Description
Learn how to make traditional or vegan Vietnamese Pho, a flavorful and aromatic noodle soup that’s perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Traditional Broth:
- 1 pound beef bones (marrow or knuckle)
- 1/2 pound beef brisket or chuck
- 1 onion (halved and charred)
- 1 3-inch piece ginger (sliced and charred)
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 cups water
Vegan Broth:
- 1 onion (halved and charred)
- 1 3-inch piece ginger (sliced and charred)
- 2 carrots (chopped)
- 1 parsnip (optional)
- 4 shiitake mushrooms (dried or fresh)
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 8 cups water
For the Bowl:
- 8 oz flat rice noodles
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced beef (eye of round or sirloin) or tofu (pan-seared or baked)
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup fresh Thai basil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 1 jalapeño or Thai chili (sliced)
- hoisin sauce and sriracha for serving
Instructions
- For traditional broth: Parboil beef bones and brisket for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. Add to a clean pot with charred onion, ginger, spices, salt, and water. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, skimming foam occasionally. Remove brisket after 1.5 hours to slice for serving. Strain the broth and season with fish sauce.
- For vegan broth: Combine all vegan broth ingredients in a large pot. Simmer for 45–60 minutes, then strain and season with soy sauce and rice vinegar to taste.
- Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. To assemble, divide noodles among bowls. Top with beef or tofu, ladle in hot broth to cook the beef if raw. Add bean sprouts, herbs, lime wedges, and sliced chili. Serve with hoisin and sriracha on the side.
Notes
- Char the onion and ginger over an open flame or in a dry skillet to deepen the flavor.
- For quicker prep, use store-bought pho spice bags or paste.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours (traditional) / 1 hour (vegan)
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 350 (vegan) to 480 (beef)
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g (beef) / 12g (vegan)
- Cholesterol: 45mg (beef) / 0mg (vegan)