Bánh Mì Nachos
Bánh mì nachos are a fun Vietnamese Tex-Mex fusion loaded with flavorful lemongrass pork, creamy cheese sauce, pickled veggies, herbs, and spicy mayo!
What are Bánh Mì Nachos?
Bánh mì nachos are a fun fusion of Vietnamese and Tex-Mex flavors.
The toppings are inspired by what you find in a bánh mì which are Vietnamese sandwiches.
Traditional bánh mì sandwiches are typically stuffed with pork, pâté, pickled vegetables, cilantro, Vietnamese butter/mayo, and chili peppers.
For this recipe, I took a few of these components and instead of putting them in between a baguette, they’re scattered over creamy nacho cheese sauce and crunchy tortilla chips.
These bánh mì nachos are such a fun appetizer or snack to share for game day watch parties, tailgates, Super Bowl, potluck, or just because!
There is so much flavor, you’ll keep reaching for more!
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Ingredients for Bánh Mì Nachos
Before you begin making bánh mì nachos, you’ll need to gather the following ingredients:
- Tortilla Chips: Crunchy and sturdy base, perfect for scooping up all the delicious toppings.
- Nacho Cheese: My favorite is Ricos, I am using the Hot & Spicy Nacho Cheese Sauce for this.
- Vietnamese Seasoned Pork: Full of bold and umami flavors, see below for more detail.
- Pickled Carrots and Daikon: Crunchy, tangy, sweet, and adds the perfect pop of flavor. You can find my recipe for it here.
- Pickled Jalapeños: Spicy and tangy jalapeños adds heat and brightness.
- Spicy Mayo: A combination of sriracha and Japanese mayo to add a creamy drizzle of heat.
- Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh, herby flavor to balance out the richness of the pork and cheese.
Vietnamese Seasoned Pork
For the Vietnamese seasoned pork topping, you’ll need these ingredients:
- Pork: Use ground pork for the topping to make it easy to scoop.
- Substitute: You can also use ground chicken, turkey, or beef.
- Aromatics: Shallots and garlic are staple aromatics in Vietnamese cooking to enhance flavor.
- Fish Sauce: A signature ingredient of Vietnamese food that adds saltiness and a whole lot of umami.
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds more depth, umami, and gives the pork a nice color.
- Oyster Sauce: Another umami-packed ingredient. Oyster sauce is salty and slightly sweet.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness to balance out the salty elements.
- Substitute: You can replace with your favorite sweetener.
- Lemongrass: Gives the pork a fragrant, bright citrusy flavor.
- Note: Fresh lemongrass can be a pain to break down so I like to buy a big tub of minced lemongrass and keep it in the freezer. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store in the freezer aisle.
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How to Make Bánh Mì Nachos
These bánh mì nachos are loaded, cheesy, and full of umami!
It’s so easy to throw together and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.
Let’s walk through this recipe together step-by-step so you can easily make it at home!
As always, there is a recipe card and video tutorial at the end that you to print out, pin to Pinterest, or save for later.
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Step 1: Make the Pork Topping
In a pan on medium heat add a drizzle of oil.
I’m using a Caraway 10.5 inch fry pan.
Sauté chopped shallots and minced garlic until soft and fragrant.
Then add the ground pork, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and lemongrass.
Break up the ground pork and mix everything together until well combined.
Cook the pork all the way through, then taste and adjust to your liking.
Remove the cooked pork from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Heat the Nacho Cheese Sauce
In a small pot on low to medium heat, heat up the nacho cheese sauce until warm.
Occasionally stir so it heats evenly.
It does not need to bubble, you will notice steam rising when it is warm.
Be careful not to overheat because that may condense the cheese.
This may take about 10 minutes and can be done while you are cooking the pork.
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Step 3: Make Spicy Mayo
Spicy mayo is super simple to make.
Simply combine sriracha and Japanese mayo.
I like to use 1 tablespoon sriracha to 1/4 cup Japanese mayo.
However, you can adjust the amount of sriracha based on your spice preference.
Place the spicy mayo into a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling.
If you don’t have one, you can use a spoon to drizzle it over.
Step 4: Assemble the Bánh Mì Nachos
Lastly, it’s time to assemble the bánh mì nachos!
In a large serving dish, add a layer of tortilla chips.
Next, top the chips with the warm nacho cheese sauce.
Then add all the toppings: Vietnamese seasoned pork, pickled carrots and daikon, jalapeños, a drizzle of spicy mayo, and cilantro.
Adjust the amount of each topping based on your preference.
Try to scatter everything evenly across the chips so that every bite is the perfect bite.
Alternatively, instead of assembling the nachos, you can place each ingredient in its own dish and create a nacho bar.
Nacho bars are great too because everyone can build their own perfect nacho!
Leftover Storage & Reheating
Bánh mì nachos that are assembled with all the toppings are not good as leftovers because the chips will get soggy.
If you expect there to be leftovers, only assemble the amount that you think will get eaten.
Store the rest of the ingredients (except the chips) separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Chips should always remain at room temperature in a closed bag until serving.
The cheese sauce and pork can be microwaved or warmed up on the stove.
Be careful not to overheat because that could dry out the pork and condense the cheese sauce.
The other toppings can be served cold.
More Asian Snack Recipes to Try:
If you enjoyed this bánh mì nachos recipe, then here are some more fun Asian snack recipes that you need to try!
Save This Bánh Mì Nachos Recipe!
I hope this tutorial for how to make bánh mì nachos is helpful and that you try it out!
It’s perfect for sharing with family and friends or to enjoy all by yourself – no judgement here!
Remember to save this recipe so you have all my tips and notes for when you’re craving some Vietnamese-inspired nachos!
If you do make it, then please leave a rating and comment below. I’d love to know what you think!
Did you make this recipe? I would love to see! Tag me on IG @feedmi_ or TikTok @feedmi
Bánh Mì Nachos
Ingredients
- ½ bag (7 oz) tortilla chips
- 1 can (15 oz) nacho cheese
- 1 lb Vietnamese seasoned pork (see below)
- pickled carrots & daikon
- pickled jalapeños
- ¼ cup Japanese mayo
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- cilantro
Vietnamese Seasoned Pork
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lemongrass, chopped
Instructions
- In a pan on medium heat with a drizzle of oil, sauté shallots and garlic until soft and fragrant. Then add all ingredients for the Vietnamese seasoned pork. Break up the pork and cook it all the way through, taste, and adjust to your liking. Remove cooked pork from the pan and set aside.
- In a small pot on low to medium heat, heat up nacho cheese sauce until warm. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
- In a small bowl, mix together sriracha and Japanese mayo to make spicy mayo. Taste and adjust to your liking.
- In a large serving dish, top tortilla chips with the cheese sauce, Vietnamese seasoned pork, pickled carrots and daikon, pickled jalapeños, a drizzle of spicy mayo, and cilantro. Scatter the toppings evenly across the chips and adjust the amount of each to your preference. Enjoy!
