Easy beef pho recipe that takes under 40 minutes to cook. This comforting hot fragrant bowl of clear broth with rice noodles, tender beef slices, and aromatic fresh herbs is a must-make for soup lovers. The unique lightly spiced broth is the key for this quick pho!
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What Is Pho?
Pho pronounced as fuh, is a Vietnamese national dish. It's a clear broth soup served with rice noodles, fresh herbs like cilantro, bean sprouts, spring onion, and lime, together with some protein which typically is beef.
The broth is savory, fragrant, infused with warm spices, packed with umami, and just warms your soul. The delicious broth is achieved by traditionally simmering for 8-24 hours, using beef bones, and marrow bones. You'd also need to skim out the impurities to maintain it being a clear broth.
The taste is amazing but honestly, it's such a labor, especially for home cooks like us, hence this quick pho that cooks in under 40 minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
Being a Southeast Asian, I can live only on soups. Marco says I always surprise him by being able to create delicious soups with whatever ingredients, even when we travel in our motorhome. We both enjoy traditional beef pho soup so much but this quick pho recipe is very similar to it, and here's why we keep coming back to it.
Quicker and easier - We're making a quick beef pho recipe that cooks in under 40 minutes instead of 8-24 hours by using beef and chicken stock. More of our delicious simplified recipes that are worth trying are our 30-minute chicken ramen, easy Pad Thai, Malaysian satay sauce, and quick Malaysian curry laksa.
One-pot recipe - We're making this beef pho recipe even easier by cooking everything in just one pot, including the noodles. For us, there's no point in cooking the noodles separately in another pot when they're going to end up in the same bowl with the broth. We love to keep things even simpler, like our 30-minute chicken massaman curry and Chinese steamed fish!
Preserving the essence of pho - Although this is an easy pho recipe, we're still getting the amazing essence of Vietnamese pho recipe which is a delicious warm, fragrant broth with an amazing depth of flavors. We're not changing the ingredients of pho, we're simplifying them, the same as we did in our slow cooker beef rendang, Penang char kway teow, and slow cooker chicken rendang.
Ingredients For This Recipe
Onion and ginger - The crucial essences of this quick pho recipe. They add depth and bring any ordinary broth to another level.
Spices - Pho soup ingredients need to have cinnamon, black peppercorns, star anise, and cloves to give warm flavors to the broth. Cinnamon also lends a touch of amazing mild sweet spice to it.
Beef - Tenderloins, flank steak, rib eye, or flank iron steak work great. Make sure to slice them thinly against the grain.
Stock - We love to use a combination of beef and chicken stock, to bring the flavors in this homemade pho recipe the closest to the traditional pho. We highly recommend using low-sodium stocks. You can also use water mixed with 1 granule each of chicken and beef bouillon.
Noodles - Flat rice noodles. Thin or thick works amazingly. They're perfect for absorbing the delicious flavors in a dish like our peanut sauce stir-fry noodles.
Garnish - We love the freshness of coriander, lime, bean sprouts, and some kick from chili. Fresh or jarred bean sprouts work great. Optional but highly recommended, some hoisin and sriracha sauce to go with this quick pho!
⭐ See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Char the aromatics - Heat a pot on medium-high heat and add the onion and ginger. Leave them for 2-3 minutes on each side, for them to get charred. Charring the aromatics is the signature of pho, to infuse more flavors into the broth.
2. Cook the broth - Pour in the beef and chicken stock, water, and the spices. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the aromatics and the spices.
3. Cook the noodles - Bring the broth to a boil. Add the dried rice noodles into the broth, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they're almost fully cooked. Don't fully cook them because the hot broth will cook them to perfection when we assemble them and serve them later. Divide the noodles into 2 bowls.
4. Cook the beef - Put the beef slices into the broth and move them around. Cook just until they're not raw, leaving them slightly pinkish, around 30-45 seconds. Divide them into the bowls. The hot broth will fully cook them in the bowls later.
5. Assemble - Pour the hot broth into the bowls. Garnish with bean sprouts, coriander, mint, and chilies. Serve immediately with some hoisin sauce and sriracha. Enjoy your homemade easy beef pho!
Recipe Expert Tips
- Slice the beef thinly. We're cooking the beef for 30-45 seconds only, so the thinner the slices, the faster they cook. Thin slices are also more tender and perfect in this quick pho recipe.
- Don't overcook the noodles. The cooking time varies depending on the type of rice noodles you're using, but we recommend cooking them in the pot just until they're almost fully cooked. The hot broth in the serving bowl will continue to cook the noodles to perfection. This avoids overly soft noodles in Asian-style soups. A slight chewiness and bite to them is perfect!
- Don't overcook the beef. Just cook them in the broth until they're slightly pinkish. The heat from the hot broth in the serving bowl will cook them fully. This ensures a tender and more enjoyable beef texture, not tough.
- For fresh bean sprouts. Put some in the bowl together with the noodles and beef, and then pour the hot broth on top. This will semi-blanch them. We use jarred ones for this quick pho.
What To Eat It With
This delicious quick pho is usually eaten with lots of fresh herbs like spring onion, cilantro, bean sprouts, chili, and Thai basil if you are fortunate enough to find it easily. Vietnamese restaurants serve their beef pho with lots of these fresh herbs, together with lime wedges, hoisin, and sriracha sauces on the side.
Recipe FAQs
Totally! If using chicken breast, slice it thinly and cook it the same way as the beef. If using chicken thigh, add it together with the spices and broth to simmer.
Yes! Cook the broth and discard the spices and aromatic. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. When about to serve, reheat it and follow the instructions to cook the noodles and beef.
Flat rice noodles. Round thin rice noodles also work. Rice noodles are mild in flavor, cook faster, and are perfect for this easy beef pho recipe.
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Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
Easy Beef Pho Recipe
Ingredients
Aromatics
- 5 shallots , sliced in halves
- 2 thumb sized ginger , sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 6 cloves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Broth
- 2 cup (500 ml) low-sodium beef stock
- 2 cup (500 ml) low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cup (500 ml) water
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce , or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 oz (110 g) dry flat rice noodles
- ½ lb (225 g) beef , tenderloins, rib eye, or flank steak, thinly sliced
Garnish
- 1 cup (80 g) bean sprouts
- coriander leaves
- spring onion , sliced
- chili , sliced
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha
- lime wedges
Instructions
Broth
- Heat a pot on medium-high heat and add the onion and ginger. Leave them for 2-3 minutes on each side, for them to get charred. Charring the aromatics is the signature of pho, to infuse more flavors into the broth.
- Pour in the beef and chicken stock, water, and the spices. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the aromatics and the spices.
Noodles
- Bring the broth to a boil. Add the dried rice noodles into the broth, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they're almost fully cooked. Don't fully cook them because the hot broth will cook them to perfection when we assemble them and serve them later. Divide the noodles into 2 bowls.
Beef
- Put the beef slices into the broth and move them around. Cook just until they're not raw, leaving them slightly pinkish, around 30-45 seconds. Divide them into the bowls. The hot broth will fully cook them in the bowls later.
Assemble
- Pour the hot broth into the bowls. Garnish with bean sprouts, coriander, mint, and chilies. Serve immediately with some hoisin sauce and sriracha. Enjoy your homemade easy beef pho!
Notes
- Slice the beef thinly. We're cooking the beef for 30-45 seconds only, so the thinner the slices, the faster they cook. Thin slices are also more tender and perfect in this easy beef pho recipe.
- Don't overcook the noodles. The cooking time varies depending on the type of rice noodles you're using, but we recommend cooking them in the pot just until they're almost fully cooked. The hot broth in the serving bowl will continue to cook the noodles to perfection. This avoids overly soft noodles in Asian-style soups. A slight chewiness and bite to them is perfect!
- Don't overcook the beef. Just cook them in the broth until they're slightly pinkish. The heat from the hot broth in the serving bowl will cook them fully. This ensures a tender and more enjoyable beef texture, not tough.
- This recipe is generous for 2 people and makes a small portion for 4.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Originally published on Jan 10, 2019. Updated with improved text and pictures on Feb 29, 2024.
Mauren Lurtam says
It was so good for being a quick version.
I used to have this for breakfast when I went to Vietnam.
Soup in a hot and humid weather. Why not. LOL.
Thank you for this recipe. I will use it often.
Bea & Marco says
Totally agree! We love the traditional pho and this is the easiest way to enjoy it at home. And yes, soups are enjoyed throughout the year in Southeast Asian countries! Haha! Thanks, Mauren!
Marry says
When I read how simple the recipe was, I was skeptical but decided to try.
I'm happy that I did!!! We loved it.
Thanks and god bless.
Bea & Marco says
Haha! Right? We're happy to hear that you liked it, thanks Marry!
Eilen Soo says
I've tried the authentic Pho and I have to say, even though this recipe is a shortcut version of it, it still taste good. Thanks for this alternative recipe.
Bea says
Happy to hear that, Eilen. Thank you!