With creamy egg salad topped with pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and slices of jalapeño pepper on a fresh baguette, this Bahn Mi-Inspired Egg Salad is an unusual (but delicious!) twist on egg salad. It might be unusual, but it’s seriously the best egg salad sandwich I’ve ever had!
These egg salad sandwiches are inspired by the oh-so delicious Vietnamese sandwich that’s typically made with meat (or sometimes tofu), meat pâté, pickled veggies, jalapeños, and fresh herbs all piled on a perfectly chewy-yet-soft-inside-yet-crunchy-outside baguette. But instead of meat or tofu, this one’s stuffed with egg salad. Obvious choice, right?
I know, not obvious.
Here’s how I came up with the idea.
Our local Vietnamese restaurant has delicious banh mi sandwiches. I get mine with tofu, my guy gets his with chicken or pork. But they also top every sandwich with a fried egg. Which sort of threw me for a loop at first, but then, I dug it. A lot.
So when it came time for me to finally try my hand at banh mi at home, something in me was screaming “Egg! Egg!” And then I came to the egg salad place and thought, hmm, that just might work and then we tried it all topped with Sriracha and it was glorious and the end.
I arrive at my recipe ideas in the most elegant fashion, as you can see. 😉
So yep. Egg Salad Banh Mi. Cringe if you must, but by now you know I was not going for authentic – I was just going for something fun. A delicious vegetarian banh mi situation + a little spin on egg salad. A veggie-laden egg salad inside a perfectly crunchy-crusted baguette, topped with a pile of quick-pickled veggies …
… and then loaded up with fresh herbs in true banh-mi fashion. And THEN drizzled with Sriracha sauce because hello, Sriracha sauce.
Basically, this is the best egg salad sandwich I’ve ever had. Possibly the messiest, but also the best.
Oh, and one nice thing about this one is that you can prep the veggies and make the egg salad ahead of time. So then all you have left to do is slice the bread, toast it if you want, and assemble. And, of course, eat!
More Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes
- Ultimate Veggie BLT
- Vegetarian Club Sandwich
- Grilled Veggie Sandwich
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Cauliflower Steak Sandwich
- Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Sandwich
- The Perfect Grilled Cheese
Bahn Mi-Inspired Egg Salad Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup shredded daikon radish
- 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers (halved)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light agave nectar (can sub granulated sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 10-inch French bread baguettes, sliced in half (but still attached on one side) (My favorite for banh mi are these take-and-bake French demi baguettes – they toast up perfect for these sandwiches)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (stems removed)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
- 1 fresh jalapeno pepper (thinly sliced)
- Sriracha (to taste (optional))
For the egg salad:
- 3 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and chopped (I use my Instant Pot for hard-boiled eggs – so easy!))
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the marinated veggies. Place carrots, daikon radish, cucumbers, vinegar, agave nectar, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss well. Set aside and let sit for 10-30 minutes.
- While the veggies sit, make the egg salad. In a small bowl, mix the chopped eggs, mayo, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Half the bread, keeping one side attached. Toast if desired. Place bread under the broiler until pale golden and a bit crusty (mine takes about 1 minute). Remove from oven. Or, if you’re doing a take-and-bake baguette situation, hurry and bake ’em on up!
- Slather tops of bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons mayonnaise. Divide egg salad between sandwiches, piling/spreading on lower half. Top each half with pickled veggies (go ahead, load it up!) and scatter jalapeños over the top (a lot for more heat and less for … well you get what I’m saying). Cover with cilantro and mint. Squeeze Sriracha over the top of each, if desired (a little goes a long way!)
- Close the sandwich (the best you can) and slice in half. Serve immediately. Makes 4 (5-inch) sandwiches.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
