This post may contain affiliate links.
These vegetarian Vietnamese Noodle Bowls are topped with lemongrass tofu and are perfect to make when you want a fresh and light healthy meal. This dish is completely vegan, gluten-free and delicious!
Bun bowls
Oh Vietnamese food, how I love you so! Especially Vietnamese bowls. This recipe for Vietnamese Noodle Bowls is inspired by Vietnamese Bun Chay, which is a rice noodle salad made with vermicelli noodles, and usually cucumber, lettuce, carrots and sometimes tofu.
The Lemongrass Tofu in this recipe is inspired by a Bun Ga (basically like a Bun Chay, but with lemongrass grilled chicken.) So basically this is a vegetarian and vegan-friendly version of this dish 🙂
If you don’t want to marinate the tofu with lemongrass (which is more of a traditional style) you can substitute the tofu in this recipe with my quick 15-minute lemongrass tofu. (no marinating, just pan-fried and tossed in a lemongrass sauce and is equally as delicious!)
I love noodle stir fry dishes like my Pad Thai and Lo Mein, but sometimes it’s nice to have a noodle dish that is a bit more fresh and light.
These noodle bowls are made with Asian rice noodles or vermicelli noodles and topped off with some marinated lemongrass tofu that gets cooked up until it’s nice and crispy. The bowls are served with a light sesame salad.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- These bowls taste fresh and healthy and take minimal effort to make. They’re perfect for whenever you want a healthy meal that is also delicious!
- This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free. You can also make it grain-free by leaving out the rice noodles and serving it with more vegetables.
- If you’re not a huge fan of tofu, this marinated tofu will change your mind! It’s full of flavour, crispy and delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Vermicelli or Pad Thai-style noodles: traditionally a bun bowl is made with vermicelli noodles, but you can use any type of rice noodle you love. I personally love a thicker noodle so that’s what I use in this recipe.
- Lemongrass tofu: marinated and pan-fried to crispy perfection! This gives the bowl some protein
- Salad veggies: lettuce, carrots, cabbage and cucumber are all traditional. But you can swap or mix these up and use any salad veggies you love.
- Herbs: cilantro, mint and Thai basil and the top three herbs you can use. Feel free to use just one or a combination of them all!
- Sesame seeds: I top the salad off with some sesame seeds for flavour and crunch! You can also use crushed peanuts.
How to make a Vietnamese noodle bowl
Vietnamese noodle bowls are traditionally made with rice vermicelli, protein, (traditionally grilled pork or chicken) and some salad. The bowls are typically served with a fish sauce type of dressing, but for this recipe, we’re doing a soy sauce-based dressing to keep it veggie-friendly 🙂
Marinate the tofu in the marinade for at least an hour, or if you have the time let it marinate overnight.
Sautee the tofu in a pan until it’s golden brown and crispy
Add the cooked rice noodles, salad and tofu to a bowl and serve.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Don’t forget to remove the outer layer from the lemongrass and cut the inner layers very finely. The outer layer of lemongrass can be very tough and stalky and isn’t enjoyable to eat.
- Marinade the tofu for at least 1 hour, though if you have the time I’d recommend letting the tofu marinade overnight. This will really intensify the flavour! If you only marinate it for 30 minutes you won’t get much flavour from the marinade.
- Use a non-stick pan to cook the tofu and make sure you’re pan is well coated with oil to prevent the tofu from sticking. You can also alternatively bake the tofu if you prefer at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
Storage tips
This Vietnamese Noodle Bowl is best enjoyed fresh, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the tofu, noodles and salad separately and make sure not to dress the salad if you’d like to store it.
Reheat the tofu on the stovetop or in the microwave. Reheat the noodles by adding a splash of water to them and heating on the stovetop or in the microwave. (The water will help the noodles come apart if they start sticking together in the fridge.)
Related recipes to try
- Vegan Singapore Noodles
- Life-Changing Peanut Butter Noodles
- 15 Minute Sesame Ginger Noodles
- Teriyaki Noodles
If you tried these Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Lemongrass Tofu or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Lemongrass Tofu
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2-4 servings
- Category: Entree
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Vietnamese noodle bowls are loaded with rice noodles, lemongrass tofu, and salad for a simple healthy and delicious meal!
Ingredients
Lemongrass tofu:
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 stalk lemongrass, minced (*remove the tough outer layer and discard.)
- 1 block tofu (extra-firm), cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp avocado oil for frying
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
Bowls:
- 1/2 pack vermicelli or rice noodles (approx 6 oz), cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup sliced cucumbers
- 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- Lime, sesame seeds hoisin sauce and sriracha to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Marinade the tofu: Mix the marinade ingredients together in a shallow dish then add the tofu. Let sit and marinate for at least one hour or overnight
- Cook the tofu: Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade then add to the pan with oil on medium-high heat. Do not discard the marinade sauce. Fry the tofu until golden brown on each side. Once the tofu pieces are browned, pour any leftover marinade sauce into the pan with the tofu, and stir to coat.
- Prep the dressing: Mix the dressing ingredients together. Set aside
- Assemble the bowls: Place the noodles at the bottom of the bowl then top with the tofu and salad. Pour the dressing everywhere and garnish with cilantro
Notes
Don’t forget to remove the outer layer from the lemongrass and cut the inner layers very finely. The outer layer of lemongrass can be very tough and stalky and isn’t enjoyable to eat.
Marinade the tofu for at least 1 hour, though if you have the time I’d recommend letting the tofu marinade overnight. This will really intensify the flavour! If you only marinate it for 30 minutes you won’t get much flavour from the marinade.
Use a non-stick pan to cook the tofu and make sure you’re pan is well coated with oil to prevent the tofu from sticking. You can also alternatively bake the tofu if you prefer at 450 degrees F for 25 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 3g
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 9g
very yummy, very flexible, very easy to make pretty much all the components in advance. I always make my tofu in the oven as it is much easier on the clean-up: press the tofu, then marinate, then toss with some cornstarch and throw on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put in a hot oven (425-450) until nice and browned. then I tossed it with the remaining marinade. and every time I make a recipe like this, I double the sauce/dressing ’cause who doesn’t love more sauce?? this is delicious and my family loved it.
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Emily!
Made this last night and it was amazing! I didn’t have lemongrass and so I subbed extra ginger and some chopped coriander. The dressing is wonderful too. Thank you so much for sharing!
Happy you enjoyed it Elizabeth 🙂
Your recipe is awesome! I marinated the tofu in the morning and cooked it at night for dinner. I added an extra teaspoon of coconut sugar and soy sauce to the dressing, and topped with roasted chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.
Great marinade, wonderful dish!
Thanks Rahul! That sounds delicious!
Made this yesterday, tweeting it a little. Had it with rice. Omg … absolutely delish. Will definitely making this again. Thank you x
So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Holy cow, this was delicious! It requires a little more planning than your average recipe with the prep time needed to marinate the tofu, but it’s 100% worth it. My store was out of lemongrass, so I substituted lemon zest and it gave a great flavor. I will be making this recipe many more times!
Woohoo! So happy you loved it Lauren!
So delicious! Added fish sauce sriracha to the dressing and topped with peanuts and it was all perfect. Only got to marinate for an hour and still worked well ?
Thanks for the review Chloe! Happy you enjoyed 🙂
Oh my God I had no idea it would be this simple and this absolutely amazingly delicious! I added some chopped mint into the salad for an extra special treat. I also was delighted and how the tofu browned after the marinade. That is not an effect that is easy to achieve the way to food is often cooked. This was our Christmas Eve dinner and such a hit that we might make it for lunch tomorrow Since we have all the ingredients. Thank you for a new go-to recipe!!
So happy you loved the recipe Maria! Happy Holidays!
So yummy! Love the variety of textures and how simple it is to make. We’ve made it many times and my kiddos love it too.
Thanks Emily! I’m happy you loved the recipe!
Should the tofu be pressed prior to marinading or is it fine to be moist before? Looking forward to making this!
Hi Catherine, you can press the tofu if you like, but I personally don’t bother.
This tofu marinade is terrific! My husband said he thought it was the best lemongrass tofu he’s ever had, even from restaurants. We used the kind of minced lemongrass that comes in a squeezy tube. I used 1 tbsp, which I guessed to be about equivalent to a stalk, and it was a lovely, balanced sauce. Lemongrass lovers (like me) might want extra 🙂 but my spouse thought it was perfect as is. Thanks for the great recipe!
Happy you enjoyed the recipe Amanda!