This vegan pho is packed with flavor and a perfect blend of spices with shiitake mushrooms and tofu. This is comfort food in a bowl!
Pho is a Vietnamese dish that is usually made with strips of beef simmered in a beef broth.
So of course we are doing something completely different with this vegan version!
We use veggie broth as the base with charred onion and ginger for a rich roasted flavor, and shiitake mushrooms and tofu which collectively replace the beef. And that is simmered in a broth with delicious spices like star anise, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon.
Served with rice noodles and plenty of fresh herbs this is flavor packed to the maximum. It is also light and savory and totally gorgeous too.
And if you love gorgeous vegan bowls check out our vegan burrito bowls and our vegan buddha bowls too.
How To Make Vegan Pho
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
Charred Onion and Ginger:
- To start with you want to peel and halve an onion and cut a roughly 3-inch piece of fresh ginger into halves.
- Rub the onion and ginger halves with sesame oil and place them onto a parchment lined baking tray with the cut sides facing up.
- Roast in the oven at 390°C for 35 minutes until beautifully charred.
The Spices:
- Now you want to prepare your spices.
- Add star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods and whole coriander seeds into a spice infuser.
- Now your spices are ready.
The Broth:
- Add vegetable stock/broth to a pot along with sliced shiitake mushrooms and the roasted onion and ginger. Add in the infuser containing the spices.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the spice infuser and then remove the roasted onion and ginger from the broth.
- Add in some coconut sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sea salt and stir into the broth.
- Add in cubed tofu and bok choy and stir in. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Now your broth is ready.
Assembling your Pho:
- Ladle the broth over cooked rice noodles in a bowl.
- Add fresh herbs and garnishes.
- You’re ready to serve!
How To Serve Vegan Pho
It’s ideal to serve vegan pho over rice noodles and garnish it generously with fresh cilantro, basil leaves, fresh lime, sliced chili and chopped green onions (also known as salad onions, scallions, spring onions).
Squeeze a lime wedge over your soup before eating, stir in the fresh herbs and add some hoisin sauce to your bowl too if you fancy it.
Serve your bowl of pho with chopsticks and a soup spoon. So you eat your noodles and veggies/tofu with your chopsticks and use the soup spoon for the broth.
Can You Make It Gluten-Free?
This vegan pho is naturally gluten-free so long as you use a gluten free soy sauce or you can sub the soy sauce for tamari instead.
Storing Your Pho
Leftover soup can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated as you like. Either the microwave or stovetop are fine for reheating the soup. And then just ladle it over rice noodles and add your garnishes as usual.
Make It Ahead
This is ideal to make ahead as you can cook up the broth and the noodles separately and store them in the fridge and then reheat the broth when you’re ready and assemble your bowls.
More Delicious Asian Inspired Vegan Dinners
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pho
Ingredients
For the Charred Onion and Ginger:
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Peeled and Halved
- 3 inch Piece of Fresh Ginger Halved
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
For the Spices:
- 4 Star Anise
- 4 Whole Cloves
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2 Cardamon Pods
- 1 Tbsp Whole Coriander Seeds
For the Broth:
- 8 cups Vegetable Stock (1920ml) or Broth
- 5 cups Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms (250g)
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 16 ounces Firm Tofu (450g) Cubed
- 2 Heads Baby Bok Choy
For the Noodles:
- 8 ounces Flat Rice Noodles (226g) Dry Weight
For Serving:
- 1 cup Fresh Cilantro
- 1 cup Basil Leaves
- 2 Small Fresh Limes Quartered
- 2 Fresh Chilis Sliced
- ½ cup Green Onions
- Hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the charred onion and ginger: Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Rub the onion and ginger halves with the sesame oil and place them onto a parchment lined baking tray with the cut sides facing up.
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until charred. You will use this in your broth.
- Prepare the spices. Add the star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods and whole coriander seeds into a spice infuser.
- Prepare the broth: Add the vegetable stock/broth to a pot along with the sliced shiitake mushrooms and the roasted onion and ginger. Add in the infuser containing the spices.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the spice infuser and then remove the roasted onion and ginger from the broth.
- Add the coconut sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sea salt and stir them into the broth.
- Add the cubed tofu and baby bok choy and stir in. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Prepare the noodles: Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions.
- Assemble the Pho: Ladle the broth over cooked rice noodles in a bowl.
- Add fresh herbs and garnishes as you like.
- Serve with a squeeze of lime.
Notes
- Use a gluten free soy sauce or switch for tamari if you’d like to keep this gluten-free.
- Green onions are also called salad onions or spring onions or scallions.
- Hoisin sauce is optional but can be quite tasty added in to your bowl. Serve it on the side.
Just wondering, do we have to cook the tofu in any way (frying, baking, etc.) before adding it to the broth? I just thought it would add flavor, do let me know!
No it doesn’t need to be cooked first, it absorbs flavor from the broth.
If one is looking for something light and yet very wholesome and filling, this is it!
Thanks Anna! 🙂