A plant-based take on a Vietnamese classic: banh mi! Sweet chili air fryer tofu gets paired with pickled carrot, cucumber, jalapeño and fresh herbs, all stuffed inside a soft French roll.

vegan banh mi sandwich with sweet chili air fryer tofu and sliced cucumbers on side

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🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

For the tofu:

Extra firm or firm tofu
soy sauce
sweet chili sauce

For the pickled carrot:

grated carrots (grated on the large holes of a box grater)
rice vinegar
sugar
salt

For assembling the sandwiches:

French rolls
vegan mayo
cucumber
fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, thai basil)
jalapeño

📋 Substitutions and variations

Tofu - Extra firm or firm tofu can be used. With extra firm tofu, you don't have to press it quite as long, since it has less liquid.
Soy sauce - sub with coconut aminos or tamari for gluten-free
Carrots - sub with grated or julienned daikon radish
Rice vinegar - sub with apple cider or white vinegar
Sugar - sub with other sweetener of your choice
French rolls - sub with Mexican bolillos, soft baguette or any soft, long bread roll.
Persian cucumbers - sub with english cucumber or peeled standard cucumber.
Jalapeño - sub with any spicy chili or sweet bell pepper to omit the spiciness

Tip: use leftover tofu marinade to make a sauce for stir fry veggies. Just add to a small pan of cooking veggies, then stir in a whisked slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoon water.

To make oil-free: use oil-free plant-based mayo or cashew cream.

🔪 Instructions

How to quick pickle carrots

The first step is to quick pickle your grated carrots. I've grated my carrots with a box grater, using the large holes.

Add the carrots to a quart-sized glass jar. Then, mix the vinegar, hot water, sugar and salt together until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Then, pour that over your carrots, pop a lid on and put it in the refrigerator.

How to press tofu

Next step is to press and marinate your tofu.

Meal Prep Tip: Double the tofu recipe, so you have extra tofu later this week for sandwiches, bowls or spring rolls.

If you're using extra firm tofu, wrap it in paper towels or a clean dish towel and gently squeeze it.
- Using extra firm tofu will save time, since it already has less moisture.
If you're using firm tofu that has more water in it, then it would be better to gradually press the moisture out of the tofu.
- You can do this by placing it on top of paper towels on a plate, then putting another plate on top, with a weight on top of it, like a large can. Leave it for about 30 minutes.
Then, cut your tofu into 12 long rectangle pieces, like tofu fingers.

Once your tofu has been pressed, prepare your marinade and spread a thin layer on the bottom of a baking dish.

Add cut tofu on top in a single layer, then brush the rest of the marinade on top.

Let sit for as long as possible to allow flavors to soak in. (You can marinate in the refrigerator up to overnight, if you want).

How to air fry tofu

Line your air fryer with parchment paper or spray with baking spray.

Add your tofu pieces to the air fryer basket. Bake at 400 F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway through, if necessary, depending on your model.

My air fryer has holes on the bottom, but is not a wire basket, so flipping makes them turn out better.

Assembling your banh mi

Warm your bread in the oven or air fryer for 60 seconds, then cut it lengthwise (but not all the way through).

Remove some of the filling from the bread, then spread on your vegan mayo and layer with cucumber, pickled carrots, fresh herbs, jalapeño and baked tofu.

Enjoy immediately!

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Serving suggestions

This recipe will serve four people easily.

If you're serving your vegan banh mi sandwiches alongside other dishes, you could probably stretch it to 6-8 people, if you cut the sandwiches in half or use small French rolls.

For a party, cut your long French rolls into fourths or make your banh mi's on slider buns!

As for drinks, this would be delicious with Vietnamese coffee or perfect southern iced tea, even boba tea. A tropical fruit punch would be a fun drink to pair with this meal, also.

💭 Tips

What to do with leftovers

Extra pickled carrots can be added to tacos, grain bowls, banh mi bowls or sandwiches throughout the week. They will keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.

In fact, any leftovers can be repurposed into a noodle or rice banh mi bowl during the week. Or, better yet, spring rolls!

How to store banh mi sandwiches

You could certainly prepare these sandwiches for a work lunch, picnic or road trip.

But, they are best fresh, considering all the fresh herbs and cucumber.

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