Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe: Authentic Beef Noodle Bowl 2026

Pho is Vietnam's most famous bowl of comfort: a crystal-clear beef broth perfumed with toasted spices, ginger and charred onion, poured steaming hot over silky rice noodles, thin slices of beef and tender meatballs. It is the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with an irresistible aroma long before it reaches the table.

Our version builds the broth slowly from beef shank and bones, skimming as it simmers so it stays clean and bright. A gauze bag of coriander seeds, fennel, star anise, cloves, black cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper infuses the liquid with that signature smoky, sweet depth.

Everything is assembled at the table, so each diner can add lime, chili, hoisin and sriracha to taste. It is a generous main course for four and a wonderful introduction to Vietnamese home cooking.

Ingredients for Vietnamese Pho Soup

For 4 servings

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 3 or 4 cloves
• 3 or 4 star anise
• 2 or 3 slices licorice root (optional)
• 2 or 3 black cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick (or Chinese cinnamon)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 onion
• 1 piece ginger
• 1 beef shank or 300 g beef shin and 1 or 2 beef bones
• 2.5 liters water
• 1 carrot
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 or 4 tablespoons fish sauce (to taste)
• 250 g rice noodles, 5 mm wide
• 250 g beef
• 12 small meatballs
• 1 small onion
• 1 scallion
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• 1 or 2 red chilies
• 1 or 2 limes
• Fresh mint (optional)
• Fresh cilantro
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha sauce

How to Make Vietnamese Pho Soup Step by Step

1. Toast the spices

In a very hot skillet without oil, toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds and 1 tablespoon fennel seeds along with 3 or 4 cloves, 3 or 4 star anise, 2 or 3 slices licorice root (optional), 2 or 3 black cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick broken into pieces and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns. Toast for about 1 minute, until the aromas begin to release. Set aside.

2. Char the onion and ginger

Peel and halve 1 large onion, and halve 1 piece of ginger. Expose their cut sides to the direct heat of a flame or a very hot skillet. You want them to take on a lightly charred color; this step is crucial for giving the broth depth and a smoky flavor.

3. Blanch the beef

Place 1 beef shank in a large pot, or use 300 g beef shin and a few beef bones for stock. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and let it boil for about 5 minutes. This blanching helps clean the meat and bones of impurities, which guarantees a clearer, cleaner broth.

4. Simmer the broth

Clean the pot and return the now-clean shank and bones to it, then add 2.5 liters of fresh water. Add 1 chopped carrot along with the roasted ginger and onion. Simmer gently for 1 hour, skimming off the fat and impurities that rise to the surface to keep the broth as clear as possible.

5. Soak the rice noodles

While the broth cooks, prepare the 250 g rice noodles needed for the soup according to the package instructions. Most commonly this type of noodle needs only a 2-hour soak. Ideally, have them ready just at the moment of serving.

6. Add the spice bag

After the first hour of cooking, place the reserved spices inside a piece of gauze, tie it securely and add this bag to the broth to let it release its aromas for another half hour. The gauze lets you remove the spices easily afterward and also prevents the broth from becoming cloudy.

7. Season the broth

After this additional half hour, adjust the flavor of the broth to your taste with 1 teaspoon salt and between 3 or 4 tablespoons fish sauce, as you prefer.

8. Strain the broth

Continue cooking until the meat is tender, which tells you it is time to strain the broth. Reserve the meat and discard the remaining ingredients.

9. Slice the meats

Cut the meat cooked in the broth into thin slices, and also slice 250 g raw beef. For the raw beef, the slices must be very thin so they cook quickly in the hot broth.

10. Cook the meatballs

Bring the strained broth back to a boil and, when it is boiling, cook 12 small meatballs in it for about 5 minutes or until they are cooked through.

11. Prepare the garnishes

Finally, prepare 1 small onion cut into fine julienne and 1 scallion cut into rings, which will give the soup its finishing touch. Prepare the accompaniments too: slice 1 or 2 red chilies and cut 1 or 2 limes into wedges. Also chop a few leaves of fresh mint, optionally, and fresh cilantro.

12. Drain the noodles

When everything is ready, all that remains is to drain the noodles, which should finish their soak at this moment, and move on to the great assembly of the soup.

13. Assemble the bowls

In each bowl, place a generous portion of noodles and top with a few slices of cooked beef and the same number of raw beef slices, a few meatballs and a few bean sprouts.

14. Pour over the hot broth

Immediately pour the very hot broth over the ingredients in the bowl. It is important to stress that the broth must be very hot, because this way it finishes cooking the raw beef and heats the rest of the ingredients.

15. Finish and serve

To finish, crown the soup with the onion and scallion on top and decorate as you like. Serve the soup immediately accompanied by the hoisin and sriracha sauces and the accompaniments you prepared: the chilies, limes, mint and fresh cilantro, so each diner can personalize their soup by adding the final touches to their taste.

Tips for the Best Vietnamese Pho Soup

Choose the right beef for the broth

Beef shank is a favorite because it brings everything you need: meat and a piece of bone with marrow. You can also use good beef shin and a couple of stock bones. If you love it, make a big batch and freeze it so you always have some on hand.

Keep the broth clear

Blanching the meat and bones first, then skimming the surface regularly during the simmer, is what keeps the broth clean and bright. Tying the toasted spices in gauze also prevents them from clouding the liquid while still releasing their aroma.

Serve it very hot

The broth must be boiling hot when poured over the bowls, because it finishes cooking the thin raw beef slices and warms the noodles and meatballs. Have all the garnishes and sauces on the table so everyone can season their bowl right away.

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