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Home / Recipes
30 minutes
5 from 5 votes
2 Comments

Meatball Banh Mi Bowls

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  • 102
by: Joanna Cismaru
06.12.22

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pin for meatball banh mi rice bowl.

Delicious, incredibly easy to make Meatball Banh Mi Bowls with a quick and easy quick pickle, a spicy mayo sauce served with cooked rice. These bowls are packed with lots of nutrition and good for you ingredients, perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or lunch with friends.

meatball banh mi rice bowl in a white bowl.
Table of Contents Open
  • 1 Meatball Banh Mi Bowl Recipe
  • 2 Why We Love These Banh Mi Bowls
  • 3 Ingredients You’ll Need
    • 3.1 Quick Pickle
    • 3.2 Sriracha Mayonnaise
    • 3.3 Meatballs
  • 4 How To Make Banh Mi Bowls
    • 4.1 Make The Quick Pickle And Spicy Mayo
    • 4.2 Make The Meatballs
    • 4.3 Assemble Banh Mi Bowls
  • 5 What Is Banh Mi?
  • 6 What Other Vegetables Can I Use For The Quick Pickle?
  • 7 Expert Tips
  • 8 Leftovers
  • 9 More Must Try Asian Recipes
  • 10 Meatball Banh Mi Bowl
    • 10.1 Ingredients
    • 10.2 Instructions
    • 10.3 Video
    • 10.4 Recipe Notes
    • 10.5 Nutrition Information:

Meatball Banh Mi Bowl Recipe

I love all Asian dishes and this recipe is based on the classic Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich, you probably all know and love. By no means is this an authentic recipe, but it’s my take on this delicious sandwich, in a bowl served with rice.

I love everything about these Banh Mi Bowls, starting with the quick pickle with fresh mini cucumbers, carrots and some red chilies, if you like some heat and the ridiculously easy 2 ingredient sauce. Of course, the star of this recipe are these flavorful pork meatballs that are so easy to make. While I fried them here, you can easily bake these or even air fry them, especially if you’re looking for something a little bit lighter.

meatball banh mi rice bowl in a white bowl.

Why We Love These Banh Mi Bowls

  • Tons Of Flavor. These bowls are bursting with lots of sweet and spicy flavors, lots of crunchiness, tender and delicious meatballs and a super yummy sriracha mayo sauce.
  • Ready In A Matter Of Minutes. In just 30 minutes you can enjoy these Banh Mi Bowls and that includes making these meatballs from scratch complete with a quick pickle and a homemade sauce.
  • Perfect For A Busy Weeknight. These Banh Mi Bowls are so easy and quick to make, they’re great for those crazy busy weeknight dinners and you’re guaranteed your whole family will enjoy these.

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients needed to make a quick pickle.

Quick Pickle

  • Cucumbers – I used mini cucumbers, but you can use regular cucumbers or English cucumber.
  • Carrots – You’ll want these cut like matchsticks or use a box grater to shred these or you could even use a Julienne Y-Pealer.
  • Red Chilies – These chilies are optional and they do bring in a lot of heat, so if you don’t like spicy food, then just omit them, or use another veggie instead like radishes.
  • Rice Vinegar – Sub this with regular vinegar, but I like the sweet acidic taste of rice vinegar.
  • Sugar – Plain granulated sugar is all you need.

Sriracha Mayonnaise

  • Sriracha – Use as much or as little as you like, but I wouldn’t skip this especially if you’re not using any red chilies, you will want a little bit of heat.
  • Mayonnaise – Make your own mayonnaise using my recipe here, or use store-bought.

Meatballs

  • Ground Meat – I used ground pork, but you can sub it with ground chicken, turkey or even ground beef.
  • Lemongrass Paste – I usually buy this on amazon, this saves me a trip to the Asian grocery store. If you don’t have it, I would just substitute this with lemon zest instead.
  • Garlic – Lots of freshly minced garlic.
  • Cilantro – For those who don’t like cilantro, simply sub it with some fresh parsley.
  • Green Onions – A few green onions to add a mild onion flavor to our meatballs. Sub it with regular onion or shallots.
  • Salt and Pepper – I used white pepper here so if you have it, I strongly recommend using white pepper because it has a different and stronger flavor than black pepper.
  • Sugar – For a bit of sweetness and to balance out all the flavors in the meatballs.
ingredients needed to make vietnamese meatballs.

How To Make Banh Mi Bowls

process shots showing how to make vietnamese meatballs and quick pickle.

Make The Quick Pickle And Spicy Mayo

  1. Combine all the quick pickle ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise and Sriracha together until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make The Meatballs

  1. In a medium size bowl combine all the meatball ingredients and mix well. Form the meatballs into small 1 inch balls, you should get about 18-20 meatballs, depending on size.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook (in batches if needed) for 5 to 7 minutes or until evenly browned and cooked through.

Assemble Banh Mi Bowls

  1. Add rice in bowls, then top with a few meatballs, some quick pickles, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds then serve.
collage of pictures showing how to assemble meatball banh mi rice bowls.

What Is Banh Mi?

Banh Mi is a type of sandwich made with a short baguette, split lengthwise and filled like a sub sandwich with a fusion of meats and vegetables native to Vietnamese cuisine such as pork sausage, pickled carrots and cucumbers, cilantro and pickled daikon radish. Finally, it’s drizzled with a spicy mayonnaise.

What Other Vegetables Can I Use For The Quick Pickle?

Typically in a Banh Mi Sandwich you’ll often see carrots and cucumbers, but if you want to add or sub other veggies, I would recommend radishes or Daikon radish if you’re looking for something more authentic. Another great option is to add some red onion or jalapeños.

vietnamese meatballs in a white bowl.

Expert Tips

  1. For a healthier version, use brown rice or cauliflower rice instead of plain white rice.
  2. The pickled veggies will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, so you can prep them ahead to save time.
  3. Instead of making meatballs, make the meatball mixture and cook it like that in a skillet until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks.

Leftovers

These Banh Mi Bowls are best served fresh but the great news is that you can store leftovers in the refrigerator. I recommend storing the recipe components separately in airtight containers. The quick pickle will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge, the meatballs and cooked rice will last 3 to 4 days, and the mayo will last up to 2 months.

meatball banh mi rice bowl in a white bowl.

More Must Try Asian Recipes

  • Asian Steak Bites
  • Chinese Lemon Chicken
  • Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)
  • Korean Beef Bulgogi
  • Japanese Pancakes
  • Kung Pao Chicken
  • Dan Dan Noodles
  • Black Pepper Chicken
  • Asian Lettuce Wraps

Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram

meatball banh mi rice bowl in a white bowl.

Meatball Banh Mi Bowl

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 23 mins
Cook: 7 mins
Total: 30 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 5
Print Pin Rate
Delicious, incredibly easy to make Meatball Banh Mi Bowls with a quick and easy quick pickle, a spicy mayo sauce served with cooked rice. These bowls are packed with lots of nutrition and good for you ingredients, perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or lunch with friends.

Ingredients

Quick Pickle

  • 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 4 mini cucumbers sliced
  • 3 Thai red chilies sliced
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar

Sriracha Mayonnaise

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

Meatballs

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 green onions finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

Other

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Make the quick pickle. Combine all the quick pickle ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • Make the spicy mayo. In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise and Sriracha together until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Make meatballs. In a medium size bowl combine all the meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into golf-ball size meatballs.
  • Cook the meatballs. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook (in batches if needed) for 5 to 7 minutes or until evenly browned and cooked through.
  • Assemble bowls. Add rice in bowls, then top with a few meatballs, some quick pickles, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds then serve.

Video

Recipe Notes

  1. Nutritional information includes rice.
  2. For a healthier version, use brown rice or cauliflower rice instead of plain white rice.
  3. The pickled veggies will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, so you can prep them ahead to save time.
  4. Instead of making meatballs, make the meatball mixture and cook it like that in a skillet until no longer pink, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks.
  5. These Banh Mi Bowls are best served fresh but the great news is that you can store leftovers in the refrigerator. I recommend storing the recipe components separately in airtight containers. The quick pickle will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge, the meatballs and cooked rice will last 3 to 4 days, and the mayo will last up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1bowlCalories: 642kcal (32%)Carbohydrates: 53g (18%)Protein: 21g (42%)Fat: 38g (58%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 13gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 75mg (25%)Sodium: 1026mg (45%)Potassium: 504mg (14%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 13g (14%)Vitamin A: 2439IU (49%)Vitamin C: 45mg (55%)Calcium: 81mg (8%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course:Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine:Asian, Vietnamese
Keyword:banh mi bowls, banh mi rice bowls, meatball banh mi rice bowls
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
  • 102

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Chloe says

    June 15, 2022 at 3:45 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this! Used minced chicken instead or pork. Was so yummy. Thanks for sharing. Your recipe is always perfect.

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      June 15, 2022 at 3:48 pm

      So glad you liked it, Chloe!

      Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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