Top 18 Easy Vietnamese Beef Recipes

From savory stir-fried beef dishes to comforting beef soups and stews, here is my collection of the best Vietnamese beef recipes to make at home. Each of them is very simple and easy to cook while providing a lot of flavors.

In Vietnamese cuisine, beef is used in various dishes. Yes, beef pho is not the only we cook beef in Vietnam. The most common methods for cooking beef are stir-frying, grilling, and braising.

My collection includes a variety of beef recipes that utilize these different techniques. Among these recipes, some are in the dinner rotation of many Viet families, while some are street food favorites and restaurant-style dishes. With this post, I also hope to give you a deeper understanding of Vietnamese cuisine.

Rice and Noodles

You can find a number of beef noodle bowls and rice bowls in a variety of settings from street food stalls to high-end restaurants across Vietnam. They are simple, yet flavorful and filling. Therefore, many of them are go-to meals for people of all ages, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Nam Bộ) – A different name of this dish is bún bò xào. This is a street food favorite of Hanoi, featuring stir-fried beef, rice vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs, tossed with a traditional sweet-tangy fish sauce dressing.

Stir-fried Pho Noodles with Beef (Phở Xào Bò) – This Northern Vietnamese dish features stir-fried flat pho noodles with beef, vegetables, and a savory sauce. When I was a kid, it was a treat whenever my parents took me to a street food stall to eat this as a late dinner.

Vietnamese Beef and Pasta Stir-fry (Nui Xào Bò) – I didn’t know about this dish until we moved back to Vietnam and lived in Saigon. It is a flavorful stir-fry with pasta, beef and veggies. You should definitely give it a try to see the combination of Western ingredients and cooking methods with Vietnamese counterparts.

Beef and Egg Noodles Stir-fry (Mì Xào Bò) – This is a noodle stir-fry adapted from Chinese cuisine that has become popular in Vietnam. Years ago, Chinese people migrated to Vietnam and brought with them Chinese culinary traditions. Over time, these Chinese dishes were adapted to the tastes and culture of Vietnamese people. As a result, those dishes have not only become beloved by the Viet but have also become an integral part of Vietnamese cuisine.

Vietnamese Beef Pho Noodle Soup (Phở Bò) – Originating from the North, this noodle soup is the national dish of Vietnam and the most well-known Vietnamese dish abroad. This is one of my most favorite recipes on the blog, one that we spent a lot of time testing and writing. It has also received numerous positive comments from readers, and some even said it turned out better than what they had at local restaurants. I also provide a lot of cooking tips and how to serve and enjoy it like a Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Beef Fried Rice with Pickled Mustard Greens (Cơm Rang Dưa Bò) – This beef dish is a street food favorite of many Hanoi locals, especially students and office workers. It transforms simple and humble ingredients into a flavorful meal.

Stir-fries & Salads

Growing up, we always had beef stir-fries in the family dinners a few times a week. Since they are so quick to make, these dishes are the favorites of many busy parents in Vietnam. Here are my top tips to get the best results when making Vietnamese beef stir-fries:

• Slice the beef thinly against the grain.
• Don’t marinate the beef with fish sauce because it will become tough and sour.
• Use medium-high heat and cook in batch if needed to avoid steaming the meat.
• Don’t overcook the beef.

I often use flank steak for stir-fries, but you can also use other cuts such as sirloin or rib-eye. Now, let’s check out my list of favorite Vietnamese stir-fried beef recipes. Most of these take under 30 minutes to put together.

Vietnamese Beef and Potato Stir-fry (Bò Xào Khoai Tây) – This is one of my most favorite savory dishes to eat with rice growing up. We still make it from time to time even now. It consists of stir-fried beef and potatoes in a flavorful tomato-based sauce, highlighting the simplicity of Vietnamese cooking. Make sure to cook the potatoes until very tender for the best result.

Lemongrass Beef Stir-fry (Bò Xào Sả Ớt) – This dish features tender beef slices with the refreshing aroma of lemongrass and the heat of red chilies. It is often found on restaurant menus, but some families also make it at home. You can adjust the level of heat by using non-spicy or mildly spicy chilies.

Black Pepper Beef (Bò Sốt Tiêu Đen) – You can find this dish on restaurant menus or in special occasions in Vietnam, such as wedding banquets. It consists of tender beef slices and crisp veggies in a bold and peppery sauce. You can serve it with rice, bread, or steamed buns.

Stir-fried Beef with Bamboo Shoots (Bò Xào Măng) – This is a rustic Vietnamese homestyle beef dish. Bamboo shoots are prepared by boiling to remove any bitterness or strong smell, and then stir-fried with the beef.

Stir-fried Beef with Tonkin Flowers (Bò Xào Hoa Thiên Lý) – Here’s another beef stir-fry you can find in restaurants as well as in Viet family kitchens. Tonkin flowers are edible flowers native to Indo-China region.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bò Lúc Lắc) – This is an easy and delicious one-pan meal for everyday dinners as well as special occasions. It features tender and flavorful seared beef cubes plated on a bed of greens and fresh tomatoes. You can also toss the beef with some veggies such as diced bell pepper and onions.

Vietnamese Cured Beef in Lime Juice Salad (Bò Tái Chanh) – This classic Vietnamese rare beef salad is excellent with a cold beverage on a hot summer day. The beef is briefly cooked, then sliced and marinated in lime juice before being tossed with plenty of refreshing herbs and roasted peanuts.

Soups and Stews

Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Stew (Bò Kho) – This is a classic beef stew of Saigon, featuring chunks of well-marbled beef seared and then gently braised with lemongrass. You can serve it with bread (banh mi), rice noodles, or egg noodles.

Beef Soup with Tomato and Vietnamese Coriander (Canh Bò Rau Răm) – This soup is a rustic dish that has been enjoyed in my husband’s family in Hanoi since he was a kid. It is super quick and easy to make, and you can use beef slices or ground beef.

Beef Stew with Green Peppercorns (Bò Hầm Tiêu Xanh) – there are quite many ways to make beef stew in Vietnam, and this is also one of my favorites. In this recipe, beef cubes are braised in a flavorful sauce with mild heat and zestiness from fresh green peppercorns. It is best served with banh mi of other kinds of crusty bread.

Grilled Dishes

Traditionally, Vietnamese people rarely grill beef in large chunks or thick pieces as in Western cuisine. I think the primary reason for this is that the texture of Vietnamese beef is not as tender. Instead, beef is often ground, shaped into balls or patties, and then grilled.

Lemongrass Grilled Beef Banh Mi (Bánh Mì Bò Nướng Sả) – This dish features Vietnamese baguette filled with aromatic grilled beef, pickled vegetables, and a hoisin-based sauce. It is a street food dish of Southern Vietnamese cuisine.

Grilled Beef in Betel Leaves (Bò Cuốn Lá Lốt) – You can find this popular dish at street food stalls as well as in nice restaurants in Saigon. It features ground beef wrapped in wild betel leaves (piper lolot leaves), then grilled until fragrant. The grilled beef rolls are usually served with vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts, and traditional dipping sauce.

⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about these dishes, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.