Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Mains | Vegan
Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich
Tofu banh mi is made with thin, baked slabs of marinated tofu, quick pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs sandwiched between toasted bread. It’s such a banger, you won’t even miss the meat!
Looking for more Asian-inspired recipes? Try my honey garlic tofu with broccoli, gluten free general tso’s chicken, pad thai, or baked firecracker salmon.
Ingredient Notes
- Quick pickled carrots – carrots, rice vinegar, water, and sugar.
- Extra firm tofu
- Marinade/sauce – hoisin sauce, honey or maple syrup, ketchup, low sodium soy sauce or tamari, toasted sesame oil, Chinese five spice, and garlic cloves.
- Toasted bread – something light and airy is ideal such as a baguette, ciabatta, etc.
- Mayo or kimchi mayo – to spread on the toasted bread before assembling the sandwich.
- Jalapeño pepper – very thinly sliced, optional.
- Cucumber – either English or Persian for the best flavor and crunch, sliced very thinly using a mandoline slicer with a protective glove.
- Fresh herbs – cilantro, mint, or basil, or a combination. I used mint and cilantro.
How to Make Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Make pickled carrots. In a glass jar, add the shredded carrots, vinegar, sugar, and water. Push the carrots down to submerge them in the liquid (a muddler works great for this), cover with a lid, and store in the fridge.
- Make marinade. In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients until smooth.
- Prep tofu. Remove the block of tofu from the package and pat dry using paper towels or a clean towel. Use a sharp knife to cut the block into thin ¼ inch slabs then place each piece directly on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with a little space in between each one.
- Brush and bake. Generously brush the sauce on the top and sides of the tofu (you’ll have sauce leftover to brush the other side once cooked). Bake, flipping halfway through and brushing with the remaining sauce.
- Assemble sandwich. Slather mayo or kimchi mayo on each side of the toasted bread then layer a few pieces of tofu, top with cucumber and jalapeno if using, followed by pickled carrots and fresh herbs.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this tofu banh mi recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Make it gluten free – Use gluten free hoisin sauce and your favorite gluten free bread.
- Variations – this would also be delicious with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you’ll want to cook them for 30 minutes (no need to flip halfway through) then cut into thin slices before assembling.
Helpful Tips
- Chinese five spice is a unique blend of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, and white pepper. A little goes along way but it adds tons of flavor to the tofu. In a pinch you could use allspice, which has some similar spices minus the fennel.
- Traditional Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches are made with pickled carrot and daikon radish, so for more variation or extra crunch, feel free to use half daikon half carrot.
- When you assemble the sandwich, pull out the carrots you want and let them drain a little first. Otherwise, they’ll make the sandwich wet.
- (Optional) If you’re bread is denser, take a little bit of the bread “filling” out so the ingredients can sit better inside the sandwich.
- For the shredded carrots, I like to use the small shredder attachment on my mandoline slicer with a protective glove, which is great because I’m already using the slicer without the attachment for the cucumber and jalapeño, so less clean up.
More Takeout Fakeout Recipes
- Honey Garlic Tofu With Broccoli
- Shrimp Sushi Bowls With Avocado
- Baked Firecracker Salmon
- Pad Thai (Quicker Than Takeout)
Did you try this tofu banh mi? If so, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Tofu Banh Mi Sandwich
Tofu banh mi is made with thin, baked slabs of marinated tofu, quick pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs sandwiched between toasted bread. It's such a banger, you won't even miss the meat!
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Carrots
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar or white granulated sugar
Tofu
- 14-16 oz block extra firm tofu sliced into ¼ inch slabs
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
Banh Mi Sandwich
- toasted airy bread such as baguette or ciabatta
- kimchi mayo or plain mayo
- paper thin slices of Persian or English cucumber
- paper thin slices of jalapeño optional
- cilantro, fresh mint or basil or a combination
Instructions
- Make pickled carrots. In a glass jar with a lid, add the rice vinegar, water, and granulated sugar. Shake until the sugar has dissolved, then add in shredded carrots. Push the carrots down to submerge them in the liquid (a muddler works great for this), put the lid back on, and store in the fridge until ready to assemble your sandwich.
- Preheat oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make marinade. In a small bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, honey, ketchup, reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari, toasted sesame oil, Chinese five spice, and minced garlic until smooth.
- Prep tofu. Remove the block of tofu from the package and pat dry using paper towels or a clean towel. Use a sharp knife to cut the block into thin ¼ inch slabs then place each piece directly on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer with a little space in between each one.
- Brush and bake. Generously brush the sauce on the top and sides of the tofu (you’ll have sauce leftover to brush the other side once cooked). Bake for 18 minutes, carefully flip the tofu slices, brush with the remaining sauce and bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly.
- Assemble. Slather mayo or kimchi mayo on each side of the toasted bread then layer a few pieces of tofu, top with cucumber and jalapeño if using, followed by pickled carrots and fresh herbs. Slice in half and enjoy!
Notes
Cucumber & jalapeño – the best way to get paper thin slices is to use a mandoline slicer with a protective glove.
For the shredded carrots, I like to use the small shredder attachment on my mandoline slicer with a protective glove, which is great because I’m already using the slicer for the cucumber and jalapeño, so less clean up.
Servings – for this recipe, a 14 oz tofu block will feed 3 people & a 16 oz block will feed 4 people.
See the blog post for step-by-step photos, helpful tips, and a make it your way section with substitutions & variations.