Easy Beef Pho Recipe

5 from 4 votes

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!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Servings: people

Author: Bea & Marco

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