Vegetarian Pho Recipe

A Healthy Vegetarian Pho recipe with a flavorful and nutritious mushroom broth. This veggie-packed meal will make you ditch the takeout and whip up this Vietnamese classic at home for a vegan pho recipe the whole family will love.

Here’s the thing about pho – it’s one of those meals that seems completely unattainable at home, but is actually deceptively easy. I’m not going to say it’s a quick process – good pho requires simmer-time- but as long as you have some patience I have full faith in your ability to pull off this vegan pho at home.

I’ll be honest though, I wasn’t fully confident in my abilities to pull off vegetarian pho at home. The one thing that sets apart a good pho from a bad pho is the broth. Pho-real, it’s all in the broth. And the base for standard pho is usually meat.

But about 6 months ago a new vietnamese place opened up close to us that was advertising vegan pho made from a mushroom broth. I was skeptical at first but also deeply excited because I’m trying to consume less meat. Plus mushrooms have amazing health benefits so I tried it with an open mind.

Little did I know that it would eventually turn me into a complete pho diva and now when I crave pho I just want my mushroom broth, something that is not always on the menu at many Vietnamese restaurants. So for any of you vegetarians or vegans out there, I spent many a weekend perfecting this vegetarian pho recipe with the ultimate mushroom broth. Let’s chat about it…

Is Pho Healthy?

The real answer? Depends on who you ask. I’m in the camp that all foods fit so there is certainly a time and place for pho. However, not all restaurants make healthy pho a priority. It all depends on what goes into the stock and the variety of veggies and ingredients in the recipe. Most stocks are made with a beef or chicken broth which can have its health benefits. You can learn more about the health benefits of bone broth here, however it really depends on the quality of the meat which is not something all restaurants are transparent about.

Similarly, I’ve been to Vietnamese restaurants whose pho has just chicken, noodles and bean sprouts with no other veggies and then I have my beloved vegetarian pho restaurant that goes over-the-top with the veggies. One lesson I’ve learned is that if eating out, always order an extra side of veggies to stir in. Alternatively you can just make this vegetarian pho recipe at home!

Ingredients in Vegetarian Pho

• Vegetable stock – you can also replace with water if you’d prefer
• Shiitake mushrooms – be sure to use shiitakes as they bring an umami taste to your flavorful broth!
• Yellow or white onion – you’ll chop this in half before roasting
• Fresh ginger – peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks.
• Star anise + Whole Cloves – these are your aromatics that really bring a depth of flavor to your broth
• Tamari – you can also use soy sauce if you’re not gluten-free
• Coconut sugar – brown sugar works too
• Salt + Pepper – reduce salt if you’re watching your sodium intake
• Jalapeno pepper – this is entirely optional but adds a nice kick to your Vietnamese noodle soup
• Veggies – baby bok choy, broccoli and carrot
• Noodles – 1 whole package of rice noodles (generally 8 oz)
• Toppings – bean sprouts, Thai basil leaves, lime wedges, hoisin sauce and sriracha

How to Make Vegetarian Pho Broth

When it comes to making pho at home, it’s all in the stock. It’s tempting to skip some steps, but trust me you’ll want to go through the whole process for a delicious vegan pho broth.

PART 1: Simmer shiitake mushrooms in vegetable stock (or water) in a large pot for at least 30 minutes to release mushroom umami flavor

PART 2: Roast onion and ginger on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. Add star anise and cloves (these are essential spices!) and roast for another 5 minutes. It’s tempting to skip this step but DON’T – the roasting adds so much flavor!

PART 3: Add onion, ginger, star anise, cloves, tamari, coconut sugar, salt + hot pepper (if using) to stock and simmer for 40 minutes.

PART 4: Add veggies to stock and cook for another 20 minutes.

PART 5: Make noodles and add noodles, stock, bean sprouts, basil and lime wedges to bowls and serve!

Now that I’ve broken down the 5 main parts, follow the full recipe below to make this delicious vegetarian pho.

Vegetarian Pho Recipe Swaps

So let’s talk about what swaps to make to make vegetarian pho. The biggest thing is replacing the meat-based stock with a veggie alternative aka mushroom broth. I prefer making a mushroom broth since it brings that meatiness to the recipe with the health benefits of mushrooms and delicious umami flavor. Note: I always use shiitake mushrooms for this recipe as I find them to be the most flavorful.

The other piece is making sure to load up on the veggies. In the last 20 minutes of cooking you’ll add baby bok choy, broccoli and carrots for that extra dose of filling veggies. Feel free to replace these veggies with whichever ones you prefer.

Storage + Freezing

Storage – if you keep the noodles and toppings separate from the soup broth, your vegetarian pho will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. I recommend making the noodles right before eating rather than making them in advance as they don’t keep well in the fridge.

Freezing – you can make the vegetarian pho broth in advance and freeze this. Before adding the vegetables, allow your stock to cool and then freeze in an airtight container. Once ready to eat, remove from freezer and allow to cool on counter for several hours. Then continue with the recipe adding your fresh veggies and toppings.

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Like this recipe? Here are a few others you might enjoy:

• Detox Vegetable Soup
• Healthy Immune-Boosting Soup
• Vegetable Root Dal
• Curried Thai Coconut Ramen