Quick Beef Pho Recipe
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Homemade beef pho on a weeknight? Absolutely with this quick beef pho recipe that gives you the classic steaming broth and rich flavors but in a much shorter amount of time!
This quick and easy beef pho is one of my favorite weeknight meals during the cold, winter months. It is great for a family meal too because you can customize the toppings to what everyone prefers. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Jump to RecipeWhat is Pho?
Pho (pronounced fuh) is a classic Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, and meat. Toppings generally include bean sprouts, Thai basil leaves, cilantro, limes, and chiles. My favorite restaurant also offers hoisin sauce and Sriracha which I add to my pho.
Traditional pho usually requires hours of simmering a mix of bones, meats, and spices to develop a deep flavored broth. I know most restaurants around my area typically simmer their broths for up to 24 hours to really infuse the broth with flavor.
By using a combination of store bought broth and bouillon, this recipe offers a much quicker way to get the deep flavor of traditional homemade beef pho broth.
Simple Beef Pho Ingredients
- Beef “better than bouillon” and beef stock: These create the base of the soup that the layers of flavor are built upon. You can use beef broth in place of the stock but the stock will provide a deeper flavor.
- Fish sauce: Provides an unami flavor in the broth.
- Soy sauce or tamari: This adds a nice touch of salt to the broth.
- Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar adds a touch of sweetness.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and onion help build out the flavor profile in this quick homemade beef pho broth. The onion helps add a bit of sweetness to the broth and a small portion is set aside for serving with the soup.
- Spices: You’ll need whole cloves, whole star anise, and cinnamon sticks for this recipe. The combination of these add warmth and depth to the broth.
- Thinly sliced or shaved beef: thinly sliced steak (look for flank or sirloin) or shaved beef serves as the protein portion of the soup. The thin cut of the beef allows to cook quickly in the hot broth so that no additional cooking is necessary.
- Rice noodles: Rice noodles have a slightly chewy texture and perfectly slurp-able making them ideal for this soup.
- Optional toppings: Lime wedges, hoisin, sriracha, Thai basil, bean sprouts, and chiles are all popular toppings that can be added to this quick beef noodle soup.
Homemade Beef Pho Broth Process
The building block of this quick beef pho recipe is, of course, developing the flavors in the broth. To do, you’ll combine the broth ingredients in a large pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then, you’ll strain the solids out of the broth before serving. You can use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to help strain the solids. I sometimes layer the cheesecloth inside of my sieve to catch the smaller particles too.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What if I can’t find “Better than Bouillon”? If you can’t find this product at your local store, you can order it on Amazon or substitute regular beef bouillon. Just be sure to stir it well to ensure it dissolves in the beef stock. While you will lose some of the depth of flavor in the broth, you can also leave it out completely.
- What cuts of beef are best for this recipe? I tend to use a flank steak or sirloin. Try to look for a lean, thinly cut meat so that it will cook quickly in the broth. Some other traditional cuts of beef include tripe, oxtail, and brisket. These would require different cooking methods than provided here, if using.
- What type of rice noodles should I use in this quick beef pho recipe? Look for flat rice noodles, usually called banh pho or rice sticks. If you like a large noodle, you can also look for the linguine style rice noodles but these will require boiling for a few minutes like you would a pasta.
- Can the pho be frozen? You can definitely freeze the broth. I usually make a double or triple batch and then divide into mason jars. Once cooled, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simple thaw and heat before adding the noodles, beef, and toppings.
Pho Variations
As I mentioned above, you can definitely vary the type of beef you add to this beef pho. A quick steak pho, using a thinly sliced cut of lean steak, would be delicious. You could also use this recipe as a guide to make chicken pho (pho ga) by substituting chicken bouillon and chicken stock for the beef in this recipe. I would recommend thinly slicing chicken breast and cooking is separate from the broth though, ensuring that it is cooked thoroughly with no pink remaining. Similarly, you could make this vegetarian and use tofu as your primary protein.
More Warming Soup Recipes
If you love this quick beef pho recipe, be sure to check out these other warming soup recipes that are perfect for chilly nights:
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Asian Inspired Vegetable Noodle Soup
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Vegetable Quinoa Soup
- Spicy Potsticker Soup
Quick Beef Pho
Ingredients
Pho Broth
- 2 Tablespoons beef “better than bouillon”
- 32 ounces beef broth or stock
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 1- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Remaining Ingredients
- 16 ounces thinly sliced or shaved beef
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons bean sprouts
- 8 ounces rice noodles cooked and rinsed under cold water (see note)
- Optional: lime wedges, hoisin, sriracha, Thai basil
Instructions
For the Broth
- In a large pot, combine beef bouillon, beef broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve sugar.2 Tablespoons beef “better than bouillon”, 32 ounces beef broth or stock, 1 Tablespoon fish sauce, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
- Add ginger, onion, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat until broth begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.1- inch piece fresh ginger
- Strain broth through fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the solids.1 yellow onion, 2 whole cloves, 2 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon stick
For the Soup
- Add thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, cooked rice noodles, and 3-4 slices of beef to serving bowls.16 ounces thinly sliced or shaved beef, ½ onion, 2 Tablespoons bean sprouts, 8 ounces rice noodles
- Divide the strained broths between the serving bowls.
- Serve soup with lime wedges, Thai basil leaves, hoisin, and Sriracha.Optional: lime wedges, hoisin, sriracha, Thai basil
Notes
- For rice stick or thinner noodles, you can instead of boiling the rice noodles, you can soak in very hot water for 5-10 minutes. Then, add to the hot broth. For thicker noodles, such as the thickness of linguine, you will need to boil for 5 minutes.
- Very thinly sliced beef will cook to medium quickly and easily in the hot broth. If your beef is a thicker cut slice or you prefer it well done, you can cook prior to adding to the serving bowl.
- To freeze the broth, transfer strained broth to freezer friendly container. Let cool completely and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat to continue assembling the soup.
Nutrition
This recipe was tested over and over until we made it perfect. We make this a few times a month and always keep some frozen too. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.