Vietnamese Noodle Bowls (2024)

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Jump To Recipe 27 reviews posted May 26, 2021 by Jessica Hoffman

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 theseVietnamese Noodle Bowls with Lemongrass Tofuor any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along onPinterest,InstagramandFacebookfor even more deliciousness!

Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Lemongrass Tofu

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 27 reviews

Author: Jessica Hoffman
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
Category: Entree
Method: Cook
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

These Vietnamesenoodle bowls are loaded with rice noodles, lemongrass tofu, and salad for a simple healthy and delicious meal!

Ingredients

UnitsScale

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)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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

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30-Minute Meals Bowls Gluten Free Recipes Refined sugar-free Spring Summer Vegan Vegetarian

posted by Jessica Hoffman on May 26, 2021 (updated May 13, 2022)

69 Comments Leave a Comment »

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69 comments on “Vietnamese Noodle Bowls”

Raz — February 22, 2024 @ 4:06 am Reply

Hi Jessica,
this looks fabulous and i can’t wait to try it! Quick question – how many grams is one block of Tofu?
Regards
Raz
- Jessica Hoffman — February 22, 2024 @ 12:01 pm Reply
  
  Hi Raz, a block is usually approx 350 grams or 12 oz!
Jen — June 12, 2023 @ 4:41 pm Reply

This recipe is so good! I didn’t have any extra marinade at the end so I mixed up some soy sauce and honey for a glaze and it was amazing.
Jen — May 28, 2023 @ 11:33 am Reply

Really liked this and so did my family! Used already spiced ground round so just cut the spices from the recipie a bit.
- Jessica Hoffman — May 31, 2023 @ 3:29 pm Reply
  
  Happy you all enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Kay — February 25, 2023 @ 11:29 pm Reply

Very tasty
Thanks
- Jessica Hoffman — February 28, 2023 @ 2:52 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed it!
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Audrey D. — January 21, 2023 @ 11:01 am Reply

It was SO good! I had never cooked with lemongrass before and it’s so flavourful and delicious. Will definetely make this recipe again!
- Jessica Hoffman — January 30, 2023 @ 4:46 pm Reply
  
  Thanks Audrey! Happy you enjoyed it!
Tracey Christensen — April 25, 2022 @ 4:15 am Reply

This is delicious, but can I suggest you add marinating time to your recipe intros.
I always look at the prep and cooking time of a recipe to decide when to start cooking, and often get caught out if authors don’t include marinating time in this section.
- Jessica Hoffman — April 25, 2022 @ 1:14 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed it, Tracey! And absolutely! I appreciate the feedback 🙂 The marinading instructions are step one in the recipe card, but I’ll makes sure to include that information in the into as well.
Jana — February 20, 2022 @ 8:25 pm Reply

The flavor of this sauce is unreal!!! I may try air frying the tofu next time as I’ve gotten pretty obsessed with doing it that way. Can’t wait to eat again. I also added shiitake mushrooms and it was so good!!!
- Jessica Hoffman — February 21, 2022 @ 2:13 pm Reply
  
  Thanks Janna, happy you enjoyed it! I’m sure it would be delicious with air fried tofu 🙂
Emily — November 21, 2021 @ 9:47 am Reply

How do you remove minced lemongrass?
- Jessica Hoffman — November 22, 2021 @ 10:40 am Reply
  
  Hi Emily, when lemongrass is finely minced there’s no need to remove it.
Chali — October 22, 2021 @ 9:51 am Reply

LOVE this recipe. I have the tab saved and everything. Making it for the 4th time. It’s now a frequent dish in our easy meals list!
- Jessica Hoffman — October 27, 2021 @ 11:16 am Reply
  
  So happy you love it Chali! It’s one of my personal favourites 🙂
Lea — August 23, 2021 @ 8:59 pm Reply

This looks absolutely amazing! Added to my meal plan for the week!
- Jessica Hoffman — August 25, 2021 @ 4:57 pm Reply
  
  Enjoy it Lea!
Sandra Protsko — July 25, 2021 @ 5:40 pm Reply

This was so good! The flavours were amazing and it was super easy to put together. Served it to my vegan friend and she loved it! Said it was some of the best tofu she’s had!
- Jessica Hoffman — July 26, 2021 @ 10:17 am Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed Sandra!
Me — June 28, 2021 @ 12:36 pm Reply

Great recipie, that’s not bún though that’s phở noodles 😉
- Jessica Hoffman — July 2, 2021 @ 12:23 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed the recipe! And yes it states in the blog post that they are not vermicelli noodles but you can use those ones for a more traditional bowl 🙂
Catherine Exantus — June 12, 2021 @ 11:45 am Reply

Made this with vermicelli noodles for a summer dinner, and everyone loved it! I was looking for something to do with the left over vermicelli in the fridge. I heated it by boiling some water in my tea pot, pouring it over the noodles in a bowl, and then straining them immediately. Worked perfectly. Some edits: added larger quantities of veggies, some fresh , tender, raw asparagus, sliced thin on the diagonal, some thinly sliced red and orange bell pepper as garnish and some arugula. This was the perfect light, tasty meal. Will definitely add this to my “make regularly” list!
- Jessica Hoffman — June 14, 2021 @ 4:47 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed the recipe Catherine!Sounds delicious with the addition of asparagus, yum!
Alina — April 30, 2021 @ 4:03 am Reply

My whole family love this recipe and I also personally love this. Thanks for sharing such great food. Keep doing this great work.
- Jessica Hoffman — May 4, 2021 @ 7:42 am Reply
  
  So happy you and your family loved it Alina!
Kat — April 27, 2021 @ 10:31 pm Reply

Really delicious! Had this with rice and kimchi instead. Was a little confused about the steps involved with removing the minced lemongrass. How can I selectively (and easily) remove the minced lemongrass while keeping the ginger and garlic? I ended up sifting everything in the process. Am I missing something there? Also, does anyone recommend airfrying the tofu?
See Also
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- Jessica Hoffman — April 29, 2021 @ 5:45 pm Reply
  
  Thanks Kat! Sounds delicious with rice and kimchi 🙂
Emily Ginsburg — April 14, 2021 @ 1:21 pm Reply

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.
- Jessica Hoffman — April 15, 2021 @ 1:33 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed the recipe Emily!
Elizabeth — March 21, 2021 @ 2:11 pm Reply

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!
- Jessica Hoffman — March 22, 2021 @ 11:24 am Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed it Elizabeth 🙂
Rahul Rao — March 16, 2021 @ 8:17 pm Reply

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!
- Jessica Hoffman — March 22, 2021 @ 11:26 am Reply
  
  Thanks Rahul! That sounds delicious!
Manisha Patel — February 26, 2021 @ 4:01 pm Reply

Made this yesterday, tweeting it a little. Had it with rice. Omg … absolutely delish. Will definitely making this again. Thank you x
- Jessica Hoffman — February 28, 2021 @ 10:28 am Reply
  
  So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Lauren — February 14, 2021 @ 6:44 pm Reply

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!
- Jessica Hoffman — February 15, 2021 @ 4:56 pm Reply
  
  Woohoo! So happy you loved it Lauren!
Chloe — January 3, 2021 @ 4:23 am Reply

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 😊
- Jessica Hoffman — January 3, 2021 @ 7:14 pm Reply
  
  Thanks for the review Chloe! Happy you enjoyed 🙂
Maria — December 25, 2020 @ 2:28 am Reply

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!!
- Jessica Hoffman — December 28, 2020 @ 7:45 am Reply
  
  So happy you loved the recipe Maria! Happy Holidays!
Emily Silverstein — July 19, 2020 @ 1:08 pm Reply

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.
- Jessica Hoffman — July 28, 2020 @ 7:53 am Reply
  
  Thanks Emily! I’m happy you loved the recipe!
Catherine Mazzoleni — July 8, 2020 @ 9:16 pm Reply

Should the tofu be pressed prior to marinading or is it fine to be moist before? Looking forward to making this!
- Jessica Hoffman — July 10, 2020 @ 4:31 pm Reply
  
  Hi Catherine, you can press the tofu if you like, but I personally don’t bother.
Amanda — June 24, 2020 @ 4:00 am Reply

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!
- Jessica Hoffman — June 25, 2020 @ 12:57 pm Reply
  
  Happy you enjoyed the recipe Amanda!
Catherine — June 4, 2020 @ 2:50 am Reply

It’s this recipe and the whole family loved it. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
- Jessica Hoffman — June 4, 2020 @ 2:22 pm Reply
  
  So happy you enjoyed the recipe Catherine!
Betsy — May 15, 2020 @ 9:37 pm Reply

Absolutely obsessed with the recipe. It was so fresh and yummy and will definitely be making it again!
- Jessica Hoffman — May 16, 2020 @ 2:16 pm Reply
  
  Thank you so much Betsy! So happy you loved it 🙂
Freya Roof — March 30, 2020 @ 7:11 pm Reply

I like salad but, I don’t love salad. I like warm meals that make me feel cozy. This was a game changer. The veggie combo is so good delicious and raw veggies I can’t believe how tasty. The tofu is superb!!! Talk about a burst of flavor and then the dressing it seemed at first it wouldn’t cover such a packed bowl but, it was just enough and brought my bowl of noodles, tofu and veggies to life. The flavors are light and zingy. Perfect for a summers day or warm spring day. My 2 year old toddler hijacked my bowl and ate every last bite and I had to make lots of extra tofu marinated and prepare for today. I’ve tried similar bowls like this in the past but, these recipes are on point 100/100 stars. Also thank you so much for posting calories. Your recipes have help me stay in my range to get closer to my fitness goals ⭐️
- Jessica Hoffman — March 30, 2020 @ 7:22 pm Reply
  
  Thank you so much for the detailed review Freya! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, it’s definitely one of my personal favourites! 🙂
Rajinder Singh — August 22, 2019 @ 11:25 am Reply

These vietnamese noodle bowls sound absolutely delicious!
- Jess — August 22, 2019 @ 7:43 pm Reply
  
  Thank you! Hope you enjoy!
Tia — June 27, 2019 @ 6:11 am Reply

Oh, yum! This looks so good I’m salivating at the pictures! Just in case it’s helpful, I know you mentioned this recipe is gluten free but soy sauce usually isn’t gluten free sadly. Sometimes you can find a special gluten free soy sauce, other times you’re better off looking for a gluten free tamari. That being said, I’ll be looking for my gluten free soy sauce/tamari so that I can make this soon!
- Jess — June 28, 2019 @ 2:21 pm Reply
  
  Hi Tia, use gluten-free soy sauce to make the recipe gluten-free. The one i use is gluten-free!
Magda — May 27, 2019 @ 7:11 pm Reply

how gramm this tofu ?
- Jess — May 28, 2019 @ 2:10 pm Reply
  
  Hi Magda, it would be about 350-400 grams
Anna — April 9, 2019 @ 6:58 pm Reply

Do you have to press the tofu first?
- Jess — April 9, 2019 @ 7:01 pm Reply
  
  Hi Anna, if you’re tofu seems a bit liquidy you can press it. I generally don’t bother because I use a really firm tofu!
Ela — April 3, 2019 @ 2:03 am Reply

These bowls are beautiful, Jess! Love the colors so much. 🙂
- Jess — April 4, 2019 @ 2:56 pm Reply
  
  Thanks so much Ela!
Ben — March 30, 2019 @ 2:56 pm Reply

Seriously the best tofu marinade! I added some edamame and sliced broccoli to the salad and it was delicious!
- Jess — March 30, 2019 @ 5:14 pm Reply
  
  Thank you Ben! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Melanie — March 30, 2019 @ 12:41 pm Reply

Your lemongrass tofu sounds and looks amazing! Have to make this marinade 🙂
- Jess — March 30, 2019 @ 5:15 pm Reply
  
  Thanks so much Melanie!