Best Vegan Banh Mi Sandwich

The secrets to the most flavourful Banh Mi are a flavourful paté, succulent vegan ‘meat’ filling, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs – learn how to make them here!

What is Banh Mi?

Banh Mi is also known as a Vietnamese Baguette made with traditional ingredients used in Vietnamese cuisine. They are a street food, said to originate in Saigon. They are often served with French baguettes, that are on the softer side compared to traditional ones. Typically, they contain pickled carrots, white radish (daikon), chilies, coriander, mayo, sauce and a protein, like chicken, pork, beef or paté. But obviously we want to make this without any cruelty involved, so I used a plant-based soy ‘chicken’. You can also use tofu or tempeh if you want to keep it whole foods plant based.

The easiest part of making this Banh Mi Sandwich is the filling – the vegetables doesn’t require much precision as you can see in my recipe below. They are also completely plant-based making this sub 100% vegan and healthy.

The best Banh Mi I have tasted so far is the Saigon Delight from The Kind Bowl, a fully vegan Vietnamese Restaurant in Singapore. The flavours in this Banh Mi are heavily inspired by this and can be made in the comfort of your home to satisfy your cravings.

What Do I Need to Make This?

There are 5 components to this dish: let’s break it down.

First, obviously you would need a soft French baguette. You can use a regular french baguette for this if you can’t find a Vietnamese baguette. I had trouble finding a vegan Vietnamese Baguette but after stumbling upon a few places, I managed to find them here (not sponsored). I’ve double checked with the chef that the baguette is 100% vegan. Disclaimer: some of their ingredient listed on their website is inaccurate.

It’s also not the most traditional version so I’m taking this as a sign that I should learn how to make my own bread. Haha.

Then you would need all the ingredients to make a good vegan paté – vegan of course! I made mine with:

• white button mushrooms
• chives
• walnuts
• seasonings
• vegan fish sauce
• soy sauce

After which comes your pickled vegetables – these are super important to make your sub taste like Banh Mi. I used carrots and white radish submerged in the vinegar solution for a day. Make sure you eat them within 4 days to retain the crunchiness of the vegetables.

For protein, I made a soy glazed vegan ‘chicken’ with soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, agave, lime juice and corn starch slurry. Pro tip: Smash your vegan ‘chicken’ pieces for a deeper and richer flavour.

Fresh herbs are a must for Banh Mi: specifically coriander (or cilantro, they’re the same) and red chillies. If you can’t take spice, feel free to leave the chillies out.

Optionally, you can also add some vegan mayo and sriracha for a sauce boost – because why not?!

What’s more, with this recipe you can make around 5 to 6 sandwiches that you can either meal prep or make for your family. People around you can taste the goodness of this!