Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowls with Shrimp

Vermicelli noodle bowls are quintessential to Vietnamese cuisine. They can be prepared many ways, including with chicken, pork, beef, tofu or shrimp. This at-home recipe tutorial teaches you how to make Vietnamese-style vermicelli noodle bowls with shrimp and fresh vegetables in 45 minutes. Finish the dish with a side of my nuoc cham sauce!

Even though the Bay Area only gets summer weather 1 week out of the year, I still like eating cold foods during the spring and summer seasons. Mostly out of habit. Growing up, I loved vermicelli bowls pretty much all year round but especially during the summer! I’ve had almost every variation of Vietnamese noodle bowls, but I would say many of my favorites include seafood like ca hoi nuong, salmon vermicelli bowls, or this shrimp vermicelli bowl. To me, seafood dishes tend to feel a lot lighter than meat dishes. That’s why I’ve devote so much time to writing tons of traditional Vietnamese and Chinese seafood recipes!

Some details about key ingredients

• Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to this recipe. You can use either light or dark brown sugar. Note that using dark brown sugar will make the dish sweeter.
• Lemongrass – Adds a slightly sour taste to this recipe. If you can’t find lemongrass, I would substitute it with 1 tbsp of lime juice or you can leave it out entirely.
• Vermicelli noodles – Vermicelli noodles are one of the core ingredients to this dish. If you can’t find vermicelli, any kind of thin, rice noodle should work. It however won’t have the same taste and texture of vermicelli noodles. Use my cooking guide for how to cook vermicelli to achieve the best preparation for this ingredient.
• Carrot, mint, lettuce, and cucumber – You can add pretty much add any kind of topping you want. These are the traditional ones I used. I would recommend having lettuce at least and adding whatever else you want.
• Vietnamese dipping sauce – Get the recipe for my Vietnamese dipping sauce here.

Tips on how to make the perfect shrimp vermicelli bowl

1. Prep your toppings ahead of time – I like to prep my vermicelli, vegetables, and Vietnamese dipping sauce ahead of time because I want them to be ready once my shrimp is done. The shrimp takes less than 10 minutes to cook.
2. Smack the lemongrass with the back of a knife to release the flavor – This is the best way to release the oils of the lemongrass. Do this before you mince the lemongrass. Be careful not to cut yourself!
3. Customize your toppings – You can use almost any vegetable for these vermicelli bowls. Use any kind of lettuce you want. Leave out the mint if you don’t like it; I used to hate mint so I didn’t eat it until recently. Don’t use carrots if you don’t like them.

How do you eat vermicelli noodle bowls with lemongrass shrimp?

Vietnamese noodle salad bowls should be eaten like a salad. I like to drizzle nuoc cham over the top, mix everything together, and eat! You can also drizzle nuoc cham over the noodle bowl as you eat. Drizzle some over the top, eat a couple bites, and then repeat this process as you enjoy the dish!

How do you store this shrimp vermicelli bowl?

I recommend storing each component separately. That means store the shrimp, vegetables, noodles, and sauce all in separate storage containers. When you are ready to serve, put your noodle bowls together, and then serve. Storing each component separately allows them to stay fresh for longer.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!