Looking for the best Vietnamese recipes? Want to make Vietnamese summer rolls or traditional pho? Try our ideas and twists here, then check out olive's podcast episode on the 10 things you need to know about Vietnamese food and cooking.

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Vietnamese cuisine is packed full of punchy, vibrant flavours and fresh, healthy ingredients. Start with refreshing summer salads and fish sauce wings then move on to platters of pork meatballs and hearty chicken soup. Try Saigon-born Uyen Luu's traditional recipes, passed down through her family, or modern ideas from Vietnamese restaurant Cây Tre in London.

Learn about Vietnamese coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong's guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing.

Not spotted your favourite Vietnamese dish? Do you know an awesome Vietnamese chef or food writer that you’d like to see featured here? Email us or contact us on social media at @olivemagazine to let us know!


Easy Vietnamese recipes

Vietnamese chicken curry (cà ri gà bí)

A mild, slurpy curry, meant to be dipped into and mopped up with crispy Vietnamese baguettes or steamed rice. Make it as hot as you like!

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Vietnamese recipe writer Uyen Luu says: “You can add different vegetables towards the end of cooking, depending on what’s in season. Even frozen peas, cooked for a couple of minutes at the end, are a delight. You can also use chicken breast. As with most Vietnamese food, make it as hot as you like and feel free to add fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes to the curry.”

A chicken and squash curry

Bánh xèo tôm Vietnamese pancakes

Bánh xèo is a light savoury crêpe, eaten with an abundance of salad leaves and herbs. This one comes stuffed with juicy king prawns.

Vietnamese recipe writer Uyen Luu says:”There’s a knack to eating these: gather a handful of leaves and herbs in your hand, break off some crêpe onto the leaves, then roll it up and dip it into the sauce. You can vary the filling.”

Two crepes with salad and fillings and chopsticks

Vietnamese dumpling noodle bowl

Nisha Parmar’s dumpling noodle bowl is inspired by Vietnamese bun cha gio, a traditional pork noodle salad. This version is meat-free but contains fish sauce.

A Bowl of Dumplings, Fresh Veg and Noodles with Chopsticks on a Wooden Surface

Vietnamese-style turmeric and dill fish with rice noodles

Sunshine yellow deliciousness with a hit of chilli and herbs, this Vietnamese fish dish is popular in Hanoi. Make your own version for dinner tonight.

Vietnamese Fish Recipe by Donal Skehan

Cây Tre’s beef and green papaya salad

Beef and green papaya is a classic combination in Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese restaurant Cây Tre uses traditional ingredients to create this fresh and vibrant beef and green papaya salad. Traditionally made with dried beef, this modern version uses rare steak.

Cây Tre’s beef and green papaya salad

Pad thai salad

A crunchier version of pad thai noodles, try Hetty McKinnon’s Vietnamese-style pad thai salad with shredded cabbage and a punchy chilli dressing for a speedy midweek dish.

A pad thai salad with sliced radishes

Vietnamese-style chicken summer rolls

Fresh, vibrant and ready in 25 minutes, these summer rolls are a quick and healthy summer entertaining idea.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls Recipe with Chicken

Bun cha with sizzling meatballs

Check out our easy Vietnamese-inspired dish with fiery pork meatballs. This low-calorie recipe is quick to make and packed with plenty of fresh flavour.

Vietnamese Bun Cha Recipe with Meatballs

Spring veg rolls

Make a roll-it-yourself midweek dinner with Hetty McKinnon’s bright Vietnamese-style vegan rolls, packed full of fresh and herby flavours.

A plate of spring rolls stuffed with green vegetables

Chicken pho

Check out our super simple cheat's chicken pho. This wholesome recipe is packed with rich, fragrant flavours, and it's easy to make. Plus, it's low in calories too.

Chicken Pho Recipe

Banh-mi

Banh-mi is a Vietnamese stuffed baguette – banh means bread and mi, wheat. This version is packed with delicious flavours and looks fantastic with so many colourful ingredients. It's perfect for summer.

Banh Mi Recipe

Vietnamese spring rolls

These Vietnamese spring rolls, stuffed with prawns, crabmeat and scallops, would make a fun canapé, served with a hot and savoury sauce for dipping.

Spring rolls on a platter with a pot of orange dipping sauce

Vietnamese-style salmon with roasted cashew rice noodle salad

Check out this clever (and healthy) way to serve salmon. Flavoured with ginger, lime zest, red chilli and garlic, this zingy salad is inspired by Vietnamese cuisine.

Vietnamese-style salmon with roasted cashew rice noodle salad

Vietnamese-style carrot salad

A super-healthy carrot and white cabbage salad gets the Vietnamese treatment. The zingy lime, chilli and ginger dressing gives the crunchy veg a massive lift. Serve as a side with chicken or pack up for a low-fat lunch.

Vietnamese carrot salad

Beef pho

Quick, healthy and packed with flavour, beef pho is easier to make than you think. This fragrant noodle soup is eaten for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Pho Recipe

Bun cha

Bun cha is a typical salad in Vietnam. This is very easy to prepare as the sizzling pork is served with a make-ahead salad of cold noodles, herbs and beansprouts and a punchy dipping sauce.

Bun cha

Spiralized summer rolls

Spiralized veg takes the place of noodles in these super-healthy, Vietnamese-style vegan rolls. They're great to pack for a posh picnic.

Summer Rolls Recipe With Courgetti

Vietnamese-inspired BBQ caramel pork loin

Try our glazed Vietnamese-style BBQ pork. This recipe is great for family BBQs; it's delicately sweet, gluten-free and easily serves six. Alternatively, this recipe works just as well when roasted.

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Vietnamese BBQ Caramel Pork Loin

Vietnamese-spiced beef and lemongrass one pot

We love Vietnamese-inspired flavours, and this beef and lemongrass dish makes great use of them. It's a one-pot, so there's minimal washing up, and is under 300 calories but still packs a punch in terms of flavour.

Vietnamese Beef Stew Recipe With Lemongrass

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