This Vietnamese Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì sandwich has spicy tofu, pickled carrots, sriracha mayo, cucumber, and jalapeño on a baguette.
The Best Vegan Sandwich Ever
This Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì is my all-time favorite sandwich. I could literally eat it several times a month if I wasn’t a food blogger.
I’ve been making this sandwich for years, but I didn’t want to post it until I found some good buns to serve it on.
I used to eat it with a brown rice tortilla, which was not ideal. It wasn’t until I found out that you could make buns out of Pamela’s pizza mix, that I felt this recipe was ready to post.
The other vegan gluten free buns that I’ve tried just weren’t worthy, and I wanted to do this sandwich justice by serving it on a really good baguette.
The Perfect Balance of Flavors and Textures
This Tofu Bánh Mì has just the right balance of textures and flavors. The extra firm tofu is marinated in sesame oil, tamari, and sriracha sauce giving it a spicy savory umami flavor.
The pickled carrots are sweet, tangy, and crunchy. They are quick pickled in sugar and brown rice vinegar.
Vegan sriracha mayo adds a creamy spicy flavor. To add even more spice, there’s sliced jalapeños. You could use serrano if you like it really spicy. Lime juice and cilantro add a bright note.
If you’re vegan and gluten free like me, you know how hard it can be to get a sandwich at a restaurant that has vegan gluten free bread. For this recipe I used Pamela’s pizza mix to make the buns.
It’s totally worth the extra step. I’ve never come across vegan gluten free buns as good as this pizza mix.
The buns have a wonderful yeasty flavor. They are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside – just like you would expect from a great baguette.
Other Vegan Sandwiches You Might Like
- Portobello Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Sliders
- Vegan Refried Bean Burrito with Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus
- ALT (Avocado, Lettuce, and Tomato) Wrap
- Vegan Teriyaki Reuben with Spicy Thousand Island Dressing
How to Make a Tofu Bánh Mì
- If you’re using Pamela’s pizza mix to make buns, make them the day before to make things easier. The dough can stay in the fridge if you aren’t ready to form them and bake them.
- Let the pizza mix rise for 2 hours. When you form it into buns, oil your hands. The mixture is sticky! All the directions are on Pamela’s website for different bun recipes and there are videos you can watch to help also.
- Make the pickled carrots the day before so that they can marinate and for faster assembly when you want to eat.
- Drain and press the tofu to get the water out.
- The tofu should marinate for at least an hour to overnight. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
- For even more spice, swap out the sliced jalapeño for serrano pepper.
- For a better bun to filling ratio, scoop out some of the bread out of the buns – mainly the top bun if it’s larger than the bottom bun.
- The whole sandwich can be microwaved for about a minute or so if needed. That way you can bring a premade sandwich to work without assembling it during your lunch break.
Tofu Bánh Mì Recipe
This Vegan Bánh Mì is sure become a family favorite! During grilling season make a Vegan Bánh Mì Hot Dog.
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Here’s the mix I used to make the buns. They are really good – you won’t regret it!
Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì
This Vietnamese Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì sandwich has spicy tofu, pickled carrots, sriracha mayo, cucumber, and jalapeño on a baguette.
Ingredients
Marinated Tofu
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu drained and pressed
- 1 tablespoon low sodium gluten free tamari
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil divided
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Pickled Carrots
- 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 carrot julienned
Sriracha Mayo*
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
Sandwiches
- 1 baguette cut into 4" slices or 4 buns - I used Pamela's pizza mix
- 1/2 of an English cucumber, thinnly sliced
- 1 sliced jalapeño
- 2 limes sliced in half
- 1 bunch cilantro
Instructions
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Marinated Tofu: Mix tamari, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and sriracha sauce. Slice tofu into 6 long strips. Place in the marinade. Marinate for at least an hour.
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Spread 1 tablespoon sesame oil on a hot pan. Place tofu slices on pan. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.
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Pickled Carrots: Mix brown rice vinegar and sugar. Either let sit until sugar dissolves, or heat on stovetop or in microwave to dissolve faster. Place julienned carrot in mixture. Let sit overnight.
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Sriracha Mayo: Mix all ingredients.
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Sandwiches: For a better bun to filling ratio, scoop out some of the bread - especially the top bun if it's larger than the bottom bun. Slather sriracha mayo on buns. Layer tofu, sliced cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño on top.
Recipe Notes
*If you like to slather both pieces of bread with sriracha mayo, you'll want to double the sriracha mayo recipe.
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Chris says
I can see why this is your favorite sandwich. My family loved it!
Willow Moon says
I’m so glad! Thanks Chris!