A culinary fusion of Italian and Vietnamese classics, this vegan Banh Mi Pizza is made with quick pickled cucumbers and carrots, seasoned tofu, and creamy Banh mi sauce.
It’s time for some pizza, friends!
And not just any pizza. I’ve got one of my favorite pizza recipes today. It’s vegan Banh mi pizza! A sweet and savory pizza made with marinated and sautéed tofu, quick pickled vegetables, and creamy Banh mi sauce all over an artisan pizza crust.
I think you’re going to love this recipe!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
What is Banh mi?
Classicly Banh mi is made in the form of a sandwich. It is popular street food in Vietnam and one of the best fusion cuisines I know. A blend of Vietnamese and French foods, a Banh mi sandwich combines Vietnamese meats and vegetables with the French baguette and wonderful creamy condiments for a sandwich that will amaze you.
For our Banh mi pizza, all we need to do is swap out our French baguette for an artisan pizza crust and we have a Vietnamese/Italian/French fusion meal that is so so good!
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
A blend of Vietnamese and French foods, this pizza combines Vietnamese meats and vegetables with the artisan pizza crust and its wonderful creamy condiments for a meal that will amaze you.
Here is everything you’ll need.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Extra Firm Tofu – Look for extra-firm tofu that is not water-packed, such as Trader Joe’s High-Protein Tofu or Super Firm Sprouted Tofu. These types of tofu do not have excess water and do not need to be pressed. If you have to use water-packed tofu make sure to press as much water as you can out of it first by using a tofu pressor a weighted, towel-lined cutting board.
- Marinade – This is a combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, and fresh ginger.
- Oil – Any high-heat oil will do like coconut or avocado.
- Vegan Mayonnaise – My favorite brand is Just Mayo. It is shelf-stable and has a similar price point to non-vegan mayonnaise. However, any vegan mayo will do.
- Hoisin Sauce
- Sriracha
- Agave Nectar
- Quick Pickled Veggies – A combination of carrots, cucumbers, jalapeños, granulated sugar, rice vinegar, and salt.
- Pizza Dough – I typically buy pre-made pizza dough which can be found in the refrigerated section of most well-stocked grocery stores. When baked, it tastes as fresh as if made in your kitchen while eliminating a time-consuming step in homemade pizza. However, feel free to make pizza dough from scratch or buy par-baked pizza dough.
- Cilantro
- Jalapeño
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe you will need a large, shallow dish for marinating the tofu, a large skillet, a chef’s knife, cutting board, a pizza stone and pizza cutter and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Banh mi Pizza
Step One – Prepare the Tofu
The first step is swapping out the Vietnamese meat for marinated tofu.
I used extra firm tofu that is pressed and marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, and rice vinegar for a classic Vietnamese taste. Let the flavors soak into the tofu for at least an hour.
Cut tofu into 1/4″ slices and pan-fried it in hot oil for that chewy, crispy texture.
Step Two – Quick Pickled Vegetables
Thinly slice the carrots, cucumbers, and jalapeños. Whisk them together with the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For this recipe, I omitted the daikon because they can be difficult to find and I like to keep my recipes as simple as possible. However, if you can find daikon at your local grocery store, feel free to add that in with the carrots and the cucumber for a more authentic vegetable mix.
Step Three – Creamy Banh Mi Sauce
Lastly, make the creamy Banh mi sauce.
The Bahn mi fusion brings together Vietnamese flavors with French condiments. A combination of vegan mayonnaise, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha (or jalapeños) are whipped up into a spicy, tangy, creamy, and oh-so-delicious sauce that will have you licking your fingers for more.
Step Four – Assemble the Pizza
For the recipe, the crust gets baked separately. Stretch out the crust and bake it in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly brown. Once the crust is out of the oven, slather it in Banh mi sauce and top it with quick-pickled vegetables, sautéed tofu, jalapeños, and cilantro.
Serve immediately.
Serving And Storing
Serve pizza fresh out of the oven.
Store leftover pizza in an airtight container in the refrigerator 1-2 days. Gently reheat the pizza in the oven or on the stovetop before eating.
More Vegan Pizza Recipes
- Roasted Beet and Cashew Cheese Pizza
- Grilled Pizza Margherita
- Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza
- Palak Paneer Pita Pizza
Vegan Banh Mi Pizza
Ingredients
1 Pizza Crust (homemade or store bought)
Creamy Banh Mi Sauce
- 1/4 cup veganaise
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp agave nectar
Pickled Vegetables
- 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Marinated Tofu
- 8 ounces extra firm tofu, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- 1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger
Toppings
- Fresh cilantro
- Sriracha
- Jalapeño peppers, diced
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu marinade in a large, shallow dish. Slice the tofu into 1/4″ slices and place it in the marinade so that it is completely submerged. Marinate the tofu for at least 1 hour.
- Combine the ingredients for the pickled vegetables, submerging the carrots and cucumbers completely. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Lightly brush the pizza dough with olive oil and bake on pizza stone for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden.
- While the pizza crust is baking, heat the oil in a skillet and panfry the marinated tofu until darkened and crispy, about 5 minutes per side.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the Creamy Banh Mi Sauce. Set aside.
- Remove the crust from the oven. Cover in an even layer of sauce. Add pickled vegetables, pan-fried tofu, and remaining toppings.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
S says
I LOVE this pizza
Ashley says
What an amazing blend of flavors! Perfect for our “specialty pizza Saturdays”. I made sure to cut my tofu extra-thin and it crisped up so well in the pan. It was a delicious contrast to the cool pickled veggies. I threw some radishes in the mix too. Thank you !