This is your sign to try smash banh mi tacos. A fun twist on the smash taco trend, they combine juicy chicken, fresh herbs, tangy pickles, and a creamy sauce for all that classic banh mi flavor in speedy taco form. Fabulous for quick dinners and feeding a crowd.
Smash Banh Mi Tacos, at a Glance
⏰ Time: 30 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 4
💪 Protein: 35g per serving
🛒 Key Ingredients: Ground chicken, fish sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger, mini tortillas
🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
👩🍳 Cooking Method: Pan-fried
💃 Perfect For: Busy weeknights, casual entertaining, a better-than-takeout night in, or an easy working-from-home lunch
“I made them exactly as written and these were amazing. Thank you so much for this light and fast take on my favorite sandwich. Perfect fast weeknight dinner when you’re so sick of everything else!”
Why These Smash Banh Mi Tacos Work
My smash dumpling tacos went a little bit crazy on Instagram, and I’ve lost count of the messages telling me how much you and your families loved them (they seem to be particularly popular with picky kids, which is always a win!)
So it felt right to play with the format again, this time with bright, fresh banh mi inspired flavors. Here’s why this version really works:
- Classic banh mi flavors work surprisingly well in taco form. The combination of juicy, seasoned ground chicken, fresh herbs, tangy pickles, a drizzle of nuoc cham, and creamy sauce creates a pretty perfect bite.
- Nuoc cham works in two clever ways. The zingy Vietnamese dipping sauce adds classic salty, sour, and sweet flavors to the tacos, while also acting as a pickling liquid for the carrots and cucumber.
- Busy weeknight friendly. The tacos are genuinely quick and easy to make – less than 30 minutes all up – so they’re brilliant for weeknights.
- Super flexible and crowd-friendly. They can be prepped in advance and cooked on the grill in batches, so they’re fabulous for summer entertaining. Set up a taco station and let everyone top their own, or serve them fully assembled.
Kate’s Recipe Note
Nuoc cham might sound fancy, but it’s likely a flavor you already know. It’s that zingy Vietnamese dipping sauce that’s salty, sour, savory, and sweet.
It adds instant depth to the tacos.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground chicken. You could swap the chicken for turkey, pork, beef, or a plant-based alternative.
- Fish sauce. An absolute STAPLE in Vietnamese cooking, this is a non-negotiable here. I know it can be divisive, but I promise it won’t make your tacos taste fishy. It just brings a gorgeously deep savory flavor you can’t achieve with salt alone.
- Herbs. I’m using fresh mint, cilantro (coriander), and Thai basil – but you could play around. I know not everyone is a fan of cilantro, so you could use more mint or Thai basil if you don’t like it. Thai basil can be tricky to find (it has a slight aniseed flavor), so if you can’t find it, regular basil works well too.
- Spicy mayo. I’m using my favorite speedy gochujang aioli here, but you can use any spicy mayo you like, regular mayo, egg-free garlic aioli, instant Kewpie mayo, or sweet chili jam.
- For the nuoc cham dressing. You’ll again need fish sauce along with lime juice, rice vinegar (or use white wine vinegar/apple cider vinegar), red chili, garlic, ginger, and a little sugar (or use maple syrup/honey/agave syrup if you prefer).
How to Make Banh Mi Tacos
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the tacos – the full recipe with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Mix your ground chicken, scallions, ginger, garlic, and fish sauce, making sure everything is combined well.
- Then scoop up a heaped spoonful of the mixture and press it into a thin layer on each mini tortilla. Prep your pickles and dressing.
- Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or skillet, then cook the tacos, meat side down, until golden. Then flip and crisp up the other side.
- Spoon spicy mayo onto the taco, then top with the pickles, a big pile of fresh herbs, a good drizzle of the nuoc cham dressing, and toasted cashews or peanuts to finish.
Banh Mi Tacos FAQs
Yes! Swap the ground chicken for turkey, pork, or beef, or your favorite plant-based alternative.
Definitely. You can prep all the elements ahead of time, then cook and assemble the tacos just before serving.
• The chicken can be pressed onto the tortillas up to 24 hours in advance. If you’re stacking them, make sure to place a piece of parchment paper in between each so they don’t stick together.
• The nuoc cham and pickled veg will keep well in the fridge, so you can make them a few days in advance.
Swap the cilantro for more mint and Thai basil (or regular basil), or you could use flat-leaf parsley.
Make sure you really press (smash) the tacos into the pan as they cook. This helps the chicken seal to the tortilla and develop lovely crispy edges.
But truly, if the meat does separate from the tortilla, it’s not a big deal. The tacos will still taste delicious.
I do recommend it if possible, as it’s a key component of these flavors, but you can use a substitute if needed. You could swap it for soy sauce or tamari – it won’t taste quite the same, but will still be delicious.
Not really. I’d say they’re more savory and zingy than spicy. But you can easily dial up the heat if that’s what you like – add extra chili, or a drizzle of chili crisp, or 30 minute chili oil to serve.
Watch How to Make Banh Mi Smash Tacos
Like this recipe? Try these easy smash tacos next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Ingredients
Method
- Make the nuoc cham dressing.Add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar, the chopped garlic, chill and grated ginger to a bowl and mix to combine so that the sugar dissolves.
- Pickle the carrot and cucumber.Add the julienned carrot and cucumber to the bowl with the dressing and set aside for now, to pickle.
- Mix the topping.Add the ground chicken, chopped scallions, garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large bowl. Mix well to combine, so that the seasoning is evenly mixed throughout the ground chicken.
- Top the tacos. Scoop up a heaped spoonful of the chicken mixture, and spread it into a thin, even layer all over a mini tortilla. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
- Cook the tacos.Set a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat, then drizzle a little olive oil into the pan. Place a tortilla, chicken side down, into the pan. Use a spatula or fish slice to press the tortilla firmly into the pan – this will help the chicken cook quickly, giving it a lovely charred crust, and help it to stick to the tortilla. Let it cook for 4 minutes, then flip, and cook for another minute on the other side.
- Top the tacos. Spread each taco with a little spicy mayo, then top with the pickled carrots and cucumber. Drizzle a little nuoc cham dressing on top, then finish with the cilantro, mint, Thai basil, and a sprinkling of toasted cashews. Serve with more spicy mayo and nuoc cham on the side, and enjoy.
This was a hit with my husband and two kids (10 and 12) and it has inspired me to try your other smash taco recipes! My two pieces of feedback: 1. This meal takes a lot longer to prep than 10 minutes. 2. I think there was too much ginger between the pickled vegetables and the chicken. I will probably leave it out of the chicken next time. Otherwise, really great recipe! We spiced it up with sriracha on top.
This looks so good, cannot wait to try it.
Tonight I’m experimenting with smashed gyro tacos, which I think would be a nice addition to the already impressive recipe list.
These were delicious and super easy to make! My boyfriend was skeptical at first but we both loved them. I’m going to have to try your other smash taco variations as well!
I made exactly as written and these were amazing. Thank you so much for this light and fast take on my favorite sandwich. Perfect fast weeknight dinner when you’re so sick of everything else!
Really loved these! I might suggest a yield on the cucumbers and carrots because I doubled my initial amounts due to it being very salty (I use Red Boat fish sauce, maybe it’s saltier than others?). I also skipped the teaspoon of salt in the chicken mixture and felt it was all very well seasoned. Otherwise, followed exactly and my teenager said it was her new favorite dish. Thank you!
This was awesome! Such great flavors! First time I made it I didn’t have tortillas so improvised by making little meatballs and serving these on pita crackers spread with the sriracha aioli. It was a good hack and second time did with tortillas – both great!!!
Ooooh I LOVE that hack!! Would be such a fun little party bite x
These are exceptional! Even without the basil (which can be a difficult grocery store item) I LOVE this recipe!
It’s now in our rotation of favorites. It is reliably good with ground turkey or chicken and comes together quickly. I start the marinade for the veggies and chicken together (the lime, fish sauce, garlic and ginger) in a jar with my immersion blender so it’s super easy. With a julienne peeler the veggies cut up fast, too. Thanks for a delicious new fav that feeds the family or compan❤️
Honneeeyyy… this recipe is a banger! I’m obsessed.
Stoppp this is the best thing to hear!! So happy you love Simone xx Kate