Steak Banh Mi – A Quick & Vibrant Vietnamese-Inspired Sandwich
This steak banh mi is an easy and flavourful spin on the classic Vietnamese sandwich. Juicy marinated steak, crunchy pickled carrots, fresh herbs and creamy mayo, all loaded into a warm brioche roll. Perfect for weeknight dinners or an easy weekend lunch!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- ✅ Bursting with flavour & texture
- ✅ Ready in around 30 minutes
- ✅ Family-friendly & easy to customise
- ✅ Pickles and marinade can be made ahead
- ✅ Works with any protein (or go vegetarian!)
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed (or 1 tsp jarred garlic)
- 600g steak (sirloin, scotch, rump, or eye fillet)
For the Pickled Veg:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon oil (for frying – canola or vegetable)
- ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 8 long rolls (brioche or standard)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 70g pâté (optional)
- 1 chilli, sliced (optional)
Time-Saving Tips
- Marinate steak the night before.
- Pickle carrots and onions in advance – they’ll keep for a week in the fridge.
Budget Tips
- Use standard bread rolls instead of brioche.
- Skip the pâté and chilli if you’re keeping it simple.
Protein Swaps
- Try chicken, pork, or fish.
- Go vegetarian with stir-fried tofu, mushrooms, or jackfruit.
Notes
- Pâté is traditional but totally optional.
- Keep pickles separate to maintain their colour and let people choose their own.
- Leave some carrot unpickled if your kids aren’t into tangy flavours.
- This is a great DIY dinner – lay out all the toppings and let everyone build their own sandwich.
Serve With
- A side of crispy fries or sweet potato wedges
- Pickled daikon and radish (if you want to get extra authentic!)
- Extra chilli sauce or sriracha for heat lovers
Love this recipe? You should try my Vientmase Pork Bowls.
Let’s get on with the method!
Steak Banh Mi
A quick and easy mid week classic that will become a family favourite!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsps fish sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsps hoisin sauce
- 4 garlic cloves crushed or 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic from a jar
- 500 grams steak I used sirloin steak, you can use eye fillet, rump or scotch as well
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 carrots julienned or sliced thinly ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 tsps oil for frying canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cucumber
- ½ cup coriander leaves
- 8 long bread rolls I like using brioche rolls
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 70 grams Pate *optional
- 1 chillie *optional
Instructions
-
In a medium sized bowl or Tupperware container, add the brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and garlic. Mix well and add the steak, turn to coat the meat in the marinade. At this point you can marinate (up to 24 hours) or cook straight away.
-
For the pickle, mix the sugar and vinegar together, place the carrots in one bowl, and red onion in another bowl then pour ¾ over the carrots and ¼ over the red onion. Mix and set aside
-
Place a nonstick pan over a medium heat, add the oil and once, hot add the steaks. I like mine medium, still a little pink in the middle so for my steaks I cooked them for around 5 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the second side. (9 minutes total). When they are nearly done, spoon over the leftover marinade.
-
Remove them from the pan and place on a plate to rest for 5 minutes.
-
In this time, slice your cucumber and chilli (if using), and warm the buns in the oven.
-
To assemble, cut any extra fat off the steaks (optional) and slice.
-
Take a bun and spread one side with mayonnaise and the other with pate.
-
Add some cucumber, red onion, carrots, steak, coriander and chilli.
Recipe Notes
Marinate the steak the night prior.
Pickle the vegetables the night prior.
BUDGET NOTES
You don’t have to buy these brioche buns, just standard bread rolls work perfectly.
Leave out the pate and chilli if working to a budget.
PROTEIN CHANGES
You can use chicken, pork or fish, or do a veggie version with stir fried vegetables or jackfruit.
NOTES
Pate is traditional in a Bahn Mi Sandwich however I know it is not a common pantry staple and the dish will still be delicious if you decide not to use pate.
You can pickle the red onion and carrots together, but I keep them separate so people can pick and choose what they like to add. And if doing in advance this keeps the colours more vibrant. The pickles last in the fridge for a week. I usually serve all the bits in the middle of the table with my kids for this one, they usually don’t have the red onion, chilli or coriander but everything else is a winner, plus yummy and well balanced. You can also leave some carrot unpickled if you think that the kids might not like the pickled flavour.
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