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This Vietnamese sticky rice recipe is a pretty extra-deluxe example of Xôi Mặn (salty/savory-style xoi). Piled high with crispy, fun toppings, it rocks for meal prep, and it's the kind of rice that travels well so it's perfect to bring to work. Steamed glutinous rice speckled with chewy preserved radish bits topped with scallions, pickles, chilies, and bronzed tofu. By golly, now I legit need this Vietnamese staple in my mouth ASAP.
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I love me some sweet rice and you maybe already saw this from my other glutinous rice recipes like Indonesian nasi kunyit, Filipino champorado, and Japanese onigiri. This Vietnamese cuisine is just joining the party with a big ol' "scooch over I'm sitting here too."
Go grab your sheet of cheesecloth and let's fire up your steamer!
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🥰 Why you'll adore this Vietnamese Sticky Rice recipe
✊ Vegan AF and GF: Just like my other vegan Vietnamese recipes and all the gluten-free vegan recipes I keep dropping like mixtapes, this xoi man keeps animals OUT of your bowl and peace IN your soul.
🫢 Shockingly Easy to Pull Off: The steamer basically gets this whole thing done for you. Low effort, high reward at its finest.
🛒 No Fancy Store Scavenger Hunt: If your grocery store carries tofu, soy sauce, and some form of rice, you're pretty much locked and loaded.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one was dialed in with feedback from hundreds of recipe testers who shared photos and notes with me. I wiped one dramatic tear and hit publish.
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🍚 XÔI MẶN Vietnamese Sticky Rice Ingredients
The Rice
Glutinous rice (AKA sticky rice) is loaded with starch and easily sets you up with classic Vietnamese rice vibes. Just about every food store representing Asian countries I have shopped at has a dozen varieties of it. But if you want to make this without venturing away from a standard grocery store, grab short grain japonica rice, the kind you'd use for maki, onigiri, or whatever vegan sushi bake situation you've been threatening to make.
Honestly, if you are just looking for a fun way to add a ton of flavor to any types of rice, you can still follow this recipe to make it steamed instead of boiled.
Preserved Radish
This shelf-stable salted daikon is probably the one ingredient in this recipe that you might not have ever messed with before. This salty, hyper-umami-packed rice helper brings funky depth and bits of texture that are actually wildly ham-like. If your store clerk gives you the "ma'am I don't get paid enough for this" stare, sub with some rinsed chopped vegan kimchi or pickled daikon.
Little bits of pan fried preserved radish are amazing mixed into or used as a garnish for other rice recipes. If you don't know what to do with what you have left after making this, you might love it in nasi uduk, added to coconut jasmine rice, or even in vegan kimchi fried rice.
Tamari (or Soy Sauce)
Tamari keeps this gluten-free; regular soy sauce works if gluten doesn't make you mad. You can also make this using coconut aminos if you avoid soy.
Vegan Mayo
I make the sauce for this rice with my vegan kewpie recipe. Vegenaise from Follow Your Heart is my go-to when I'm using a store-bought mayo. Swap for tahini or cashew cream if you're mayo-skeptical.
Sriracha
For making the sauce for the rice, I recommend using either my homemade sriracha recipe or my chili garlic sauce for chunkier spice. And yes, Huy Fong, Ninja Squirrel, and Fix are the main brands I trust if you're looking for store-bought options.
Fried Shallots
Fried shallots are such a fun shelf-stable topping to keep in your pantry and I toss them on everything. Sinangag, Thai pumpkin curry soup, veggie curries like Vietnamese ca ri chay, noodle situations like pancit bihon, all of it. You can buy them ready to go or fry your own, or use French fried onions (the same thing you would use to top a vegan green bean casserole).
Vegetarian Meat Floss
Ok, this stuff is the least easy to find ingredient in this recipe and it's completely optional, but fun if you can find it. The brand I have used is called Pro Fibre and it comes in little tins. Most of the writing on the can is not English other than the (admittedly kinda junky) ingredients. Again- 100% optional, 200% fun and yummy.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Variations
Mung Bean Layered
Go full on xoi xeo and slap a big serving of mashed mung beans or mung bean paste situation right on top of your rice. Then drown it in scallion oil, and finely minced preserved radish.
Red Festive Rice
Turn your rice into a Lunar New Year centerpiece with xoi gac fruit (if you can get your hands on it) or use plant-based red food coloring till it looks good enough to be blessed by a whole team of 14 Vietnamese aunties at once while someone toots a horn. Shower it with scallions, tofu, and vegan nuoc mam till it looks like the chaotic-little-stunner they only unveil after the fireworks show.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make Vietnamese Sticky Rice
Hang onto your nón lá, this kitchen's about to sound like a Hanoi street corner at lunch hour. If you want the fast-pass version, scroll down, but if you're here for the full spectacle, pull up a chair while I tell you the origin story of the best vegan Vietnamese sticky rice ever.
Step One
The Dark Knight Rices:
Rinse the glutinous rice grains several times in cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain it completely in a wire mesh strainer.
Step Two
Condoleezza Rice:
Place the rice in a large bowl, cover it with fresh water, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Rub the grains under the water to release extra starch, then drain and rinse again.
Step Three
Steam Me Up, Scotty:
Transfer the rice to a heatproof dish or a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth or a thin layer of muslin. Steam over medium heat for 45-50 minutes, then fluff gently and set aside.
✅ It's important to pack the rice into as thin and wide a package as your electric or bamboo steamer can fit. The thicker the rice package, the longer it will take for the rice in the center to get fully penetrated by steam and heat. Thicker rice packages will 100% result in unevenly cooked rice.
Step Four
Revenge is a Radish Best Served Cold:
While the rice steams, warm the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. After about 90 seconds, add the preserved radish and scallions, then cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the radish bits are slightly crisp. Remove from the heat.
Step Five
This is a Xôi Mặn's World:
Place the cooked rice in a mixing bowl and combine it with the sautéed radish and scallions. Stir in the tamari (or regular ol' soy sauce).
Step Six
Pickle Me Elmo:
For the optional quick pickles, mix vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots and julienne cut radish.
✅ To have these ready without giving your rice time to cool, you can make these pickles while the rice is steaming.
Step Seven
Your Fave Band- Pickleback:
Once it reaches a boil again, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let the vegetables steam and cool for at least 10 minutes.
Step Eight
Tofu Wong Fu:
Whisk together vegan mayo, sriracha, and lime juice until smooth. Arrange the warm, savory sticky rice on serving plates and top with tofu strips, pickled vegetables, red radish slices, fried shallots, vegetarian meat floss (if you can find it), a drizzle of sauce, scallions, chili slices, and cilantro.
💡Serving Ideas
If you're ready to turn your vegan xoi man moment into a full Vietnamese big celebration feast without summoning the spirit of 47 pots you gotta wash later, bring in some stir fried water spinach. Slide a few banh trang cuon on the table too.
Fresh herbs and chewy rice paper are a big part of what makes Vietnamese cooking so rad, and that's exactly why you might also want to make some banh trang tron for such full meals.
Obviously, Vietnamese staples like a vegan banh mi, mi quang noodles, or simple Vietnamese stir fry noodles should be in the discussion.
👉Top tips
- Don't Rush the Soak Time: Let the sticky glutinous rice sit for at least 30 minutes, longer if your patience meter isn't in the red. This hydrates everything evenly so you get the perfect chewiness.
- Packing Tip: Throw down cheesecloth or thin muslin so the rice doesn't glue itself to the steamer. Additionally, the parcel should be pressed thin before going in the steamer so that the rice isn't so thick that it's hard for steam and heat to penetrate.
- Stop Peeking at the Steam: Once the rice is steaming, keep that lid closed. Lifting the lid too often will summon Uncle Roger screaming "Haiyaaa" on that unevenly cooked rice.
- Hit It Hot at the End: Fry the scallions and preserved radish with oil that's screaming-hot so they sizzle and pucker up instantly. This way you get a lovely texture on the radish bits without cooking them so long that they loose some of their intent internal flavor.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you sure can. Rice cooker take forever, but they give you pretty perfect rice effortlessly. Follow your rice cooker's water ratio instructions for sushi rice and you will be good for this kind of rice too.
Absolutely. For example, swap in lightly sautéed mushrooms when you're short on preserved radish, or if you don't mess with soy, use liquid aminos in place of tamari, and some pan-fried young green jackfruit in place of the tofu.
🌡️ Refrigeration:
Cool the cooked sticky rice and toppings to room temperature, then transfer into an airtight container with a secure lid. Store in an air-tight container and put in the fridge for up to 4 days, checking it hasn't picked up any off smells or weird textures.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Place the thawed or chilled portion in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with about one tablespoon per cup of rice. Stir gently every minute or so until the rice and traditional toppings are hot throughout (165 °F or thereabouts).
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Transfer the portion to a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle a tablespoon of water over the rice, cover loosely with a microwave-safe lid or wet paper towel, and heat on high in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts, until everything is steaming hot with no cold spots.
Freezing and thawing and reheating this rice will end up in a crunchy-mushy nightmare mess and it's not even a little bit cute. Please don't freeze rice unless you are in an apocalyptic zombie survival situation, and even then, you might just want to consider succumbing to the zombies instead of eating sucky frozen rice mush.
✌️You'll love these vegan Vietnamese recipes too:
Learn to make your fave Vietnamese street food bangers in this super-fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vietnamese Sticky Rice Recipe
Ingredients
For the Rice:
- 1 cup glutinous rice
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ cup preserved radish
- ½ cup scallions chopped
- 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce of your choice
For the Optional Quick Radish & Carrot Pickles:
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup carrots julienne cut
- ¼ cup daikon radish julienne cut
For Optional Tofu and Toppings:
- 3 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ¼ cup fried shallots
- 3 tablespoons vegetarian meat floss optional
- 7 oz. Extra firm tofu cut in strips and pan fried
- 1 red radish thinly sliced
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 2 bird's eye chilies thinly slice (optional)
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Rinse the glutinous rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain excess water well.
- Place the rice in a bowl, cover with fresh water, and let soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze and rub the rice under the water to release more of the starch before drain and rinsing again.
- Transfer to a heatproof dish or steamer basket lined with cheesecloth or a thin layer of muslin. Steam over medium heat for 45-50 minutes, then gently fluff and set aside.
- While the rice steams, warm the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, add the preserved radish and scallions and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly crisp. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the cooked rice to a mixing bowl and add the sautéed radish and scallions along with the tamari (or soy sauce). Keep warm until ready to serve.
- For the optional quick radish and carrot pickles, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots and radish.
- When the pot has come to a boil again, cover the pot and remove it from the heat, letting the carrots and radish steam and cool for at least 10 minutes.
- For the optional tofu and toppings, whisk together the vegan mayo, sriracha, and lime juice in a small bowl to form a smooth sauce. Arrange the warm sticky rice on serving plates and top with pan-fried tofu strips, pickled carrots and radish, fried shallots, optional veg meat floss, red radish slices, a drizzle of the sriracha mayo, sliced scallion, and bird's eye chili if using and garnish with cilantro leaves.
Notes
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Marj says
10/10 Would make again immediately.