This delicious Banh Mi Burger gets its inspiration from the traditional Banh Mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich. The base of this sandwich usually starts with a crusty bread roll, Asian ham, pickled vegetables, green onions, cilantro, and some fresh (or pickled) chilies. 

It is generally seasoned well and has a really big flavor profile! Our burger recipe is based upon a similar idea and comes with some big flavors. I think you are going to love it!

The great thing about grilling your burgers at home is that you can add whatever flavors you want. In this recipe, the Asian flavors really shine through. Why would you settle for a plain takeout burger when you can create something so much tastier?

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What goes into a Banh Mi Burger?

So you have to start with beef for this Banh Mi burger. I recommend using an 80 – 20 blend of ground beef. That means that your meat is made up of 80 % meat and 20 % fat. This ratio of meat to fat is the perfect combination for burgers.

You need the fat to keep the burger patty juicy. If your ground beef is too lean, your burger will be very dry, and nobody wants to eat a dry burger!

Ingredients

• 80-20 ground beef
• Garlic
• Chili sauce
• Soy sauce
• Lime juice
• Light brown sugar
• Fish sauce
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Burger buns
• Quick pickled vegetables
• Mint leaves
• Cilantro
• Lime
• Red chili pepper (optional)

How to prepare Banh Mi burgers

Start by mixing all the burger ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine the beef, garlic, chili sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Be careful not to over mix the meat; you want your burgers to be tender. If you handle the meat too much, it can become compact and will have a dense texture.

Form the mixture into 4 patties. Each patty should be about 3/4 of a pound or about 6 oz. If you make the patties ahead of time, you can cover and refrigerated them for an hour or two before grilling.

Here is a great trick when you are making homemade burgers. Just before grilling, make a depression in the middle of each patty with your thumb. This will help the patty retain its shape when it cooks. If you don’t do this, the homemade patties will have a tendency to shrink. They will end up smaller around but fatter in the middle.

Make sure you pre-heat your grill to medium-high, about 375 – 400 degrees F. Cook the burger patties until they are done to your desired preference. I usually go for 7 – 9 minutes per side. Try to only turn your burger patties once during the grilling process.

If you turn them over and over, they will lose much of their juices, and they may end being dried out. Once cooked, remove them to a platter or plate and let them rest for a few minutes before serving. If you like your burger buns toasted, split the buns and lay them flat on the grill for a minute or 2 per side. Careful, they will burn pretty quickly!

Putting it all together

I like to put a few slices of cucumber on the bottom of the bun to start, then place the burger patty on top. Now you can add all the rest of the toppings. Start with a forkful of the quick pickled vegetables on top of the burger.

I have a great recipe for pickled vegetables in a previous post. They take no time at all to prepare and will last for 2-3 weeks in your fridge. Make sure you check out this link: Quick Pickled Vegetables.

Next, I like to add a couple of red chili pepper slices, you know, for a little heat! You can finish it off with a couple of mint leaves, and what Vietnamese sandwich would be complete without some cilantro? Serve it up with a lime wedge. The lime juice is great drizzled over the burger just before you eat it!

You can get creative with the toppings, smear on a bit of mayo. Or if you like, make up a little sriracha mayo. You could add cheese to your burgers if you like; I mean, it’s your burger, right!

You could even use ground pork instead of beef if you prefer, or mix the ground beef and ground pork. This recipe is really fantastic, but it can also be the basis for you to build your own banh mi burger. Make sure you try this one. I know you will love it!

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Yield: 4 Servings

Banh Mi Burger

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This simple yet delicious Banh Mi Burger is easy to prepare and will take your taste buds to Asia! The inspiration for this burger comes from the traditional Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Burgers

• 1 1/2 pounds 80 - 20 ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (sambal oelek) *See Notes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Other

• 4 burger buns
• 1/4 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Quick Pickled Vegetables
• 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 sprig fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
2. Mix together all ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into 4 equal patties.
3. Cook the burger patties until they’re done to your preference, about 7 to 9 minutes per side, flipping once.
4. If desired, split the buns in half and toast them (cut side down) on the grill for a couple of minutes.
5. To serve, put a few slices of cucumber on each bottom bun and place a burger on top. To the top of each burger, add quick-pickled vegetables, a few red chili pepper slices, a couple of fresh mint leaves, a few fresh cilantro leaves, and then the top bun.
6. Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze onto the burgers.

Notes

Sambal Oelek Substitutes:

Sriracha – handy substitute.

Harissa – it will change the flavor of your dish but can still be super tasty.

Chinese chili sauce or paste.

Gochujang - Korean chili paste

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 126mgSodium: 1291mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 45g

Recipe calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.