Vegan Goi Xoai / Vietnamese Green Mango Salad

Y’all have been showing so much love for my Vietnamese vegan and vegetarian recipes, so I can’t help but to keep it going. That support is exactly what pushed me to create something I have wanted in my kitchen for years. With the launch of my brand new Dear Mam vegetarian fish sauce, I can finally bring a whole world of Vietnamese cooking to life without sacrificing any umami or flavor. So today we’re going to make one of my absolute favorites. Goi xoai, the Vietnamese green mango salad that I could eat every single day. It’s fresh and bright, a little sweet and tangy, and if you’re a big textural eater like me, this is going to be one of those perfect appetizers for you too. Crisp mango, snappy pickled carrot and daikon, fresh herbs, and a crunch of peanuts and fried shallots on top. The vegetarian nuoc cham dipping sauce is what pulls the whole thing together and brings it to life, and it’s just so good.

What Is Goi Xoai?

Gỏi Xoài is a classic Vietnamese salad or slaw that features unripe mangoes. The mango is firm and sour rather than soft and sweet, which gives the dish its signature crunch and bright tang. Cooks across Vietnam layer in fresh herbs, onions, sometimes pickled vegetables, and a fish sauce dressing that balances sweet, sour, salty, and spicy all at once.

The traditional version uses fish sauce and is often accompanied by shrimp, which puts it out of reach for everyone who’s in the vegan or vegetarian community. My version keeps every bit of that craveable flavor and stays fully plant-based, thanks to Dear Mam vegetarian fish sauce doing the heavy lifting in the dressing.

Ingredient Notes

Unripe green mango. This is the star, so choose your mango well. You want a hard, firm mango with green skin. Give it a squeeze at the store and pick the one that barely gives. A ripe mango turns the whole salad soft and sweet, which misses the point. If your mango softens before you cook, keep it chilled and use it soon.

Carrot and daikon. The same ones that you’d find in a banh mi or paired with banh xeo. These get a fast pickle so they turn tangy and stay crisp. That quick pickle adds to the crunch, tang, and brightness of the dish.

Dear Mam vegetarian fish sauce. The heart of the dressing. It carries that deep, savory, umami backbone that makes nuoc cham taste like nuoc cham, and it keeps everything plant-based.

How to Make Vegan Goi Xoai

Quick pickle the carrots and daikon

Peel the carrots and daikon, then julienne them into thin matchsticks. In a bowl, stir together 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup white vinegar until the sugar fully dissolves. Add the carrots and daikon, press them under the liquid, and let them pickle for 20 to 30 minutes. When you are ready to build the salad, drain them thoroughly before adding to the bowl.

Prep the mango, onion, and herbs

Peel the green mango and julienne it into thin matchsticks. Thinly slice the half red onion (soak in cold water for 5 minutes first if you want a more mild onion bite, then drain). Roughly chop the cilantro and mint, and thinly slice the green onions.

Make the vegetarian nuoc cham

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dear Mam vegetarian fish sauce, monk fruit sweetener, filtered water, lime juice, minced garlic, and minced Thai chili. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust to your own preference.

Toss and assemble

In a large bowl, combine the drained pickled carrots and daikon, the julienned mango, the red onion, and the fresh herbs. Pour the sauce over a little at a time and toss well, adding more until it tastes just right to you. Pile the salad onto a plate, then garnish it with fried shallots and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What mango should I use? Use a hard, unripe green mango. It should feel firm and taste tart rather than sweet. That firmness gives the salad its signature crunch.

• Best choice: true green mango from an Asian market. Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino markets sell mango grown specifically to eat green, often labeled xoài xanh or sold as Thai keo (kaew) mango. These stay crisp and tart with very little fiber, and they julienne into clean matchsticks. If you can find them, buy these.
• Best supermarket picks: Kent and Keitt both work beautifully. They have less stringy fiber than most, so your matchsticks hold together instead of shredding.
• Most available: Tommy Atkins. This is the mango stacked in nearly every US grocery store. It runs a little more fibrous, but bought hard and green, it holds its crunch and gets the job done. For most of us, this will likely be the most accessible pick.

Is this recipe vegan? Yes. Using Dear Mam vegetarian fish sauce keeps the whole salad, including the nuoc cham, completely vegan.

Can I make goi xoai ahead of time? Yes. Prep and store the components separately, then toss with the sauce right before serving so everything stays crisp.

How do I store leftovers? Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The vegetables soften slightly, but the flavor stays delicious.