This vegetarian recipe is a delicious vegetarian twist on Vietnamese noodle soup! It has a rich, spiced broth filled with tender vegetables and herbs.
This vegetarian pho recipe is a delicious vegetarian twist on the classic Vietnamese noodle soup. It’s an updated version of a recipe I first shared in 2016, inspired by vegetarian pho from a Vietnamese restaurant near our house. The richly spiced broth is packed with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and tons of drinkable noodles. With aromatic herbs and lemon juice, it is vibrant, bright and soothing at the same time.
It’s a perfect recipe to make when you want something comforting and fresh (Which for me is almost every day in the winter). Be aware that preparation takes some time, but you can split the steps if necessary. Once you taste the delicious broth, I think you’ll find that every minute was worth it.
What is fu?
Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup made with a rich, aromatic broth and rice noodles. Traditional pho (pronounced “fuh”) is not vegetarian. It is typically prepared using beef broth seasoned with fish sauce, charred onions, ginger, and warm spices such as cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. The broth is filled with more beef as well as noodles and fresh garnishes such as herbs, bean sprouts and chili peppers.
Vegetarian ingredients
Of course, because this recipe is vegetarian, you won’t find any beef or fish sauce here. I use traditional charred aromatics and spices to build flavor in the broth, as well as shiitake, kombu, and tamari mushrooms for flavorful depth.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make this happen:
- White onion and ginger – You’ll char them under the broiler to add a smoky flavor to the broth.
- Star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds – The stellar broth ingredients! It’s what gives it the aromatic flavor you find in traditional pho broth. Don’t be tempted to substitute ground spices here, you really need whole spices to build the flavor of the broth.
- Shiitake mushroom – The stems will simmer in the broth and the fried mushroom caps add to the soup.
- Combo Seaweed And tamari -You won’t find these ingredients in an original pho recipe, but they help build delicious flavor in this vegetarian broth. Kombu is a type of seaweed that you can find in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores. It is also available online. If you don’t have tamari on hand, you can substitute it with regular soy sauce, although you may want to use a slightly smaller amount. I find soy sauce to be saltier than tamari.
- Rice noodles, bok choy, and baked tofu -They make the soup fresh and satisfying.
- Rice vinegar – To fry Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. It helps soften the greens and adds a refreshing flavor.
- Mung bean sprouts, fresh herbs, and jalapeno – The foo is decorated! Top your pot with them for freshness, heat and crunch.
- Lemon slices and sriracha – Add these ingredients according to your taste while eating!
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to make vegan pho
You can find the full pho recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s an overview of how things are going:
1. Prepare pho broth
Start by making the pho broth. First, you’ll sear the onions and ginger under the oven broiler to get the smoky flavor and bring out their natural sweetness. Ginger may cook more quickly than onions. If necessary, remove from baking sheet and continue to cook onions until soft and charred.
Next, toast the spices In a large pot over medium heat to let the flavors develop.
Then, boil the broth. Add 8 cups water, charred onions, ginger, mushroom stems, kombu, and dates to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain the broth To remove spices, vegetables and kombu.
2. Prepare noodles and vegetables
Next, you need to prepare the pasta and vegetables. Slice the mushroom caps and fry them in a large skillet, then add the bok choy to the skillet and cook until tender. I add rice vinegar to the pan halfway through the cooking time to create steam and add a tangy flavor.
Prepare noodles according to package instructions.
advice: I often simplify this recipe by using pre-baked, store-bought tofu instead of baking the tofu myself. If you want to bake your own tofu, you will do this step at this point. Find my favorite recipe in this guide on how to cook tofu.
3. Submission
For Fu service, Divide the noodles, bok choy, mushrooms, and tofu into four bowls.
Ladle the hot broth to cover, then stir in the bean sprouts, herbs, and jalapenos to taste.
Serve with lime wedges, sriracha, and more tamari on the side!
Tips for storing and planning ahead
Pho broth keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. I often make the broth ahead of time To simplify the preparation of this soup.
If you have leftovers, Store pasta and vegetables separately from broth. Any leftover rice noodles and cooked vegetables will keep good for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
Reheat the broth on the stove or in the microwave before ladling it over the pasta and vegetables and serving.
More vegetarian soup recipes
If you like this vegetarian soup, try one of these delicious vegetarian soup recipes:
Vegetarian pho
serves 4
For broth
- 1 White onion, Quarters
- 1 (3 inch) piece Fresh ginger, Half lengthwise
- 4 Star anise
- 4 Whole cloves
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel seeds
- 8 Cups water
- Stems of 8 oz shiitake mushrooms
- 1 (4 inch) piece Combo
- ¼ cup Tamari, Plus more for service
For soup
- 2 tablespoons Avocado oil
- 8 ounce Shiitake mushroom, Stem and cut
- sea ​​salt
- 2 Baby bok choy, Quarters lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons Rice vinegar
- 8 ounce Rice noodles
- Baked tofu
- Mung bean sprouts, My choice
- 2 Jalapeno pepper, Stems and cut into thin slices
- Fresh basil or Thai basil leaves
- Fresh coriander
- Lime wedges, For service
- Sriracha or chili oil, For service
Prevent the screen from turning dark
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Preheat the oven grill to high temperature, then cover a baking tray with aluminum foil.
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Prepare the broth: Place the sliced ​​onions and ginger, cut side up, on a baking tray. Grill for 10 to 20 minutes, or until charred. If the ginger is ready before the onions, remove it from the baking sheet and continue to grill the onions until they are soft and well charred around the edges.
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Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, coriander and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add water, onion, ginger, mushroom stems, kombu, and tamari. Simmer for 30 minutes.
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Place a fine mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl, then strain the broth into the bowl. Discard the spices, onion, ginger, mushroom stems and kombu.
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Meanwhile, prepare the soup: Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes or until the mushrooms turn brown and begin to become tender.
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Place the bok choy slices in the pan so that the cut sides are touching the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then add the rice vinegar and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until bok choy is tender. If the pan becomes dry, add 2 tablespoons water. Remove it from the heat and leave it aside.
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Prepare noodles according to package instructions, then divide among four large soup bowls. Add mushrooms, bok choy, and baked tofu. Ladle in broth to cover.
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Garnish each bowl with bean sprouts, if using jalapeno, basil, and cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, Sriracha, and more tamari.