Making vegan pho has never been easier or faster than this recipe! This Vietnamese-inspired soup is full of spices and alliums to create a rich, deep broth. Pair the broth with rice noodles and this recipe creates such a flavorful meal for any time of day!
I'll never forget the first time I had pho. I was in the 13th arrondissement of Paris where there is a strong Vietnamese community. We stopped at a small pho shop, I ordered a large (not knowing how insanely massive that was)...and I ate the whole thing. It was SO full of flavor and satisfying.
After that incredible pho experience, I had to learn how to make it for myself. While this recipe is quite different from the one I had back in 2018, it is incredible nonetheless. I did my best to keep the flavor profile authentic by using whole spices. Cooking this in the Instant Pot saves you from simmering a pot for hours!
Why you'll love this recipe
- So comforting - Is there anything more comforting than a hot soup full of warm spices and slurpable noodles? This is the perfect rainy day (or any day) meal!
- It's done so quickly - The traditional method of making Pho will have you simmering a pot on the stove for hours. Using a pressure cooker, you can be done in less than one hour!
- Flavorful, Yet Simple - Though this recipe feels very simple and straightforward, the outcome is an incredibly complex and flavorful soup.
What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- White Onion - Yellow or sweet onion can be used instead if necessary.
- Whole Cloves
- Cardamom Pods
- Star Anise - Buy these whole. They make for wonderful garnish as well.
- Cinnamon Stick - Don't use ground cinnamon, only cinnamon sticks
- Black Peppercorns - Whole peppercorns infuse a nice but not overpowering peppery flavor.
- Fresh Ginger - I highly recommend using a whole piece of ginger, peeling the skin, and using that instead of ginger paste, powder, or minced version. Using any of those options will result in a much stronger ginger flavor.
- Shiitake Mushrooms - I bought mine whole and sliced them, but pre-sliced is just fine as well.
- Water/Broth - I suggest using 4 cups of water and 4 cups of broth instead of all one. If needed, 8 cups of water will suffice. I used 4 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon and mixed it into the water.
- Rice Noodles - I used the medium thickness type, but very thin rice noodles are also common in pho and will work just as well.
- Garnishes - Limes, chili garlic oil, cilantro, basil, etc.
Equipment:
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Fine-Mesh Strainer
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
If you choose to soak your noodles, begin doing so now by submerging them in very warm water. You can also boil your noodles and drain just before eating.
Peel and quarter a whole onion. Do your best to keep the quarters attached and not peeling apart.
Peel the piece of ginger using a spoon, cutting off any hard to reach knobs. Roughly slice the ginger into thick pieces.
If using whole shiitakes, remove the stems and slice the caps longways.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Turn your Instant Pot on to 'sauté'. Once hot, add a small amount of neutral oil, then sear the onion quarters.
Once the onion pieces are beginning to crisp, throw in the ginger slices and toss.
Next, add all of the whole spices and stir to combine. The onion pieces may break apart and that is okay.
Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Next, add the water and broth to the pot.
Stir to combine, then close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
When the 15 minutes are up, perform a natural pressure release (meaning simply press cancel and do nothing) for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, release remaining steam.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
If you haven't been soaking your rice noodles already, just give them quick boil now, then rinse with cool water after draining.
Open the lid on the Instant Pot.
Use oven mitts or towels to remove the inner pot. Place a large bowl in the sink, with a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl.
Carefully pour the contents of the Instant Pot into the strainer, then lift the strainer out of the bowl. You should be left with a warm-brown broth in a bowl.
Place cooked rice noodles into serving bowls. Ladle broth over the noodles.
Garnish the bowls with limes, basil, cilantro, some of the cooked shiitakes, chili oil, or more!
Serve hot and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- The time that it takes to cook the broth should be enough time for you to soak the rice noodles. However, if you prefer a quicker method, just drop them into boiling water and boil until cooked through, then drain and lightly rinse!
- If you don't like mushrooms, I do not recommend omitting them from this recipe. They help tremendously to flavor the broth, without leaving a distinctly mushroom flavor. If you are not a mushroom fan, simply discard them at the end of the cooking process, but don't omit them.
- Do not replace whole ginger for powdered, minced, or ginger paste. If you use one of those instead, it will cause an overpowering ginger flavor. If for some reason you cannot find whole ginger, I think it would be better to omit entirely.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, almost all types of rice noodles are vegan-friendly.
Pho is typically not an unhealthy meal. Some critics claim that it has a large amount of sodium, however, this recipe has very little added sodium. Use brown rice noodles or zucchini noodles to make this dish even healthier!
Traditional pho does often use chicken or beef as a main flavor. However, most pho does not contain any dairy or egg products, so a vegan or vegetarian version of pho is very easy to create! You may even find a vegan pho on a menu.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegan Pho
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Neutral oil
- 1 White Onion
- 4 Cloves
- 3 Cardamom Pods outer shell removed
- 3 whole Star Anise
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon Black peppercorns
- 2-3 inch Ginger piece peeled
- 2 cups Shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 4 cups Water
- 4 cups Vegetable broth
- 8 ounces Rice noodles
Instructions
- If you choose to soak your noodles, begin doing so now by submerging them in very warm water. You can also boil your noodles and drain just before eating.
- Peel and quarter a whole onion. Do your best to keep the quarters attached and not peeling apart.
- Peel the piece of ginger using a spoon, cutting off any hard to reach knobs. Roughly slice the ginger into thick pieces.
- If using whole shiitakes, remove the stems and slice the caps longways.
- Turn your Instant Pot on to 'sauté'. Once hot, add a small amount of neutral oil, then sear the onion quarters.
- Once the onion pieces are beginning to crisp, throw in the ginger slices and toss.
- Next, add all of the whole spices and stir to combine. The onion pieces may break apart and that is okay.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Next, add the water and broth to the pot.
- Stir to combine, then close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
- When the 15 minutes are up, perform a natural pressure release (meaning simply press cancel and do nothing) for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, release remaining steam.
- If you haven't been soaking your rice noodles already, just give them quick boil now, then rinse with cool water after draining.
- Open the lid on the Instant Pot.
- Use oven mitts or towels to remove the inner pot. Place a large bowl in the sink, with a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl.
- Carefully pour the contents of the Instant Pot into the strainer, then lift the strainer out of the bowl. You should be left with a warm-brown broth in a bowl.
- Place cooked rice noodles into serving bowls. Ladle broth over the noodles.
- Garnish the bowls with limes, basil, cilantro, some of the cooked shiitakes, chili oil, or more!
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- The time that it takes to cook the broth should be enough time for you to soak the rice noodles. However, if you prefer a quicker method, just drop them into boiling water and boil until cooked through, then drain and lightly rinse!
- If you don't like mushrooms, I do not recommend omitting them from this recipe. They help tremendously to flavor the broth, without leaving a distinctly mushroom flavor. If you are not a mushroom fan, simply discard them at the end of the cooking process, but don't omit them.
- Do not replace whole ginger for powdered, minced, or ginger paste. If you use one of those instead, it will cause an overpowering ginger flavor. If for some reason you cannot find whole ginger, I think it would be better to omit entirely.
- You will likely have leftover broth, store it in the fridge or freezer for meals to come!
- Nutrition Information is for 1 serving, which is ¼th of this total recipe.
- Calories: 276 cal
- Total Fat: 7 grams
- Total Carb: 49.2 grams
- Protein: 4.6 grams
Tracy says
My husband is allergic to mushrooms, so I'd love an ingredient sub to add flavor!
Emily says
Absolutely! If you're just looking to replace the mushroom flavor, try going for something with a similar umami earthiness. Some ideas would be a scoop of miso paste stirred in at the end, a dash of liquid smoke, or even some pure MSG (which actually isn't bad for you!!). I highly recommend buying a bit of MSG and mixing it in for that umami flavor. I haven't specifically tried to make a meatless pho without using mushrooms, but I would also recommend increasing the levels of onions, garlic, and ginger to make it as flavorful as it can be! Don't be afraid to experiment with it!
Heidi says
I made this tonight and it was fantastic. I had never tried an IP pho and this was so great. I used to make a vegan pho on the stovetop which took ALL DAY and was so much more work. This came together quickly. I had all the spices on hand and it will now be on a regular rotation in my kitchen. I choose not to cook with oil, so I sautéed the veggies in vegetable broth and it turned out great! Such a healthy alternative to restaurant pho