This Vietnamese Style Rice Salad is refreshingly delicious and can easily be made ahead of time. Fresh herbs and bright flavors make this rice salad ideal for summer parties or weekday prep-ahead lunches.
Vietnamese Rice Salad
This past week was a whirlwind of traveling, work, run-training, and meeting up with dear girlfriends I haven’t seen in too long.
Whenever my long time friends and I finally get a chance to chat over coffee, I inevitably get all nostalgic about those hard years when my Littles were truly little. It’s a total cliché, but time flies in the blink of an eye and the years that once felt so mama-exhausting long are now astonishingly short.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that my 14-year-old was 14 months old and sobbing at his first tiny tot swim class, clinging to my neck? How is it even possible that he’s now a swim instructor himself?
Yes, fam life is easier now in many ways but it’s definitely not a hands-free thrill ride, this raising teens thing. I may be free from sippy cups and Sesame Street ringing in my ears, but now those taller-than-me children have got opinions all day long. I’m still exhausted, y’all.
Admittedly, I’m also a decade older and I [mostly] gave up caffeine. But that’s another story.
Despite their sometimes cheeky tendencies, I’m super grateful the kids still relish family meal time. They also still prefer homemade food (when they’re not bugging me for Taco Bell’s dozen taco deal, which I occasionally oblige. I know. Try not to judge.
All four hungry boys, counting Hubby, still adore Asian flavors and I’m not complaining one iota. Needless to say, this refreshingly flavorful Vietnamese Rice Salad is a hit at home and well beyond…
How to Make Vietnamese Style Rice Salad
The spotlight of this Vietnamese Style Rice Salad shines brightly on fresh herbs. Garden fresh is best, so you’re in luck if you’ve got basil, mint, or cilantro flourishing in your yard or windowsill. Local farmer’s markets also are lavishly overflowing with huge bunches of fresh herbs this time of year. The fresher and more in-season your herbs are, the more amazing your rice salad recipe will taste.
Stir the freshly chopped herbs with simple seasonings such as lime juice, kosher salt, and fish sauce. About the fish sauce. If you’re not familiar with its use, it may sound slightly daunting, but don’t be daunted.
Fish sauce is commonly used in Vietnamese and many other Asian dishes – so you’ve probably already enjoyed it without realizing. We use 1 or 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, which is all you’ll need, but definitely don’t skip it. It provides tons of flavor in a yummy way. Without the fish sauce, the dish will lack depth and flavor.
For the rice, we opt for fluffy jasmine rice. It’s subtly aromatic and fragrant, while maintaining the perfect long grain texture for this rice salad. You’ll need to cook and cool the rice to room temp prior to using it in the salad.
The combo of flavors in this finished Asian rice salad meld beautifully together. In fact, the whole thing tastes even better after sitting for a few hours. If you can, I highly recommend letting your rice salad rest at least a couple of hours prior to serving.
Why We Love Vietnamese Rice Salad
- You can make it hours ahead of time, so it’s chilled and ready to serve when you need it
- This Vietnamese Rice Salad keeps well, which makes it great for lunch
- It helps you eat all the green, healthy fresh herbs in one yummy bowl
- It’s gluten free and dairy free, making it awesome for almost everyone
- It tastes super refreshing, light, and lively all summer
This one’s also amazing all season long:

Vietnamese Style Rice Salad (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
This Vietnamese Style Rice Salad is refreshingly delicious and can easily be made ahead of time. Fresh herbs and bright flavors make this rice salad ideal for summer parties or weekday prep-ahead lunches.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked Jasmine rice, cooled to room temp
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly rough-chopped basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly rough-chopped mint leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly rough-chopped cilantro leaves
- 3 TB red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1–2 tsp Asian fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup honey roasted almonds, chopped or sliced
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, add 1 TB olive oil to cooked Jasmine rice and fluff well.
- In a separate bowl, combine basil, mint, cilantro, onion, lime juice, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine well. Use rubber spatula to scrape mixture into the bowl of Jasmine rice. Gently fold together until rice is evenly coated with herb mixture.
- If possible, allow covered rice salad to rest at moderate room temp for an hour or two before serving, to give flavors time to meld. Serve with a sprinkling of the honey roasted almonds on top.
Notes
Initially, rice salad may taste a bit salty or sour from lime juice, but given an hour or two of rest time, the flavors become milder and soften nicely.
Store leftovers covered and chilled. Can be eaten chilled or at room temp.
If you need dish to be gluten-free, be sure to buy gluten-free fish sauce.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
- Category: salad, side
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian American
Keywords: Vietnamese Rice Salad, Vietnamese Side Dish, Asian Rice Salad
Amazing Asian Flavors:
Asian Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Crunchy Asian Cabbage Ramen Salad
This looks ABSOLUTELY delicious and all I have to do is switch the fish sauce.
❥ tanvii.com
OMGGG this is getting bookmarked immediately! Exactly my type of recipe! Thank youuu
I like how basil leaves and mint leaves are added as both of these herbs are my favorite. I can’t wait to try this out.
Yummy! This looks perfect. I am hungry just reading your post! Definitely going to make this recipe!
Looks amazing. Cant wait to try this!
I have never tried to make this kind of flavor of rice but it looks so delicious and it looks so simple to make. I will definitely try to make this on this coming weekend.
This is soo my type of food. I have bookmarked it and it is sooooooooo delicious, Loved it…
I haven’t tried a rice salad before! This dish looks very appetizing! 🙂
Wonderful mix of flavors that you won’t be able to resist especially this summer! I’d love to try this recipe especially since Asian food is something that I enjoy!
This rice looks so tasty. I can’t wait to try this out. I’m having a party at my home over the weekend and i think this Vietnamese rice would be a hit.
Oh my this dish looks super delicious. What a great meal idea for a summers day. I love that it is gluten and dairy free too!
Oh wow this looks delicious. I must try!
Jasmine is what I would have picked for this dish too. It looks delicious and perfect for summer.
Yum yum yum num YUM! This looks so yummy and delicious. I love salad and that rice salad looks divine. I’m craving this now.
Ooh i am always searching for gluten-free salad recipes to whip up for a quick dinner after work. Will definitely try making this today!
That looks really good! I need to try this!
Nailil
http://thirtyminusone.com/
I know exactly what you mean! my older son will start primary school in August and it seems only yesterday I was breastfeeding him!
The salad looks fabulous btw!
This salad looks great and I definitely have to try it, my little are still little and I cherish every moment of them being young. I know soon they’re going to be too old for mama kisses.
I had stayed in Vietnam for almost 3 months and I can say all the food they prepare there are mostly vegan and very healthy and unique taste. I miss it always to be honest. Never tried VIETNAMESE STYLE RICE SALAD yet but thanks for your recipe. Should make one at home.