This vegan pho recipe is a delicious vegetarian spin on the Vietnamese noodle soup! It has a rich, spiced broth filled with tender veggies and herbs.
This vegan pho recipe is a delicious plant-based spin on the classic Vietnamese noodle soup. It’s an updated version of a recipe I first shared in 2016, inspired by the vegetarian pho from a Vietnamese restaurant near our house. The richly spiced broth is full of shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and tons of slurp-able noodles. Topped off with fragrant herbs and a squeeze of lime juice, it’s vibrant, bright, and comforting all at once.
It’s a perfect recipe to make when you’re craving something cozy, yet fresh (which for me is just about every day in winter). Heads up that it takes some time to prepare, but you can break up the steps if needed. And once you taste the flavorful, from-scratch broth, I think you’ll find that every minute was worth it.
What is pho?
Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup made with a rich, aromatic broth and rice noodles. Traditional pho (pronounced “fuh”) is not vegetarian. It’s typically made with beef broth that’s seasoned with fish sauce, charred onions and ginger, and warming spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. The broth is filled with more beef as well as noodles and fresh garnishes like herbs, bean sprouts, and chiles.
Vegan Pho Ingredients
Of course, because this recipe is vegetarian, you won’t find any beef or fish sauce here. I use the traditional charred aromatics and spices to build flavor in the broth, as well as shiitake mushrooms, kombu, and tamari for savory depth.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make it:
- White onion and ginger – You’ll char them under the broiler to add smoky flavor to the broth.
- Star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds – The broth’s star ingredients! They’re what give it the aromatic flavor you’d find in a traditional pho broth. Don’t be tempted to substitute ground spices here—you really need whole spices to build the broth’s flavor.
- Shiitake mushrooms – You’ll simmer the stems in the broth and add the sautéed mushroom caps to the soup.
- Kombu seaweed and tamari – You won’t find these ingredients in an authentic pho recipe, but they help build savory flavor in this vegan broth. Kombu is a type of seaweed that you can find in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. It’s also available online. If you don’t keep tamari on hand, you can substitute regular soy sauce, though you may want to use slightly less. I find that soy sauce runs saltier than tamari.
- Rice noodles, bok choy, and baked tofu – They make the soup fresh and satisfying.
- Rice vinegar – For sautéing the bok choy and mushrooms. It helps the greens soften and adds tangy flavor.
- Mung bean sprouts, fresh herbs, and jalapeños – The pho garnishes! Top your bowl with them for freshness, heat, and crunch.
- Lime wedges and sriracha – Add these ingredients to taste as you eat!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Vegan Pho
You can find the complete pho recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s an overview of how it goes:
1. Preparing the Pho Broth
Start by making the pho broth. First, you’ll char the onions and ginger under your oven broiler to develop smoky flavor and bring out their natural sweetness. The ginger might cook more quickly than the onions. If necessary, remove it from the baking sheet and continue to cook the onions until they’re tender and charred.
Next, toast the spices in a large pot over medium heat to develop their flavors.
Then, simmer the broth. Add 8 cups water, the charred onions and ginger, mushroom stems, kombu, and tamari to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain the broth to remove the spices, vegetables, and kombu.
2. Preparing the Noodles and Vegetables
Next, you’ll prepare the noodles and veggies. Slice and sauté the mushroom caps in a large skillet, then add the bok choy to the pan and cook until it softens. I add the rice vinegar to the pan partway through the cooking time to create steam and add tangy flavor.
Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.
Tip: I often simplify this recipe by using pre-seasoned, store-bought baked tofu instead of baking the tofu myself. If you do want to bake your own tofu, you’ll do that step at this point. Find my go-to recipe in this guide to how to cook tofu.
3. Serving
To serve the pho, divide the noodles, bok choy, mushrooms, and tofu into four bowls.
Ladle in the hot broth to cover, then top with bean sprouts, herbs, and jalapeños as desired.
Serve with lime wedges, sriracha, and more tamari on the side!
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
The pho broth keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. I often make the broth ahead of time to streamline the preparation of this soup.
If you have leftovers, store the noodles and veggies separately from the broth. Any leftover rice noodles and cooked vegetables will keep well for about 3 days in the fridge.
Reheat the broth on the stovetop or in the microwave before ladling over the noodles and veggies and serving.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
If you love this vegan pho, try one of these delicious vegan soup recipes next:
- Vegan Ramen
- Miso Soup
- Dumpling Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Vegan Pho
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 white onion, quartered
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 4 star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 8 cups water
- Stems from 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 1 (4-inch) piece kombu
- ¼ cup tamari, plus more for serving
For the soup
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- Sea salt
- 2 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- Baked tofu
- Mung bean sprouts, optional
- 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
- Fresh basil or Thai basil leaves
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Sriracha or chili oil, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven broiler to high and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Make the broth: Place the onion wedges and ginger, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Broil for 10 to 20 minutes, or until charred. If the ginger is ready before the onions, remove it from the baking sheet and continue broiling the onion until soft and well charred around the edges.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks, coriander, and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the water, onions, ginger, mushroom stems, kombu, and tamari. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl and strain the broth into the bowl. Discard the spices, onions, ginger, mushroom stems, and kombu.
- Meanwhile, make the soup: Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring only occasionally, for 4 minutes, or until the mushrooms are browned and starting to soften.
- Nestle the bok choy wedges into the skillet so that the cut sides make contact with the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then add the rice vinegar and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bok choy is tender. If the pan becomes dry, add 2 tablespoons water. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions, then divide among four large soup bowls. Add the mushrooms, bok choy, and baked tofu. Ladle in broth to cover.
- Top each bowl with bean sprouts, if using, jalapeños, basil, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing, sriracha, and more tamari.
My cinnamon stick is 6 inches. Do I need 3 inches or smaller? Thank you in advance.
Thank you Phoebe for your quick reply. What is the lenth of the cinnamon stick? The ones I have are quite long. Then I will be ready to try this recipe! Thanks in advance for your time and assistance.
Hi Valierie – 3 inches or so.