This vegan pho does not only burst with flavor, but it’s also super easy to make! It’s ready in under 40 minutes and it’s the perfect comfort food for cold nights! Welcome to soup heaven and let’s get the slurping started!
This soup is one of my favorites. I love Asian soups in general, but this one is just packed with flavor. Soooo good!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Pho: It’s one of the national dishes of Vietnam. It’s a rice-noodle soup that is usually served in a big bowl.
It usually consists of three components:
- a strong broth
- meat or vegetarian options
- noodles (they’re made of rice flour instead of wheat)
Why This Recipe Works
Traditionally pho contains meat, but it’s super easy to make it without meat and it does still taste amazing! Usually it’s made with beef broth and it also contains thinly sliced strips of beef.
Luckily, it’s the spices that give pho its awesome taste, so it’s absolutely possible to enjoy a delicious vegan version. I decided to use sauteed shiitake mushrooms and bok choy instead of meat for my vegan pho, which work great.
Herbs and spices give this soup its extra kick. I used cinnamon, ginger, clove, star anise as well as basil, mint, and cilantro.
The broth of many traditional pho recipes is cooked for at least 24 hours. But let’s be honest, most days we just don’t have enough time for that. So I came up with a vegan pho recipe that is ready in less than 40 minutes.
The recipe is super healthy. No added flavor enhancer, sugar, or any other additives – only fresh ingredients.
So if you’re looking for an easy plant-based recipe for pho that is packed with flavor, this is the right place for you!
What Goes Into This Recipe:
The ingredient list might seem pretty long at first sight, but it’s a lot of spices and herbs.
- Vegetable Broth – make sure to use a good quality vegetable broth.
- Cinnamon – use whole cinnamon sticks.
- Star Anise and Cloves – you will need all of these spices for the broth. They will give the soup its flavorful taste! Don’t leave out any of the spices.
The Add-Ins and the Garnish:
How to Make This Recipe:
Make the Broth:
1. Step: Cut the onions into quarters, the ginger into thin slices, and the garlic into larger pieces.
2. Step: Heat some oil in a large pot and sautée the onion and the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the ginger, the cinnamon sticks, the star anise, and the cloves. Stir and cook on high heat until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
3. Step: Next, add the vegetable broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Add-Ins and the Noodles
In the meantime, you can prepare the add-ins and the rice noodles.
4. Step: Cut the shiitake mushrooms into thin slices.
5. Step: Heat some oil in a large pan and sautée the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
6. Step: Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package and set aside as well.
7. Step: Strain the vegetable broth and return the liquid back to the pot. Discard the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.
8. Step: Cut the bok choy into strips or use mini bok choys. Bring the vegetable broth back to a simmer and cook the bok choy for about 3 minutes in the broth.
9. Step: Then add the cooked rice noodles, and the shiitake mushrooms to the soup. Top it off with green onions, fresh mint, basil, and cilantro and serve it with lemon slices. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure to use a good quality vegetable broth. You could also use a homemade vegetable stock if you want.
- I like to use mini bok choy. If you can’t find it at the store, you could also use regular bok choy and cut it into strips.
- For additional protein, try adding tofu cubes.
- Don’t leave out any of the spices as they’re essential for the flavor of the broth.
- If you want a stronger flavor, you could cook the broth for more than 30 minutes.
Possible Variations
This vegan pho is also great with:
- Tofu: I like to add crispy baked tofu with homemade tofu marinade or air fryer tofu. It adds some extra protein!
- More Veggies: You could also add bell peppers, edamame, snow peas, or broccoli. Bean sprouts are also a great garnish!
FAQs:
How Long Does This Recipe Keep?
I recommend storing the broth, the rice noodles, and the add-ins in separate containers. Otherwise the noodles will soak up all the broth. This way it will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
How Is Pho Pronounced?
Some people pronounce pho with a long “o”. The most common mispronunciations are “poe” or “foe”. Pho is pronounced more like “fuh”.
Is This Soup Gluten-Free?
Yes, usually it’s gluten-free as pho noodles are made of rice flour instead of wheat.
Related Recipes:
- Summer Rolls with Mango and Mint and Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Asian Noodle Soup
- Vegan Bibimbap
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- 50 Amazing Vegan Asian Recipes
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegan pho recipe as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Pho
Ingredients
For the vegan pho broth:
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 2 inch piece fresh ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 8 cups vegetable broth
Add-Ins and Toppings:
- 7 oz bok choy (I used mini bok choy)
- 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms (fresh)
- 8 oz dried flat rice noodles
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- fresh basil
- fresh cilantro
- green onions, cut into thin circles
- fresh mint
- hot peppers, optional
Instructions
- Cut the onions into quarters, the ginger into thin slices, and the garlic into larger pieces.
- Heat some oil in a large pot and sautée the onion and the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the ginger, the cinnamon sticks, the star anise, and the cloves. Stir and cook on high heat until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Next, add the vegetable broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the add-ins for the vegan pho and the rice noodles. Cut the shiitake mushrooms into thin slices. Heat some oil in a large pan and sautée the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package and set aside as well.
- Strain the vegetable broth and return the liquid back to the pot. Discard the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.
- Cut the bok choy into strips or use mini bok choys. Bring the vegetable broth back to a simmer and cook the bok choy for about 3 minutes in the broth.
- Then add the cooked rice noodles, and the shiitake to the soup. Top it off with fresh mint, basil, and cilantro and serve it with lemon slices. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use a good quality vegetable broth. You could also use a homemade vegetable stock if you want.
- I like to use mini bok choy for my vegan pho. If you can't find it at the store, you could also use regular bok choy and cut it into strips.
- For additional protein, try adding tofu cubes to your vegetarian pho.
- Don't leave out any of the spices as they're essential for the flavor of the broth.
- If you want a stronger flavor, you could even cook the pho broth for more than 30 minutes.
Theresa
Delish!!
Sharon Warren
My daughter is a vegetarian and loves the Pho soup made by a local Vietnamese restaurant. I tried this recipe hoping it would be similar to the one at our local restaurant, (I’ve never tried it before so I wasn’t really sure what it should taste like). She absolutely loved it and said it was even more flavorful than the restaurant version. I had a small bowl of it and thought it was very tasty but sent the leftovers home with her to enjoy.