Asian Recipes/ Breakfast/ Dinner/ Lunch/ Pasta & Noodles/ Recipes/ Salad/ Vietnamese

Vietnamese Noodle Salad – Bun Cha Gio

28/06/2022

This Vietnamese noodle salad is truly the star of the show! Also known as bun cha gio, it’s topped with crispy fried spring rolls on a bed of vermicelli and drizzled with a delicious nuoc mam sauce.

Pouring nuoc mam sauce over the bun cha gio noodle salad.

Why We Love This

Bun cha gio is an easy Vietnamese noodle salad you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Filled with fresh herbs, this refreshing cold noodle salad is perfect for hot summer days

We love the contrast of crispy spring rolls with vermicelli rice noodles, veggies and classic Vietnamese sweet and sour sauce. It’s filling and satisfying without being heavy!

Related: Chicken Noodle Salad (Bun Ga Nuong) / Rice Paper Rolls

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Bowl of spring roll noodle salad with chopsticks and a bowl of nuoc mam in the background.

What is Bun Cha Gio? 

Bún chả giò (pronounced “boon sha joh / boon cha yaw”) is a Vietnamese cold noodle salad topped with crispy spring rolls. Bún means rice, while chả giò means spring rolls / egg rolls. 

The salad itself is made with rice noodles and salad veggies such as shredded lettuce, cucumber and bean shoots, with fresh herbs (think mint, coriander or Thai basil), crunchy pickles and crushed peanuts. 

Along with the crispy fried spring rolls, this salad is usually served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce called nuoc mam

What You’ll Need

  • Spring Rolls – This salad pairs perfectly with Vietnamese fried spring rolls or Thai spring rolls. You can use your own freshly cooked homemade spring rolls, or store-bought frozen spring rolls cooked until golden and crispy.
  • Vermicelli Noodles – Can also be labelled as rice stick noodles. These are available in two versions: rice vermicelli noodles and mung bean thread noodles. They’re almost identical once cooked, so you can use either. Sub with any kind of thin rice noodles in the first instance, or use Singapore noodles, ramen noodles or thin Hokkien noodles if you need (or prefer).
  • Salad Ingredients – Gather up your favourite combination of salad veggies such as shredded lettuce leaves, bean sprouts, cucumber, shallot. This salad is also usually served with pickled carrot and daikon, crushed peanuts and fresh herbs like mint and coriander / cilantro. 
  • Optional Toppings – Try it with a quick spring onion oil (aka scallion oil – method below), along with finely sliced red chilli and Vietnamese dipping sauce or tangy tamarind dipping sauce.
Ingredients laid out for bun cha gio noodle salad with spring rolls.

How to make Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Spring Rolls:

  1. Have your fried spring rolls cooked and ready to go (either store-bought or from scratch Vietnamese or Thai style). Cook vermicelli noodles according to packet directions and drain. Add the waterfish saucerice vinegarlime juicesugargarlic and (optional) fresh chilli in a small dish, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  2. Grab a large, wide bowl to arrange your salad, it’s going to be big! Layer with lettuce, if using, then the vermicelli noodles.
  1. Top next with your favourite toppings, including mintcorianderbean sproutscucumberpickled carrot and daikon, spring onionchilli and finally, crispy fried spring rolls.
  2. Serve with the sauce on the side, and once you’re ready to eat, pour it over the bowl and dig in!

Wandercook’s Tips

  • Spring Rolls – Chop them into pieces or serve them whole – it’s up to you!
  • Noodles – Drain in fresh water after soaking to remove excess starch. This will stop them overcooking and becoming gluggy.
  • Salad Ingredients – Use all of them, pick and choose the ones you like best, or sub with anything else you want to use up. For example, if we don’t have lettuce on hand, we’ll use other leafy greens like spinach or beetroot leaves.
  • Layering – Vietnamese restaurants will often layer this noodle salad with the veggies on the bottom, then the vermicelli noodles, followed by the spring rolls on top. 
  • Sauce – This is usually served on the side so the spring rolls stay extra hot and crispy until you’re ready to eat. You can use it as a dipping sauce or just pour the whole lot over the salad and mix it through!

FAQs

What should I serve with bun cha gio?

This dish is pretty filling on it’s own, so we prefer to serve it with a refreshing drink like Vietnamese iced coffee, colourful three bean drink or a creamy avocado smoothie.

Can I make it in advance?

This cold noodle salad is best enjoyed immediately while the spring rolls are crispy, the noodles are soft and the veggies are fresh. If you do want to prepare the ingredients in advance, either the night before or in the morning, store the spring rolls and sauce separately to keep everything fresh and crispy. Store in airtight containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble and eat.

Variations

A colourful noodle salad bowl topped with spring rolls and crushed peanuts.

More incredible salads to try next:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!

A big bowl of fresh Vietnamese noodle salad with spring rolls.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad – Bun Cha Gio

This Vietnamese noodle salad is truly the star of the show! Also known as bun cha gio, it's topped with crispy fried spring rolls on a bed of vermicelli and drizzled with a delicious nuoc mam sauce.
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 1 large bowl
Calories: 618kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $8

Ingredients

For the nuoc mam cham (pour over sauce)

For the toppings, make your own combo

Instructions

  • Have your fried spring rolls cooked and ready to go (either store-bought or from scratch Vietnamese or Thai style). Cook vermicelli noodles according to packet directions and drain.
    100 g vermicelli noodles, 3-4 fried spring rolls

For the Nuoc Mam Cham (pour over sauce)

  • Add the water, fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic and (optional) fresh chilli in a small dish, and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
    4 tbsp water, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 2 tsp lime juice, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp garlic, 1 fresh chilli birds eye

Assemble the bowl

  • Grab a large, wide bowl to arrange your salad, it's going to be big! Layer with lettuce, if using, then the vermicelli noodles. Top next with your favourite toppings, including mint, coriander, bean sprouts, cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon, spring onion, chilli and finally, crispy fried spring rolls.
    3-4 fried spring rolls, 2 tbsp crushed peanuts, 1 handful fresh mint leaves, 1 handful fresh cilantro / coriander, 1 handful lettuce, ¼ cup bean sprouts, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup pickled carrot and daikon, 1 small red chilli, 1 spring onion / green onion
  • Serve with the sauce on the side, and once you're ready to eat, pour it over the bowl and dig in!

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

  • Spring Rolls – Chop them into pieces or serve them whole – it’s up to you!
  • Noodles – Drain in fresh water after soaking to remove excess starch. This will stop them overcooking and becoming gluggy.
  • Salad Ingredients – Use all of them, pick and choose the ones you like best, or sub with anything else you want to use up. For example, if we don’t have lettuce on hand, we’ll use other leafy greens like spinach or beetroot leaves.
  • Layering – Vietnamese restaurants will often layer this noodle salad with the veggies on the bottom, then the vermicelli noodles, followed by the spring rolls on top. 
  • Sauce – This is usually served on the side so the spring rolls stay extra hot and crispy until you’re ready to eat. You can use it as a dipping sauce or just pour the whole lot over the salad and mix it through!
  • Protein – Serve the salad with shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken, lemongrass chicken or boneless pork chops (bun thit nuong cha gio). For something a little different, top it with fried tofu, meatballs or Vietnamese fried wontons if you prefer. 
  • Sauce / Dressing – Experiment with non-traditional sauces / salad dressings to mix things up and find your favourite flavour combinations. We recommend:
  • Make it Vegetarian – Use vegetarian spring rolls (chả giò chay), and vegan nuoc cham (or if making your own nuoc cham, use vegan fish sauce or leave it out completely).

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Vietnamese Noodle Salad – Bun Cha Gio
Amount per Serving
Calories
618
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
11
g
17
%
Saturated Fat
 
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Sodium
 
3046
mg
132
%
Potassium
 
956
mg
27
%
Carbohydrates
 
116
g
39
%
Fiber
 
8
g
33
%
Sugar
 
19
g
21
%
Protein
 
15
g
30
%
Vitamin A
 
1342
IU
27
%
Vitamin C
 
156
mg
189
%
Calcium
 
129
mg
13
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks

Vietnamese Noodle Salad - Bun Cha Gio
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6 Comments

  • Reply
    daniel
    05/02/2024 at 11:06 pm

    5 stars
    i had to use this in my summative assessment for design and i had to analyse this recipe so it better be good yk or else im coming for you but yes very yumy yum delicious vietnamese food

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      06/02/2024 at 11:06 am

      Haha, well, we certainly hope it lives up to your expectations. 😬😬😬

  • Reply
    JP
    20/12/2022 at 6:30 pm

    Hi! Just chiming in to correct the pronunciation. It’s closer to “boon cha yaw”.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      11/01/2023 at 10:00 am

      No worries JP, we’ve added both, as depending on the dialect/area it can vary slightly. 🙂

  • Reply
    June
    22/08/2022 at 11:57 am

    This looks absolutely delicious~
    Will give it a try sometime.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      22/08/2022 at 2:13 pm

      Cheers June! You’ll have to let us know what you think.

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