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Make restaurant-quality beef pho right at home in less than an hour following our Instant Pot Pho Recipe! 🍜 It’s light and aromatic, but packed with rich, warm flavors. We know you’re going to love this dish!
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Quick Pho Recipe
When you think about Vietnamese pho, quick probably is not the word that comes to mind. The broth usually takes hours to simmer and build up flavor.
That’s what makes this quick pho recipe so special: it’s an Instant Pot recipe, so it takes under an hour to make without missing out on any flavor!
Our Instant Pot Pho is deeply flavorful, with an aromatic beef broth, fresh herbs, and strips of steak. I guarantee you’re going to love this dish. It’s one of my favorite cold weather recipes and is perfect for a rainy day!
What kind of noodles do you use for pho?
Pho is traditionally a rice noodle soup. We use narrow rice noodles to make this dish.
However, instead of rice noodles, you can also use ramen noodles, vermicelli, udon noodles, or even angel hair pasta.
Do you need to soak rice noodles before cooking?
No need to soak the rice noodles before cooking them. Simply prepare them according to the package instructions by boiling in water, drain well, then add to the broth when serving.
What is the best meat for pho?
Sirloin steak is the best meat for beef pho. You can also use flank, eye round, London Broil, or any other lean beef meat!
We also use beef soup bones to fill out the flavor of the broth.
For even more flavor, try adding Beef Meatballs!
How do you thinly slice beef for pho?
To easily cut steak for pressure cooker pho, remove it from the broth after cooking, then slice thinly against the grain. It should be tender and cut easily.
If you want to slice it before cooking, freeze your beef for 15-20 minutes, then cut it thinly against the grain. Freezing it makes it much easier to slice.
Another option is to buy hot pot beef slices from your Asian supermarket, or even shaved beef sirloin sold for cheesesteaks!
You can also use leftover beef. Instead of adding it to the pressure cooker when cooking the broth, save leftovers to add to the end. Slice thinly and add to the broth when serving.
🧂 Pho Spices
For our pho spices, we use a mix of:
- Star anise pods
- Cloves
- Cardamom pods
- Cinnamon sticks
- Coriander seeds
Combined with onion, fresh ginger, and brown sugar, these spices give the Instant Pot pho broth so much flavor.
Instead of brown sugar, you can also use Chinese Rock Sugar, if you have it available. Chinese Rock Sugar is available at Asian supermarkets and works so well for this dish.
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- If you prefer, you can cook the beef separately from the broth and add it after cooking. This is a great way to use up leftovers, too!
- Use a vegetable oil with a high smoke point. Sesame oil, olive oil, or avocado oil all work well!
- For an even more flavorful pho broth, increase the cooking time to 60 minutes on high pressure. However, you may want to cook the steak separately if you do this.
- If you want to make the pho soup as lean as possible, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Skim the fat off the top.
Is pho gluten-free?
Yes! Our Instant Pot Pho is a great gluten-free recipe. Just double-check your soy sauce and fish sauce to make sure both are gluten-free sauces.
📖 Easy Asian Recipes
- Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread
- Easy Vietnamese Beef Salad Recipe
- Korean BBQ Beef Bowls
- Spicy Chinese Chicken
- Chinese Shrimp Stir Fry
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📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Pho Recipe
🍳 Equipment
🥘 Ingredients
Pho Broth
- 1 lb. sirloin steak or other lean beef, such as flank steak, eye round, or london broil
- 2 lbs. beef soup bones
- 4 inches fresh ginger roughly chopped
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 1 star anise pod(s) 1-2 pods, to taste
- 2 cloves 2-3 cloves, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick(s) 1-2 sticks, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
- 2 tsps. brown sugar or Chinese rock sugar if available
- 2 Tbsps. vegetable oil or sesame oil, olive oil, or avocado oil
Finishing Touches
- 2 Tbsps. fish sauce 2-3 Tbsps., to taste
- 5 Tbsps. soy sauce 5-6 Tbsps., to taste
- 12 oz. rice noodles cooked and drained
- bean sprouts to taste
- fresh lime juice to taste
- jalapeno slices, basil, mint, and fresh scallion for garnish, to taste
🔪 Instructions
- Toast 1-2 star anise pods, 2-3 cloves, 1 Tbsp. cardamom pods, 1-2 cinnamon sticks, and 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds in a skillet.
- Roughly chop 4 inches ginger and 1 large onion. Heat 2 Tbsps. vegetable oil in the Instant Pot on saute mode. Cook the ginger and onion for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Switch off the saute function and add the toasted spices to the pot. Stir.
- Add 2 pounds beef soup bones and 1 pound sirloin steak.
- Fill with water just under the max fill line. Lock the lid in place. Set on manual high pressure for 45 minutes.For more concentrated flavors, cook for up to 90 minutes.
- When done cooking, remove the steak and slice it thinly against the grain.Pour the broth through a sieve to remove the spices and any pieces from the beef bones.Season the broth with 2 to 3 Tbsps. fish sauce, 5 to 6 Tbsps. soy sauce, and 2 tsps. brown sugar. Taste and season with salt as you like.Add the broth to bowls and serve with rice noodles, lime juice, beef slices, bean sprouts, basil, mint, scallions, and jalapenos. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you prefer, you can cook the beef separately from the broth and add it after cooking. This is a great way to use up leftovers, too!
- Use a vegetable oil with a high smoke point. Sesame oil, olive oil, or avocado oil all work well!
- For an even more flavorful pho broth, increase the cooking time to 60 minutes on high pressure. However, you may want to cook the steak separately if you do this.
- If you want, to make the pho soup as lean as possible, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Skim the fat off the top.
Nutrition
Photography by Daniela Lambova
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!