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This classic Vietnamese Bánh Tráng Nướng, often called Vietnamese pizza, consists of a crispy grilled rice paper sheet topped with vegan egg, sausage, corn, and plenty of green onions! It is then generously drizzled with mayo and sweet chili sauce!
Rice paper is taken to a whole new level!
These crispy rice paper sheets are stuffed with chickpea omelet, vegan sausage, green onions, fried shallots and drizzled with mayo and spicy chili sauce. It’s easy and quick to prepare and insanely delicious! Try this recipe; I swear you won’t regret it!
It’s probably one of my favorite uses of rice paper!
📘 What is Bánh Tráng Nướng
Often called Vietnamese pizza, bánh tráng nướng is a Vietnamese snack that appeared about 20 years ago. Bánh tráng is the name of rice paper, and nướng means grilled, so we could translate it to grilled rice paper.
It is very popular in Đà Lạt, a city in the center of Vietnam, where it is usually sold in the evening in the street. Rice paper is put on a grill; then they add green onions, saté, crack an egg, and top it with sliced sausage. The whole thing is then drizzled with sweet chili sauce and mayo before being folded.
There are as many versions as there are vendors, but unfortunately, finding a vegan version there is almost mission impossible. Let’s make our own!
🫓 How to Make Vegan Bánh Tráng Nướng
Be aware this is not an authentic version. Actually, I have never seen any vegan version there. It is inspired, and I tried to make it as close as possible while still tweaking it to my taste. This recipe is also quite versatile, so feel free to be creative with the toppings. It won’t be as authentic, but hey, why not?
Traditionally the rice paper is a bit thicker than the one used for spring rolls. Since I could not find it here, I simply went with regular rice paper, and it worked great!
Let’s take a look at the components of this dish:
- Batter: to replace the eggs, we are going with a chickpea omelet made of chickpea flour, almond milk, cornstarch, and a pinch of kala namak for that egg-like flavor.
- Green Onions: to add freshness.
- Saté: if you have never heard of saté, it’s an oily paste made with lemongrass, shallots, garlic, and chili. It can be found in Asian stores, or you can make your own.
- Vegan Sausage: for extra meatiness and protein. Here I used my vegan sausage patties, but check the note below on substitutes.
- Corn: to add some crunch!
- Fried Shallots: or fried onions! It adds another level of flavor and natural sweetness.
- Sweet Chili Sauce and Mayo: Mandatory, it’s the icing on the cake of this dish. I have never seen any Bánh Tráng Nướng sold on the street that was not drizzled with mayo and chili sauce. You can find sweet chili sauce online, or if you have time, make your own chili sauce.
If you don’t have vegan sausage on hand, feel free to use finely chopped vegan chicken, tofu (I recommend baking or frying it before for a better texture), or store-bought vegan sausage. Basically, any plant-based “meat” will work.
- First, you want to place one sheet of rice paper in a skillet (preferably non-stick).
- Next, add the chopped green onions and a teaspoon of saté. Turn on the heat to medium heat and pour in a few tablespoons of the chickpea omelet batter. You want to mix it with the saté and quickly spread it evenly all over the rice paper sheet.
- Add your toppings before the chickpea omelet set and keep cooking on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. You want the rice paper to turn super crispy!
Do not go overboard with the toppings; you are not making a wrap. Bánh tráng nướng is supposed to be quite thin so it can be folded.
Finally, drizzle with sweet chili sauce and mayo. It’s almost like the signature of this dish!
The question you may ask is, how do you eat it? Well, when served on the street, it is usually folded in 3 and wrapped in a piece of paper (or newspaper) to eat on the go or as a snack. It’s not considered a whole meal unless you eat a few of it.
I hope you will love this snack! It’s crispy on the outside and chewy–sweet–salty–juicy on the inside.
You might also want to check out these 37 Vegan Vietnamese-Inspired Recipes!
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Vegan Bánh Tráng Nướng
Ingredients
Chickpea Batter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- a pinch kala namak salt (optional, it adds a subtle egg flavor)
- a pinch of turmeric for the color
The Rest
- 2 rice paper sheets
- 2 tsp saté
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped vegan sausage (or chopped fried tofu)
- 1/4 cup cooked corn kernels
- 2 tbsp fried shallots
- About 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce (Tương ớt)
- About 2 tbsp vegan mayo
Instructions
- Before starting, make sure you have all of your toppings ready.
- Prepare the batter: in a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk, chickpea flour, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, kala namak salt, and turmeric.
- Place one sheet of rice paper on a non-stick skillet. Add 1 teaspoon of saté and 2 tablespoons of chopped green onions. Turn on the heat to medium.
- Pour in about 3 tablespoons of the chickpea batter on the rice paper sheet and use a spoon to quickly spread it into an even layer all over the rice paper. The batter will mix with the saté and green onions.
- Quickly top with half of the chopped vegan sausage, corn kernels, and fried shallots. Cook on medium-high heat for another 3-5 minutes or until the batter has set and the rice paper becomes crispy.
- Drizzle with sweet chili sauce and mayo, and fold the sides to shape it into a long rectangle. Repeat with the remaining rice paper sheet and filling, and enjoy warm as a savory snack or appetizer! This is best served immediately.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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I made this tonight for dinner and it works and tastes exactly as expected. Really fantastic; this is a keeper.
Awesome! You are fast 🙂
Thanks for your feedback Beth!
I just ate this and can’t believe how easy and fast it was and so delicious I can’t wait to have it again.
Oh thank you so much for your feedback Joanna! 😉
Hi Thomas !
I did it, it was very fast and absolutely delicious, very crispy, I love it !! It will become my new receipe “sur le pouce” to make when I am tired. thanks for sharing it !
Hi Claire,
Thanks for your feedback 😉
Looks so nice, and I am really keen to try this recipe, but I dont use non stick pans. Do you think it can work with normal stainless steel pan?
I haven’t tried but I think if you slightly grease it before, it should work.
This is delicious!!! It is now my favourite meal:) I am going experiment with a Banh Xeo type crepe inside too. I added fresh mint too. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for the rating Natalie 🙂
I absolutely loved it! Thanks for this amazing recipe 🙂
Thanks so much for your feedback 😉
Did you dip the rice paper in warm water or did the toppings hydrate it? This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing!!
No, you do not want to dip it in warm water otherwise it will create bubbles. Use it dry, the batter on top will soften it.
this is great! i’ve seen it with egg and i was wondering about a chickpea batter and then because i can’t eat beans i’m wondering about a rice batter with some tumeric and spices… ohh, i’m going to try that tomorrow for lunch!
thank you!
You’re welcome! I am unsure about using a rice batter, but I hope you will like the recipe 😉
tried this, as it sounds wonderful, but wasn’t sure, if I should water the rice paper before placing it in the pan. My rice paper was so crispy in the end, that I was not able to fold it. Taste was good, although I changed many ingredients. Would you recommend giving the rice paper a rinse before use?
The rice paper should be dry, do not wet it at all! The chickpea flour batter should be humid enough to soften a little bit the rice paper.
Yum!
I was craving this so decided to try it out and worked with what I had in the fridge. I used sauted oyster mushrooms instead of tofu patties and then topped with cilantro and “fish” sauce instead of corn, sweet chile sauce and mayo.
I should have made the two of us each our own serving!
We loved this. I will make it again soon! Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback! Definitely try it with the sweet chili sauce and mayo 🙂 Two essentials for this recipe.
Could I just leave the nutritional yeast out or is it absolutely necessary? Or could I even sub it out for something else? 🙂
It’s not mandatory, so you can leave it out!