photos look great as well. Happy Weekend 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much Melanie!
I am not a huge sandwich person…how is that possible? Lol. In any event, your banh mi looks and sounds amazing! Especially loved those pickled veggies!
Thanks Nisha! To be honest I rarely eat sandwiches but whenever I do I’m like oh wait..these are delicious!
This looks so delicious, Jess!
The perfect snack!😋
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
★★★★★
Thanks so much Bianca! 🙂 xo
Such a great sandwich! Loved how the tofu was marinated.
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the review! Happy you enjoyed!