Easy Banh Mi Meatball Subs {Vietnamese-Inspired}
These delicious and easy Banh Mi meatball subs (inspired by the tasty Vietnamese sandwich) are easily one of my favorite sandwiches ever!
Years ago, after completing a grueling, restrictive diet to prepare for cancer treatment, my first meal request when I could eat anything again was a delicious, over-the-top, amazing sandwich. Sandwiches are one of my favorite food groups, and these delicious Banh Mi meatball subs are top of that list!
What is Banh Mi?
Banh Mi is technically the Vietnamese term for “bread” – but Banh Mi encompasses the sandwiches that are popular as Vietnamese street food.
They usually consist of soft bread, flavorful meat, spicy sauce, pickled veggies, and cilantro.
The sauce for this meatball version is ultra-simple:
- mayo or Greek yogurt
- green onions
- sriracha
Easy Pickled Veggies
These quick-pickled veggies might be my favorite part of the entire sandwich. Crunch, salty, sweet, tangy, they are YUMMY.
- matchstick or shredded carrots
- matchstick or shredded cucumbers
- sugar
- rice vinegar
- salt
- sesame oil
Vietnamese-Inspired Meatballs
I don’t claim anything in these sandwiches to be truly authentic, but the Vietnamese-inspired flavors definitely shine through.
The meatballs are packed with flavor!
- ground pork or ground turkey (or a combination)
- fresh or dried basil
- garlic + green onions
- fish sauce (don’t be scared of this! it packs a delicious salty punch)
- sriracha or sweet Thai chili sauce
- sugar + salt + pepper
The meatballs are browned in a skillet before finishing off in the oven. I like to brown them in sesame oil for an extra level of flavor.
Assembling Banh Mi Meatball Sub
The vehicle for all these delicious sandwich ingredients is a fluffy-but-sturdy bun.
I use this recipe for French bread rolls, usually subbing some of the all-purpose flour out for whole wheat flour.
I assemble the sandwich as follows:
- cilantro
- meatballs
- pickled veggies
- sauce
If you are after more sauciness, add a layer of the creamy dressing on the bottom before the cilantro.
Favorite Sandwich Ever
These easy banh mi meatball subs are an absolute explosion of flavor.
The combination of flavors and ingredients might be unusual or new or maybe even a bit out of your comfort zone, but I promise, the step into unknown sandwich territory will be worth it!
A few other rave reviews:
Susannah: These were so good! We mixed the relish and dressing one day in advance to speed things up on a busy weeknight. For the meatballs, we used a combination of pork breakfast sausage and ground pork from our freezer. Even our pickiest eaters loved these sandwiches! We can’t wait to have them again!
Melissa: Oh my gosh! These were divine!! We will be eating these frequently. My 6-year old said she “loved them.”
Kristine: Best sandwich EVER! Spicy, sweet, and fresh the perfect combination. I crave this bad boy. Literally, all out CRAVE it, have to have it. Mel, this is a slam dunk as with pretty much all of your recipes. My family and I thank you!
Rachel: Wow- these were FANTASTIC!
Kids were nervous about relish veggies at first but devoured this sandwich after the first bite – thanks Mel!!
One Year Ago: Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
Two Years Ago: Hearty Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Three Years Ago: Texas-Style Blueberry Cobbler
Easy Banh Mi Sandwiches {Vietnamese Meatball Sub}
Ingredients
Spicy Sauce:
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or sweet Thai chili sauce (see note)
- 1 green onion, white and green parts finely chopped, white and green parts finely chopped
Relish:
- 2 large carrots, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 English cucumber, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground pork, ground turkey or a combination
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoons sesame or vegetable or coconut oil, for browning
Sandwiches:
- 4 to 6 6-inch baguettes or hoagie buns
- Bunch of fresh cilantro
Instructions
- For the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, green onions and sriracha. Cover and refrigerate. This can be made several days in advance.
- For the relish, toss together the carrots and cucumber. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, salt and sesame oil. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate. The relish can be made a day or so in advance.
- For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork (or turkey), basil, garlic, green onions, fish sauce, hot sauce, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Scoop the mixture into 1- to 2-inch meatballs. Heat the sesame oil (or other oil, if using) in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides.
- Transfer the browned meatballs to a foil-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining meatballs (adding additional oil if necessary). Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven (I like to place the cooked meatballs one by one on a layer of paper towels to absorb any excess grease).
- To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns or baguettes in half. Spread the dressing on the top half of the bread. Layer cilantro to taste on the bottom half. Place 3 or so meatballs (will depend on how big you made them) on top of the cilantro. Drain the relish and place a heaping spoonful on top of the meatballs. Press on the sandwich top and devour.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from this recipe at Bon Appetit (after a reader, Sarah, sent it to me)
91 Comments on “Easy Banh Mi Meatball Subs {Vietnamese-Inspired}”
This is one of our favorite recipes, with homemade rolls. But the other week I didn’t have time to make bread, so I made “banh mi bowls” using this recipe. I made the relish, and spicy sauce, and a pot of rice, and instead of forming the meat into meatballs I simply cooked it in a skillet. My husband and I both thought it was so good, and really easy! In the future I would use Greek yogurt instead of mayo in the spicy sauce, but other than that it was perfect. Now we have two favorite recipes in one!
These are SO good! Not in my wheelhouse of what I usually make so I was kind of hesitant but we all loved them!!!!
These were awesome! We’ll be having them regularly at our house!
Would it be possible to get the weight of the carrots and cucumber so the proportions of dressing to veg is correct? I’m in England and English cucumbers and carrots sizes can vary widely. Thank you!
For the time-challenged, is there a shortcut to make this with frozen meatballs from the store? I’m worried they would be lacking in flavor compared to your homemade ones. Maybe brown them over the stove with some oil, mixed with the herbs, fish sauce, and chili sauce before assembling the sandwich?
Do exactly what Mel says! You might be unsure about the ingredients but look past any fears, it is delicious! Thank you Mel for sharing your talents, it has blessed me and my family!!
So I have a confession… I love these meatballs, but not the time it takes. I have begun making them as tacos, browning the meat then adding the rest of the meatball ingredients toward the end. Then I put everything in flour tortillas. I am able to make these more often because it goes a lot quicker and I still love the flavors. They are so good.
What a great idea, Sara!
These were so good! We mixed the relish and dressing one day in advance to speed things up on a busy weeknight. For the meatballs, we used a combination of pork breakfast sausage and ground pork from our freezer. Even our pickiest eaters loved these sandwiches! We can’t wait to have them again!
One of our family favorites!!!
Oh my gosh! These were divine!! We will be eating these frequently. My 6-year old said she “loved them.”
Can these meatballs be constructed and then frozen? This is my favorite meal, but takes wayyyy to long to make on a weeknight! Thanks!
Yes! You could bake them and freeze or freeze prior to baking.
I made this recipe with a few tweaks of the old pantry and fridge. I added very thin red onion strips to the veggies, I used soy sauce in place of fish sauce and gochujang in place of the hot sauce/sweet chili sauce, I used the gochujang in yum yum sauce for the dressing as well, and my final addition was a dash or two of Chinese five spice and OMGOODNESS!!!!!! It was amazing! Thank you for this dish!!!!!
Best sandwich EVER! Spicy, sweet, and fresh the perfect combination. I crave this bad boy. Literally, all out CRAVE it, have to have it. Mel, this is a slam dunk as with pretty much all of your recipes. My family and I thank you!
Really good! A little too spicy for my littlest even cutting the siracha in half. (I finished off my bottle of sweet chili sauce two days ago otherwise I would have used that.) We liked it as a sandwich, but maybe even more in corn tortillas. We love Mel’s Korean beef tacos, though, so that may be why we preferred it that way. We’ll definitely make these again.
Delicious!! Thanks so much for a great recipe. Ground turkey is not available in my country and I prefer not to eat pork so used ground chicken. After mixing the ingredients from the recipe due to using chicken it seems too soft so I added some dried breadcrumbs and an egg– worked great!
A fair amount of work for a weeknight. But if you make the sauce etc. ahead of time that does help. These are amazingly delicious.
Oh my word! I don’t know why I don’t make these more often! I made the buns, so it was a little involved, but all the components were so delicious!
Oh gosh, that meatball banh mi sandwich might be my favorite meal EVER!
These were fantastic! Even my pickiest eaters loved them.
Love it. No way prep time is 25 minutes. I love almost every recipe Mel has but prep times are seriously way off! Would love to see a video of Mel prepping this in 25 minutes.
You might be right! I increased the prep time to make it more manageable.
So is it a deal breaker if I don’t brown the meatballs first and just put them straight in the oven?
You’ll lose a little goldeny flavor on the outside, but nah, not a deal breaker.
Delicious. Followed another commenter’s suggestion to forgo the skillet and just lightly brush on sesame oil prior to baking; worked well enough if you’re short on time.
Love these sandwiches. I actually thinly slice the cucumber and make ribbons w/ a peeler out of the carrots. I make triple because my kids like to eat it on the side as well as on the sandwich! We’ve enjoyed eating with the original ground pork and it’s also delicious with ground turkey. I also lightly brush the meatballs w/ the sesame oil (VERY LIGHTLY) and skip the stove top and go straight to the oven- nonstick foil for easy clean up! 🙂
I made this for my family last night and they were a huge hit! We made the meatballs into patties, grilled them, and served them on a crusty roll. I ate leftovers today by slicing up one of the patties and making it into a wrap. Definitely goes on the recipe roster!
We made this tonight, and it was delicious! I omitted the sugar, but we all still loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Absolutely love this sandwhich and so does my family! Having this tonight…again!
Wow- these were FANTASTIC!
Kids were nervous about relish veggies at first but devoured this sandwich after the first bite – thanks Mel!!
These were fantastic! I made them on dinner rolls and flattened the meatballs into patties and made sliders. I can’t wait for leftovers. So, so yummy!
I made these tonight and they were fabulous! My only challenge was that my meatballs didn’t want to hold together as I browned them. Any suggestions?
Hi Rita – what type of meat did you use?
I used all turkey and I had a little trouble also. Turkey is so mushy. It still worked but next time I am doing pork to see if pork forms better for meatballs. They were still really good!
Um my hubby is well aware of who “Mel” is! And he knew this one was one of yours when he tasted it. I almost only ever cook your family friendly food these days. Thanks SO much!! These were a hit over your fluffy hoagies–and whole wheat too! My 3 year old ate 2 meatballs even!! And that’s saying a lot for her!!
How many ounces of dough do you use to make your hoagies? Can’t wait to have these tonight!
Usually about 3.5 ounces per roll.
Should the ground turkey be white or dark meat? Looking forward to making it!
You can use either, I usually use white meat since it’s a bit leaner.
What a delicious meal!!!!! I have had this printed out to try for a long time, but kept putting it off thinking it would be a longer one to make. I took your advice and made the sauce and relish ahead of time, so I just had the meatballs to make, which were pretty quick and simple. Everything about this, was delicious, spicy sauce, the crunch and tang of the relish with delicious savory meatballs! I always get my best recipes from you Mel, my husband always knows when I make a great recipe that I have been looking on your website! Thanks for another great one!
WOW, Mel. Just wow. So so delicious (AND easy). These were a huge hit. I made your italian ciabatta-ish rolls to go with when we had them for dinner last night, but then I started thinking, how hard could baguette be, really? A quick visit to KAF after dinner last night and we had the leftovers for lunch on homemade baguette. I used the “Classic and Stuffed” recipe on their site (that calls for bread flour) and it was surprisingly delicious and authentic-ish. Thanks again for another great dinner!
This is a fabulous recipe! My family loved them.
Thanks!
Holy WOW. These were fantastic. The combination of flavors!!! The textures!!! The versatility!!! And they are very filling. Thank you for this fabulous recipe. We will make it again and again!
Wow! I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious these were. I could eat them every day. Maybe it’s time for a new category on your blog called “life-changing recipes” or “You Must Make This”. Seriously. My life will never be the same. I regret all the time I wasted not making these the second you posted them. Thanks for changing my world! 🙂
Made ‘um. Ate ‘um. GONE! A winner for sure. Making meatballs, relish and spread a day ahead worked great. I used a “take and bake” good quality ciabatta from our grocery instead of rolls the day we ate ‘um. Otherwise, followed recipe exactly. We like spicy so ended up using extra Sriracha on side. Added more to spread. Tried mixed with sweet chili sauce-also totally yum. Added about 1T of leftover fresh basil I had on day two to the spread to see how that tasted. Nom. Nom. When we ran out of slaw-but still had meatballs-I had no carrots so improvised using some cucumber and part of bag of broccoli-slaw I had hanging around with your dressing recipe. Very tasty. Thanks again for the great inspiration, Mel!!
Holy cow!!! – made this for my yesterday’s supper and YOWZA – so good! I did have it on a crusty roll and next time will do as you suggest and have it on a soft roll. Still, the flavor profile is wonderful – thank you!
Had this tonight and it was so delicious. I accidentally forgot the basil in the meatballs but they were still so good. My four year old loved the sandwich, but he especially loved the carrots and cucumbers that went on top. He had an extra helping of those after he finished his sandwich. Thumbs up from our family!
We had this for dinner today. So very good! I served it with a side salad with carrot ginger dressing. I took a tip from one of the other comments and skipped the pan browning step, and put the meatballs on a broiler pan (so fat could drip away) and temp at 500. After about 17 min they were browned and done. (I also set off the smoke detector, oops. The oil that had dripped off began to smoke. But since I lined the pan with foil…easy clean up. 🙂
mel! I think I have a little problem… I could eat these for every meal. We tried them tonight and they were a huge hit! My new fav from your site. Thanks so much for all your recipes 🙂
Hi Mel, This looked so good. When I have made your recipes in the past I have never hesitated to follow the directions. I made these over the weekend and had all the ingredients except fish sauce, which I have never used before. I had to hunt through the shelf in the grocery store but finally found it. When I was putting the ingredients together, I opened the bottle, took a whiff, and said, “I can’t put this in food!” I have read through the comments and it sounds like only one reader shared my concern. Can you reassure me on this? It’s in the fridge. I will definitely make these sandwiches again — my husband loved this! But I’m afraid of the bottle of fish sauce lurking in my fridge. In fact, I’m terrified.
Hey Julie – yep, I’m going to ask for your complete trust on this one. Years ago when I first used fish sauce in an egg roll recipe, I thought I was going to die and thought for sure my bottle of it was spoiled. I immediately went online and was surprised there weren’t websites dedicated to the odor. Apparently, I just needed to get over it because since then, I use it in many, many recipes and it adds a wonderful depth of flavor. Having said that, I try not to breathe in to abruptly while using because the smell has not grown on me all that much. If it is a terrible turn off for you, start by using half what the recipe calls for. And be sure to report back. 🙂
Ok, thanks. I promise, next time I’ll use the fish sauce!
I’m heading back to that diet again soon, but hoping to be better prepared food wise this time. In the meantime, I made these delicious sandwiches — so good! I have trouble eating bread sometimes, but the meatballs, relish and sauce were just as yummy in a bowl. Next time, and there will be a next time, I think I’ll form the meat into patties, which will be easier for the kids to eat in a sandwich.
We made these last night for dinner. We ended up using ground beef because that’s what I had on hand. They were so tasty!! Next time I’m definitely using pork. The ground beef was good though — all three of my boys and my husband loved it. I’m thinking that’s why this website is such a hit around here. I have three boys and one on the way, so you seem to know what a bunch of little boys will eat.
Thanks!!
I made this for my family this week and it was a huge hit! I used half Turkey breast and half pork for the meatballs. Next time I will use less garlic, I definitely over did it. I loved the cucumber quick pickles, I think its nice to cut the cucumber in very thin slices instead of shredding or julienne. I served this with the Asian Noodle Salad and I used rolls from Costco. Thanks for a great recipe! This will be another Classic.
This sandwich was very good. I have never tasted it before. The meatballs seem like they could be used in other meals also.
These were sooooooo good! Here’s to hoping and praying you are over the non-iodine part of life.
Loved it. Baby loved it. Missionaries loved it. The only hiccup I had was with the cooking time for the whole wheat hoagies. I think I ended up cooking them for 22 minutes but they ended up perfect. Oh my heck these Vietnamese sandwiches were good. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We made it today and it was great 🙂
Super yummy and so delicious! We just had these for dinner and they are now a favorite. I made the mistake of smelling the fish sauce (never had before) and almost lost my lunch. 🙁 For the next 45 minutes, I had to keep repeating to myself, “Remember this is Mel’s recipe, keep going and don’t think about the fish sauce.” I’m going to cut down just a tad the sesame oil in the relish. This was also a new taste for us. Hubby thought is was just right but it was a little too strong for me. Mel, you are so wonderful and thank you, once again, for such a fantastic recipe. Oh, and I used the sweet Thai chili sauce and was so happy to have another recipe using this yummy sauce.
Question: Do you know how long fish sauce will keep refrigerated? I think of fish and think of the 3 day rule — both company and fish stink after 3 days.
Hi Sheila – so glad you liked these! I always love seeing your comments pop up. I’m glad you found ways to make them more suited for your family’s taste buds. That’s half the fun/challenge of cooking! As for fish sauce, it’s not like fresh fish (and I hear you, girl, the smell is nauseating!)…it will keep in the fridge for months (let’s not dwell on whether or not that’s a good thing). Despite the weirdness, it really is a good ingredient to keep on hand.
Thank you!
Ummm, these look different and amazing and I want them. Stupid question though–do you think it would mess up the flavor too much if I used ground beef instead? Ground pork and ground turkey kind of freak me out.
Haven’t tried them with ground beef but you could experiment – the texture of the meatballs won’t be quite as light but if that’s what you prefer, I’d say go ahead and use it.
OK so I was planning to make a different kind of meatball/rice tonight, but saw this and decided to make these meatballs, the relish and dressing, and serve it all over the brown rice I had already prepared. IT WAS FANTASTIC. I used ground turkey, and since I didn’t have fish sauce (which is a shame!), I used half hoisin, half soy sauce for that part. I did a combo of Greek yogurt and mayo for the dressing. That relish really makes the meal shine. But even the 3 y.o. ate all her meatballs (I made mine with a teaspoon scoop) and asked for more. And that is awesome.
Thanks Melanie! You are the hero of the night (again).
I know the low iodine diet too. I had to do it for 6 weeks. Ugh! My first meal after was my moms roast beef, mashed potatoes, and rolls. Everything tasted soooooooo good!
OK, I have to comment in solidarity with you for the low-iodine diet. My husband was on this when he had thyroid cancer. I bought salt without iodide, and we made homemade bread for him. Not a fun diet though. I can only imagine how happy you were to eat these sandwiches afterward. I want to try them, but might have to order the fish sauce online. I haven’t found it anywhere in my grocery store, even by the Asian foods.
OMG! When you have a craving, watch out! What a off the Richter Scale this sandwich is. Truly wonderful.
We had these for dinner tonight. Crazy.Good. Mark this down as my favorite sandwich as well. Thanks Mel for yet another family favorite!
One note – I have young kiddos, not leaving me much time for pan frying, so I baked the oh-so-yummy meatballs at 500F for 20 minutes in lieu of browning. Turned out perfect.
I love the idea of skipping the pan frying step. Thanks for this idea, Carrie!
Oh I totally know the low iodine diet torture. 🙁 You never know who else has been down that road, huh? Small world. On a brighter note, this sandwich looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it!!
What a great twist on a regular ol’ meatball sub! This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it!
Hey I know that iodine free diet very well! Hope you don’t have to do it for too long.
This sandwich sounds fantastic and now that we’re going into the cooler months, what could be better than soup and a great sandwich!
If I wanted to make the meatballs earlier in the day & reheat them, would they still taste amazing? I’m not a big meatball maker, so please excuse the dumb question!
Yes, Sheree – that would work great! The meatballs could be made in advance and reheated; great idea to save time.
Thanks, Mel. I did make the meatballs ahead of time and it worked great. Very yummy sandwich. I subbed soy sauce for the fish sauce, had to use dried basil and oregano (I was almost out of basil!), cut down the sugar (my hubby has a thing about sweet meat), and used chili garlic sauce in place of sweet Thai chili sauce. Thanks for another great recipe!
So I never comment, but I had to tell you I had my first Bahn Mi sandwich at an awesome restaurant in SLC that you would love. It was featured on Diners Driveins and Dives. So next time you’re in the area, check them out and satisfy that Bahn Mi sandwich craving in a BIG way (and the prices are unbelievably cheap, I don’t know how they do it!). It’s called Oh Mai Sandwich http://www.ohmaisandwich.com/ I’m craving it now!
They have a few locations and I love it! I always get the S2, so good!
Yum, thanks for the recommendation, Emily!
Annnnnnnnnd that’s yet another thing to go on my already super-long list of ‘Things-I-want-to-make-from-Mel’s-wonderful-blog’! Drooling all over my keyboard.
If you’re a banh mi lover, then I highly suggest Andrea Nguyen’s The Banh Mi Handbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Banh-Handbook-Crazy-Delicious-Vietnamese-Sandwiches/dp/160774533X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412003769&sr=8-1&keywords=banh+mi+handbook
Its allowed me to make the best banh mi I’ve ever had! (Her dumpling book is also superb if you fancy Asian dumplings too.)
Hi Mel, this sandwich sounds yummy!! If I wanted to serve them as a main dish for dinner, what kind of side dish would you recommend? My family isn’t big on potato chips and junk style stuff for dinner. We like the wholesome things.
These sandwiches are pretty hearty and filling so whenever I serve them, I keep it VERY simple with a plate of fresh vegetables (sometimes with homemade ranch, sometimes not) and another plate of fresh fruit. If you wanted to get a little fancier, an Asian noodle salad would compliment them well, too, like this one:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/asian-noodle-salad-2/
Oh man. I just flopped down on my bed in my hotel in Vietnam and opened my feedly to find this! How serendipitous. 🙂 I’ll have to try a banh mi sandwich while I’m here, secure in the knowledge that I can make my own as soon I get home.
I’m starting my second time on the diet in 2 weeks. The first time I lost all sense of taste for a month afterwards. Did you experience any lost of taste?
Cathie – sorry to hear that! I haven’t experienced the loss of taste on the low-iodine diet (although I did have that happen when I went through the I-131 radiation treatment – thankfully it came back after a few months). Good luck!
Oh geez! Thats what I meant (after the I 131) Hopefully it won”t happen this time around. I’m definitely going to try this sandwich before I start the diet. Love your blog, great recipes and adorable kids. Two of my favorite things 😀
Yum! I’m going to make it for dinner this week! I shall return and report:)
I love vietnamese sandwiches, I can’t wait to try making them myself. they look delicious.
I know all too well how awful the LID diet is. Hope they got it all this time and you never have to repeat it. Thanks for the great recipe.
Oh my gosh, Mel! How do you always seem to know what I am craving? I have been looking at recipes for Banh Mi sandwiches and couldn’t decide which one to try first. Now I know…yours! 🙂 That said, the no iodine diet does not sound like fun at all, as I’m sure the tests that followed the restricted two week diet weren’t either. I’m praying you won’t have to do it again anytime soon!