Banh Mi Bowl With Rice Noodles

This vegan Banh Mi Bowl recipe is colourful, flavourful, and loaded with textures! Chewy rice noodles are topped with crispy tofu and veggies, then drizzled with a sweet-and-savoury sauce and creamy sriracha mayo.

You might say I’ve been on a banh mi kick lately. My Air Fryer Tofu inspired me to make a Crispy Tofu Banh Mi With Quick Pickled Veggies , and then I just wanted ALL the banh mi ALL the time. When I ran out of bread, I raided the pantry and found a package of rice noodles instead. That’s when inspiration struck: a banh mi bowl! Friends, you are going to LOVE this recipe. Chewy rice noodles are the perfect complement to the crunchy veggies and creamy, spicy mayo in a traditional banh mi.

Why You Need to Try This Banh Mi Bowl

If you’re looking for a new meal bowl to add to your repertoire, this is the ONE! Let’s talk about what makes it so good:

• Bright and colourful . They say we eat first with our eyes and if that’s the case, then this banh mi bowl is an absolute feast! That rainbow of fresh veggies makes me so excited to dig in.
• Big flavours and textures . You’ve got the crispy air fried tofu, the chewy rice noodles, crunchy raw veggies; then there’s the rich and creamy sriracha mayo and vegan nuoc cham sauce , which has the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.
• Awesome for meal prep . This is a recipe that stands up well to meal prepping, and you can enjoy it warm or cold, so it’s great for bringing to school or work.

Notes on Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own banh mi bowls! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

For the Bowl Assembly:

• Rice noodles – I like to use brown rice noodles for some extra whole grain goodness.
• Air fryer tofu – If you don’t have an air fryer, you can use my Fried Tofu or Easy Baked Tofu recipes.
• Purple cabbage – You can save yourself a little time and buy shredded cabbage at the grocery store!
• Cucumber
• Pickled radishes and carrots – Follow the instructions from my Tofu Banh Mi recipe.
• Jalapeño – You can skip this for a milder banh mi bowl.
• Fresh cilantro leaves – If you’re not a cilantro fan, mint or basil will work too.
• Lime

Nuoc Cham Sauce:

• Lime juice
• Rice vinegar – Be sure to use unseasoned rice vinegar, which doesn’t have sugar added.
• Maple syrup – Or your preferred vegan sweetener.
• Garlic
• Tamari – Soy sauce can be used instead, but tamari is gluten-free.
• Chilli flakes

Sriracha Mayo:

• Vegan mayonnaise – I use my homemade Vegan Mayo .
• Sriracha – As much or as little as you’d like!

How to Make a Banh Mi Bowl

Making this recipe is easy! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Cook the rice noodles.

• Cook the noodles . Follow the instructions on the package, then drain and rinse in cold water.
• Prep the veggies . Slice the vegetables and make the pickles.
• Mix the nuoc cham sauce . Whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste and add water if desired.

Mix the sriracha and mayo.

• Make the sriracha mayo . Stir together the vegan mayo and sriracha.
• Assemble. Divide the noodles into bowls, followed by the nuoc cham sauce. Add the air fryer tofu, veggies, and cilantro, followed by the sriracha.
• Serve . Add a lime wedge and serve with additional sauce.

Variation Ideas

If you like to switch things up, here are some ideas to get you started. Or come up with your own!

• Use a different protein . Instead of tofu, try tempeh or Vegan Chicken . Edamame or or even Crispy Roasted Chickpeas would work too!
• Try another base . Instead of noodles, you can use cooked white or brown rice, or try quinoa for a little extra protein.
• Make it a salad . Skip the noodles and serve with a spring mix or chopped romaine.

Meal Prep Tips

If you’re making this banh mi bowl recipe for meal prep, storage containers with compartments will come in handy. Store the noodles tossed with sauce in one compartment, the tofu in another, and the veggies in a third. Bring the mayo in a little container and drizzle it on just before serving. (If you don’t have containers with compartments, you can store everything together; the textures just won’t be quite as fresh!)

How to Store

These banh mi bowls will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you’d like, you can heat the noodles and tofu before serving, but I usually just eat them cold!

More Meal Bowl Recipes

• Nourishing Vegan Buddha Bowl
• Vegan Sushi Rice Bowl with Sesame Soy Dressing
• Loaded Taco Salad Bowl with Lime Crema

Ingredients

For the Bowl Assembly:

• 8 ounces rice noodles , 225 g
• 1 batch air fryer tofu
• 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage , 70 g
• 1 cup cucumber slices , 120 g
• ½ cup pickled radishes and carrots , 85 g
• 1 jalapeño , thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves , 15 g
• 1 lime , cut into wedges

Vegan Nuoc Cham Sauce

• 3 tablespoons lime juice , 45 mL
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar , 30 mL
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup , 15 mL
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 2 tablespoons tamari , 30 mL
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes , 0.5 g

Sriracha Mayo:

• ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise , 60 g
• 1-2 teaspoons sriracha , adjust to spice preference – 5 – 10 mL

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions (usually 4–6 minutes), then drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• While noodles are cooking, thinly slice the purple cabbage, cucumber, jalapeño, and radishes if not already pickled. Wash and dry the cilantro leaves.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, chilli flakes and tamari for the nuoc cham sauce. Add a splash of water if you want a lighter flavor.
• In another small bowl, stir together vegan mayo and sriracha. Adjust to taste.
• Divide the noodles evenly between 4 bowls.Toss the cooked noodles in a tablespoon of the Nuoc Cham Sauce. Top with air fryer tofu, purple cabbage, cucumbers, pickled radish and carrot, jalapeño slices, and fresh cilantro.
• Finish with a generous drizzle of sriracha mayo. Serve with a lime wedge on the side and additional Nuoc Cham sauce.

Notes

Banh Mi Rice Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

For the Bowl Assembly:

• 8 ounces rice noodles 225 g
• 1 batch air fryer tofu
• 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage 70 g
• 1 cup cucumber slices 120 g
• ½ cup pickled radishes and carrots 85 g
• 1 jalapeño thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves 15 g
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Vegan Nuoc Cham Sauce

• 3 tablespoons lime juice 45 mL
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 30 mL
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 15 mL
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons tamari 30 mL
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes 0.5 g

Sriracha Mayo:

• ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise 60 g
• 1-2 teaspoons sriracha adjust to spice preference – 5 – 10 mL

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions (usually 4–6 minutes), then drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• While noodles are cooking, thinly slice the purple cabbage, cucumber, jalapeño, and radishes if not already pickled. Wash and dry the cilantro leaves.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, chilli flakes and tamari for the nuoc cham sauce. Add a splash of water if you want a lighter flavor.
• In another small bowl, stir together vegan mayo and sriracha. Adjust to taste.
• Divide the noodles evenly between 4 bowls.Toss the cooked noodles in a tablespoon of the Nuoc Cham Sauce. Top with air fryer tofu, purple cabbage, cucumbers, pickled radish and carrot, jalapeño slices, and fresh cilantro.
• Finish with a generous drizzle of sriracha mayo. Serve with a lime wedge on the side and additional Nuoc Cham sauce.

Notes

Nutrition

Banh Mi Rice Noodle Bowl https://jessicainthekitchen.com/banh-mi-bowl/ October 3, 2025

This vegan Caesar Pasta Salad is savoury, tangy, and garlicky, with a fantastic combination of textures, from crunchy baked chickpeas to crisp romaine and tender pasta. Delicious!

What happens when you combine the savoury, garlicky, crisp-and-crunchy goodness of a Vegan Caesar Salad with pasta salad? You get this Caesar pasta salad recipe, of course! This is the kind of recipe that’s perfect for bringing to potlucks and parties as a side dish, but you could also make a meal out of it on a weekday. (And when I was testing this recipe, my family was more than happy to have it for dinner!)

What Makes This Caesar Pasta Salad a Win

There’s so much to love about this recipe! Let’s discuss:

• Amazing texture . A lot of pasta salads have one texture: mushy noodles. But this Caesar pasta salad doesn’t disappoint in the texture department! It combines the noodles with romaine and crispy chickpeas, giving you lots of variety.
• Caesar flavour, but vegan . A typical Caesar dressing is made with anchovies, Parmesan, and sometimes mayo. My version swaps in nutritional yeast for the Parm and uses tahini for creaminess. (We’re not even going to bother replacing the anchovies because: ick .)
• A recipe for everyone . Even meat eaters are going to love this Caesar pasta salad, which is why it’s so great for bringing to a potluck! This is the kind of dish where everyone’s going to be asking you for the recipe.

Notes on Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan Caesar pasta salad! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

For the Baked Chickpeas:

• Chickpeas – Using canned chickpeas is easiest, or use dried chickpeas and cook them first.
• Olive oil
• Seasonings – Garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt.

For the Vegan Caesar Dressing:

• Oil – You can use any neutral oil you like.

• Tahini – Store-bought or make your own tahini .

• Garlic – For extra layers of flavour, use Roasted Garlic .

• Capers – Capers have a bright, briny flavour that adds some depth to the dressing in lieu of the anchovies. It doesn’t mimic the flavour of anchovies, but it gives the dressing interest. Another option is Kalamata olives.

• Nutritional yeast – Or Vegan Parmesan .

• Dijon mustard

• Lime or lemon juice

• Sea salt and ground black pepper

• Water – To adjust the consistency of the dressing.

• Spiral pasta – Like rotini or fusilli.

• Romaine lettuce – Make sure you dry this well before assembling the pasta salad to keep the dressing from getting watered down.

• Vegan bacon – You can use store-bought or homemade, like my Vegan Bacon Crumbles , Crispy Vegan Bacon , or Tofu Bacon .

• Vegan Parmesan – I like shavings for this recipe, so I buy a wedge and use a vegetable peeler to shave it.

How to Make Caesar Pasta Salad

This recipe comes together with minimal effort. Here’s what you’ll need to do!

Season the chickpeas.

• Make the chickpeas . Dry them well and toss them with the oil and seasonings. Bake at 400ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.
• Cook the pasta . Boil it in salted water until it’s al dente, following the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Add ingredients to bowl.

• Make the dressing . Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend and stream in the water until it reaches a pourable consistency.
• Assemble . Add the pasta, romaine, and vegan bacon to a large bowl and then toss everything with the dressing. Top with the vegan Parm and crispy chickpeas.

Tips and Variations

I’ve got a few more pointers before you get started with this Caesar pasta salad.

• Al dente is a must . When cooking pasta for a pasta salad, it should always be very slightly under-cooked. The pasta will absorb the dressing and get softer, so you never want to start with fully cooked noodles!
• Use croutons for a more traditional option . I use crispy chickpeas for a protein-packed swap for the usual croutons, but if you’d prefer going the traditional route, go ahead and use croutons instead!
• Add the lettuce and chickpeas just before serving . If you’re not serving this recipe right away, I recommend adding the lettuce and chickpeas when you’re ready to eat to keep them super crispy!

What to Serve With Caesar Pasta Salad

As I mentioned above, you can totally make a meal out of this recipe , maybe with some Roasted Garlic Bread on the side. This recipe pairs well with all kinds of picnic foods and backyard favourites too, from Loaded Potato Salad to Vegan BLT Sandwiches . It would be an amazing side for Vegan Quiche too!

How to Store

Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. The romaine will wilt during storage, but you can revive your pasta salad a bit by adding more chopped romaine just before serving.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Orzo Pasta Salad
• 15 Minute Pasta Salad
• Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe

Ingredients

For the Baked Chickpeas (Crouton Substitute):

• 1 ½ cups canned chickpeas , rinsed and drained – 265 g (yields about 1 cup / 165 g after baking)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil , 15 mL
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder , 1.5 g
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika , 1.5 g
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt , 1.5 g

For the Vegan Caesar Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons oil , any neutral oil – 30 mL

• ¼ cup tahini , 60 g

• 3 cloves garlic , minced or roasted

• 2 teaspoons capers , 10 g

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast , 6 g

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard , 5 mL

• 1-2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice , to taste – 15 – 30 mL

• ½ teaspoon sea salt , 3 g

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper , 0.5 g

• ½ cup water , 120 mL

• 8 ounces spiral pasta , rotini or fusilli – 225 g

• 1 ½ cups chopped romaine lettuce , 85 g

• ½ cup cooked vegan bacon , chopped or crumbled – about 50 g

• ¼ cup vegan Parmesan shavings , 15 g

• 1 cup baked chickpeas , from above – 165 g

Instructions

Bake the Chickpeas:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Pat the chickpeas very dry with a kitchen towel.
• Toss them with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
• Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 25–30 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through, until crispy. Let cool.

Cook the Pasta:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add spiral pasta and cook until al dente, about 8–10 minutes.
• Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside.

Make the Caesar Dressing:

• In a blender or food processor, combine oil, tahini, garlic, capers, nutritional yeast, mustard, lemon or lime juice, salt, and pepper.

• Start blending, then add water gradually until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.

• In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, chopped romaine lettuce, and vegan bacon.

• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.

• Top with vegan Parmesan and baked chickpeas just before serving for crunch.

Notes