How to Make Easy and Flavorful Pho at Home

Pho, pronounced “fuh,” is a beloved Vietnamese noodle soup celebrated for its deeply flavorful broth, tender noodles, and fresh, vibrant garnishes. Authentic pho often requires hours of simmering to develop its signature rich taste. However, for those of us craving pho on a weeknight, or simply looking for a more approachable recipe, this easy homemade pho recipe is the perfect solution. It captures the comforting essence of pho without demanding an all-day commitment, making it ideal for a family meal or a cozy dinner for one.

This recipe is inspired by traditional Vietnamese pho but streamlines the process for the home cook. While it might not replicate the exact depth of flavor achieved through long hours of simmering bones, it delivers a wonderfully aromatic and satisfying bowl of pho in significantly less time, using readily available ingredients. Think of it as your go-to pho when time is of the essence, but flavor is still paramount.

Quick Pho vs. Authentic Pho: What’s the Difference?

Traditional pho is a labor of love. Restaurants and dedicated home cooks often simmer beef bones (for beef pho) or chicken bones (for chicken pho) for many hours – sometimes even overnight – to extract every ounce of flavor and collagen, creating a complex and deeply savory broth. This long simmering process is what gives authentic pho its unparalleled richness and depth.

Our quick pho recipe takes a different approach. Instead of relying solely on bones and lengthy simmering, we use canned broth as a flavorful base and enhance it with aromatic vegetables and spices. This method significantly reduces the cooking time while still achieving a delicious and comforting pho broth. It’s a trade-off: convenience for a slightly less complex flavor profile, but still incredibly satisfying and perfect for a home-cooked meal. This recipe prioritizes accessibility and speed, making pho an achievable dish for any home cook, any day of the week.

Essential Ingredients for Homemade Pho

To create a flavorful and aromatic pho, you’ll need a combination of key ingredients for the broth, noodles, meat, and those all-important garnishes. Here’s a breakdown:

For the Broth:

Broth Base: Choose your broth depending on your preferred protein. Chicken broth is excellent for chicken, shrimp, or pork pho, offering a lighter and cleaner taste. Beef broth lends itself beautifully to beef pho, providing a richer and more robust flavor. Vegetable broth is perfect for a vegetarian or vegan pho option.
Aromatics: Yellow onion and fresh ginger are crucial for building the characteristic pho aroma. Charring them slightly before simmering adds a depth of smoky sweetness.
Spices: This is where the magic happens! Ground coriander, cloves, cinnamon stick, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and red chili paste (like sambal oelek) create the warm, complex, and slightly sweet-savory flavor profile of pho broth. Salt and pepper are essential for seasoning.

For the Noodles:

Rice Noodles: Thin, flat rice noodles are traditional for pho. Look for dried rice vermicelli noodles or other thin rice noodles in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. Ensure they are thin rice noodles, as thicker varieties are not typical for pho.

For the Meat (Protein):

Beef Pho (Phở Bò): Sirloin steak, flank steak, brisket, or round eye are all excellent choices. The key is to slice the beef as thinly as possible against the grain for tenderness. Partially freezing the beef for about an hour before slicing makes this task much easier.
Chicken Pho (Phở Gà): Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced, are perfect. Again, thin slicing is key for quick cooking in the hot broth.
Pork Pho: Pork tenderloin, thinly sliced, works wonderfully. For added flavor, you can quickly sear the pork before adding it to the pho.
Shrimp Pho: Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, cooks quickly and adds a delicate seafood flavor.

Essential Garnishes:

Garnishes are not just toppings; they are integral to the pho experience! They add freshness, texture, and customizable flavor to each bowl. Don’t skimp on these!

Fresh Herbs: Green onions (scallions), cilantro, Thai basil, and mint leaves are classic choices. Each herb contributes a unique aroma and flavor dimension.
Spice and Heat: Fresh jalapeño peppers or red Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced, allow you to adjust the spice level to your preference.
Fresh Crunch: Bean sprouts provide a refreshing and satisfying crunch. Look for them in the produce section, or Asian grocery stores often have the freshest options.
Acidity and Brightness: Lime wedges are essential for squeezing over your pho, adding a bright, citrusy counterpoint to the rich broth.
Optional Heat Boost: Sriracha hot sauce or additional red chili paste can be added for extra heat and flavor complexity.

Step-by-Step Guide: Making Your Quick Pho

Let’s walk through the process of creating this flavorful pho at home:

Step 1: Prepare the Aromatic Broth

Begin by charring the onion and ginger. In a large, dry pot over medium heat, place the onion halves and ginger pieces. Cook for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are slightly charred and fragrant. This charring step enhances the depth of flavor in the broth.

Add the broth, water, ground coriander, clove, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or even longer for a richer flavor. The longer it simmers, the more the flavors will meld together.

Step 2: Prepare the Rice Noodles

While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles according to the package instructions. Typically, this involves soaking them in hot water until softened.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain them, rinse with cold water to prevent sticking, and set aside.

Step 3: Get Your Garnishes Ready

This is a crucial step! Prepare all your garnishes and arrange them in individual small bowls or plates. This allows everyone to customize their own bowl of pho. Chop the green onions and cilantro, thinly slice the jalapeños or chilies (remove seeds if desired for less heat), wash the basil and mint leaves, and have bean sprouts and lime wedges ready.

Step 4: Cook the Meat in the Broth

About 1 to 5 minutes before the broth is finished simmering, add your chosen meat to the pot to cook.
- For thinly sliced raw chicken or pork, cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just cooked through.
- For thinly sliced steak or shrimp, cook for only 1-2 minutes, as they cook very quickly in the hot broth.
Once the meat is cooked, remove and discard the charred ginger, clove, cinnamon stick, and onion pieces from the broth using a slotted spoon or tongs. These aromatics have infused their flavor into the broth and are no longer needed.

Step 5: Assemble Your Pho Bowls

Divide the cooked rice noodles among individual bowls.
Ladle the hot pho broth over the noodles, ensuring each bowl gets a generous amount of broth.
Arrange the cooked meat on top of the noodles and broth.
Finally, let everyone customize their pho with their favorite garnishes! Pile high with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, jalapeños, and a squeeze of lime.

Instant Pot Pho for a Quicker Broth

For an even faster broth, you can adapt this recipe for the Instant Pot:

Use the sauté function to char the onion and ginger in the Instant Pot.
Turn off sauté mode. Add broth, spices (coriander, cloves, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick, salt, and pepper).
Seal the Instant Pot and cook on manual/high pressure for 15 minutes with a controlled quick release after the timer beeps.
Add cooked shrimp, steak, or pork to the bowls with noodles and broth. For chicken pho, add skinless chicken thighs to the Instant Pot and cook with the broth.

Slow Cooker Pho for Hands-Off Flavor

For a slow-cooked, deeply infused broth with minimal effort, use a slow cooker:

Char the onion and ginger in a skillet on the stovetop.
Transfer the charred aromatics to the slow cooker. Add broth, spices (coriander, cloves, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick, salt, and pepper). For chicken pho, add skinless chicken thighs.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Discard the solids from the broth. Prepare noodles and garnishes as directed. Add cooked shrimp, steak, or pork to bowls with noodles and broth.

Recipe Adaptations to Suit Your Taste

Using Leftover Cooked Meat: Pho is a fantastic way to use leftover cooked chicken, pork, or beef (like rotisserie chicken or shredded pork). Simply add the cooked meat to the bowls with the noodles and ladle hot broth over it. Then, add your favorite garnishes.
Vegetarian/Vegan Pho: Easily make this vegetarian or vegan by using vegetable or mushroom broth. Substitute sautéed mushrooms and baby bok choy for the meat and ensure your hoisin sauce is vegan (some contain fish sauce). Omit the fish sauce or use a vegan fish sauce alternative.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Tips

Make-Ahead: The broth can be made ahead of time! Prepare the broth several days in advance, let it cool completely, and store it in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove when you’re ready to make pho and proceed with cooking the meat and assembling the bowls.
Freezing: Freeze only the broth. Allow it to cool completely and store it in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to 4-5 months.

Enjoy the comforting and flavorful experience of homemade pho with this easy recipe! It’s a delightful way to bring the taste of Vietnam to your kitchen.

Recipe

4.96 from 815 votes

Quick and Easy Pho

This easy Vietnamese inspired Pho is my quick and easy adaptation that’s perfect when you’re tight on time. It’s made with rice noodles, broth, and choice of chicken, beef, pork or shrimp.

Print Pin Review

Author Lauren Allen

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings 6

Calories 178

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 40 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr

Save Recipe

Ingredients

8 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles
Desired meat: chicken, pork, steak or raw shrimp* (See notes)
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 (2-inch pieces) fresh ginger, unpeeled and halved, length-wise
6 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable, depending on protein choice)
2 cups water
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 whole clove (optional)
1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce (or less, to taste preference)
¼ teaspoon hoisin sauce
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon red chili paste (sambal oelek)
1 stick cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For garnish (this is where pho soup shines!):

4 green onions, chopped
2 fresh jalapeño peppers or red thai chili peppers, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch Thai basil leaves
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 limes, cut into wedges
Sriracha hot sauce, or additional red chili paste, for heat, optional

Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Place a large dry pot over medium heat add the onion halves and ginger pieces. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the broth, water, coriander, clove, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick and a pinch of fresh cracked salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package instructions. Once soft, drain, rinse and set aside.
Ready the garnishes in individual small bowls for serving: cilantro, basil, green onions, bean sprouts, lime wedges and sliced chilies.
1-5 minutes before the broth is done cooking, add desired meat to the broth to cook, just until done (2-3 minutes for raw, thinly sliced chicken or pork, 1-2 minutes for shrimp or thinly sliced steak).
Discard the ginger, clove, cinnamon stick and onion pieces from the pot.
Divide the noodles among bowls; ladle broth on top (and meat). Add desired toppings.

Notes

Protein: It’s important to slice the meat as thinly as possible, against the grain.

Beef Pho (phở bò): ½ pound sirloin steak, flank steak or brisket, sliced very thinly and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Chicken Pho (phở gà): Slice 1-2 boneless, skinless breasts into very thin pieces, against the grain. Season with salt and pepper.
Pork Pho: Season a 1 lb pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and sear in a little bit of oil in a very hot pan until browned on all sides (about 10 minute). Allow to rest while broth cooks and then slice into very thin slices.
Shrimp: raw, shells removed.

To substitute leftover/cooked meat: This is a great recipe to use up leftover cooked meat like rotisserie chicken, shredded pork, or beef. Add cooked meat to the bowls with the noodles and ladle hot broth over it. Then add toppings. Vegetarian/vegan pho: Substitute vegetable or mushroom stock, substitute sautéed mushrooms and baby bok choy for the meat, and omit the fish sauce. Make ahead instructions: The broth can be made several days ahead of time. Allow it to cool, cover it and store it in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove. Freezing instructions: Freeze only the broth. Allow it to cool completely and store in a freezer safe bag or container for 4-5 months. Instant Pot Pho: Cook noodles according to instructions. Assemble toppings. Turn IP to sauté setting. Add onion and ginger and cook for a few minutes. Turn pot off. Add broth, coriander, cloves, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick and a pinch of fresh cracked salt and pepper to the pot. Turn valve to sealed, apply lid and cook on manual/high pressure for 10 minutes with a controlled quick release after the timer beeps. Turn to saute and add shrimp, steak pork, or chicken, cooking until done. Assemble bowls as directed. Slow Cooker Pho: Cook onion and ginger in a hot skillet, then add to slow cooker with broth, coriander, cloves, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick and a pinch of fresh cracked salt and pepper. (For chicken pho, add skinless chicken thighs and cook in slow cooker with broth). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Discard the ginger, clove, cinnamon stick and onion. Prepare the noodles according to instructions. Assemble toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 0.01mgSodium: 1387mgPotassium: 138mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 601IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

Create a FREE Account to save your favorite recipes and create meal plans

Create free account

I originally shared this recipe February 2014. Updated April 2020 with process photos and instructions.

HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

This post contains affiliate links. I love sharing my favorite products with you!

This post contains affiliate links.