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This Whole30 Banh Mi bowl recipe is a low carb version of everyone’s favorite Vietnamese sandwich with ground meat, pickled veggies, and sriracha mayo. Packed with flavor and ready in less than 30 minutes!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Banh Mi sandwiches. The complex and wonderful combination of sour, savory, and spicy flavors just can’t be beat. After going gluten free, I stopped eating them because it was hard to find them at restaurants made with gluten free bread. However, I realized I can make Whole30 and paleo Banh Mi rice bowl at home using cauliflower rice and easily prepared components. It’s DELICIOUS.
What is Banh Mi?
If you’ve never heard of it before, you may be asking: what is Banh Mi? Banh Mi is an insanely flavorful and delicious Vietnamese sandwich. It actually translates to “bread” and it’s composed of some kind of cooked meat, sour picked vegetables, and a creamy mayo-based sauce. All of these yummy components are stuffed between a crusty baguette. The result is a fantastic combo of salty, sour, savory, and a little bit of sweet that’s so addicting and wonderful.
Pork Banh Mi Bowl Recipe
To make a Whole30 Banh Mi bowl, all the delicious parts of the sandwich are served over cauliflower rice instead of in a baguette. This make a grain free and paleo banh mi rice bowl that’s lower in carbs and healthier, and won’t weigh you down after eating. The bright and crunchy quick pickled vegetables add so much flavor and I highly recommend you don’t skip out on them!
Ingredients in Whole30 Banh Mi Bowl
There are 3 components to this pork Banh Mi bowl recipe, but they are all very easy to make!
For the pickled veggies
- cucumber
- radish
- carrot
- jalapeño pepper: You can omit if you are sensitive to spicy food.
- rice wine vinegar
- water
- sea salt
For the sriracha mayo
- mayonnaise: You can make it yourself or purchase this high quality one.
- sriracha sauce: I love this one and it’s Whole30-friendly!
- lime juice
For the Banh Mi bowl
- avocado oil: Or any other cooking oil you prefer
- cauliflower rice: You can rice cauliflower florets yourself or purchase them pre-riced
- garlic cloves
- ground pork
- coconut aminos
- fish sauce
- lime juice
- ground black pepper
- cilantro
How to Make Banh Mi Bowl
The whole process of making this delicious Whole30 banh mi bowl takes less than 30 minutes, making it a flavorful weeknight meal!
- First, here’s how to make pickled veggies for Banh Mi rice bowl: Stir together vinegar, water, and salt in a wide, shallow bowl. Add the sliced vegetables and toss gently to coat. Soak while cooking the rest of the dish
- Next is how to make Banh Mi sauce: Combine mayo, sriracha, and lime juice together and set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the cauliflower rice until tender. Divide into bowls.
- Heat oil in the same skillet, then cook garlic. Add the pork and cook for 6-7 minutes until browned. Stir in coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, and pepper, then remove from heat.
- Serve the paleo Banh Mi bowl by dividing the meat over the cauliflower rice, and topping with pickled veggies, sriracha mayo, and cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whole30 Banh Mi Bowl
Yes, you can user regular white rice or even brown rice. Keep in mind that these alternatives are not paleo or Whole30 compliant, but they’ll be delicious.
Yes! Pork is what’s commonly used in Banh Mi, but you can also replace it with ground beef, turkey or chicken.
You definitely can. However, I would store each component separately until you are ready to eat. Just reheat the meat and the cauliflower rice in the microwave or the stovetop before serving it in a bowl with pickled veggies and sauce.
You can store each component separately for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Just remember to keep them in an airtight container.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like…
- Paleo Burrito Bowl (Whole30, Keto)
- Avocado Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl
- Thai Larb Recipe (Larb Moo) – Paleo, Whole30, Keto
- Paleo Cauliflower Pork Fried Rice
Banh Mi Bowl Recipe (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
Pickled Veggies
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Banh Mi Bowl
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
- 1 lb cauliflower rice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- cilantro , for garnish
Sriracha Mayo
- 1/4 cup paleo mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Before cooking, make the pickled veggies: Whisk together rice wine vinegar, water, and salt in a wide, shallow bowl. Add the sliced vegetables to the mixture and toss gently. Soak while cooking the cauliflower rice and pork.
- Combine all ingredients for the sriracha mayo and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of avocado oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add cauliflower rice and cook stirring for 5 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and divide into 3 bowls.
- Heat another tbsp of avocado oil then add garlic. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add ground pork, then cook while breaking it up for about 6-7 minutes until browned.
- Stir in coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Divide the meat over the cauliflower rice. Top with pickled veggies, then drizzle with sriracha mayo. Sprinkle with cilantro, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was so easy and good! I realized I was out of sriracha too late, so subbed some sweet chili sauce and hot sauce.
This was amazing and super simple. The veggies were so awesome and really set this apart from other bahn mi bowl recipes.
This was amazing and super simple. The veggies were so awesome and really set this apart from other bahn mi bowl recipes.
We loved the combo of flavors in this! Quick and easy to make too! Thanks!
So delicious- and an easy weeknight meal! Definitely adding it to our rotation.
This was so good!!! I am always skeptical of pickled things, but these veggies were perfect. If you’re looking for something fun to add into your normal meal routine this is it, and super simple too!
Loved this so much! The pork and pickled vegetables were perfect.
Yay! Thank you so much!!