Pho (Easy Instant Pot Pho Recipe)

Enjoy a comforting bowl of Instant Pot pho, where rich beef broth comes together in just an hour of pressure cooking.

This recipe blends fragrant toasted spices, charred aromatics, and tender beef for a quick yet flavorful version of the classic Vietnamese dish.

Serve the savory broth over rice noodles with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced beef, topped with a squeeze of lime and your favorite sauces.

It’s an easy, satisfying way to bring the taste of authentic pho to your table in no time.

What’s Instant Pot Pho?

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs, and meat – typically beef or chicken. It is often enjoyed as a comforting meal, loved for its balance of savory, fresh, and spicy flavors.

The dish is most famous for its fragrant, aromatic broth made by simmering bones, spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cloves, and aromatics like ginger and onions for several hours.

While some may argue that the slower, longer simmer of traditional pho offers a more layered depth of flavor, the Instant Pot version still delivers a robust, aromatic broth in much less time, making it a convenient option without a major loss in taste quality.

Tips for making instant pot pho at home

1. Blanching the Bones and Meat: Blanching helps remove impurities from the bones and meat. If simmering in a large pot, you can skim off impurities during cooking, but with the Instant Pot’s sealed environment, there’s no opportunity for that. To ensure a clean broth, it’s important to blanch the bones and meat before pressure cooking. Don’t skip this step!

2. Broil the Bones and Aromatics: Broil the bones, onion, and ginger in the oven until the bones are browned and the aromatics are nicely charred. This quick step helps intensify the flavor of the broth by adding a slight smokiness and caramelization that enhances the overall richness of your pho.

3. Toast the Spices: Toast the spices before adding them to the broth to release their essential oils and enhance the pho’s aroma.

4. Pressure Cook for Enough Time: Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook for at least 1 hour. This helps extract the rich flavors from the bones and spices.

5. Chill the Broth Overnight: If you have time, let the broth cool in the fridge overnight. This makes it easier to skim off excess fat for a lighter, clearer broth.

6. Use Thinly Sliced Raw Beef: Adding raw beef to pho is a traditional technique that enhances the flavor and texture of the dish. When thinly sliced raw beef is placed on top of the hot noodles and broth, the heat from the broth gently cooks the meat. This method helps keep the beef tender and juicy while preserving its fresh, delicate flavor. It also adds a layer of richness and a satisfying texture to the pho.

7. Choice of Raw Beef: For pho, you’ll want to choose tender cuts of beef that cook quickly when exposed to hot broth. For example, you can choose beef tenderloin, ribeye, sirloin, or brisket. Make sure to slice the beef very thinly, against the grain, to ensure it cooks evenly and quickly when you pour the hot broth over it.

8. Pour Boiling Hot Broth: Pouring boiling hot broth over thinly sliced raw beef is a classic technique in pho preparation. The intense heat of the broth cooks the beef instantly, keeping it tender and flavorful while allowing it to absorb the soup’s rich flavors. This method ensures that the meat is cooked to perfection without becoming tough or overdone. Additionally, the freshly cooked beef adds a delicate texture that balances the bold flavors of the broth and fresh garnishes. It’s an essential step for achieving the authentic pho experience. Be extra careful when you handle hot broth!

9. Adjust to Taste: Always taste the broth before serving. Adjust the saltiness with fish sauce and balance flavors with lime, herbs, and sauces like hoisin or sriracha.

These tips will help you create a rich and flavorful pho that tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, even with the convenience of an Instant Pot.

Equipment

• 1 Large Pot (For parboiling the beef)
• 1 Small skillet (For roasting the spices)
• 1 Pressure cooker (Instant pot)
• 1 fine mesh strainer (For skimming off the extra fat)

Ingredients  

– Pho broth:

• 2 lbs beef (beef shank or brisket)
• 1 lb beef bones (optional)
• 1 large onion (or 2 small onions; halved)
• 1 ginger (3-inch piece)
• 8 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar (ideally use rock candy)
• 1 pho spice bag (You can buy pho spice bags at local Asian markets or on Amazon. If you prefer, you can also collect the spices by yourself: 4 star anise pods, 5 whole cloves, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 black cardamom.)

Pho noodles (1 servings):

• 1½ cup beef broth
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (gradually add to your taste)
• 1 serving rice noodles (You can use store bought rice noodles or make them at home by following my rice noodles recipe.)
• 5 slices thinly sliced beef (Use brisket, sirloin, or eye of round)
• 5 slices cooked beef
• ¼ cup bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
• 4 Thai basil leaves
• 1 lime (cut into wedges)
• 1 Thai chili pepper (optional. Can also use a Jalapeño)
• 1 tbsp sriracha (optional)
• 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce (optional)

Instructions 

– Blanch the bones and meat

1. Add the beef bones and meat to a large pot. Fill the pot with enough cold water to fully submerge the beef and bones. Bring the water to a boil.

2. Let the beef and bones boil for 5 to 10 minutes. During the boiling process, you’ll notice foam and scum rising to the top. Skim it off with a spoon or ladle.

3. After 5-10 minutes, drain the beef and bones into a colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove any remaining impurities.

– Broil the bones (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to the broil setting. (If your oven doesn’t have a broil setting, preheat on bake setting at 500°F.)

2. Arrange the blanched beef bones on a baking sheet lined with foil.

3. Cut the onion in half and slice the ginger lengthwise. Place them cut-side down on the same sheet.

4. Place the baking sheet on the top rack. Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the bones are browned and the onion and ginger have a nice char on their surfaces. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.

5. Once nicely charred, remove the sheet from the oven.

– Toast spices:

1. Place a small dry skillet or frying pan over medium heat. No oil is needed.

2. Add the pho spices to the pan. Stir the spices frequently for 2-3 minutes, or until they become fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. The goal is to release the essential oils and enhance the aroma.

3. Once toasted, remove the spices from the pan and let them cool. Place the toasted pho spices into a small spice bag. You can also use a piece of cheesecloth tied with string if you don’t have a spice bag.

– Pressure Cook the Broth:

1. Add the beef bones, meat, ginger, onion, pho spice bag, salt, and sugar to an Instant Pot. Pour in enough water to cover the bones and meat by a couple of inches (about 8 cups).

2. Lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to “Pressure Cook” on medium for 1 hour.

3. After the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for about 10 minutes.

4. Open the Instant Pot, and carefully remove the bones and meat. Remove the spice bag from the pot and discard it. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove solids.

5. You can use the pho broth immediately, or, if you prefer, allow it to cool to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, you’ll find a layer of white fat on the surface. Use a fine mesh strainer to skim off this fat for a cleaner broth.

– Assemble the Pho:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the dry rice noodles to the boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.

2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, usually for about 4-6 minutes.

3. Once the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander. Put them in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and to remove excess starch.

4. Put the cooked noodles into a large bowl. Arrange the thinly sliced beef, bean sprouts, cilantros, basil, lime wedges, and Thai chili pepper over the noodles.

5. Add 1½ to 2 cups of beef broth to a pot and bring it to a boil. Gradually stir in fish sauce to adjust the saltiness to your preference.

6. Pour the boiling broth over the raw beef to cook it instantly.

7. Add your preferred sauces, such as hoisin sauce or sriracha, and enjoy the pho while it’s hot.

My other noodles recipes you will also like: