Banh Mi Hot Dogs
Tangy pickled vegetables, creamy sriracha mayo, fresh herbs, crisp cucumber, and spicy jalapeño – these banh mi hot dogs take everything you love about the classic Vietnamese sandwich and pile it onto a grilled hot dog. They’re a bold, flavor-packed twist on a summer staple that’s perfect for backyard cookouts, family dinners, or anytime you want to make hot dog night feel a little more exciting. The whole thing comes together fast once you have your toppings prepped, making it a surprisingly easy weeknight dinner or cookout upgrade.
🌭 The Hot Dog Upgrade You Didn’t Know You Needed
Classic hot dogs are always a solid choice, but when you want to bring them to the next level, this is what you need to try. The fresh toppings and sriracha mayo take a simple cookout staple somewhere completely different.
This recipe has been on the site since 2011 (!!!) – and it’s still one of my favorites to pull out every summer. They’re…
🌶️ Bold & spicy: The sriracha mayo adds creamy heat that ties every single topping together.
🥒 Fresh & crunchy: Pickled carrots, daikon, and crisp cucumber make these anything but ordinary.
⏰ Prep-ahead friendly: The pickled veggies get better overnight, so you can do most of the work before your cookout.
🌿 Bright: Fresh cilantro and jalapeño bring that classic banh mi freshness to every bite.
🌭 Perfect for entertaining: A creative, crowd-pleasing twist on a cookout classic that requires zero extra effort at the grill.
If you love a fun summer dinner, you’ll also want to try these grilled chicken sandwiches for another bold, flavor-packed option. Grilled drumsticks are a reliable crowd-pleaser when you’re feeding a group, and a shrimp boil is always a festive way to make summer dinner feel like an event.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring these Vietnamese-inspired hot dogs to the table: julienned carrots, julienned daikon radish (or regular radish as a substitute), white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mayonnaise (Kewpie is especially good here if you can find it), sriracha, white vinegar, beef hot dogs, hot dog buns, fresh cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeño, and julienned cucumber.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: Don’t skip draining and patting the pickled vegetables before loading up your buns. Excess pickling liquid is the fastest way to end up with a soggy bun – a quick drain and a light pat with paper towels keeps everything intact.
- Feeding kids without pressure: The sriracha mayo is the easiest lever to adjust for heat. Start with just 1 tablespoon of sriracha for a much milder version, and let kids add their own toppings. Serving the toppings deconstructed (each component on its own) lets kids build exactly what they want, which is half the fun anyway.
- Variations: Swap in your favorite vegetarian or chicken sausage and this recipe works just as well. You could also try this with turkey dogs or a smoked sausage for a different flavor profile. For extra banh mi authenticity, add a thin smear of pâté or a few slices of Vietnamese-style deli meat under the dog before topping.
Bahn Mi Hot Dogs Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Description
Uplevel your cookout with banh mi hot dogs! Hot dogs are topped with pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and sriracha mayo for major flavor.
Ingredients
For the Pickled Veggies:
- 1 cup carrots, julienned
- 1/2 cup daikon radish, julienned
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
For the Sriracha Mayo:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. sriracha
- 1 tsp. white vinegar
For the Hot Dogs:
- 4 hot dog buns
- 4 beef hot dogs
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cucumber, julienned
Instructions
Pickle the Veggies
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Boil over medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Pour over carrots and daikon radish in a heatproof container. Cool, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Make the Sriracha Mayo
Whisk together mayonnaise, sriracha, and white vinegar in a small bowl.
For the Hot Dogs:
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with oil (optional).
- Cook hot dogs, turning, until heated through and slightly charred (5-7 minutes). Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Place buns cut-side down in the same pan and toast until lightly golden (30-60 seconds).
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Place a hot dog in each toasted bun. Drizzle with sriracha mayo. Top with pickled vegetables, cilantro, jalapeño, and cucumber.
Notes
Storage: Store pickled vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator, keeping them submerged in the pickling liquid – they’ll keep for up to 2 weeks. Sriracha mayo keeps covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. Assembled hot dogs are best enjoyed right away; if you have leftovers, separate the components and store them individually.
Ingredients: Daikon radish can be hard to find, depending on your area – regular radish or additional carrots work fine as a substitute. For the mayo, Kewpie is a Japanese mayonnaise that’s slightly richer and more savory than standard American mayo and makes a noticeably smoother sriracha mayo if you can get your hands on it.
Prep Ahead: This recipe is ideal for prepping ahead. Make the pickled vegetables the night before for the best flavor – the vegetables mellow and absorb the pickling liquid beautifully overnight. The sriracha mayo can also be mixed 2-3 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
Banh mi hot dogs are already pretty complete on their own, but a cool, crunchy side dish is the perfect complement to all that punchy flavor. Napa cabbage slaw is a natural fit – the crisp, creamy slaw echoes the fresh toppings on the hot dogs and rounds out the plate beautifully. If you want something lighter and more refreshing, creamy cucumber salad is a great option that leans into the cucumber already in the recipe. For something sweet to round out the cookout spread, s’mores bars are always a crowd favorite.
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer and founder of My Everyday Table, where she helps busy families take the stress out of weeknight dinners. With a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and almost 20 years of experience, Emily specializes in simple, nourishing recipes and weekly meal plans that actually work for everyday life. She’s a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who believes delicious food and good nutrition go hand in hand.
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Recipe development and photography by Gimme From Scratch.
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I have to say that I’m not normally a hot dog fan but this is such a fun spin on them that I really want to try it!!
I’m not a huge hot dog person either, but the fun twists might turn me into one!! 🙂
Yum, that’s an awesome idea for a hot dog! I’m usually pretty traditional (seeing as I live in Chicago and all) with my dog toppings, but I’m always willing to venture out. And I agree- anything with Sriracha mayo is probably going to rock your face. 🙂
Andy and I LOVE bahn mi. I bet we’d love these too! I really want to try your spicy cucumber salad too, do you have a recipe?
I’m still trying to perfect it – my Mom’s friend made some at a party that was cucumbers, hot peppers, rice vinegar, little sugar and tiny bit of fish sauce. They were like spicy pickles!
Looks like a refreshing twist to the summer hot dog! I love it! I’ve never had bahn mi before, but I think I’m going to have to try these hot dogs!
I love hot dogs — and throw a spicy mayo on there and I’m sold!
Don’t you love Eating Well? And have you been to the Bahn Mi restaurant on campus? I have been there several times to get bubble tea, but never eaten there. I will have to try it after seeing your creation!
I love the idea of making a hot dog without just the standard bun. looks yummy!
I am really not a hot dog person but I’ve got to figure out a way to make bahn mi. Theres an awesome food truck in DC that sells the sandwiches at lunch that I am obsessed with (they also have pho… it makes my dreams come true).
I’m making pork and pate bahn mi’s for dinner tonight! If I don’t have the energy to do all that pickling and marinating and waiting, I may just have to make these instead!
Only one more month of acceptable hot dog eating – hilarious! What a great mix of cultures! 🙂
wow-that’s bold. banh mi is sacred in our house. I’ll break the mental barrier, though and try these-look pretty good.