Author: Quick Vegan Pho! Is there anything better than slurping up a big bowl of delicious brothy noodles? The answer is no. Soupy, slurpy, full of gorgeous flavours from star anise, cloves, cinnamon, coriander and ginger, topped with Thai basil, cilantro, and all sorts of other goodness. A total bowl of health. This baby will make colds run away in horror.
Traditional pho is supposed to take several hours to make, but let's be honest, I ain't got time for that. So I figured out a cheaters way (aka brilliant way) to make it in about 40 minutes. Char the onion and ginger, toast the spices, then let everything simmer. I totally have time for that!
Pho is all about the broth, and the broth is all about the right flavours. Pho's unique flavours can be attributed to the spices: star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. Often used as a sweet combination, but pair them with charred onion, ginger, coriander, and soy sauce, and oooeeee is that the yummiest savoury, aromatic soup ever!
Then just decorate your pho with an endless combination of toppings. I love serving all the toppings on a large cutting board or in individual pretty little bowls and then letting everyone top their pho to their own taste preferences. It makes for a great dinner party or just an easy weeknight meal.
How To Make Quick Vegan Pho:
First, quarter an onion and slice the ginger lengthwise. Heat a large, dry soup pot over medium-high to high heat (no oil needed). Add the onion and ginger cut-side down and cook until charred in spots, about 4-6 minutes. Add the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander seeds and toast for 30-60 seconds. Pour in the broth and water, stir in the brown sugar, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, then strain out the aromatics and spices and season with soy sauce to taste.
In the meantime bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook your rice noodles. Follow the package directions or if there are none, cook until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.
Chop up your toppings, and sauté the mushrooms or tofu if you are using either. Now I am pretty sure you know how to fill a bowl of soup, so I really don't need to do a step-by-step photo guide on this one, but just look how pretty it is...
Ahhhhhhhh.... This is the stuff of love.
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Vegan Pho
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Ingredients
For the Broth
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced lengthwise
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves, the spice
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 8 cups vegan beef-style broth, mushroom broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Soy sauce, to taste
For serving:
- 16 oz dried flat rice noodles, preferably medium-width
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, (regular basil works too)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 - 2 Thai red chilies or other hot peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Sriracha or chili sauce
- Hoisin
- Optional add-ins: sautéed shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms, tofu, vegan beef strips or chunks, or thinly sliced seitan
Instructions
- Char the aromatics: Heat a large, dry soup pot over medium-high to high heat (no oil needed). Add the onion and ginger cut-side down. Cook until deeply browned and charred in spots, about 4–6 minutes.
- Toast the spices: Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and coriander seeds. Toast for 30–60 seconds, until very fragrant.
- Make the broth: Pour in the broth and water and stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to deepen.
- Prepare the noodles and toppings: Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to package directions, then drain and rinse briefly under cool water. Prepare your toppings and cook any optional add-ins separately. If the noodles stick together, rinse briefly with warm water to loosen them before serving.
- Strain and season: Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into another pot or a large heatproof bowl, discarding the aromatics and spices. Taste and add soy sauce as needed, keeping in mind that broths vary in saltiness.
- Assemble and serve: Divide the noodles among four bowls and ladle the hot broth overtop. Add bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, green onions, hot peppers (if using), and any prepared optional add-ins. Serve with lime wedges, Sriracha or chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and extra soy sauce so everyone can season their bowl to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
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I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Feature Ingredient: Star Anise! 188 days, 69 Recipes to go.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam
Marco says
I have to say.. this came in SO handy! I was craving pho so badly and couldn’t make it go away.. problem is it’s currently 10:30PM and all the Vietnamese restaurants and grocery stores are closed!! Luckily I had a can of Asian veggie soup with some glass noodles in the pantry.. what did I do? I simmered it with all the spices listed here, added some ginger and also followed one of the commenters advice and added in 5 spice, brown sugar and peanuts! Boy this really hit the spot! I know it’s not “authentic” but it was enough to fill my cravings! Thank you so much!!
Nisha says
This is on the regular rotation now because it is so frequently requested by my kids. The broth is so tasty and the kids love the sautéed tofu in it.
Htet says
I love your recipes but I wish this one had a disclaimer about how this varies from traditional pho, or maybe some mention of the regional differences, to acknowledge and be respectful of Vietnamese culture. I do appreciate that it provides a base for people who have never made pho to build on. I recommend for a "quick" version to also use vegetable broth or add a vegetable broth base as well as simmering with dried mushrooms or mushroom powder to add more flavor. Broil the onion and ginger before adding to the broth. Toast the spices also before adding to the broth, black cardamom and fennel as well as coriander seed also add to the taste. If spices are not available search for a "pho chay" soup base or five spice powder. Add rock sugar or brown sugar for extra sweetness if desired. Peanuts as a garnish or peanut butter mixed in the broth change the dish, it is not traditional pho but you may enjoy it. I hope this helps, thank you.
Ash says
Htet; It has the word "quick" in the title and that's all the disclaimer you need. Everybody knows pho is Vietnamese so they get credit.
Vidhya Iyer says
Omgg Sam this was sooo good!
We hardly order pho in restaurants as it's usually made with beef broth but I have been craving for a comforting noodle recipe for the last few weeks , with the rainy weather (here in singapore) plus cos of the flu I had come down with. This recipe completely satisfied all that craving and cleared my head , lol ! Even my hubby who doesn't normally enjoy soupy noodles said he loved it 😉 very flavorful and satisfying indeed ! 🙂 Even the 4 and 1 year old loved it. I added some sauteed tofu, shitake mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, coriander n spring onions, plus dried fried shallots to the soup. Also added a dash of organic mushroom seasoning that we get here to the broth when it was boiling with all the other spices. Some red hot chili soaked in soy sauce as a condiment for the adults gave it that extra punch. This recipe is a keeper and might well become a regular weekday dinner option;)
Thank you for this and all your lovely recipes. I always get compliments when I make your recipes - and love your videos too, you are super entertaining ! haha;)
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you so much, Vidhya!! Thrilled you are enjoying my content so much 😀
Sheilah says
We loved this with Gardein meatballs cooked in the broth. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yum! You're most welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed 🙂
Cici says
This is an amazing recipe! It didn't take long to make and tasted absolutely delicious. I immediately wished I had doubled the recipe. My husband and I are in agreement that this will become one of our staples.
We did add veggies to ours (broccoli, carrots and cabbage). We also made the fried tofu from the ramen recipe as suggested. Super yummy, thank you for the awesome recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you and your husband loved it so much, Cici 🙂
Taheerah says
Am I able to freeze the broth? (9 months pregnant and looking for good soups)
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, although from my experience it loses a bit of the punch, so you might want to bump up the spices a bit. Enjoy!
Poppy says
Hi, is there any particular way you saute the tofu? Any special spices or anything? Thanks 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
For this recipe, the tofu would be excellent prepared the way I make it for my ramen noodle soup.
Angela says
I made this and it was very nice. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
martha says
This recipe is lovely, and truly easy to follow exactly (or make your own variations. I don't strain the broth, and add peanut butter rather than peanuts). Thank you so much!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it, Martha 🙂
Lil says
Thank you for the recipe. Curious... am I able to throw in the vegetables (broccoli, mushrooms, etc) and the noodles and cook in the broth all together?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Lil, sure you can. That's not how pho is served, but if that's the way you want to eat it, go for it!
Sada says
My boyfriend made us this recipe last week and WHAT A HIT! Since moving to Australia, we have found it VERY hard to find pho and impossible to find it vegan/vegetarian (always made with real beef stock!). So happy we found this recipe and will be making it again for sure!
***if anyone is located in Australia, note that Massel makes vegetable, chicken and beef flavoured stock cubes/powders ALL VEGAN and plant based***
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled you and your boyfriend love it so much, Sada. Hi from Canada 🙂
Dee says
Where do you live? There are a couple with mushroom broth and no MSG in Twin Cities.
I am making it right now. I couldn't comment without rating it, do i assume it is 5 stars because it smells good. I'd say just mention in the steps when and how and if to cook vegetables. Traditional Vietnamese pho pours hot broth over barely cooked veggies so they are nice and crunchy. 🙂
Dawn W says
I'm about to make the broth part and let it sit until I can pick up a few more ingredients (bean sprouts, peppers, etc)...or, maybe I'll just drink the broth - stay tuned :p
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, enjoy!
Abbie says
Absolutely delicious! Made your veggie scrap stock as my base and it was great. I’ve got some broth leftover so I’ll leave it to sit overnight and I’m sure it’ll infuse even more. Thanks for this great vegan recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Abbie 😀
in2insight says
This was super good and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you loved it so much! 🙂
Heather Moreau says
Thank you!!! Pho is my new addiction - loooove ramen and now I can add this to my home meal list!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Heather 🙂
Mona T says
I just fed this to a family of 7 adults and 1 toddler, 6 of whom have the flu, who are all picky eaters and they loved it and some went back for seconds as well. It tastes amazing. It is versatile for this family of meat eaters and pesceterians to add a protein source on the side. I opted to leave out the soy sauce and it was still great. I’m considering making a version with zoodles.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy everyone enjoyed it, Mona 🙂
Mags says
This pho is incredible! Thank you so much for this recipe, it is a keeper!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Victoria says
I tried this and if you want good flavor, double the spices. Also let it sit overnight after a boil, and the next day you’ll have your best flavor. We added some natural sweetness with a little can of pineapple tidbits (100% pineapple- no additives).
Michael Parker says
Oh my Gawd this was amazing!!! Made it for my family tonight. Yet again, you delivered an amazing and creative meal my family loves! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that you and your family loved it so much 🙂