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Instant Pot Beef Pho recipe makes everyone's favorite classic Vietnamese soup recipe SO easy to make at home! Using the instant pot, you no longer have to spend hours making beef pho. It's ready in just 45 minutes, and tastes incredible!
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Fast Beef Pho Recipe
If there's one thing I love, it's changing up my meal plan by introducing new flavors into the menu! And as soon as I tasted pho for the first time, I knew it had to get added to the list. It had a deeply complex flavor unlike anything I'd ever tasted, combining warm and delicate aromatics like cardamom with rich beef and fresh herbs.
Of course, it would have been easy to go out and buy pho broth, but you know me- I love trying to make everything myself, first! If my tamarind-based Pad Thai has anything to say, I love making things from scratch. So I had to make my own pho broth recipe from beef bones!
And boy, am I glad I did. Homemade pho broth is so much more flavorful and fresh tasting than store bought- and by using the Instant Pot to make the stock, it's fast and easy, too!
Why You'll Love My Easy Pho Recipe
It's so fast and easy!
Classic pho recipes are not fast! It often takes hours to cook up proper pho broth. Not with the Instant Pot! This fast pho recipe cooks up in just 45 minutes with easy to follow steps so you can cook up fresh, flavorful, refreshing pho for dinner, stuffed with tender beef, silky noodles and a homemade beef stock based broth.
The homemade stock is incredible!
Many fast pho recipes using beef stock call for carton stock, or even beef broth. While quick and easy, using carton broth or stock can result in a less smooth and flavorful soup. That's the magic of using the Instant Pot! Pressure cooker beef stock cooks up in under an hour, saving hours upon hours of simmering time!
It's the perfect way to use up beef bones!
I love to save meat scraps for making stock! If you've seen my chicken stock or ham stock recipes, you know how much flavor you can pull out of ingredients as simple as meat scraps and leftover bones! My favorite? Collecting all the bones from beef short ribs in the freezer for pho!
Usually, for traditional preparations, pho broth takes hours to cook. Instant Pot Pho saves you so much time, and you won't miss out on any flavor!
Instant Pot Beef Pho Ingredients
- Ginger: You'll want fresh ginger root, not powdered ginger. It has so much more flavor and leaves the broth nice and clear!
- Onion: You can use any type of onion! I prefer red onion for the sharp flavor.
- Beef bones: Any beef bones will do! I like to save up bones in the freezer from meals like chuck roast, prime rib, and short ribs. You can also ask your local butcher for beef soup bones, oxtail, knuckle bones, and marrow bones!
- Flank steak: You'll want a lean beef such as flank steak, sirloin, or brisket. Fattier beef is less ideal for pho as it won't cook for long enough to become tender.
- Star anise pods: Star anise is a beautiful and unique spice with a flavor similar to licorice. It's a critical part of pho!
- Cloves: Whole cloves are important here, not powdered.
- Cardamom pods: Similar to the other spices, you'll want to use whole cardamom pods, not powdered!
- Cinnamon sticks: A whole cinnamon stick will infuse the broth with tons of flavor without turning the broth cloudy!
- Coriander seeds: You may be used to seeing ground coriander, but the seeds are a great way of adding flavor to clear broths.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds a bit of sweetness that balances out the spiced and rich savory flavors of the broth.
- Neutral oil: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable oil or avocado oil. Alternatively, you can adjust the flavor with sesame oil or olive oil.
For the finishing touches, you will need:
- Fish sauce, to taste
- Soy sauce, to taste
- Rice noodles
- Bean sprouts, to taste
- Fresh lime juice, to taste
Finally, we recommend these herbs for garnish:
- Jalapeños
- Thai basil
- Mint
- Fresh scallion
- And of course, fresh cilantro!
While the garnishing herbs are optional pho soup ingredients, they add an extra, delicious layer of flavor to the broth and beef. I recommend you try them out to see what combinations you like best. Basil and jalapeños are my favorite together!
How to Make Pho in the Instant Pot
- Toast star anise pods, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and coriander seeds in a frying pan on the stove. Stir them often and don't let them start to overly brown.
- Roughly chop fresh ginger and onion. Heat vegetable oil in the Instant Pot set to the saute program. 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 for a few seconds, then add beef soup bones and thinly sliced beef.
- Fill with water not all of the way to, but just under, the max line. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to the “sealing” position. Set on manual high pressure for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on how concentrated you want the flavors of your broth to be.
- When the broth is done cooking, remove the steak and slice it. Pass the broth through a sieve to remove impurities such as the spices and any pieces from the beef bones.
- Season the broth with fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Taste and season with salt as you like.
- Dish the broth out into bowls with a deep ladle and garnish with rice noodles, lime juice or lime wedges, beef slices, bean sprouts, basil, mint, scallions, and jalapeños as you prefer.
Tips for Making Pho in the Instant Pot
- If you prefer, you can cook the beef separately from the beef bone broth. I recommend cooking it as we do in our Vietnamese steak salad recipe.
- To make your soup as lean as possible, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Any remaining fat in the broth will rise to the top and you can easily remove it. This is not a necessary step to enjoy Vietnamese beef pho.
- If you have access to it, you can also use Chinese yellow rock sugar in place of the brown sugar in this recipe. Asian supermarkets stock Chinese rock sugar.
- For stronger flavor, allow your pho broth to cook for longer in the Instant Pot. While it will be ready in 45 minutes, you can leave it for up to 90 minutes for a strongly flavorful broth.
Be aware that if you cook the beef in the pot with the broth, you may not want to go beyond 45 minutes of cook-time.
FAQ
Pho (pronunciation: like "fuh") is a Vietnamese soup recipe consisting of a broth that typically uses beef stock, rice noodles, herbs, spices, and meat. One bite of homemade pho with beef, and it's no question why it's so popular!
The rice noodles you use for traditional pho are not keto-friendly, but they are gluten free! For a keto alternative, Shirataki noodles are plant-based, containing no gluten or wheat, and are low-carb. Most grocery stores sell shirataki noodles in the produce section, in the refrigerated section near the tofu.
How to Eat Pho
I love it served over rice or shirataki noodles, with bean sprouts and herbs for garnish. Use chopsticks or a spoon to mix all of the ingredients and toppings evenly throughout your pho.
For the perfect bite, make sure to get a little bit of everything - noodles, vegetables, and meat. And if you're using chopsticks, make sure to use a soup spoon to enjoy some of that delicious pho broth in-between bites!
You can also add hoisin sauce, sriracha, or red chili sauce for extra flavor. A poached egg is also a great addition to your pho ingredients, or a soft boiled egg like you'd add to ramen!
Noodle Soup Recipes
- Turkey Bone Soup - using a turkey or chicken carcass as the base for soup makes for a broth so rich, silky, and flavorful, you'll never want to use plain broth again!
- Italian Wedding Soup - Seriously, this is probably my family's favorite soup ever. It's so unbelievably rich and flavorful, and even better, it's easy. I can't tell you how many times I've made it.
- Italian Meatball Soup - A tomato based variety of wedding soup, this meatball soup is so fast and easy!
- Chick-fil-A Chicken Noodle Soup - All the deliciousness of Chick-fil-a's soup, made from home!
- Chicken Egg Noodle Soup - Rich and packed with veggies, this twist on chicken noodle soup is a must-try!
Instant Pot Beef Pho
Equipment
- Instant pot pressure cooker
Ingredients
Pho Broth
- 4 inches fresh ginger - roughly chopped
- 1 large onion - roughly chopped
- 2 pounds beef soup bones
- 1 pound flank steak - or other lean beef such as sirloin or brisket
- 1 to 2 star anise pods
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 Tablespoon cardamom pods
- 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil; or sesame oil olive oil - or avocado oil
Finishing Touches
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons fish sauce to taste
- 5 to 6 Tablespoons soy sauce to taste
- 12 oz. rice noodles
- Bean sprouts to taste
- Fresh lime juice to taste
For Garnish
- Jalapeños, mint, and fresh scallion
Instructions
- Toast 1-2 star anise pods, 2-3 cloves, 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, 1-2 cinnamon sticks, and 1 tablespoon coriander seeds in a frying pan on the stove.
- Roughly chop 4 inches of fresh ginger and 1 large onion. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the Instant Pot set to the saute program. 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 for a few seconds, then add 2 pounds beef soup bones and 1 pound flank steak (or other lean beef, such as brisket or sirloin).
- Fill with water not all of the way to, but just under, the max line. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to the “sealing” position.
- Set on manual high pressure for 45 to 90 minutes, depending on how concentrated you want the flavors of your broth to be.
- When the broth is done cooking, remove the steak and slice it. Pass the broth through a sieve to remove the spices and any pieces from the beef bones.
- Season the broth with 2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 5 to 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons brown sugar. Taste and season with salt as you like.
- Dish the broth out into bowls and garnish with rice noodles, lime juice, beef slices, bean sprouts, basil, mint, scallions, and jalapeños as you prefer.
Notes
- If you prefer, you can cook the beef separately from the beef bone broth. I recommend cooking it as we do in our Vietnamese steak salad recipe.
- To make your soup as lean as possible, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Any remaining fat in the broth will rise to the top and you can easily remove it. This is not a necessary step to enjoy Vietnamese beef pho.
- If you have access to it, you can also use Chinese yellow rock sugar in place of the brown sugar in this recipe. Asian supermarkets stock Chinese rock sugar.
- For stronger flavor, allow your pho broth to cook for longer in the Instant Pot. While it will be ready in 45 minutes, you can leave it for up to 90 minutes for a strongly flavorful broth.
Be aware that if you cook the beef in the pot with the broth, you may not want to go beyond 45 minutes of cook-time.
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