“What can I eat in Vietnam if I am allergic to peanuts please?” is a question that received some days ago from Francesca. Thanks for asking!
As you might know, Vietnam is a real paradise for people who love food. Today I would like to share with you the 10 best Vietnamese dishes that don’t contain any peanuts at all.
If you’re allergic to peanuts and you wonder what you can safely eat in Vietnam, this article is for you 🙂
#1 Banh Mi
Banh Mi is one of the best street food in Vietnam. It’s very yummy, fresh, and cheap. And we don’t put anything related to peanuts into Banh Mi.
Banh Mi is basically a loaf of bread with many different toppings inside. These toppings will decide the name of the dish.
For instance, if we put some fried eggs inside the bread, it will be called “Banh Mi Opla” (“opla” is a Vietnamese word that comes from French “Oeuf au plat”, which can be literally translated to “flat egg”). If you choose roast pork, we call it “Banh Mi Heo Quay”.
In Vietnam, we rarely eat Banh Mi with cheese. Instead, we enjoy it with meat, herbs, eggs, pork or beef sausage, fish sausage, roast pork, cucumber, chilli, pickles, and different sauces.
Normally there’s always more than one option of toppings for you to pick. If you are not sure which one you should go with, let’s take a mix of everything. It was how I did and it worked 🙂
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to buy: on the street everywhere in Vietnam, normally take away
- Price: around VND 15 000 – 20 000 (€ 70 Cents)
- Name: You should not call it sandwich but “Banh Mi” when ordering. Unlike in France, where a sandwich is totally different than a Banh Mi in Vietnam.
#2 Pho
Pho is already famous all over the world, so there’s a high probability that you already tried it in your country.
But if you are travelling to the home country of this tasty noodle soup, you have to try it to see how different it is between Pho in Vietnam and Pho in your country.
And Pho is not made from peanuts, not at all. Wondering what to eat in Vietnam with a peanut allergy? Go with Pho 🙂
There is also a wide range of Pho in Vietnam, but the most popular ones are Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef) and Pho Ga (noodle soup with chicken)
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, normally you should eat on the spot to ensure Pho is still hot and tasty
- Price: around VND 30 000 – 50 000 (€ 1 – 2)
#3 Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Rice Vermicelli (Bún Chả Hanoi)
If you’ve ever travelled to Hanoi, apart from Pho, you need to try Bun Cha Hanoi. Especially when you are a big fan of fresh noodle salad and barbecue taste, this meal is a must-have.
Your senses will be melted with the richness of the grilled meat, the deliciousness of the dipping sauce, and the delicate blend of rice vermicelli and fresh vegetables.
And the most important is: there is no presence of peanuts in Bun Cha Hanoi. So your concern about eating in Vietnam with a peanut allergy is solved with this recommendation.
Even Barack Obama did stop by a small corner to give this dish a try during his visit to Vietnam in 2016 🙂
The interesting fact is that the owner of the restaurant put some glass around the table like in a museum. This shows how happy and honored we were to welcome this former president to our country.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants. You can eat on the spot or take away
- This dish is one of the signature dishes in Hanoi. You can also find it in Central and South of Vietnam, but in my opinion, Bun Cha in Hanoi is the best
- Price: around VND 40 000 – 60 000 (€ 1.5 – 2.5)
#4 Noodle with Fried Tofu and Shrimp Paste (Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm)
This is another specialty in Hanoi. It has a very authentic taste thanks to shrimp paste.
I don’t know if you can eat this special paste as it has a very strong smell, even stronger than fish sauce (nước mắm) ! Some of my international friends could not eat it, but there are many foreign tourists who are passionate about eating this dipping sauce.
You should try it at least once, then tell me if you like it. In my opinion, it deserves a chef’s kiss. It’s very, very tasty!
Bun Dau Mam Tom includes fried tofu, boiled belly pork, fried green sticky rice, fresh vermicelli, shrimp paste, perilla, herbs, cucumber. No peanuts here in Bun Dau Mam Tom. Eating in Vietnam with a peanut allergy no longer bothers you anymore.
And obviously, we dip these foods with shrimp paste. Writing here has made my mouth watering 🙂
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants. You can eat on the spot or take away
- If you cannot eat shrimp paste, you can replace it with other dipping sauces. But I encourage you to try shrimp paste first 🙂
- Price: around VND 40 000 – 100 000 (€ 1.5 – 4)
#5 Hue Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Huế)
Before introducing it to you, I would like to say that Bun Bo Hue is my most favorite food. When I was living in Saigon, Vietnam, I ate it almost every day 🙂
Bun Bo Hue is a beef soup noodle that originated from Hue (this is a city in Central Vietnam and used to be the capital of the country). We don’t add peanuts into the recipe. So don’t hesitate to try it if you are allergic to peanuts.
This dish is made from noodles, well-cooked beef, pork shank, and Vietnamese pork or shrimp sausage. We eat it with water spinach, banana flowers, bean sprouts, green onions, onions, basil, lemon, chili, and some other sauces.
The soup is rich. The meat still retains its natural sweetness, it is soft, and melts in the mouth. The vegetables bring a freshness, making the dish balanced and rich in flavor.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, normally you should eat on the spot to ensure Bun Bo Hue is still hot and full of taste
- This dish is more popular in Central and South of Vietnam than North region
- Price: around VND 30 000 – 50 000 (€ 1 – 2)
#6 Crispy Vietnamese Crêpes (Bánh Xèo)
Banh Xeo is not as popular as Banh Mi or Pho abroad, but it is one of the most famous food in Vietnam.
The recipe of this plate is similar to the salty Crêpes in France. There is a thin layer of dough that is cooked on a hot pan. Then different toppings including meat, shrimp, mushrooms, bean sprouts are added later. Usually, we fold Banh Xeo in half so that they can hold the food inside.
The ingredients of Banh Xeo consist of rice flour, turmeric powder, coconut milk, belly pork, fresh shrimp, green onion, bean sprouts, red onion, garlic, chili, herbs, and raw vegetables.
If you are having trouble eating in Vietnam with a peanut allergy, this food is for you as we don’t put anything related to peanuts in Banh Xeo.
In fact, many people love this food because of the fatty taste of rice flour combined with the juiciness of shrimp and meat. In addition, the sweet and sour taste of the sauce and vegetables makes you eat it nonstop 🙂
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, you can eat on the spot or take away
- This dish is popular nationwide. Each region has its own way to cook. The main recipe is similar but depending on each region, we modify it to adapt with local flavor.
- In my opinion, I love Banh Xeo from Central Vietnam
- Price: around VND 30 000 – 50 000 (€ 1 – 2)
#7 Hot Pot (Lẩu)
Hot Pot is an ideal meal to eat in Vietnam for those who are in trouble with a peanut allergy. Because there are no peanuts in the recipe. It is not only delicious but also very easy to eat.
This dish is basically a noodle soup, but you can decide what topping you would like to add to. It is usually eaten as a group. We can enjoy it individually but it’s not as interesting as sharing it with other guests.
Usually, there will be a pot of hot soup in the middle. And it is surrounded by meat, seafood, fish balls, mushrooms, fresh noodles or instant noodles, and many different vegetables. You just need to choose the type of food you like, dip it in the hot pot, and eat.
I find the way we enjoy Hot Pot quite similar to the traditional French dish, raclette, as we share food together on the table. However, instead of melting cheese and enjoying it with potato, with Hot Pot we boil the soup and eat it with other ingredients.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, you can eat on the spot or take away
- This dish is popular nationwide. Each region has its own way to cook.
- Price: average per person VND 50 000 – 100 000 (€ 2 – 4)
#8 Broken rice (Cơm Tấm)
This is considered one of the signature food in Ho Chi Minh city. If you travel or live in the city without trying Cơm Tấm, it’s the same as if you go to Bordeaux, France without trying its wine.
As its name in English “broken rice”, Cơm Tấm is a dish with broken rice, barbecued pork chop (sườn nướng), shredded pork skin (bì), steamed egg cake (chả trứng), opla egg (“trứng ốp la”).
In addition, this dish will not be complete without some pickle, cucumber, tomato, scallion oil, and dipping sauce. This dish is a great choice for eating in Vietnam with a peanut allergy.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, you can eat on the spot or take away
- This dish is more popular in South Vietnam, especially in Saigon
- Price: around VND 20 000 – VND 50 000 (€ 75 cents – € 2)
#9 Vietnamese Braised Fish (Cá Kho Tộ)
Braised fish is a common dish in the daily meal of Vietnamese people. Fish is cooked slowly with belly pork, coconut water, and some specific species. Therefore, it has a very rich flavor.
This plate is usually served with rice and some vegetables. Peanuts have no role in this meal. So, if you are allergic to peanuts, feel free to enjoy this tasty food.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: in restaurants or cook at home, we usually eat on the spot
- This dish is more popular in South Vietnam, and always be served with rice
- Price: around VND 30 000 – VND 50 000 (€ 1 – 2)
#10 Seafood
With a 3 260km coastline long, Vietnam not only has plenty of beautiful beaches but is also a paradise for seafood. It’s fresh, it’s cheap, and it’s so delicious.
I am hesitant to share this food with you because we sometimes add peanuts to certain recipes. However, I decided to share as the majority are without peanuts. From my observation, grilled seafood with scallion oil is usually going with peanuts. So you MUST pay attention to this recipe.
The rest is peanuts-free. You can eat it raw, boiled, steamed, fried, etc. If you are a big fan of oysters, fresh fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, crab, and different types of snails, Vietnam is an ideal place.
NOTES FOR YOU:
- Where to eat: food kiosks on the street or in restaurants, you can eat on the spot or take away
- This dish is popular nationwide
- Price: depending on the quantity and the type of seafood you eat. The average price could be around VND 100 000 – VND 400 000 (€ 4 – 15)
Final tips for eating in Vietnam with a peanut allergy
- I have tried all these 10 yummy dishes above. They are very tasty, and I have never seen any peanuts on these plates (except some seafood dishes). That’s why I would like to recommend them to you.
- However, there could be some adjustments in recipes that we never know. My advice is whenever you order something, just show them the picture of peanuts and note that you are allergic to it.
- If you don’t speak Vietnamese, don’t hesitate to ask for help from Google translate 🙂
- By the way, peanuts in Vietnamese are “đậu phộng” for the South and Central region or “lạc” for the North region.
- You might use this simple sentence “tôi bị dị ứng nặng với đậu phộng/lạc, vui lòng đừng cho nó vào món này” (I have a severe allergy to peanuts, please don’t add peanuts to this dish)
Over to you
I understand how annoying it is when we have food allergies, especially during traveling. It’s serious as it can be dangerous to our health.
That’s why when I received this question, I told myself that I need to write a full article to give you some useful tips to eat safely and fully enjoy your future trip in Vietnam.
I hope it helps 🙂
If you have any questions about Vietnam, don’t hesitate to ask me. I will publish new articles/videos every Tuesday. Stay tuned!
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