Easy Vegetarian Pho

This vegan pho recipe is a simple take on the classic Vietnamese noodle soup. It gets its rich flavor from spices and mushrooms instead of meat.

Vegan Pho

A vegan pho recipe has been on my “to make some day” list for a long time. I got the idea from a Vietnamese restaurant just a short walk away from our house. Their mushroom pho is has a richly spiced broth and loads of slurpy noodles. It’s hot, flavorful, and comforting, but it still feels nice and fresh. After enjoying bowls upon bowls of their delicious soup, I’ve finally made my own vegetarian pho recipe to share with all of you.

What is Pho?

If you’re not familiar with pho (pronounced “fuh”), it’s a Vietnamese noodle soup that features a rich, aromatic broth and rice noodles. Traditionally, the broth is made with whole spices, beef bones, and fish sauce, and sliced beef is also added to the soup. Often, it’s served with garnishes like fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and hoisin sauce.

If you get the chance, I urge you to try authentic pho (vegetarian or otherwise) at a Vietnamese restaurant, but I also hope you’ll enjoy this completely inauthentic take on it. Because this is a vegan recipe, you won’t find any meat here. Instead, the broth gets its flavor from spices, aromatic veggies, and umami shiitake mushrooms. It may not be an exact replica of the pho from down the street, but it’s delicious nonetheless.

Pho recipe ingredients

Vegetarian Pho Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy vegetarian pho recipe:

  • Whole spices – I use a shorter list of spices than you’d find in a traditional pho broth, but they still pack it with flavor. You’ll need star anise, cinnamon sticks, whole peppercorns, and cloves.
  • Onion, ginger, and garlic – These traditional pho ingredients work with the spices to make the broth aromatic and flavorful.
  • Water – I prefer to make my pho broth with water instead of vegetable stock. That way, the flavor of the spices really shines through. Don’t worry – the broth won’t be bland at all. The spices, onion, ginger, garlic, and mushrooms give it plenty of flavor.
  • Shiitake mushrooms – They give this soup delicious meaty texture and rich umami flavor.
  • Tamari or soy sauce – I use it instead of the traditional fish sauce to make this recipe vegetarian. If you also need it to be gluten-free, make sure to use wheat-free tamari.
  • Rice vinegar – It gives the broth a bright, tangy finish.
  • Scallions, baby bok choy, and edamame – These vibrant ingredients make the soup feel light and fresh.
  • Rice noodles – I ladle the hot broth over the noodles instead of adding them to the soup so that they retain a nice al dente bite.

These ingredients make up the base of the soup. When you’re ready to eat, you’ll finish it with garnishes like fresh herbs, lime, bean sprouts, chiles, and sriracha to enrich and balance its flavor.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Easy Vegetarian Pho Recipe

Vegan Pho Recipe Tips

  • Don’t skip the garnishes. When you order pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, it will always come with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime, chiles, and/or sauces on the side. Though they’re presented as garnishes, these fixings are an essential part of seasoning the soup. Stir them into the hot broth for rich depth of flavor. If you ask me, this is the best part of eating pho. You can season it just how you like it!
  • Customize it! I love this vegetarian pho recipe as written, but feel free to customize it to your liking. Add baked or fried tofu for a heartier soup or replace the bok choy with spinach or shredded Napa cabbage. If you can’t find shiitake mushrooms, use cremini or oyster mushrooms in their place. For a lighter option, omit the noodles, or replace them with zucchini noodles.
  • Make it ahead. This vegan pho recipe serves two, but if you want to have leftovers, double it. I recommend storing the broth separately from the noodles and vegetables. Otherwise, the noodles will absorb the broth in the fridge. I also like to cook fresh bok choy even if I’m reheating the broth. That way, it retains its vibrant green color.

More Favorite Asian-Inspired Recipes

If you love this vegan pho recipe, try one of these Asian-inspired recipes next:

Then, find more of my favorite soup recipes here!

4.9 from 40 reviews

Easy Vegetarian Pho

 
Prep time
Cook time
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This pho recipe serves 2, so double if you'd like to make a larger batch!
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
  • ¼ teaspoon whole cloves
  • 5 cups water
  • ½ small yellow onion, cut into 1” chunks
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced in half
  • 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
  • ¼ cup tamari, more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, more to taste
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped
  • 2 baby bok choy, sliced lengthwise into quarters
  • ½ cup frozen edamame
  • 4 ounces cooked rice noodles
For serving:
  • Lime slices
  • Mung bean sprouts
  • Fresh herbs: basil, mint, and/or cilantro
  • Sriracha, sliced thai chiles, or sliced jalapeños
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot over low heat, combine the star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the water, onion, garlic, ginger, and the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain and return the liquid back to the pot.
  3. Slice the shiitake mushroom caps and add them to the pot along with the tamari, rice vinegar, and scallions. Simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Add the bok choy and edamame and cook until tender, 5-8 minutes. Taste and season with more tamari for depth of flavor, and more rice vinegar for tang, as desired.
  5. Ladle the soup into 2 bowls over the cooked rice noodles. Serve with the lime slices, sprouts, herbs, sriracha, chili peppers, and more tamari on the side.

Special thanks to Anthropologie for providing the tableware items in this post!

111 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Julia
    02.01.2024

    This was delicious! Followed nearly exactly. Loved the broth and noodles. Next time I’ll double it to have more leftovers

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.02.2024

      Hi Julia, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Emma from zimtchocolates.com
    12.15.2023

    Hello! Delicious recipe. Any way to repurpose the solid stock ingredients? I hate to just compost them!

  3. Tina
    11.30.2023

    Love the recipe!! Really want to try in, but unsure which noodles to use. I’ve tried in the past to make vegetarian ramen as welll, bu the noodles we chose were not the best. Any suggestions?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.01.2023

      Hi Tina, I recommend using thin rice noodles. They’re sometimes called pad Thai noodles at the grocery store. Hope this helps!

  4. Nerri
    11.05.2023

    Hello again! For those of us that can’t eat mushrooms, what is a good substitute in this recipe? I’d imagine that I’d probably have to miss out since mushrooms might be an essential ingredient in this soup??

  5. Jim Brian
    06.12.2023

    Serves 2 yet 5 cups of water seems extreme with all those other ingredients. That’s 40 oz of water for 2 people. I generally plan to have 12 to14 ounce portions per person.
    I doubled the recipe and used 6 cups, and it was too much water, but other than that it was great!

  6. Carola
    10.26.2022

    I LOVE Pho and have been hoping to find a good vegetarian option. I have tried the Pho they have at my local vegan (!) Vietnamese restaurant but this was WAY BETTER!! And so easy and fast… this will by my new go-to soup, thank you!

    My meat-loving brother was also a fan 🙂
    Also really love that it is for two!

    • Phoebe Moore
      10.28.2022

      So glad you love the recipe!

  7. Judy Johnson
    02.26.2021

    Love the “faux pho” play on words. Plus I love that it’s geared for two people.

  8. Elle
    01.22.2021

    Made it and it was as good as restaurant, meat-based pho. IMPRESSED

  9. asha
    08.02.2020

    Thanks for sharing gonna try this tonight.

  10. Deeksha
    05.25.2020

    Looking so delicious.Thank you for this recipe.

  11. Yes the healthy food book to my house 11602 w laurelwood ln Avondale Arizona 85392

  12. Shiv Saroya
    05.13.2020

    Loved the recipe!!
    It turned out perfectly balanced and bursting with fresh flavours. My daughter said it was the best Pho she has ever had!!! 🙂 Thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.15.2020

      Hi Shiv, I’m so glad you loved it!

  13. Monica
    02.19.2020

    I don’t like mushrooms, but love ramen soup. Is there something I can use to replace in this recipe?

  14. nico
    11.28.2019

    thanks for this recipe. i will try it today. 🙂

  15. món ngon mỗi ngày
    08.25.2019

    I tried to cook this vegetarian pho on the occasion of Full Moon Day 7. The noodle is very delicious, the soup is rich and easy to cook.

  16. Mobasir Hassan from Chicken%20Tikka%20masala%20Recipe%20|%20easy%20chicken%20Tikka%20m...
    08.13.2019

    Looking forward to make these recipe for my kids. Love the way you make it.

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.