These Banh Mi Bowls feature seasoned ground pork, quick veggie slaw, and a flavorful sauce. Easy to make and delicious!
Banh Mi Bowls
I don’t claim authenticity to Vietnamese cuisine with these Banh Mi Bowls, but they’re inspired by the flavors and components of a Banh Mi sandwich—hence the name!
These bowls are so good that even my husband, who rarely likes repeating meals, asked if they could be a regular for weekly meal prep.
Despite having a few steps—the base, meat, toppings, and sauce—each element is simple and comes together quickly.
How To Make Banh Mi Bowls
- Base: I’m using white rice, but you can use brown rice, quinoa, or barley instead.
- Meat: Traditional Banh Mi uses sliced pork or pork belly, but I chose ground pork here. Don’t like pork? Try ground beef or chicken!
- Toppings: Add cilantro, lime wedges, jalapeño slices, cucumber sticks, and quick-pickled veggies.
- Sauce: This sauce brings it all together! Mix lime zest and juice, Sriracha, and mayo—it’s simple and so good.
- Assemble: Layer the base, meat, toppings, and sauce, and dig in!
Quick Pickled Veggies
These quick-pickled veggies are ready in mins with just a few ingredients. Mix carrots, radishes, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stirring until dissolved.
- Similar-Sized Pieces: Cut the carrots and radishes into similar-sized slices for even pickling.
- Resting Time: Let the pickled veggies sit at room temp for about an hour, stirring gently every 15–20 mins to help the flavors soak into the veggies.
- Flavor Boost: Let them sit longer or add more vinegar if you want more tang.
- Draining: Use a slotted spoon to add the pickled veggies to Bahn Mi Bowls, leaving the extra liquid behind so the dish isn’t too wet.
Banh Mi Bowls Tips
- Rice: Use ready-to-eat rice for a quicker base, or try quinoa or farro instead.
- Pickled Veggies: Make the pickled carrots and radishes a day ahead to boost flavor and make prep easier.
- Sauce: Use more or less Sriracha depending on how spicy you like it.
- Toppings: Prep toppings like cilantro, cucumbers, and jalapeños while the meat cooks to save time.
- Extra Sauce: Double the sauce recipe if you love a saucy bowl or want extra for dipping!
Storage
Leftovers?
- Rice and meat: Keep in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Pickled veggies: Store in their liquid in a jar or container for up to a week.
- Sauce: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Toppings: Prep fresh for Bahn Mi Bowls as needed for the best flavor.
More Easy Bowl Dinners:
- Navajo Taco Bowls with a homemade fry bread
- Sweet Potato Taco Bowls perfect vegetarian meal
- Mojo Salmon Bowls with pineapple
- Baked Chicken Bowls with baked chicken
- Burrito Bowls with a yummy chili lime sauce
Banh Mi Bowls
A unique take on a Vietnamese classic, Banh Mi Bowls are simple and absolutely delicious!
Equipment
- Large pan
Ingredients
Meat
Base
- 1 cup uncooked white rice or brown rice
- 2 cups matchstick carrots
- 2 cups matchstick radishes or daikon, Japanese white radish
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 English cucumber cut into matchsticks
Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
Toppings
- Fresh cilantro optional
- Jalapeños optional
- Green onions optional
Instructions
- To prepare the base, combine the matchstick carrots, matchstick radishes, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for one hour, gently stirring the mixture every 15–20 minutes. Follow package directions to cook the rice. Set aside when finished.
- Zest limes with a zester to get 1/4 teaspoon zest. Juice the limes using a citrus juicer to get 3 tablespoons lime juice. To make the sauce, whisk mayo, lime juice, lime zest, and sriracha in a bowl until smooth. Cover and chill in the fridge.
- Add the sesame oil to a large pan. Heat to medium-high and then add in the pork, salt, and pepper. Break the pork into small pieces with a spoon until cooked through, about 7–9 minutes. Stir in the green onions and cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the fish sauce, sriracha, and sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil.
- Divide the cooked rice evenly among 4 bowls. Top rice in each bowl with pork. Using a slotted spoon, add pickled veggies to each bowl, then add even amounts of matchstick cucumber to the bowls. Finish off the bowls with desired amounts of sauce and optional toppings.
Video
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep sauce separate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.7g | Protein: 40.7g | Fat: 18.3g | Cholesterol: 106.6mg | Sodium: 721.9mg | Fiber: 5.1g | Sugar: 21.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was a hit in our house! Followed the recipe completely and wouldn’t change a thing!
Everyone loved this! So delicious and fresh tasting. Will definitely be adding this to our meal rotation. Thank you for this, it is different so it woke up our tastebuds for sure.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Ann! 🙂
Is there a sub for fish sauce? I hate the smell of it. Should I just leave it out or use soy sauce?
You can totally just leave it out! Thanks Ellen! 🙂
Worcestersire sauce is basically the same thing
These were to die for! I saw the recipe and was so excited to try it and it did not disappoint. The pickled carrots were amazing! I decided to pickle some cucumbers and jalapenos along with them and they were delicious! And the seasoning for the meat was just perfect 👌
Yummy! I’m so happy you loved these Banh Mi Bowls! 🙂
I added ginger and cinnamon to the meat sauce, left out the sugar. Really tasty!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
OMG, delicious. I added ginger and used soy sauce instead of fish sauce just because I didn’t have it in my cupboard and with the sesame sauce it was a hit! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Gabs! I’m so glad you were able to work with what you had! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Very Very delicious!!! Will definitely make again, however the prep time should be adjusted to reflect the hour that the slaw sits in total while you toss every 15-20 min. Other than that, no complaints!
These were so delicious! They are unique and fresh. I am trying to find healthy, flavor-packed meals my family will enjoy and Chelsea has really helped. Thank you!!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these! Thank you so much Stacy! 🙂
This recipe was to die for. I served it on cauliflower rice and it was seriously amazing. cant wait to eat the left overs today.
Oooh it sounds awesome on cauliflower rice! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
This was delicious! Didn’t necessarily taste like a banh mi, but the spiciness was spot on, and the crunch with the vegetables was perfect. Loved it!
Yes, not totally authentic, but delicious right?! 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment Cindy!