Banh Mi Rice Bowl with Ground Beef & Sriracha Mayo (Paleo & Whole30)

This easy Banh Mi Bowl recipe is like a deconstructed Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, but healthier and low carb! The base is made with cauliflower rice, then it’s topped with spicy-sweet ground beef, veggies, and Asian sriracha mayo. 

These Paleo Banh Mi Bowls are pure heaven. With just the right amount of spicy, salty, and crunchy elements - so fun to eat!  If you like Vietnamese food, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Spicy sweet fried ground beef served on fluffy cauliflower rice alongside plenty of crunchy and colorful veggies that would also go into a traditional Banh Mi Sandwich - carrots, cucumbers, scallions,  radishes, cilantro, jalapenos! On top - a creamy Sriracha Mayo that comes together in seconds.

This bowl recipe comes together from start to finish in less than 25 minutes, so I’m really not joking when I say it’s STUPID EASY. You can prep all ingredients ahead of time so this would also be a wonderful meal prep recipe and such a welcome change from Vietnamese subs and other calorie-dense Asian Takeaway food.

Instructions for meal prep:

Wanna make these banh mi bowls for meal prep? Just shred and chop all the veg, make the sauce, and store everything ahead of time. The meat can be made the night before. It will get a bit tough if it sits in the fridge so I recommend reheating it. Reheat the meat gently in a saucepan.

To Store.  You can easily store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3- 4 days.

How to make this Vietnamese Bahn Mi Rice Bowl Recipe:

Step 1 - Stir together sriracha and mayo in a bowl. Set aside while you make the rest of the recipe.

Step 2 - Next, make the sauce: stir together coconut aminos, honey, sriracha, arrowroot, and ginger in a bowl. Set aside.

Step 3 -  Prepare the beef. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat with oil. Add the meat to the pan and break it into large pieces. As the beef begins to brown, continue to break it into smaller and smaller pieces. Try not to stir too much; just occasionally until all of the beef is browned, about 5 minutes.

Step 4 - Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add prepared sauce and reduce heat to low. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Assemble:

1. Pepare the cauliflower rice according to the package instructions.
2. Divide the cauliflower rice into 2 bowls then top it with beef and arrange the cucumber, carrot, radish. Scatter with scallions and jalapeño, if using.
3. Drizzle Sriracha mayo over the bowls (if it’s too compact to drizzle, you can dilute it with lime juice, or even a splash of water). Finish with some fresh cilantro leaves and serve! Enjoy!

Tips and Substitutions:

• Make it vegan: If you want to keep this meat-free, simply use your favorite vegan “meat” substitution - either fried tofu or seitan would work well here.
• If you're not on low carb/ paleo/ whole30 use white rice instead of cauliflower rice.
• Mayo: Make sure it's a whole30-friendly mayo.
• Sriracha: Try to find sriracha with minimal ingredients
• Ground Beef: I like a 85/15 lean to fat ratio.
• Cauliflower rice: you can buy frozen bags of cauliflower rice instead of making my own

5 from 4 votes

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Vietnamese Banh Mi Rice Bowls with Sriracha Mayo (Paleo, Whole30)

This easy Banh Mi Bowl recipe is like a deconstructed Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, but healthier and low carb! The base is made with cauliflower rice, then it’s topped with spicy-sweet ground beef, veggies, and Asian sriracha mayo. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword banh mi bowls, Vietnamese rice bowl

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

Sriracha Mayo:

• ¼ cup mayo - see notes
• 3 tsp sriracha - see notes

Beef:

• 1 tsp refined coconut oil see recipe - optional
• 1 lb. ground beef - see notes
• 3 garlic cloves minced

Sauce:

• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp honey leave out for Whole30 or add date paste
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp arrowroot
• 1 tsp fresh ginger grated

Bowls:

• 6 cups cauliflower rice or classic rice
• ¼ long English cucumber sliced or cut into ribbons
• 1 large carrot cut into matchsticks (you can also use shredded carrots)
• ½ cup radish cut into matchsticks (about 9 medium radishes)
• 2 stalks scallions thinly sliced (optional)
• sliced jalapeno peppers for garnish (optional)
• cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Stir together sriracha and mayo in a bowl. Set aside while you make the rest of the recipe.
2. Next, make the sauce: stir together coconut aminos, honey, sriracha, arrowroot and ginger in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Prepare the beef. Heat a large pan over medium high heat with oil. Add the meat to the pan and break it into large pieces. As the beef begins to brown, continue to break it into smaller and smaller pieces. Try not to stir too much; just occasionally until all of the beef is browned, about 5 minutes.
4. In order for the meat to brown, rather than steam, the pan needs to be hot. Adding oil is optional but recommended for better browning.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add prepared sauce and reduce heat to low. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
6. Prepare the cauliflower rice according to the package instructions.
7. Divide the cauliflower rice into 2 bowls then top it with beef and arrange the cucumber, carrot, radish. Scatter with scallions and jalapeño, if using. Drizzle Sriracha mayo over the bowls (if it’s too compact to drizzle, you can dilute it with a big a lime juice, or even a splash of water). Finish with some fresh cilantro leaves and serve! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Make it vegan: If you want to keep this meat-free, simply use your favorite vegan “meat” substitution - either fried tofu or seitan would work well here.
• If you're not on low carb/ paleo/ whole30 use white rice instead of cauliflower rice.
• Mayo: Make sure it's a whole30-friendly mayo.
• Sriracha: Try to find sriracha with minimal ingredients
• Ground Beef: I like a 85/15 lean to fat ratio.
• Cauliflower rice: you can buy frozen bags of cauliflower rice instead of making my own

If you tried this Paleo Banh Mi Rice Bowl Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More healthy Asian recipes you will love:

• Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing
• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls 
• Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Glazed Chicken Meatballs