Vegan Banh Mi Sandwich with Crispy Five-Spice Tofu and Quick Pickled Carrots
A vegan banh mi on toasted sourdough with crispy five-spice tofu, quick pickled carrots, cucumber, jalapeño and a creamy silken tofu sriracha spread.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
Vegan Banh Mi Sandwich with Crispy Five-Spice Tofu and Quick Pickled Carrots is a vegan lunch recipe made with carrots, rice vinegar, warm water. It takes 35 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 550 calories, 30 g of protein and 6 g of fiber.
This banh mi uses tofu twice: firm tofu slabs get a soy and five-spice marinade and a cornstarch coat so they fry up crisp, and silken tofu blends with sriracha and lime into a creamy spread that replaces mayo. The carrots pickle in a sweet-sour rice vinegar brine while the tofu cooks, so they're tangy and crunchy by the time you assemble. A crusty sourdough baguette, toasted until crackly, holds up to all the fillings without going soggy.
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Carrots
- 2 medium122 gcarrots, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- ½ cup120 grice vinegar
- ¼ cup59 gwarm water
- 1 tbsp13 gsugar
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
Five-Spice Tofu
- 14 oz397 gfirm or extra-firm tofu, pressed
- 2 tbsp32 gsoy sauce
- 1 tsp2 gChinese five-spice powder
- 1 tsp6.7 gmaple syrup
- 1 clove3 ggarlic, finely grated
- 2 tbsp16 gcornstarch
- 2 tbsp28 gneutral oil, for frying
Sriracha Spread
- ½ cup124 gsilken tofu
- 1 tbsp19 gsriracha
- 2 tsp10 glime juice
- 1 tsp5.3 gsoy sauce
- 1 tbsp14 gneutral oil
To Assemble
- 12 oz340 gsourdough baguette (about 24 inches), cut into 4 pieces
- ½ 151 gEnglish cucumber, cut into thin spears
- 1 14 gjalapeño, thinly sliced
- ½ cup8 gcilantro sprigs
- 1 tbsp19 gextra sriracha, for drizzling (optional)
- 1 65 glime wedges, for serving (optional)
Kit: large nonstick or cast-iron skillet, immersion blender or small blender, mixing bowls, clean kitchen towel or tofu press
Tips
- Cut the carrots as thin as you can; thin matchsticks pickle in 20 minutes, while thick sticks need an hour or more.
- Don't crowd the skillet. If the slabs touch, they steam and won't crisp, so fry in two batches if your pan is small.
- Soft, fluffy sourdough is better than a dense loaf here. Look for a baguette or batard with a thin, crisp crust so it's easy to bite through.
Swap ideas
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce
- Makes the tofu and spread gluten-free if you also use gluten-free bread.
- Swap the firm tofu for tempeh slices, steamed 10 minutes before marinating
- Gives a nuttier, chewier filling with even more bite.
- Add thin matchsticks of daikon radish to the carrot pickle
- Makes a more traditional do chua pickle with a peppery crunch.
- Use a store-bought vegan mayo in place of the silken tofu spread, mixed with sriracha
- Saves a step and gives a richer, more classic spread, but less protein.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
550kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2.7 g 14%
- Sugars
- 11.4 g
- Sodium
- 1457 mg 63%
- Potassium
- 612 mg 13%
- Calcium
- 785 mg 60%
- Iron
- 6.9 mg 38%
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg 11%
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg 0%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Carrots, raw, RICE VINEGAR (Branded, Mizkan America, Inc.) - unseasoned; 0 kcal, 0 g protein, carbs, sugar, fat and 0 mg sodium per 15 ml serving, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Sugars, granulated, Salt, table, Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate, Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu), Five-spice powder (SnapCalorie nutrition database; rounded generic values), Syrups, maple, Garlic, raw, Cornstarch, Oil, canola, Tofu, soft, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari), Sauce, hot chile, sriracha, Lime juice, raw, Bread, french or vienna (includes sourdough), Cucumber, with peel, raw, Peppers, jalapeno, raw, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw
Method
Pickle the carrots: In a bowl, whisk the rice vinegar, warm water, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the carrot matchsticks, press them under the brine and set aside for at least 20 minutes while you prepare everything else.
Press the tofu: Wrap the block in a clean kitchen towel and weigh it down with a heavy pan for 10–15 minutes (or use a tofu press). Cut it into 8 slabs about 1/2 inch thick.
Marinate the tofu: In a shallow dish, stir together the 2 tbsp soy sauce, five-spice powder, maple syrup and grated garlic. Turn the tofu slabs in the mixture to coat and let them sit for 10 minutes, turning once.
Make the spread: Blend the silken tofu, sriracha, lime juice, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp oil with an immersion blender or small blender until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and add more sriracha if you like it hotter.
Coat the tofu: Lift the slabs out of any leftover marinade, sprinkle both sides with the cornstarch and pat it on so there are no dry white patches.
Fry the tofu: Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the tofu in a single layer and cook without moving until deep golden and crisp on the bottom, 4–5 minutes, then flip and cook the second side 3–4 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel.
Toast the bread: Split each baguette piece lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Toast cut-side down in the empty skillet or in a 400°F oven for 3–4 minutes, until the crust is crackly and the inside is lightly crisp.
Assemble: Spread the sriracha spread generously on both sides of each roll. Fill with 2 tofu slabs, a handful of drained pickled carrots, cucumber spears, jalapeño slices and cilantro sprigs. Drizzle with extra sriracha and serve with lime wedges, if using.
Storage: Store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. The pickled carrots keep up to 1 week, the cooked tofu up to 4 days and the spread up to 3 days. Reheat the tofu in a hot skillet or air fryer to re-crisp it, then toast the bread and assemble just before eating. Assembled sandwiches go soggy, so eat them within a few hours.
Questions
- How much protein is in vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots?
- Each of the 4 servings has 30 g of protein, 6 g of fiber and 550 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots take to make?
- 20 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, so 35 minutes of hands-on time, plus 20 minutes of unattended resting.
- Can you make vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots ahead?
- Store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. The pickled carrots keep up to 1 week, the cooked tofu up to 4 days and the spread up to 3 days. Reheat the tofu in a hot skillet or air fryer to re-crisp it, then toast the bread and assemble just before eating. Assembled sandwiches go soggy, so eat them within a few hours.
- What can I substitute in vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots?
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce — makes the tofu and spread gluten-free if you also use gluten-free bread.. Swap the firm tofu for tempeh slices, steamed 10 minutes before marinating — gives a nuttier, chewier filling with even more bite.. Add thin matchsticks of daikon radish to the carrot pickle — makes a more traditional do chua pickle with a peppery crunch.. Use a store-bought vegan mayo in place of the silken tofu spread, mixed with sriracha — saves a step and gives a richer, more classic spread, but less protein..
- Does vegan banh mi sandwich with crispy five-spice tofu and quick pickled carrots contain gluten?
- Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published October 8, 2026 ·Vietnamese