These tofu banh mi sandwiches are stuffed with savory marinated tofu, fresh herbs and quick pickled veggies! They're loaded with flavor and easy to make!
Have you ever had a banh mi sandwich? I first came across them when I lived in Philadelphia, where I'd often see them advertised in shops as Vietnamese hoagies, which I thought sounded kind of weird.
But once I found a place that offered one stuffed with tofu I decided I had to give it a try. And now I'm here to tell you that banh mi sandwiches are delicious! Crispy pickled veggies, savory fillings, and fresh herbs come together to create a total flavor bomb.
For these vegan tofu banh mi sandwiches we're using marinated baked tofu as our main filling, because baked tofu tends to be super flavorful and pretty easy to make.
Let's talk about how to whip up these delicious sandwiches!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Rice vinegar.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener such as agave can be used if needed.
- Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international foods section of your supermarket.
- Garlic.
- Tofu. This recipe works best with extra-firm tofu, though firm or super firm can also be used.
- Carrot.
- Cucumber.
- Daikon radish. Look for this at an Asian market if you can't find it at your regular supermarket. You could also simply substitute another variety of radish. One thing to keep in mind is that daikon radishes are pretty big, and you only need a small amount for this recipe. I like to use my leftovers to make a batch of vegan kimchi.
- Salt.
- Baguette. Banh mi are traditionally made on baguettes, though you could also use sandwich roll if you'd like.
- Vegan mayonnaise. Look for brands like Hellman's vegan or Vegenaise.
- Fresh herbs. We're using basil, mint and cilantro.
- Jalapeño pepper. This is totally optional, but a great addition if you like your sandwiches spicy!
- Hoisin sauce. This should also be available in the international foods section at the grocery store.
- Hot sauce. Just use this if you'd like to add some heat to your sandwiches. Sriracha works well, but make sure the brand you are using is vegan. Check out this guide for some guidance.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil and minced garlic together to make your tofu marinade.
- Slice your tofu into strips and place them in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over them and let them soak for 30 minutes.
Tip: Firm or extra firm tofu will need to be pressed before you begin. Super firm tofu doesn't need to be pressed, but I find this variety doesn't soak up as much marinade as the others.
- Prepare the quick pickled veggies while the tofu soaks. Simply place julienne cut carrot, cucumber, and daikon radish in a small bowl and pour a mixture of rice vinegar, maple syrup, and salt over them.
- Once your tofu has finished marinating, arrange the slices on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the tofu for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through and spooning excess marinade over them. They'll have darkened and shrunk a bit by the time they're done.
- Slice your baguette open and cut it into four sections.
- Slather the inside of each section with vegan mayo and hoisin sauce, as well as hot sauce if you choose. Stuff them with baked tofu, pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and optionally jalapeño slices.
- Enjoy your tofu banh mi!
Leftovers & Storage
If possible, I recommend storing the individual components of these sandwiches (tofu, herbs, pickled veggies, and bread) separately. Everything should be held in airtight containers in the fridge, with the exception being the bread, which stores best at room temperature. The ingredients will stay fresh for about 3 days.
More Vegan Sandwiches
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📖 Recipe
Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Baked Tofu
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu (Note 1), drained and pressed
For the Picked Veggies
- â…“ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup julienne cut carrot
- ½ cup julienne cut cucumber
- ½ cup julienne cut daikon radish
For the Sandwiches
- 1 French baguette (Note 2), sliced open and cut into 4 sections
- ¼ cup vegan mayo, plus more as needed
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced (optional)
- Sriracha sauce (Note 3) (optional)
Instructions
- To make the baked tofu, first stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and garlic.
- Slice the tofu into about 16 strips. I find the best way to do this is by slicing the block in half, width-wise, then slicing each piece in half, thickness wise. Next, cut each of the four pieces into 4 equal strips.
- Place the tofu into a shallow dish and pour the soy sauce mixture over it. Let the tofu marinate for 30 minutes, gently flipping the pieces once or twice to distribute the marinade.
- Prepare the pickled veggies while the tofu marinates. Stir the vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil and salt together in a small bowl, then add the carrot, cucumber and daikon radish. Stir everything to distribute the ingredients.
- Place the pickled veggies in the fridge until the sandwiches are ready to assemble.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, and once the tofu has marinated for 30 minutes, arrange the strips on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the tofu for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through and spooning the excess marinade over them. They will have darkened and shrunk slightly by the time they're done.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Slather the insides of the baguette sections with vegan mayo and hoisin sauce, then stuff them with tofu slices, pickled veggies, cilantro, mint, basil, and optionally jalapeño slices and sriracha.
- Serve.
Notes
- Firm or super firm tofu can be substituted if needed. Super firm tofu does not need to be pressed in advance, but I find that it doesn't soak up marinade as well as extra firm.
- Sandwich rolls can be substituted if preferred.
- Find a list of vegan sriracha brands here.
- The nutrition estimates for this recipe assume that you're using all of the marinade and all of the juice that the veggies are pickled in, which most of us won't be doing. For this reason some of the values like sodium and sugar may be artificially inflated.
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These are so good! I made a homemade cashew mayo to make it more plant based and only used a small amount of hoisin. Super tasty!
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!!
Awesome sandwiches that are bursting with flavors and textures.
Super yummy!
Went without the hoisin as there was enough sweet in the pickled veggies for our taste.
Served on home made spelt baguette and oil free mayo with the optional jalapeños.
Thanks for sharing!