By Erin · · Updated · 70 Comments
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This Banh Mi Bowl is like your favorite banh mi sandwich, but healthier! The base is made with cauliflower rice, then it's topped with veggies, a sticky-sweet pork and a simple sriracha mayo.
Remember when I named a banh mi restaurant one of my favorites in Pittsburgh? Yeah well the other day I found myself craving banh mi but I didn't want to leave my house. Enter: this homemade (and healthy!) banh mi bowl.
The best part about banh mi is the variety of flavors. Since this isn't a typical banh mi sandwich and it is on the healthier side, I wanted to make sure the meat was marinaded perfectly, aka that it had tons of flavor. Let me tell you--this recipe is pure perfection, such an easy lunch recipe and it comes together in less than 15 minutes! I always say that 30 minute meals are my favorite, but 15 minute meals are even better.
Why this banh mi bowl is the best
- It's made with healthy ingredients, like cauliflower, cucumber and carrots
- The marinade for the pork is insanely flavorful
- Anything with sriracha mayo is a winner in my opinion, including this bowl!
- It's ready in just 15 minutes
Step-by-step instructions
This bowl comes together from start to finish in less than 15 minutes, so when I'm really not joking when I say it's EASY.
Step 1: Cook the pork. Add pork to a skillet and cook it over medium heat until it's no longer pink.
Step 2: Slice the vegetables. While the pork is cooking, prep the veggies--cucumber, carrots, and jalapeño--by slicing them. For this recipe, I bought shredded carrots, but you can also buy carrot sticks and slice them yourself if you prefer.
Step 3: Cook the cauliflower rice.Pro tip: buy pre-made cauliflower rice! Seriously, it makes life a lot easier. I like the frozen bags that you can microwave, but you can also buy the refrigerated kind that cooks over the stove.
Step 4: Make the marinade. Whisk the coconut aminos, arrowroot and ginger together in a bowl.
Step 5: At this point, the pork should be fully cooked. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant, then reduce the heat to low, then pour the marinade over top and stir everything together for about 1 minute until the pork is fully coated the sauce gets kind of sticky.
Last, make the spicy mayo by stirring mayo and sriracha together, then drizzle it over top of the assembled bowl.
FAQs and Tips
Ingredient substitutions
Want to make a few changes? No problem. Here are a few that I think would work well:
Vegan: If you want to keep this vegan-friendly, simply use your favorite vegan "meat" substitution. Personally, I'd use either fried tofu or seitan.
Traditional: Use white rice! Traditional banh mi bowls are made with white rice instead of cauliflower rice, so if you want to go that route, I think it'll taste delicious.
Isn't traditional banh mi made with pickled vegetables?
Yes! Pickling vegetables is absolutely an option when making this bowl; however, it requires a little more prep work, and I wanted this bowl to be as quick as possible, so I opted to use raw veggies. Feel free to pickle the carrots ahead of time if you want it to taste truly authentic.
More Whole30 recipes
- Whole30 Chicken Salad
- Cauliflower Breakfast Bowl
- Chimichurri Cauliflower Steaks
Banh Mi Bowl (Paleo, Whole30)
This Banh Mi Bowl is like your favorite banh mi sandwich, but healthier! The base is made with cauliflower rice, then it's topped with veggies, a sticky-sweet pork and a simple sriracha mayo.
4.98 from 41 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 3
Author: Erin
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 12 oz. cauliflower rice*
- ½ cup cucumber sliced
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 jalapeño sliced and seeds removed
- cilantro for garnish
for the sriracha mayo:
- ¼ cup mayo**
- 2 teaspoon sriracha***
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Start by cooking the pork in a skillet over the stove.
While the pork is cooking, slice the cucumber and jalapeño, and measure out the carrot sticks. Next, make the marinade by whisking the coconut aminos, arrowroot and ginger together in a bowl.
Make the cauliflower rice according to the package instructions.
At this point, the pork should be cooked. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, then pour the marinade overtop and stir together for 1 minute or until the pork is completely coated and the sauce is slightly sticky.
Divide the cauliflower rice into 2 bowls then top it with the pork and veggies. The final step is to make the sriracha mayo: simply whisk the mayo and sriracha together, then drizzle it over the bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation.
*I usually buy frozen bags of cauliflower rice instead of making my own
**Make sure it's a whole30-friendly mayo. I like Chosen Foods and Primal Kitchen avocado mayo.
***Try to find sriracha with minimal ingredients vs. traditional sriracha. I found some at Whole Foods with only 4 ingredients! Also, adjust the amount of sriracha as needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 517kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 813mg | Potassium: 890mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3036IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!
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About Erin
Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Amber Bhatti says
I do not leave comments on recipes but this was so good I had to comment. My partner who has the pallet of a three-year-old loved it, too. That says a lot. So easy. So delicious. Thank you!Reply
Erin says
Thanks so much Amber! I'm so glad you and your partner loved the banh mi bowl!
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Terri says
Thank you so much for sharing! We made this for lunch. Will definitely make this again very soon.
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Erin says
Thanks so much Terri! It does make an excellent lunch!
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Ann says
This is one of the best recipes I have ever made. I have made this for friends and all request the recipe. I did add rice wine vinegar to the carrots as a reader suggested. Thanks for this fabulous and healthy recipe.Reply
Erin says
That's amazing! Thanks so much Ann! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
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Audrey says
Soooo refreshing and delicious! I've made this dish 10+ times and the only thing I do differently from the recipe is a quick pickle on the carrots. I highly recommend doing so to get that tangy element. Thank you so much for the recipe, it has become one of our family's favorites!Reply
Erin says
Thanks so much Audrey! I'm glad you liked the recipe so much!
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Hannah says
So delicious! Love how quick & easy it is. Packed with flavor.Reply
Erin says
Thanks for the 5-star rating, Hannah!
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Julie says
I'm finally leaving a comment after having made this dish several times. I love this recipe, it is delicious and so easy to put together, and it's so versatile with the veggie toppings you can use. Tonight my toppings were carrots that marinated in rice wine vinegar, edamame, cucumbers, avocado and of course the pork. No srichacha sauce due to health issues. Thank you for the recipe!
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Erin says
I'm so happy this has become a favorite!
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Julia says
Loved!Reply
Sarah Rucker says
Made this with Tattoo Chef Asian Cauliflower Rice. This recipe was delishious!Reply
Erin says
Thanks Sarah -- I'm glad you enjoyed the bowl!
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Therese says
Made this for the first time tonight - was absolutely delish. A simple dish that really packed the flavor in - will definitely be making again. We chose to roast the jalapeno with the cauliflower rice. Not sure it made much difference but for some reason I didn't want it just "fresh". Thanks for a great recipe!Reply
Erin says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
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Jenn says
Thank you for sharing, my hubby and I love Banh Mi's and this recipe is perfect!! One of my fav recipes ☺️Reply
Erin says
I'm so glad you both enjoyed it!
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Rachel says
I followed the recipe, but it was way too salty with 1/4 cup of coconut aminos. Any suggestions for reducing the saltiness without losing the flavor?Reply
Erin says
Hmm.. honestly I'd probably just use less coconut aminos. Coconut aminos is less salty than soy sauce, but using a different ingredient would alter the flavor too much.
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Sarah says
Your recipe says to divide among 2 bowls but the servings at the top of recipe says 3. Which is it?
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Erin says
Whoops, my mistake! Technically it probably *should* be 3 servings (and the nutrition info is for 3 servings), but when I make this my husband and I usually end up eating the whole thing in 1 sitting.
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Kristine says
We all loved this dish. The raw veggies make this dish spectacular. Thanks for a great recipe. We will be eating this many times more!Reply
Erin says
I'm so happy everyone liked it!
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Chelsea says
Can you use powdered ginger spice?
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Erin says
I think I'd just omit the ginger if you don't have fresh ginger
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Liz says
I’ve made this several times now and I just have to tell you how much I love it! This time I roasted cauliflower florets and used rice (properly soaked) that I cooked in bone broth as the base instead. I’m full but want seconds, haha.Reply
Erin says
This makes me so happy! Glad you like it so much (it's one of our go-to recipes, too!)
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Daphne says
Loved this, I used impossible burger instead of pork and it was great!Reply
Erin says
Great idea! I'm glad you liked the recipe 🙂
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Sunny says
This was amazing! I bought a well-raised pig and have quite a bit of ground pork and have been trying a lot of new recipes and this did not disappoint. I layered it all in a small casserole dish with the jalapeños and sauce on the side so everyone could get what they wanted and make it as spicy as they wished. I will definitely be making this again.Reply
Erin says
Love this idea -- I'm happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Reply
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4.98 from 41 votes (13 ratings without comment)