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
Banh Mi Bowl (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 12 oz. cauliflower rice*
- 1/2 cup cucumber sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 jalapeño sliced and seeds removed
- cilantro for garnish
for the sriracha mayo:
- 1/4 cup mayo**
- 2 teaspoon sriracha***
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
Nutrition
Sarah says
This was SO good!! I made it with rice yesterday and use cauliflower rice today for leftovers. Definitely would make it again. The marinade tastes like it's a sweet teriyaki sauce without all the sugar!
Erin says
Thanks for the kind comment, Sarah -- glad to hear you like the sauce as much as I do!
Paige says
So simple but surprisingly flavorful! Very easy and good.
Suzanne says
This looks os good! What a great lunch meal prep for the week!
Tamra says
OMG! Something my kids liked!! Miracle of all miracles! I will be making this again- it was so easy, and so tasty. Thank you!
Erin says
Best comment ever -- so happy this meal is kid-approved!
Ayron says
This recipe was sooooo good. I’m a week into W30 and this is by far the best meal I have made. I pickled the jalapeños, carrots, and cucumbers while I was cooking the meat. I also topped the dish with green onions. I didn’t have arrowroot powder so I used coconut flour and it worked fine—-I had to add another tablespoon of coconut aminos and a tablespoon of rice vinegar for a little more liquid. I also used franks red hot instead of the sriracha cause that’s what I had. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Erin says
Woohooo -- this is one of my favorite whole30 recipes too (if I do say so myself). I'm so glad you liked it!
Elsa M Campbell says
Quick, easy, fresh and delicious! I sprinkled the cucumbers with a little salt and rice wine vinegar for a quick pickle and that was just the perfect bite I wanted. Thank you for this great recipe!
Erin says
Thanks for the comment, Elsa -- so happy you liked it!
Carmen H says
Could you do this in a slow cooker?
Erin says
Hi! You might be able to, but I haven't tried it so I'm not sure about the cook times.
Shannon says
We just had this tonight and it was so easy and yummy! My daughter asked if I can make it again this week. This will become part of our rotation on and off W30!
Nina M says
OMG!! This was so simple and so fast. And delicious! My fiance went back for seconds. This is definitely going to be a weeknight staple. Might try it with pickled carrots next time if I plan ahead. Haha!
Erin says
Thanks Nina -- I'm so happy you guys liked it!
Courtney says
This is so yummy!! My toddler even loves it. Easy meal to double and tastes just as delicious, if not better, the next day!
Erin says
Thanks for this comment -- so happy this meal is adult and kid-approved!
Janice says
I am always craving Bahn Mi and this recipe hit the spot! I pickled the veggies along with onion. Added fresh lime (1/2 teaspoon?) to the sriracha.
Erin says
Thanks for the comment! Love the addition of lime juice to the sriracha mayo.
Maria says
Made this tonight and we really enjoyed it. I did pickle some purple onion and carrots. Added plain cucumbers along with cauliflower rice. Super fast and easy for a great week night meal. Thank you.
Erin says
Thanks for the comment, Maria -- glad everyone enjoyed it!
Ashley Martin says
Super good, fresh, and deceivingly filling! My husband and I have made this 3 times in the last couple months!
Erin says
It's one of our go-to dinners, too!
Tracy says
Great recipe for W30! Did a quick pickle with the carrots and jalapeño which brought some nice acidity and brightness to the dish. Also topped off with an egg (inspired by bibimbap). Couldn't find sugar free sriracha at the grocery store so just left some jalapeño seeds on the slices to bring some heat. Thanks for the recipe!
Val says
Just made this and it was soooo good. Added some sambal for some extra heat. who needs restaurants when you have this!!!!????
Erin says
Ohhh love that idea!! So glad you like the recipe
Jody says
We are making this for the 2nd time tonight, per my non-cauliflower-loving husband's request. I've also shared this recipe with a friend who made it for dinner and lunch the next day. I couldn't find a while 30 Sriracha in time, so I used Tabasco and it worked just fine.
Erin says
I'm so glad you love this and that it's husband-approved!
Ashley says
This has become a regular dinner for my husband and myself! We use jasmine rice instead of cauliflower rice. Easy, clean, and super delicious!
Erin says
I'm so happy to hear that! It's a repeat dinner recipe for us too 🙂
Collette says
Just so yummy and delicious. This should be on the regular menu. I could not find ground pork at the grocery store so ground up boneless porkchops in my food processor. I highly recommend doing a quick marinating for the carrots. Gave just the tangy flavor to the dish. We used pickled jalapenos! Try this dish - will not disappoint and so easy to make. We used leftover white rice instead of the cauliflower rice.
Patricia says
What can you use instead of arrowroot
Erin says
Hi! If you don't have arrowroot, I recommend using tapioca or cassava flour. If you're in a pinch, coconut flour or almond flour works too.
Suzanne Wynn says
I was wondering about xanthem gum instead. (Actually came to the comments to see if anyone had made the swap.) I may give that a try instead. I'm certain that's where most of the carbs come from (I know it's W30 and not keto). This sounds AWESOME and I can't wait to try it! Thanks!!
Erin says
I think that should work! I'd use less though... maybe just 1 tsp.
Elizabeth at Tiny Fitness says
I make something similar all the time with tofu, and I make faux pickled carrots by using a peeler to make thin strips, then submerging them in apple cider vinegar and a little salt or soy sauce. If you make the carrots as your first step, they’ll have taken on enough flavor by the time you’re ready to assemble the whole bowl. Thanks for sharing your recipe and tips!
Erin says
Love that idea!