National Dish Vietnam: Banh Trang Nuong (Recipe)
In this article
Meet Banh Trang Nuong, Vietnam’s irresistible answer to pizza! Built on a sheet of crisp grilled rice paper, this beloved street-food snack is layered with egg, sausage and a scattering of fresh, savoury toppings. Crunchy, quick and endlessly customisable, it captures the lively spirit of a Vietnamese night market in a single hand-held bite. Bring that bustling pavement-stall energy straight into your own kitchen.
About Banh Trang Nuong
Banh Trang Nuong, often called the Vietnamese rice paper pizza, is a deliciously crisp street-food snack that is hugely popular across Vietnam. The dish brings together the flavours of grilled rice paper, egg, sausage and an assortment of vegetable toppings to create a wonderfully distinctive eating experience. Whether you enjoy it as a quick snack or a light lunch, Banh Trang Nuong is sure to win you over with its crunch and its bold, savoury character.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 sheets of rice paper
- 2 eggs
- 50g cooked sausage of your choice (such as Vietnamese pork sausage)
- 30g grated cheese
- 2 spring onions
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Sriracha sauce, to taste
- Oil, for frying
Shopping for the ingredients
When shopping for Banh Trang Nuong, it pays to choose fresh, good-quality produce to get the best results. Rice paper is usually easy to find in a well-stocked Asian grocery. When picking your sausage, go for a variety you really enjoy — ideally something gently spiced that lends the dish an extra layer of flavour. Similar care over fresh ingredients makes all the difference in dishes like these Goi Cuon Tom Thit fresh rolls.
Preparing the dish
Before you start cooking, set out all your ingredients and slice the spring onions into fine rings. Have a medium bowl ready in which to whisk the eggs together with the fish sauce until well combined. Getting everything prepped in advance keeps the cooking smooth and lets you focus entirely on building each crisp rice paper round.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add a little oil.
- Lay a sheet of rice paper in the pan and let it toast lightly.
- Pour a ladle of the egg mixture onto the rice paper and spread it out evenly.
- Scatter over the spring onions, the cheese and the sliced sausage.
- Fold the rice paper in half and fry until crisp on both sides.
- Add Sriracha sauce to taste and serve piping hot.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
For a gluten-free version, simply make sure every sauce and sausage you use is free from gluten-containing additives. To cater for lactose intolerance, leave out the cheese altogether or swap it for a lactose-free cheese. That way the dish stays accessible to everyone while remaining every bit as tasty.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Banh Trang Nuong adapts easily for vegetarians and vegans. The sausage can be replaced with tofu cubes or a plant-based sausage alternative, while the egg can be swapped for a vegan egg substitute or another plant-based option. With a little creativity, you can tailor this snack to suit almost any way of eating without losing its trademark crunch.
More tips and tricks
To make your Banh Trang Nuong even crisper, make sure the pan is thoroughly preheated and the oil is spread evenly across the surface. Experiment with different toppings and try ingredients such as grilled pork, prawns or various cheeses to discover fresh flavour combinations. A heavier topping like the rich pork in Heo Quay makes a brilliant special-occasion variation.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Banh Trang Nuong is wonderfully easy to tailor to personal preference. Try different sausage varieties or vegetarian alternatives and vary the amount of sauce to suit your palate. You can also add vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms to give the dish extra colour and texture. The format is forgiving, so feel free to make it your own.
Ingredient substitutions
If you are not keen on fish sauce, you can replace it with soy sauce or a vegan fish-sauce alternative. Rice paper itself can be swapped for other thin flatbreads such as tortillas if you do not have access to an Asian grocery. The flavour will shift slightly, but the result is still delicious — much like the clever swaps that keep Banh Bot Chien so adaptable.
Drink pairing ideas
Refreshing drinks go particularly well with Banh Trang Nuong. A Vietnamese iced coffee or a glass of lychee juice make traditional partners. A light green tea or a cold beer also work beautifully, rounding off the meal and balancing the savoury, crisp flavours of the dish.
Serving and presentation ideas
To present your Banh Trang Nuong attractively, arrange it on a pretty plate and garnish with a little fresh vegetable and some coriander. Cut it into small bite-sized pieces so guests can pick it up and enjoy it easily. A small dish of dipping sauce alongside completes the picture perfectly.
A bit of history
Banh Trang Nuong hails from the central Vietnamese region around Da Lat and has, over the years, spread in popularity right across the country. It began life as a simple street-food snack enjoyed by hungry students and workers. The variety of its toppings and the ease of its preparation have helped it become a regular feature in many Vietnamese households today — a fine example of inventive Vietnamese cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Banh Trang Nuong
Banh Trang Nuong is a simple yet incredibly tasty and flexible dish that you can adjust however you please. With just a handful of ingredients and very little effort, you can conjure up something that works equally well as a snack or a light lunch. Experiment with different toppings and ingredients to find your own perfect take on this Vietnamese classic — your taste buds will thank you.
