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Tofu Banh Mi on plate with sriracha sauce on the side.
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5 from 2 votes

Tofu Banh Mi Sandwiches

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!
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Sandwich
Cuisine: American, Vietnamese
Servings: 4
Calories: 451kcal
Author: Alissa Saenz

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

  • ⅓ 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)
US Customary - Metric

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

  1. 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.
  2. Sandwich rolls can be substituted if preferred.
  3. Find a list of vegan sriracha brands here.
  4. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich (¼ of recipe) | Calories: 451kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.7g | Protein: 18.4g | Fat: 19.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Sodium: 1855mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 6.6g | Sugar: 16.4g | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 4mg