This Vietnamese Noodle Salad is fresh, healthy and packed with crunchy vegetables, rice noodles, herbs and a tangy nuoc cham dressing.
I've spent a lot of time travelling around Vietnam, and one of the reasons I always go back is the food! Vietnamese cuisine is one of my all-time favourites.
This Vietnamese-inspired rice noodle salad epitomises exactly what I love about the cuisine - it's full of fresh herbs and vegetables and drizzled with a flavourful sweet, savoury and tangy nuoc cham dressing that makes you want to keep going back for more.
It's perfect served alongside Southeast Asian-inspired grilled meats. One of my favourite pairings is my Air Fryer Lemongrass Chicken. Alternatively, serve it with crispy Vietnamese spring rolls for a delicious contrast in textures.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fresh, healthy and full of vibrant Vietnamese-inspired flavours.
- The nuoc cham dressing adds the perfect balance of sweet, sour and savoury.
- Quick and easy to prepare with no complicated ingredients.
- Perfect as a side dish or light meal.
- Easy to customise with your favourite vegetables and proteins.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients for this recipe. Exact quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Salad
- Vermicelli Rice Noodles - you can also use bean thread noodles (the more translucent glass noodles) if you don't have rice noodles.
- Lettuce - a nice fresh crunchy lettuce is good, my favourite is little gem or baby cos.
- Carrots
- Red bell pepper
- Cucumber
- Spring Onions - aka green onions or shallots
- Fresh mint leaves - don't skip these. They add a wonderful freshness that really makes the salad.
- Fresh coriander leaves - aka cilantro
For the Nuoc Cham dressing
The nuoc cham dressing is a wonderful balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy that gives this salad such fantastic flavour.
- Lime juice - from freshly squeezed limes.
- Fish sauce
- Rice wine vinegar (rice vinegar)
- Sugar mixed with water
- Garlic
- Chilli - I like to use fresh chilli finely sliced when possible. However, if you don't have any, you can also substitute with dried chilli flakes.
How to Make Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Full instructions with exact steps can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
To make this noodle salad, start by cooking the noodles by steeping them in boiling water for around 3-5 minutes (or according to the packet instructions). Then drain them into a strainer and run them under cold water until they are cool.
Now leave the noodles in the strainer for a few minutes to dry out slightly, tossing them occasionally so the noodles at the bottom can dry too.
While the noodles are drying, chop all the vegetables and herbs and set aside while you make the dressing.
I like to julienne the carrots, peppers and cucumbers, finely slice the spring onions, shred the lettuce and use my fingers to tear up the herbs.
To make the dressing, just add all the ingredients into a jar or dressing bottle with a lid and shake to combine.
Then, once the noodles are cool, toss them together with the vegetables, drizzle over the dressing and mix well to ensure it is all coated.
What to serve with the Vietnamese Noodle Salad
To turn this noodle salad into a complete meal, add grilled chicken, prawns, pork or tofu.
One of my favourite accompaniments is my Air Fryer Lemongrass Chicken, pictured above. The flavours work beautifully together and make a delicious, satisfying meal.
Other good options include:
- Air Fryer Lemongrass Chicken
- Vietnamese spring rolls
- Grilled prawns
- Vietnamese pork skewers
- Grilled fish
- Crispy tofu
- Vietnamese-style meatballs
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Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 200 g rice noodles
- 1 mini gem lettuce shredded
- 2 carrots julienned
- 2 small cucumbers julienned
- ½ red pepper finely sliced
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- handful mint leaves torn into pieces
- handful coriander leaves torn into pieces
For the Nuoc Cham Dressing
- 3 tablespoon lime juice from freshly squeezed limes
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ red chilli finely sliced (can substitute ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes)
Instructions
For the Nuoc Cham Dressing
- Add the lime juice, fish sauce and rice wine vinegar into a dressing jar with a lid.
- Dissolve the sugar into the water and add to the jar.
- Grate or crush the garlic into the jar. Finely slice the chilli and add to the jar.
- Give the jar a good shake and set aside until needed.
To make the Noodle Salad
- First, cook the noodles: Bring a pan of water to the boil and steep the noodles for 3-5 minutes, or according to the packet instructions.
- Once cooked, strain into a sieve and run under cold water until cool.
- Leave in the strainer to dry while you prepare the vegetables. Remember to turn the noodles over occasionally so those at the bottom can dry too.
- While the noodles are drying, prepare the vegetables: finely shred the lettuce, julienne the carrots, cucumber and red pepper, finely chop the spring onion and tear apart the herbs.
- Now toss everything together with the noodles in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix well. (You might not need all the dressing - add as much as you need and you can store the rest in the fridge to 'refresh' any leftover salad later).
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