Vietnamese Noodle Salad

This Vietnamese noodle salad is a deliciously light, fresh meal, perfect for lunch or dinner. With vermicelli rice noodles, crunchy salad, fresh herbs and chilli tossed together with a tangy dressing and topped with crispy tofu pieces, you’ll want this salad every day this summer!

I became pretty obsessed with Vietnamese noodles salads when I was working in an office job. We were in an office just outside of the CBD with limited food options and one of those options was a small Vietnamese shop that did some pretty delicious food.

Once I started working from home, I didn’t have as many options for good Vietnamese food close by and I really missed it, so I started making my own at home. This is my inspired version of my go-to order.

Noodle salads or Bún are traditionally a combination of chilled vermicelli rice noodles topped with grilled meats, lettuce, shredded vegetables and fresh herbs, with a generous amount of Nước Chấm dressing which is salty, sweet, spicy and tangy.

I love this version using pieces of seasoned crispy oven baked tofu in place of more traditional meats as it keeps the salad super light and fresh, while still being super filling. To make this recipe completely vegetarian or vegan, make sure to swap out the fish sauce in the dressing for a plant-based alternative. Otherwise enjoy this meat-free option!

Key Ingredients

There are three components to this recipe, the crispy tofu pieces, the salad itself, and the dressing.

Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Firm tofu – make sure to use firm or hard tofu, don’t buy silken tofu, as it won’t work the same. You’ll need to prep the tofu first by pressing it to remove a lot of the extra moisture to ensure you get crispy little bites.
• Olive oil and soy sauce – to coat the tofu to give it flavour and help it crisp up while baking.
• Cornflour – also known as corn starch in the US, this is going to mix with the oil and soy sauce to create a coating for the tofu allowing it to crisp up while baking.
• Vermicelli rice noodles – these thin rice noodles, also known as rice stick noodles, are what we need for the salad. I recommend using a product from Vietnam either from the supermarket or Asian grocer for the best texture as not all rice noodles are the same, and I find some of the more major brands just don’t seem to have the right texture.
• Salad – I like the combination of cucumber, carrots, and shredded iceberg lettuce.
• Fresh herbs – an essential addition to any Vietnamese-style dish is loads of fresh herbs. I use mint as that’s what I like but you can also use coriander.
• Peanuts – just a little as garnish adds a delicious crunch to the salad.

To make the Nước Chấm dressing, you’ll need;

• Fish sauce – the key element to this dressing. To make this salad vegan or vegetarian, make sure to use a plant-based fish sauce such as this Niulife one from Amazon.
• Lime juice – fresh lime juice adds the best flavour for this dressing.
• Rice wine vinegar – adds the tangy element.
• White sugar – adds a little sweetness to balance the dressing.
• Garlic – depending on the size of your garlic cloves adjust as needed as the garlic remains raw in this dressing so can get quite strong.
• Chilli – use Birdseye for a spicy kick or cayenne for a more mild flavour.

Step-By-Step Instructions

The first thing you need to do to prep is press the tofu. Do this by placing two paper towels on a chopping board, followed by the tofu, then another two paper towels and placing a heavy based saucepan or skillet on top. Let the tofu press to remove excess moisture for 10-30 minutes.

This step is going to remove any extra moisture from the tofu so that we get nice crispy and not soggy pieces.

Once the tofu has been pressed, cut the tofu into approx. 2 cm squares and add to a large mixing bowl with the olive oil, soy sauce and cornflour. Toss everything together ensuring the tofu is completely coated.

Arrange the tofu on a lined baking tray and place in the oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through, or until golden and crispy on the outside.

While the tofu is cooking, you can prep all of your salad ingredients and toppings.

To prepare the vermicelli noodles place them in a large mixing bowl and pour over boiling water. Let the noodles sit for 5 minutes and then drain, rinsing immediately in cold water.

👉Tip! Rinsing the noodles in cold water removes excess starch and prevents clumping. It’s best to keep noodles submerged in cold water until ready to use. This goes for meal prep as well. Store any remaining noodles in an airtight container submerged in water to prevent the noodles clumping and becoming sticky.

To make the Nước Chấm dressing, simply add all of the ingredients into a jar and shake well to combine, ensuring the sugar has dissolved.

Finally, it’s time to assemble. To make the salad bowls, drain the rice noodles and arrange them into bowls. Top with the cucumber, carrot, lettuce, and fresh herbs. Top with some peanuts, fresh chilli and the crispy tofu pieces. Drench the salad in the dressing and serve immediately while everything is still cold.

Recipe FAQs

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.

More healthy lunch recipes:

Healthy Egg Salad Bagel
Vegetarian Fresh Spring Rolls
Teriyaki Chicken Meal Prep
Chicken Salad Sandwich

This recipe was originally published on February 25th, 2019 and has been republished to include more helpful information and new photos.