Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì

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This Vietnamese Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì sandwich has spicy tofu, pickled carrots, sriracha mayo, cucumber, and jalapeño on a baguette.

Spicy Tofu Bánh Mì cut in half on a cutting board.

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"Excellent recipe! It has become a family go to favorite and a sandwich my kids look forward to eating ☺️ - Molly"

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.

This Tofu Bánh Mì has just the right balance of textures and flavors. The extra-firm tofu is marinated in sesame oil, tamari (Japanese soy sauce), 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 are sliced jalapeños. You could use a serrano pepper if you like it really spicy. Lime juice and cilantro add a bright note.

Another tofu recipe to try is my Vegan Lunch Meat.

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❤️ Why You'll Love It
🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
💭 Tips
👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
Other Vegan Sandwiches
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

It has the perfect balance of flavors. It has sweet, spicy, and umami flavors.
It is comforting and flavorful.
It is my favorite sandwich on the blog. Maybe it'll become yours too!

🧾 Ingredients

Marinated tofu

Tofu: I used extra firm tofu packed in water found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. You could also use firm tofu.
Tamari: I like to use low-sodium gluten-free tamari because I like to control the amount of sodium. You could also use soy sauce, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos.
Sesame oil: Adds a nutty flavor.
Sriracha sauce: Adds a spicy flavor.

Pickled carrots

Carrots: I like to thinly julienne the carrots. You could also slice them into round discs.
Brown rice vinegar: Adds a tangy flavor. You could also use apple cider vinegar.
Sugar: Adds sweetness.

Sriracha mayo

Vegan mayonnaise: I like Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart. Use your favorite vegan mayo.
Sriracha sauce: Adds a spicy flavor.
Lime juice: Adds a tangy flavor.

Sandwiches

Baguette: I used Pamela's gluten-free pizza mix to make a baguette. When I updated this recipe I used a gluten-free baguette from Trader Joe's. One of Trader Joe's employees said it's not always an item they have in stock, but you might get lucky! Use your favorite baguette.
Cucumber: I used an English cucumber because it is less bitter and has fewer seeds than an American cucumber.
Jalapeño: Adds spice. For even more spice, use sliced serrano peppers.
Limes: For serving - to juice on the buns or ingredients.
Cilantro: Leave it off if you don't like cilantro.

To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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🔪 Instructions

Collage photo of pickled carrots marinade, then carrots added. Then sriracha mayo in a small bowl, then mixed.

Step 1: Mix brown rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.

Step 2: Once sugar is dissolved, add julienned carrots. Let sit overnight.

Step 3: Add vegan mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, and lime juice to a small bowl.

Step 4: Mix until all the clumps are out.

Collage of tofu being marinated, then placed in a pan, next cooked, and last bread scooped out of a baguette.

Step 5: Marinate drained and pressed tofu in a mixture of sesame oil, tamari, sesame oil, and sriracha for at least 1 hour to overnight.

Step 6: Add tofu slices to a skillet. Heat on medium heat.

Step 7: Cook tofu until golden brown on all sides.

Step 8: Toast buns. Scoop out some of the buns for a better bun-to-filling ratio.

Open faced banh mi sandwich on a cutting board.

Step 9: Slather sriracha mayo on the buns. Layer tofu, sliced cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño on top.

💭 Tips

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. This helps the tofu get crispier.
The tofu should marinate for at least an hour to overnight.
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 sliced in half on a cutting board.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

What is a substitute for bánh mì rolls?

A baguette makes a great substitute for bánh mì rolls. I used pizza mix to make a gluten-free baguette.

What is a bánh mì made of?

A banh mi can be made up of a variety of ingredients. For this vegan bánh mì, I used tofu cooked in tamari, sesame oil, and sriracha sauce. I layered the tofu along with pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, sriracha mayo, jalapeño, and cilantro on a gluten-free baguette.

*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.

Comments

4.75 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)