Friends, behold: The Vegan Banh Mi.
Consider this my spin on the popular, classic Vietnamese sandwich. So many versions I’ve seen rely on tempeh or tofu as the main filling. But I couldn’t help but wonder if the humble cauliflower could step in and take its place, because it’s fast to prepare, absorbs flavors well, and is so delicious when stir-fried. Spoiler alert: It totally worked.
This recipe comes together in 30 minutes! Yep, that fast, which means it’s lunch- and dinner-friendly (quick meals for the win).
It starts by quick-pickling radish and carrot in vinegar, a little salt, and sugar. This makes them crispy, salty, tangy, and a little sweet. Next comes the main event: the cauliflower.
Origins of Banh Mi
While the literal translation of bánh mì is “bread,” the term is commonly used to refer to a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette or similar French bread.
It’s believed that the bánh mì sandwich originated in the late 1950s in Saigon, Vietnam (source). There are now several different variations of banh mi, but common among them are pickled veggies, fresh herbs, cucumbers, and chilies. You can learn more and find some authentic recipes here.
Our version is not authentic, but a plant-based take that incorporates similar fresh ingredients, pickled veggies, spicy condiments, and herbs on a crunchy baguette.
How to Make a Vegan Banh Mi
First, we marinate the cauliflower in a simple, spicy, savory sauce. Then we sauté and finish by roasting in the oven until tender. Mmm, roasty.
Once the 3-ingredient sriracha mayo is made and the bread is toasted, it’s time to assemble! First aioli, then cauliflower, then pickled vegetables and garnishes. That’s it!
We hope you LOVE this vegan banh mi. It’s:
Hearty
Crunchy
Savory
BIG on flavor
Quick to make
& SO satisfying
This would make the perfect meal when you’re craving a sandwich but want something more than PB&J. It’s the perfect marriage of textures, temperatures, and flavors. Enjoy as is or pair with these Vietnamese-inspired Spring Rolls!
If you’re into cauliflower, also check out our Curried Cauliflower Wings, Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry, Gochujang Cauliflower Wings, Curry Roasted Cauliflower Kale Salad, and The Best Whole Roasted Cauliflower.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Cauliflower Banh Mi
Ingredients
PICKLED VEGETABLES
- 2/3 cup rice wine vinegar (or sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp organic cane sugar (or stevia to taste)
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded daikon or round radish
CAULIFLOWER
- 2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 5 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub tamari and reduce quantity to taste as it’s saltier)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp sesame or avocado oil (if avoiding oil, omit)
- 4 cups (heaped) cauliflower florets (cut in bite-size pieces)
AIOLI
- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo (or store-bought)
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce of choice)
SANDWICH
- 2 small baguettes* (use gluten-free bread to keep gluten-free friendly, such as New Cascadia)
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Fresh cucumber (optional)
- Sliced jalapeño pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C).
- Prepare pickled vegetables first by adding vinegar, hot water, salt, and sugar (or stevia) to a glass jar and shaking or stirring vigorously to dissolve salt and sugar. Then add carrot and radish, stir to coat, and push down to submerge. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill, where they will “quick pickle” until sandwich is ready. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week (sometimes more).
- To a medium mixing bowl, add chili garlic sauce, coconut aminos (or tamari), maple syrup, lime juice, and oil and stir to combine. Then add cauliflower florets and toss to combine.
- Heat a large rimmed oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use a slotted spoon to scoop the cauliflower into the pan, reserving most of the liquid in the bowl.
- Sauté, stirring semi-frequently, until slightly browned on the exterior. Then add most of the reserved marinade (saving a little for serving) and toss to coat. Transfer pan to the oven and bake until crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside – about 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare aioli by adding vegan mayo to a small mixing bowl with maple syrup and sriracha. Stir to combine. Then sample and adjust flavor as needed, adding more sriracha for heat or maple syrup for sweetness. Set in the refrigerator until serving.
- Slice the baguettes in half and toast in the oven (facedown directly on the oven rack) or on a hot grill pan until slightly browned. Then assemble: To the baguette, add aioli to both sides of the bread. Then to one side, add the cauliflower and brush on any leftover cauliflower marinade for more flavor. Last, add pickled vegetables, cilantro (optional), cucumber (optional), and jalapeño (optional).
- Enjoy. Best when fresh, though can be made in the morning and enjoyed for lunch – just refrigerate to keep fresh. Store leftovers separately in the refrigerator (except any un-toasted bread) up to a few days. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*You could also swap the bread for lettuce cups or a collard green wrap to keep this grain-free!
*Inspiration taken from the New York Times.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 sandwich calculated without optional ingredients or toppings.
Erika says
This is an absolute favourite in our house! Delicious!
Whoop! We’re so glad it’s a favorite in your house, Erika. Thank you for sharing! xo
Avery says
I made this all the time a couple years ago but stores all around stopped selling the chili garlic sauce so I stopped making it for awhile and just last week I saw the sauce is back in stock so we’re back in business baby! This is one of my favorites!!
YAY! We’re so glad it’s back in stock and you can now be reunited with this sandwich. Thank you for the lovely review, Avery! xo
Liz says
This is my favorite! Takes some time to prep but completely worth it. Made it several times. The cucumbers are a must for me to cut through the heat. Seriously sooo good!!
We’re so glad you love this recipe, Liz. Thank you for leaving a review! xo
Anne-Marie McMahon says
Just made this and the entire family loved it. “A new taste”. Rich and filling. I think this made a little too much of the mayo aoli so I would cut that down a bit, but otherwise, spot on and going into the rotation. I used a panini press to grill the bread while the cauliflower was baking and it worked out well.
Amazing! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, Anne-Marie! xo
Kaz says
Quick question – is there a sub please for chilli garlic sauce ? surprisingly hard to get in my area
Hi Kaz, you could use sriracha! We have a homemade version if that’s also difficult to get where you are.
Denise says
This one is going into the rotation! It was delicious and satisfying. You did it again, thank you for so many great recipes 😋
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear it, Denise. Thank you for your lovely review! xo
Angie says
This was so delicious! My husband really loved it! I didn’t have the ingredients to make vegan mayo so used guacamole instead! Also I pickled the cucumber and some red bell peppers I had in the fridge and it came out amazing! Thank you!!
Sounds lovely, Angie! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Andrea says
I’m so excited to make this tonight! Was going to make my usual sweet potato bahn mi, but have a beautiful head of purple cauliflower in the fridge that I’ve been meaning to use! So glad I found this recipe! Will report back.
Yay! Enjoy! :)
Rebecca says
LOVE THIS!! One of our favourite meals.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Rebecca! xo
caroline says
used gojuchang instead of sriracha in aioli and grated a garlic clove into it. i will cut the sauce a bit/make sure my heat is higher next time to make the cauliflower less wet and more sticky. this was a great sandwich! it will be in the rotation.
Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Caroline!
Hazel says
So easy and delicious! Love the hint of spiciness. I didn’t have baguettes so I used the artisan burger buns from Costco that I had (similar to Ciabatta) and it was a hit! Love the simplicity and versatility of the pickled veg (I used carrots, cucumbers and red onions). Definitely making this again!
Ooo yum! Sounds delish. Thanks for the wonderful review, Hazel!
Coby says
This is, hands down, one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten! I loved the combination of the spicy cauliflower, jalapeno, and the pickled veggies. I have an aversion to mayo, so for the aioli I used plain vegan yogurt instead. I can’t wait to make this again!
Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review, Coby!
Kie says
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a couple of times and it’s a hit each time. The flavors are sweet and spicy (a little) and wildly satisfying.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kie. We are so glad you enjoy the recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Jill Bedford says
This was delicious! Thank you for the yummiest of recipes!
Woohoo! Thanks for the great review, Jill!
Gabby says
Delicious. I had some pickled carrots on hand, so just used those and skipped the radish, and used 3 tbsp of tamari in place of the coconut aminos + sambal oelek in place of the sriracha for the aioli. Cauliflower’s one of those vegetables I don’t eat nearly enough of, so I’m stoked to add a recipe centered around them to the rotation that really hits the spot!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Gabby! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Donna says
Made these sandwiches a couple of nights ago. We all loved them! After dinner I read the nutrition information, which I found that the sodium level is pretty high. So in the future I am going to try and reduce the aminos to maybe 4 tablespoons. We’ll see how that goes. We had leftovers which I used some of the cauliflower and aioli in a salad. Very tasty! Then I used the rest of the leftovers to make wraps adding some avocado and a mix of greens. They turned out wonderful! Thank you for such a versatile, tasty recipe! Your style of cooking is just what we like. Fewer ingredients, with lots of flavor, and simple to make.
We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Donna! Thank you for sharing! xo
Robin Miller says
This was absolutely delicious, we love regular Bahn mi, but this will now be our go-to at home. I think toasting the bread is key! Next time I will use even less liquid with the cauliflower, so it is more “dry roasted” and will maybe get some more browned bits. I also slivered the jalapeno and added it to the quick pickle.
Ooo yum! Love the idea of pickled jalapeño! Thanks for the great review, Robin, so glad you enjoyed!
Amy says
This recipe is amazing. Flavor pops in your mouth. I didn’t know if I’d like the cauliflower, but wow oh wow, the texture after baking is so delightful and when you mix the spicy sweet of that with the tanginess of the radish/carrots and the coolness of the cucumbers/cilantro and the spicy mayo to top it off — it’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted and definitely falls into my list of top recipes of all time. Daughter is coming home from college this week and I’ve promised to make it for her — she’s excited. Thank you for this recipe!
Aw, love everything about this! Thank you so much for sharing, Amy! xoxo
Andrea says
This was incredible!! I only had frozen cauliflower – roasted that in the oven – about 15 minutes from frozen then pulled it out and tossed with the sauce and back in to finish roasting until a little roast char and done. I also swapped the aioli for Sriracha hummus and it was so glorious! This is one I want to invite friends over to make this so they can taste how good it is!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it so much, Andrea. Thank you for sharing! xo
Katrina says
I love this recipe! However instead of bread I use soft corn tortillas and make banh mi tacos.
Ooo, yum! Thanks for sharing, Katrina!
Kaila says
Amazing!! Will 100% make again, Bahn Mi is one of the only foods I’ve missed since going vegetarian and this recipe is a game changer! Thank you!!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Kaila! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Heather says
We make this literally every other week, it’s our favorite recipe! We use slices of tofu instead of cauliflower. Love!
Amazing! So glad you enjoy this recipe so much, Heather. Thanks for the great review!
K says
I made a version of this recipe recently with extra firm, pressed tofu instead of cauliflower. Used the same marinade and let it sit for about a half-hour before pan-frying what I needed for one sandwich (the rest marinated until the next day and was even better!) Made the pickled veg with half rice wine vinegar and half ACV and added sliced Persian cucumber to the mix. I wouldn’t personally recommend the ACV as it made it very vinegary and not as light as I would have liked it or as it probably would be with just the RWV. Overall, for an altered version of this recipe, I liked it but can’t wait to make it again so I can do it better than my Frankenstein version this last time around. Thanks again for another great recipe, MB!
Thank you for sharing!
Jamie says
This recipe is fantastic. I didn’t even marinate the cauliflower, only roasted with some salt and pepper and it’s one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten. Thanks for the recipe!
We’re glad to hear you enjoy it so much, Jamie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Eva says
This is the best thing ever! Thank youuuu!!!!! I’ve made it like 5 times already since I first tried it.
Yay! Thanks so much, Eva. So glad you enjoy it!
Kai Lindsay says
Amazing! I used hummus instead of the vegan Mayo simply because I didn’t have any and I also put it on your gf flat bread 🤩 the best !! I can’t recommend this enough.
Yumm – sounds delish! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kai!
Amrita says
This recipes is incredible delicious. I have made for a few friends and family they absolutely loved it.
Yay! We’re so glad to hear that, Amrita! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Luke says
Made it using daikon, and used light soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos. It was so delicious, the 4.97/5 rating is not an exaggeration. Will definitely be making this a million more times.
Really great recipe, thanks very much!
Woohoo! SO glad you enjoyed it, Luke. Thank you for sharing!
Steff says
This recipe is amazing, total flavour bomb. Took me about an hour total, but well worth the time. I only used about 1/3 of the sriracha mayo and pickled veggies, so next time I’ll either make sure I have a 2nd head of cauliflower to do up another batch the next day, or cut those parts in half. Or, perhaps I should try this with tofu the second day (marinade in probably half a batch of the sauce, then bake?), hmmm…
Ooo – such a good idea! Thanks for the lovely review, Steff, let us know how your tofu experiment goes! xo
Inge says
I made this today for Fathers Day lunch. It was delicious! I had to triple the recipe so pre-sautéed the cauliflower in batches and then roasted it all together in a large roasting pan. I subbed the baguettes for ciabatta. Everyone (even the non-vegans) loved it. It was perfect.
Wonderful! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing, Inge! xo
Ashley says
Really loved this recipe. The flavors were so balanced and overall definitely a favorite.
The only thing (for me) is that I could not get the cauliflower crispy in the oven, it seemed like the amount of marinade I added to my cast iron was very excessive and didn’t allow for any crispness to happen!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Ashley! It won’t get super crispy, but should have a crispy exterior. You can definitely experiment with using less marinade (saving more for brushing at the end) to see if that helps.
Eileen says
I served this over rice rather than on a baguette, added more vegetables (watercress, micro-greens) – delicious!
Sounds like a lovely meal! Thank you for sharing, Eileen! xo
Elaine says
One of my favorite recipes. I stopped eating meat almost two years ago. I loved traditional Banh Mi sandwiches and never imagined a vegetable version could replace the intensely delicious flavor. This one does. I couldn’t believe it the first time I made it. Now I have it marked as “Fav” in my recipe book and make it often. Incredible.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elaine. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jennie says
Bahn Mi’s are one of my favorite foods and definitely my favorite sandwich. After my favorite vegan Bahn Mi shop closed down, I’ve had a hard time finding a replacement. I was *so delighted* that this one hit the spot and that now I know how to make my favorite sandwich!
The first time I made it completely as is, the second time I made a batch of Viet Vegan’s vegan pate for some added protein. I highly recommend this step but either way the sammy is delicious and one of my meat eating fiance’s favorite vegan meals as well! Thank you Dana.
We’re so glad you both enjoy it, Jennie! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Elizabeth says
This recipe always hits the spot and comes together so quickly!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth! xo
Julia says
Arguably one of the best things I’ve ever made! Ticks all the boxes, wouldn’t change a thing! I’ve probably made it 20+ times now because it is THAT good! Thank you for another great recipe.
So great! Thanks for sharing, Julia!