Home > Dinner > Banh Mi Bowls Banh Mi Bowls April 3, 2017 | 25 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. These Banh Mi Bowls are packed with seasoned ground pork, quick veggie slaw, and the best sauce. These bowls are easy to make, packed with nutrition, and delicious! Banh Mi Bowls First things first, I claim no authenticity to Vietnamese food with these Banh Mi bowls. But in creating this dish, I was inspired by a Banh mi sandwich. And these bowls have some of the components and flavors of a banh mi sandwich so banh mi bowls it is! And these bowls are so good. So good in fact, that my husband (who rarely enjoys eating the same meals over and over again) asked if I could make this often for our weekly meal prepping 🙂 These bowls are quick & easy to make. Although there are a few different steps to making these Banh Mi bowls: the base, meat, toppings, and sauce — each element is simple and comes together quickly. How to make Banh Mi Bowls First up: the base which I’m using regular white rice here. You can use really whatever you’d like: brown rice or white rice, quinoa, farro, barley, etc. Next: the “meat.” Banh Mi’s are typically made with sliced pork or pork belly, so I’m using ground pork for these bowls. Browning the pork takes mere minutes and there aren’t too many added ingredients: salt + pepper, garlic, green onions, basil, Sriracha, a little white sugar, and fish sauce. If you don’t eat pork (or the smell of the pork cooking bothers you) feel free to use ground beef or ground chicken. While I haven’t tried either, I imagine they’d be delicious in the place of pork. The pork base in this recipe is adapted from these pork meatballs from Epicurious. We are obsessed with them! How to make Banh Mi Bowls cont. Third: the bowl additions: cilantro, lime, jalapeños, cucumber sticks, and pickled carrots + radishes. The first four additions require very little prep: coarsely chop or pull off cilantro leaves, slice the limes to wedges, thinly slice the jalapeños, and matchstick the cucumber. Add any or all of these to the bowls. The pickled carrots + radishes take a couple extra minutes to throw together, but the flavor they add to these Banh Mi Bowls is well worth the effort! I’m using regular red radishes in these photos, but if you’re hoping for something more authentic I’d recommend daikon radishes. Last: the sauce. Truly what ties everything together; this sauce is unbeatable! Again, super simple to prepare and just a few ingredients: lime zest + juice, Sriracha, and mayo! Assemble the Banh Mi bowls: base – meat – toppings – sauce and enjoy! More Easy Bowl Dinners: Navajo Taco Bowls Sweet Potato Taco Bowls Mojo Salmon Bowls Grilled Avocado Bowls Burrito Bowls FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Banh Mi Bowls 5 from 13 votes - Review this recipe The beloved Vietnamese Banh Mi in simple bowl form. Easy to make, packed with nutrition, and delicious! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Banh Mi Bowls 5 from 13 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe The beloved Vietnamese Banh Mi in simple bowl form. Easy to make, packed with nutrition, and delicious! Course Dinner Cuisine Vietnamese Keyword Banh Mi Bowls Prep Time 25 minutes minutes Cook Time 10 minutes minutes Total Time 35 minutes minutes Servings 4 -6 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 317kcal Author Chelsea Lords IngredientsMeat▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil▢ 1 pound ground pork▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper (1 teaspoon of each)▢ 3 green onions, finely chopped▢ 4 garlic cloves, minced▢ 1 tablespoon fish sauce▢ 1 tablespoon sriracha▢ 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar▢ 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basilBowls▢ 1 cup uncooked white or brown rice▢ 2 cups matchstick carrots▢ 2 cups radishes, cut into matchsticks (for a more authentic use peeled daikon -- Japanese white radish)▢ 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar▢ 1/4 cup white granulated sugar▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt▢ 1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks▢ fresh cilantro, jalapeños, additional green onionsSauce▢ 1/2 cup full fat regular mayo▢ 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon lime zest▢ 1 tablespoon Sriracha InstructionsBowlsCombine the matchstick carrots, matchstick radishes, rice vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon 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.SauceWhisk all of the ingredients: the mayo, lime juice, lime zest, and sriracha into a bowl until smooth. Cover and chill in the fridge.Meat:In a large pan, add the sesame oil. Heat to medium high and then add in the pork and salt + pepper. Cook the pork, breaking with a spoon into small pieces, until cooked through, about 7-9 minutes. Stir in the green onions and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Stir in the fish sauce, sriracha, and sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil. To assemble: Divide the cooked rice evenly among 4 bowls. Top with even amounts of the pork. Using a slotted spoon, pull out even amounts of the pickled veggies and place in the bowls. Add even amounts of matchstick cucumber to the bowls. Finish off the bowls with desired amounts of sauce and optional additions as desired: fresh cilantro, fresh green onions, thinly sliced jalapenos, and lime wedges. Video Recipe Notes*Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets. **Available at some supermarkets and at Asian markets. Nutrition FactsCalories: 317kcal We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below. Recipe adapted from Epicurious
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! Reply
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. Reply
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!! Reply
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! Reply
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! Reply
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! 🙂 Reply
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 👌 Reply
Is there a sub for fish sauce? I hate the smell of it. Should I just leave it out or use soy sauce? Reply
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. Reply
This was recommended by a friend and omg it was so good! I was missing some ingredients so I had to substitute a few things and it was still amazing. Reply
