The Best Slow Cooker Banh Mi Rice Bowls 

When Jess told us she was excited to create a new Banh Mi-inspired recipe, I told her that I couldn’t wait to taste it! Ever since I started working in food content (more than 20 years ago!) Banh Mi has been one of my favorite global recipes, with its iconic melt-in-your-mouth seasoned pork and topping of sweet-tart crisp vegetables. Banh Mi is typically served as a sandwich (the best come from local food trucks), but Jess took her recipe in a different direction. She turned these favorite flavors into the most delicious and satisfying dinner rice bowls. We can’t wait for you to try them! 

This recipe was created in partnership with the Minnesota Pork Board.

Health Benefits

This pork banh mix bowls recipe provides all the nutrients you need in one dish. There’s really no need to serve anything else with it. A single serving provides: 

• 31 grams of body-nourishing, satiating protein
• 55 grams of energy-supplying carbs, including 4 grams of heart-healthy fiber
• This dish is low in fat, thanks to lean pork tenderloin, and contains just 11 grams of total fat and 3 grams of saturated fat per serving
• Despite its many components, this dish meets several special diet requirements, including gluten free, dairy free, and nut free
• Many food groups in one dish: meat, grains, and veggies

How To Make Banh Mi Bowls

Don’t get overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients in this pork banh mi bowls recipe. Many of them are repeats and the steps come together really quickly.

1. Start the slow cooker pork. Add all of the liquid ingredients directly to the crock pot, then place the pork tenderloin pieces over top. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours. 
2. Make the pickled vegetables. Pickle the shredded carrots and sliced radishes in a quick brine made of rice vinegar, hot water, and sugar. 
3. Prep the rice and toppings. Make a batch of brown rice (I love using my Instant Pot for this) or use can use white rice or any type of rice you prefer. Also, stir together the simple spicy mayo, and chop the cilantro and cucumber.
4. Assemble the bahn mi bowls. When the pork is done, shred it right in the slow cooker. Then, build the bowls by topping the rice with the pulled pork, pickled veggies, toppings, and spicy mayo.

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

History Of Banh Mi

The classic Banh Mi sandwich is a mash-up of Vietnamese and French cultures. During France’s imperialism of Vietnam in the 1850s and 60s, the French brought the baguette with them. Northern Vietnamese initially called the baguette bánh tây, which translates to “Western bread”, while Southern Vietnamese called it bánh mì, which means “wheat bread”. For many years, the popular baguettes were filled with any variety of toppings, from ham and cheese to butter and sugar. 

Today, a Banh Mi sandwich continues to represent a fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisines, whereas the typical filling of pork and pickled veggies, usually carrots and daikon radish, are Vietnamese staple foods. The baguette and spicy mayo toppings are French influences.

Notes from Dietitian Jess

I love the flavors of this classic Vietnamese sandwich, and I knew they would work well as a grain bowl recipe. Here’s how I make this recipe super easy and cut down on overall prep time by making a few components up to 3 days ahead: 

• I prepare the marinade up to 3 days in advance and store it in a tall Weck jar in the fridge.
• I cook and cool the rice, then store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then, I simply reheat the cooked rice in the microwave when I’m ready to serve these bowls. I’ve also used pre-cooked frozen rice that just needs to be heated quickly on the stovetop. 
• Sometimes I’ll grate the carrots and cut the radishes into matchsticks or very thin slices and store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I wait to add the pickling liquid to the container until the morning of the day we’ll be eating these bowls. 
• I stir together the spicy mayo and store in a covered container for up to 4 days.

Video: How to Make banh mi in the slow cooker

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Slow Cooker Banh Mi Bowls Recipe

This bowl-style take on the traditional Banh Mi sandwich incorporates all of those savory-sweet, crispy-tender flavors and textures you love. Cooking the pork in the slow cooker makes this recipe so easy and results in fall-apart tender pork pieces.

Prep: 15 minsCook: 6 hours (low)Total: 6 hours, 15 mins

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Servings: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

For the Banh Mi Pork: 

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoons fish sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 – 1 ¼ lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 3 pieces
• 1–2 small jalapeños, thinly sliced, divided

For Toppings And Serving: 

• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 ounces)
• 3 radishes, cut into matchsticks
• ⅔ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced (1 heaping cut)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed
• Optional: Hot sauce (such as sriracha) and lime wedges

For the Spicy Mayo:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 
• 1 – 2 teaspoons sriracha or chile-garlic sauce (more or less to taste)
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, plus more as needed to get a drizzly consistency

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Instructions

1. Directly to the slow cooker, add the coconut aminos, water, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, salt, and pepper; stir together.
2. Add the three pieces of pork tenderloin to the slow cooker and turn each piece to coat in the liquid. 
3. Place half of the sliced jalapeños on top of the pork. 
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on the low-heat setting for 6 hours or until cooked through and the meat easily shreds with a fork. 
5. While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled carrots and radishes by combining the shredded carrots and matchstick radishes in a small bowl or jar. 
6. To the carrots and radishes, add the vinegar, hot water, and cane sugar; stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Drain just before serving.
7. In a separate small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the spicy mayo. 
8. When the pork is done, shred it with two forks right in the slow cooker and toss the pork with the cooking liquid.
9. To serve: Place ¾ cup cooked rice in each of 4 shallow bowls. Top with ¼ of shredded pork (about 3 ounces in each), the pickled carrots and radishes, sliced cucumbers, cilantro, and remaining sliced jalapenos. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of the spicy mayo over each bowl.

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Notes

Preparing the pickled carrot and radish mixture ahead of time will make the radishes appear less vibrant, and they may give off a sulfurous smell (they are safe to eat – just very fragrant). They will look best if you prep them 2-3 hours ahead of time. 

We call for coconut aminos, but you may use 3 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce mixed with 3 tablespoons of water instead.

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: Per serving (¼ of the recipe with pork, rice, toppings, and sauce)
• Calories: 443
• Fat: 11 g
• (Sat Fat: 3 g)
• Sodium: 987 mg
• Carbohydrate: 55 g
• (Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 7 g)
• Protein: 31 g
• Cholesterol: 70 mg

Dietary

Dairy-FreeGluten-freeNut-free

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: Jessica Beacom

How To Store

Store any leftover components of this recipe in separate containers. For example, store the cooked rice, cooked pork, and pickled veggies in separate containers in the fridge.

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

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