Today I’m sharing my recipe for Instant Pot Vegan Pho! This recipe is from my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook.
I have loved phở, a very popular Vietnamese noodle soup, since the first time I tried it a decade ago. I tried it at a Vietnamese restaurant in Cambridge on my first date with Max 🙂 I became even more obsessed with it during my one-month backpacking trip throughout Vietnam, so I knew I had to recreate a vegan version for the Instant Pot.
Typically, it takes hours to develop the deep, rich flavors of the broth in pho, and it’s something I aspire to make one day. But, until that day, I’ll be coming back to this version. The Instant Pot delivers a speedy and easy yet flavorful pho that you can serve any day of the week.
More East and Southeast Asian-inspired dishes
- 15-Minute Vegan Noodles with Chili Garlic Sauce.
- Thai Butternut Squash Curry
- Indonesian Tempeh Kecap
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
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Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Instant Pot Vegan Pho
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried rice noodles, dried rice sticks, or banh pho*
Broth
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral, high-heat cooking oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and halved
- 4- inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly smashed with the back of a knife
- 3 whole star anise pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1⁄2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 Fuji apple, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 ⁄2 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (5 to 6 ounces)
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (you can substitute water for up to 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Toppings
- 1 (6- or 8-ounce) block baked tofu, cut into cubes (I used a five-spice flavor, which went really well with the other flavors)
- 3 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, torn up
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, torn up
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- Thinly sliced hot chile peppers or Sriracha
Instructions
- Place the dried rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with warm water, and soak until the noodles are pliable and opaque, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse them to remove excess starch. (Alternatively, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package.)
- Meanwhile, prepare the Broth: Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and, after a few minutes, add the oil. Once the display reads “HOT,” add the onions and ginger slices, cut side down. Do not toss and allow to cook until charred and deeply browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add the whole spices (cardamom pods through black peppercorns) and cook for 1 minute, stirring the mixture frequently. Add the apple, cilantro, tamari, coconut sugar, and shiitakes. Pour the vegetable broth and/or water on top and stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 15 minutes.
- Once the 15-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for
- 10 minutes and then switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- Open the pot and, using oven mitts, remove the inner pot. Carefully strain the broth into a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl (discard the solids). Season the broth with 1 teaspoon salt, stir, and taste. Add more salt as needed.
- Place the cooked rice noodles in individual bowls. Pour over the strained broth and add the baked tofu cubes. Top the pho with the scallions, basil, cilantro, lime wedges, bean sprouts, and chiles or Sriracha.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Perhaps I am a bit biased because I live in Vietnam and have had Vegan Pho here. But this recipe was not good. I followed it exactly and the broth was very watered down and lacking flavor. The flavor that does come through is not really like Vietnamese Pho, unless it’s more of a southern flavor. Pho in the north doesn’t taste like this.
Hi Manh, we’re sorry that was your experience of the dish. We appreciate your feedback and hope you get the chance to try some of Nisha’s other and newer recipes!
It’s -10F here, so I wanted something yummy to warm us up. This was incredible! I didn’t have star anise, but can only imagine that will make it even better. Even won over my omnivore husband “sooo good. You can make that again anytime!” Plenty of leftover broth. Thank you for such delicious recipes!
It’s so great to hear you loved this recipe and that it came in handy during cold times, Ginnie!
Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I made this today. Delicious and easy. I fished out the shiitake pieces from the rest of the pressure cooked mash and ate them; the texture was fine (albeit a little bland). Ate it with thin sliced cabbage and other veggies. A winner for sure!
Thanks for sharing, Emily! We’re happy you enjoyed the pho.