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An amazingly flavorful ground pork burger with a pickled topping is a match made in burger heaven. This Banh Mi burger recipe is Paleo and AIP friendly and a meal your whole family will be clamoring for!
Isn't it funny that a grain-free recipe would be named for the Vietnamese words for “bread” and “wheat”? Ironic!
But alas, Banh Mi these days seems, at least here in the US, to refer to a sandwich of pickled carrots, cucumbers, and radishes, and some mint and cilantro over some sort of meat (I've seen everything from ham to pulled pork to steak when out in restaurants).
Since I love to redefine things from their original sandwich past (see my Muffuletta Chicken recipe for example), I thought I'd redefine these sandwiches into burgers! And boy, did it work!
It uses ground pork for the burger and pickled veggies for the condiments and packs tons of flavor!
Table of contents
Tips for the Perfect Banh Mi Burgers:
- Don't make the pickled veggies TOO far in advance, but they can be made up to a day ahead of time
- When forming the patties, make them flat, then push a little divet into the center of each patty. This will help evenly cook the burgers as the edges tend to cook faster than the inside, so making the inside thinner helps it to cook just as quickly.
- You can use a different vinegar than White Wine, but distilled vinegar is a no-no on AIP and plus, it has a MUCH more pungent flavor. I like the tamer flavor of White Wine Vinegar much better. Apple Cider Vinegar is another option, but again, it's more pungent.
Ingredients you may need:
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This White Wine Vinegar is the one I use for any pickling I do, whether it's for quick pickling like in this Banh Mi burger or for actual pickling during the summer that I put up in jars for the winter.
Coconut Aminos are a Paleo and AIP replacement for soy sauce. I use this soy-free sauce in any situation that calls for soy sauce. I like this brand.
Coconut Sugar is a lower-glycemic, more nutrient-dense replacement for white sugar and is Paleo and AIP compliant.
What should I serve with these burgers?
Personally I LOVE tostones with this (Paleo and AIP). It's definitely a jimble jamble of different cultures, but it makes it fun.
I could also see these on top of a big bowl of coconut cauliflower rice (Paleo and AIP).
Or you could just go traditional and make sweet potato fries or wedges – I like this sweet potato fry recipe (Paleo & AIP) or white potato fries or wedges – I like this recipe (Paleo).
How to make these burgers coconut-free
If you don't tolerate coconut well, no worries. Just use maple sugar instead of coconut sugar in the recipe and then omit the coconut aminos.
Or you could also make your own coconut-free coconut aminos using this recipe by Mel Joulwan. I recommend making a batch of this and freezing it in an ice cube tray, giving you approx 2 tbs of “coconut aminos/soy sauce” per ice cube to use whenever you need it!
More Great Paleo Burger Recipes
Turkey Burgers with Quick Pickled Rhubarb (Paleo)- this one is a more Indian-inspired dish also with quick-pickled fruits and veggies as a topping.
Ground Beef Hobo Packet (Paleo) – these are meatball burgers that you make in an aluminum foil packet over a fire while camping. Soooo good!
Beet Cakes with Mint Cashew Cream (Paleo) – this is a vegetarian Paleo version of a burger – made out of beets! But don't let that stop you, they are downright delicious and great for a Meatless Monday type meal.
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Banh Mi Burger Recipe (Paleo, AIP)
This is such a good burger! Flavorful, easy to make, and something that anyone would enjoy, whether they're on a special diet or not. This is one of those I think is great to make if you're having guests and don't want something that looks or “tastes” Paleo or AIP.
If you make these burgers I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!
Banh Mi Burger (Paleo, AIP)
Ingredients
For the toppings:
- 1 Large Carrot (cut into thin matchsticks)
- 1/3 Cucumber (cut into thin matchsticks)
- 4 Radishes (sliced or cut into thin matchsticks)
- 2 tbsp Coconut Sugar or Maple Sugar (you can also use maple syrup or honey, omit for Whole30)
- 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Handful fresh Cilantro (chopped)
- 1 handful fresh Mint (chopped)
For the burger:
- 2 lb Ground Pork
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp dried Ginger
- 2 tbsp Coconut Aminos (omit or see above notes for coconut-free)
Instructions
- For the topping, mix together the carrot, cucumber, and radish matchsticks into a bowl. Heat 1/2 cup of water, the coconut sugar, the vinegar, and sea salt in a small saucepan until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables, and let cool.
- Meanwhile, mix the burger ingredients together. Form into 4-8 patties (depending on how thick/big you want them). Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat on the stove or a grill to medium.
- Cook the patties, turning once, until desired doneness. about 3-4 minutes a side for the smaller patties, 5-6 minutes a side for the larger ones.
- Add the chopped cilantro and mint to the vinegar and veggie mixture, mix well, and then serve over the burger patties.
Nutrition
These look good! What are you serving them on in your pic? Is that your flatbread recipe? And for my non-gluten free family or guests, would this be good on regular burger buns?
It’s funny you said these are good with tostones – I usually make giant ones (cut a plantain in half, then in half lengthwise) to use as my bun with regular burgers. Omg, sooo good, especially with caramelized onions and paleo ketchup. Now I’m wondering for these burgers if I should use my plantain “buns” or use something else and have tostones on the side 🤔
Ooh, I’ve never had them with the plantain buns but that sure does sound delicious! In the pic I think I just have them essentially “naked” – I typically eat burgers more like a steak with a knife and fork. But yeah, for guests regular hamburger buns I’d imagine would be good. Or even toasted slices of something like a Hawaiian sweet bread sound good too… And you could make your plantian buns and have roasted diced sweet potatoes on the side. That sounds REALLY good to me, haha. Like so good that I might have to make that tonight, lol!!
These are delicious! My family (especially the 8 yo) loved them (minus the veggies)! My husband and I LOVED the veggies! Will definitely be in our rotation from now on! Thank you!
Do you think this could be frozen? Hoping to give some to someone who won’t have a bbq or oven – just a microwave. Looks so yummy,
Eh, you could freeze the burgers with no issue but I’m not so sure how the pickled part would work. They do last quite well in the fridge for a week or two though so you could give them the pickled part separately (not frozen)
hi if coconut aminos are being used in this pork burger as a soy sauce replacement, then can i use tamarind sauce instead of coconut aminos? `as tamarind is my soy sauce replacement.
Sure!
I found pre cut broccoli slaw. Its carrots, broccoli and cabbage. Would the cabbage turn out okay if I put it in the white vinegar
Yeah, it should be ok – especially if you’re only doing a quick pickle and not storing it for weeks or anything.
I wrote a comment but it was lost with a “network connection lost” message. Boo.
I am excited and thankful for this recipe. I have to eat low FODMAP as well as AIP and this is a recipe I can actually use. That it is versatile is a wonderful bonus. This will be great with fish.
I get pretty discouraged trying to find new recipes or reworking old ones. The reworking often requires more brain power and energy than I can give at any given time. I recently spent hours pouring through several AIP, vegetarian paleo, even a vegetarian keto cookbook trying to find easy vegetarian or pescatarian recipes (we do eat meat but I am trying to figure out Lent. Again). I want freezer safe meals so I can batch cook. Sigh. Someone call the waaambulance.
So Thank you Thank you Thank you for this recipe! It checks all the boxes and sounds delicious!
P.S. the high FODMAP garlic can be substituted with asafoetida or a little garlic oil. Easy fix!
Oh I’m so glad I FINALLY figured out a recipe you can have! I know you’ve been asking – I’m just not well-versed in low FODMAP diets so I never know. And thanks for the tip on the garlic too!