These Vietnamese-inspired banh mi bowls take a favorite sandwich and turn them into a bowl form. They feature flavorful shredded pork, quick pickled veggies, and a creamy Sriracha mayo.If you are a fan of slow cooker pork recipes, try our sweet pork, sweet pork enchiladas, and salsa verde pork.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These banh mi bowls are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Simply put the pork in the crockpot in the morning and all you'll need to do come dinner time is prepare the rice and toppings! You can even make the pickled vegetables and spicy mayo ahead of time.
- Try the spicy mayo in our roasted turkey avocado BLTs.
- Try more recipes with pickled veggies: Greek chicken pita wraps, loaded sweet potato nachos, Korean inspired ground turkey bowls.
- This is a great recipe for meal prep—you can store each component separately and assemble day of or have it pre-assembled in an airtight container.
- One of the best parts of this recipe is that it is easily customizable to your preferences with toppings.
- If you love Vietnamese food and banh mi sandwiches, this is a fun spin on the classic banh mi sandwich.
Ingredient Notes
- Pork tenderloin - we recommend cutting the pork tenderloin into pieces that are about 3 inches long. This will help to make it easier to manage when shredding and eating the pork as the strands will be shorter.
- Soy sauce - you can swap with tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free version.
- Honey - you can swap with brown sugar or maple syrup if needed, but note it may give it a slightly different flavor.
- Sriracha - adjust the amount based on your preference for spice.
- Rice - Jasmine rice is our favorite for this recipe! You can use white or brown rice.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Try using rice noodles to make a banh mi noodle bowl.
- If you prefer the classic banh mi sandwich, you can always assemble on a French baguette instead of rice to make it closer to a traditional banh mi.
- You can easily make a double batch of pork and save half to freeze and eat another time.
- Feel free to add more vegetables such as green onions or bell pepper.
How to Make A Pork Banh Mi Bowl
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Begin by cutting the pork tenderloin into pieces that are 3 inches wide. Place them in the insert of a crockpot. Add the soy sauce, water, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sriracha to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Step 2: When done cooking, shred the pork in the crockpot with two forks.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, add the carrots, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and warm water. Mix well and set aside. Place it in the refrigerator if it will be sitting for a few hours.
Step 4: Add the mayo, Sriracha sauce, lime, and salt to a small bowl and mix until combined.
Step 5: Prepare the rice, cucumber, cilantro, and any other toppings you will be adding to the bowls.
Assemble each bowl by first placing the rice in the bowl, followed by the pork, the toppings, and the spicy sriracha mayo.
Bánh Mì Bowls FAQs
We recommend storing the pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the pickled vegetables in the pickling liquid in an airtight container. Store the spicy mayo in an airtight container as well.
Yes! We recommend storing in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and freezing for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it, place into the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw it in a bowl of cold water the day of. Make sure it is in a sealed bag and place it into a bowl of cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed. Then reheat over the stove and cook the rice and prepare the toppings the day of.
This recipe is gluten-free when made with tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. It is dairy free.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes
If you make this Vietnamese-inspired banh mi bowl recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi Bowl
Ingredients
For the pork
- 1 ½ pounds boneless pork tenderloin, cut into 3-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce (swap for low-sodium tamari for gluten-free)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha
For the pickled carrots
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup warm water
For the spicy mayo (or purchase store-bought spicy mayo)
- ½ cup mayo
- 1-2 tablespoons Sriracha, depending on preference
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Pinch of salt, to taste
For the bowls
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- White or brown jasmine rice, for serving
- Fresh cilantro sprigs
- Jalapeño slices, optional
- Fresh lime slices
Instructions
- Begin by cutting the pork tenderloin into pieces that are 3 inches wide. Place them in the insert of a crockpot. Add the soy sauce, water, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and sriracha to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. When done cooking, shred the pork in the crockpot with two forks.
- In a medium bowl, add the carrots, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and warm water. Mix well and set aside. Place it in the refrigerator if it will be sitting for a few hours.
- Add the mayo, Sriracha sauce, lime, and salt to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Prepare the rice, cucumber, cilantro, and any other toppings you will be adding to the bowls.
- Assemble each bowl by first placing the rice in the bowl, followed by the pork, the toppings, and the spicy sriracha mayo.
Notes
- We recommend storing the pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the pickled vegetables in the pickling liquid in an airtight container. Store the spicy mayo in an airtight container as well. You can also freeze leftover pork. We recommend storing in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and freezing for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it, place into the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw it in a bowl of cold water the day of. Make sure it is in a sealed bag and place it into a bowl of cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes until thawed. Then reheat over the stove and cook the rice and prepare the toppings the day off.
- This recipe is gluten-free when made with tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. It is dairy free.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Banh Mi Bowls." The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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