Our Family’s Favorite Vegan Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich

My easy vegan tofu banh mi sandwich combines the flavors of the traditional Vietnamese banh mi, yet it’s much easier and quicker to make at home. Imagine a piece of lovely, crusty baguette split lengthwise, filled with layers of thinly sliced quick-pickled veggies and crispy salt and pepper tofu, then finished with a drizzle of spicy chili garlic aioli and a sprinkle of aromatic fresh herbs. Yum!

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I’ve been making this vegan tofu banh mi sandwich recipe for many years. This is one of our family’s favorite recipes for nights when we want a flavorful sandwich for dinner but don’t feel like putting in a lot of effort.

Since Rob and I made a switch to a vegan diet 11 years ago, I’ve had vegan banh mi a few times at restaurants and even made it a couple times at home using recipes off the internet.

There were some hits and misses – more misses, to be exact, like an odd contraption I’d call a peanut butter and mushroom sandwich. I know, what in the world? 😆

But even when a vegan banh mi recipe was a hit, the amount of work, ingredients and cooking steps was often a turn off.

I mean, who wants to labor in the kitchen all night (or even start the daikon radish-marinating process the night before) just for a couple sandwiches? Not me!

This is why, when I started developing my own meatless banh mi sandwich recipe, I decided to look for an easier and quicker way to make it without compromising on flavor.

This is how today’s vegan banh mi recipe was born!

What is Banh Mi Sandwich?

Traditionally, banh mi sandwich is a Vietnamese-French hybrid that consists of a piece of baguette split lengthwise and filled with pickled daikon radishes, carrots, sliced cucumber, cilantro, chili peppers, and some sort of meat – sliced ham, shredded pork, head cheese, or even liver pate.

The name “banh mi” literally means “bread” in Vietnamese. Baguette was introduced in Vietnam in 19th century when Vietnam was a part of French Indochina (source).

The sandwich became widely popular in Saigon in the 1950s. Its popularity was spread into the Western world after the Vietnam war.

The vegetarian or vegan version of banh mi is known as bánh mì chay. Tofu is one of the most popular meat substitutes used in bánh mì chay, although there are variations made with mushrooms, jackfruit, vegan meat substitutes, etc.

My Version of Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich

My tofu banh mi recipe cuts a few corners to make things go quicker and easier.

Cut Corner #1: Tofu

Instead of marinating the tofu before cooking, or tossing it in some kind of sauce, I just season my tofu slices with salt and pepper, and pan-fry them until golden brown.

​( I also included instructions for cooking the tofu in the oven or in the air fryer.)

I find that the rest of the sandwich components add enough flavor that there’s no need to do anything other than that with the tofu.

Cut Corner #2: Vegetables

I use red radishes instead of daikon (which may not always be available in regular grocery stores), and pickle them quickly in a tangy-sweet marinade made with rice vinegar, lime juice, and maple syrup.

The radishes are pickled along with thinly sliced carrots. 

The pickling process doesn’t take long at all: I start marinating the veggies first thing, and by the time I go through the rest of the steps of this recipe, my pickled veggies are done!

I also add thinly sliced cucumbers to my banh mi sandwich for a delicious, fresh flavor and a nice crunch. However, I don’t pickle the cucumbers (but you can if you want to).

You can also marinate thinly sliced zucchini in this marinade to add even more veggies to your vegan banh mi sandwich.

Cut Corner #3: Spicy Sauce

For an even bigger boost of flavor, I make a simple garlic-chili aioli sauce by combining chili garlic sauce (a.k.a. sambal oelek) and vegan mayo.

I love the flavor of this aioli so much that I often use it as a dip for fresh veggies.

This sandwich gets even more delicious when you load it up with herbs like cilantro, Thai basil and mint. But if you don’t have all of them, no problem – just use one or two of those, and the sandwich will still be delicious.

Vegan Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich Ingredients

(For ingredient amounts, please see the recipe card below.)

​For the Sandwiches:

⭐ EXTRA-FIRM TOFU (16 oz block). First, I put my tofu into a tofu press to squeeze out the excess water, then pat it dry with paper towels.

After that, I thinly slice the block crosswise into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. This yields about 16 tofu slices, about 4 slices per sandwich.

I don’t use any kind of tofu marinade: instead, I cook it sprinkled with salt and black pepper (see cooking instructions for pan frying, oven baking, and air frying below).

If you’d like to add extra flavor to your tofu slices, feel free to lightly drizzle them with soy sauce or coconut aminos – a little bit goes a long way. I don’t usually do this because my banh mi sandwiches come out with plenty of flavor without the addition of soy sauce.

⭐ RED RADISHES (get pickled). This is the main difference between my banh mi and the traditional Vietnamese banh mi chay sandwich.

I prefer using regular red radishes instead of daikon radish because it’s easier to find in local grocery stores.

Besides, whenever I tried to make pickled daikon radish for this sandwich, I noticed that the daikon develops a strong odor of rotten eggs. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen with red radishes.

⭐ LARGE CARROT (gets pickled). Perfect for adding a beautiful color and a nice crunch. I used to thinly slice my carrots into matchsticks for this recipe, but then the carrot sticks would start falling out of the sandwich as soon as I picked it up.

So now, I use a vegetable peeler or a hand-held julienne slicer to make thin strips out of my carrots.

Carrot strips marinate quicker, plus I can arrange them in a pretty way on my banh mi knowing that they won’t fall out.

⭐ LONG, THIN CUCUMBER LIKE ENGLISH CUCUMBER (does NOT get pickled). I used to skip cucumber in this recipe, but now I love the clean, fresh flavor and a nice crunch it adds to the sandwich.

You can either slice them into thin strips like the carrots above, or thinly slice them with a knife (they’ll be a bit thicker if you use the knife, but there will be more crunch.)

NOTE: cucumbers release LOTS of juice, so wait to slice them until you’re ready to assemble the sandwich.

⭐ SLICED JALAPENO PEPPER (optional). I usually skip the jalapeño in my banh mi because the chili-garlic aioli delivers enough spiciness for me.

But if you want to take the heat to the next level, feel free to add a few pieces of jalapeño.

Either let the slices pickle with carrots and radishes, or use them fresh.

⭐ FRESH HERBS – CILANTRO, THAI BASIL, MINT. This is what takes the flavor of my banh mi sandwich to the next level! Take the leaves off the stem, and add as much as you’d like.

If you don’t have all three, use whichever one (or two) you’ve got: even a single herb will add lots of flavor.

⭐ FRESH BAGUETTE. The traditional Vietnamese tofu banh mi sandwich is famous for using baguette bread that’s crusty on the outside, and airy-soft on the inside.

The baguette pieces get sliced lengthwise in one of the two ways:

1- About 3/4 of the way through (think a hot dog bun). Then the filling ingredients are stuffed in.

2 – All the way through (think a burger bun). The filling ingredients are layered between the slices.

In my opinion, the second way is better to distribute the filling evenly, so this is what I usually do.

However, there’s a downside: some of the filling pieces like to slide out of the sandwich as soon as you take a bite 😅

For the Radish and Carrot Marinade:

⭐ LIME JUICE + RICE VINEGAR. These two ingredients add the tart note to the marinade. If you only have one of the two, feel free to use it alone, just double the amount.

⭐ MAPLE SYRUP. Adds the sweet note to the marinade flavor. Other mild-flavored liquid sweeteners (like agave syrup) can be used.

Alternatively, go the traditional banh mi veggie marinade route: dilute some sugar in a little bit of hot water, then let it cool, and mix with the tart ingredients.

For the Chili Garlic Aioli (a.k.a. Spicy Vegan Mayo):

⭐ VEGAN MAYONNAISE. Makes the creamy base of our spicy aioli. Follow Your Heart is my go-to vegan mayo brand, but feel free to try whatever you can find.

⭐ CHILI-GARLIC SAUCE – a.k.a. Sambal Oelek. Adds a complex, spicy note to the flavor of the aioli. If you don’t have any chili-garlic sauce on hand, feel free to use sriracha instead.

How to Make Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich

(See the printable recipe card below for a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions.)

➡️ To Prepare the Tofu:

Using a tofu press, squeeze the extra liquid out of your tofu block. Depending on your tofu press, this can take between 15 and 40 minutes.

Once the tofu block is pressed, pat it dry, and slice into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. You should have 14-16 slices.

Cook the tofu using one of the methods:

Stovetop: Preheat a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add a few drops of oil. Working in batches, add a few tofu slices to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pan-fry 3-4 minutes per side, or until the tofu slices develop a nice, golden brown color.

Air fryer: Line the basket of your air fryer with parchment paper. Brush each tofu slice with a bit of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (omit the oil for oil-free). Cook in batches at 370° F for 8 minutes.

Oven (oil-free): Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tofu slices on it, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.

➡️ To Prepare + Quick Pickle the Vegetables:

To make the radish and carrot marinade, whisk lime juice, rice vinegar, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice radishes very thinly (mandoline works best, but slicing by hand is ok). Arrange radishes in a shallow dish or on a plate, pour the marinade over them, and mix lightly.

Use a vegetable peeler or a hand-held julienne slicer to thinly slice the carrot. The slices should be about the length of your baguette pieces or a little shorter.

Move the radishes to the side of the plate, add in the carrot slices, and toss in the marinade. The carrot slices will become softer during pickling.

How long do the vegetables need to pickle? Usually as long as it takes you to prepare the rest of the ingredients, or up to 1 hour.

Regarding the cucumber: don’t slice it just yet, or it will release too much liquid.

➡️ To Make the Chili-Garlic Aioli:

In a small bowl, combine the vegan mayo with chili-garlic sauce. Mix until smooth.

➡️ To Assemble the Sandwiches:

Thinly slice the cucumber, either using a vegetable peeler/hand-held julienne slicer OR cutting by hand into thin blocks (the latter will provide more crunch).

Slice the jalapeño pepper (if using) into thin slices.

Slice 4 baguette pieces (about 6 inch length each) in half lengthwise. Toast the pieces if desired.

For each sandwich, spread each half of the baguette with the chili-garlic aioli. Sprinkle with Thai basil, mint, and cilantro leaves.

Arrange 4 tofu slices in a single layer (or slightly overlapping) on the bottom half of each baguette piece.

Split the cucumber, pickled carrots, radish slices, and jalapeños (if using) into four equal parts. Arrange a layer of radishes over the tofu, then top with carrots, cucumbers, and jalapeños (if using).

Close the sandwich and enjoy!

My favorite side dish to serve along this tofu banh mi sandwich is my Asian slaw salad with homemade peanut dressing. Try them side by side, and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

In case you love your sandwiches with a spicy kick, check out my easy Buffalo tofu sandwich that’s even easier to make than this banh mi!

My baked BBQ tofu sandwich is another delicious and easy vegan sandwich to try.

Another creative way to use tofu – in my vegan tofu tacos with fajita vegetables. Tofu is quickly marinated in a light chipotle-infused sauce, then cooked to perfection with fajita peppers and onions.

​I hope you enjoy my easy vegan tofu banh mi sandwich as much as we do in our family!

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