It’s not quite summer yet but these vegan meatball banh mi are so fresh they taste like summer in your mouth. That’s right, these babies are entirely plant-based, almost fooled you, didn’t I?
Don’t know banh mi? What, do you live under a rock? They’re a mash-up of Vietnamese herbs and veggies with a French baguette. Thanks to colonialism for bringing us what might be the world’s tastiest sandwich.
Like most things Vietnamese, this vegan meatball banh mi has got all the contrasts of flavor and texture that you need: warm, savory meatballs, fresh cucumber and cilantro, sweet and sour carrot and radish, and spicy mayonnaise all served between a crispy baguette.
You can see why the banh mi has become an international sandwich sensation.
The non-vegetarian variety of banh mi could contain a variety of different kinds of meat, but seem most often to be made with pork. A quick search of the interwebs turned up a handful of vegetarian banh mi, mostly containing tofu.
A couple that jumped out at me were veggie meatball banh mi, and it just so happens that I’ve been sitting on this amazeballs meatball recipe for a few months now not knowing what to do with it.
Finally! My vegan meatballs have met their sandwich!
Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, most steps can be done concurrently – the carrots pickle themselves while you prepare the meatballs, and the mayo can be done while the meatballs are frying.
Most banh mi recipes use daikon radish, but we don’t have that in our supermarkets so I’ve used regular red radishes. If you can get your hands on a daikon, by all means use it.
We also can’t get jalapeños (weird, right?) so if you want to kick up the spiciness factor, throw a couple of those babies on top too. And if you like this kind of spicy street food sandwich, check out my recipe for vegan gorditas. These vegan meatball banh mi are so fresh they taste like summer in your mouth. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Vegan Meatball Banh Mi
Ingredients
For the carrot and radish pickle
For the vegan meatballs
For the sriracha mayonnaise
For the vegan meatball banh mi
Instructions
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 1027Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 36gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2066mgCarbohydrates: 128gFiber: 18gSugar: 21gProtein: 32g
6 Comments
Rebecca
June 15, 2016 at 6:14 amWhat type of lentils did you use?
Melissa
June 15, 2016 at 11:25 amJust regular brown lentils in a can.
Jasmin
July 1, 2016 at 10:52 amThis banh sandwich looks fabulous! And I have to try your vegan mayo version… yumm
Melissa
July 1, 2016 at 10:55 amThanks Jasmin!
JH
August 11, 2017 at 11:00 pmcan I bake the meatballs?
Melissa
August 14, 2017 at 4:14 pmSure