Authentic Quick and Easy Vietnamese Instant Pot Beef Noodle Soup Recipe (Pho Bo) — Vicky Pham (2024)

Pho typically takes hours to cook. It also requires a lot of refrigeration space to store all the different components. This is the reason I just go out when the craving hits and forego the trouble.

For a long time, I wanted to come up with a quick way to make pho without the hassle. I wanted a simple recipe that would work for a busy weeknight or simply, for your average lazy Joe Vicky. After a couple of attempts, I finally came up with a recipe that I absolutely love.

This Instant Pot pressure cooker pho recipe eliminates a lot of the traditional steps without compromising flavor and authenticity. It also keeps the ingredient list to a minimum. Best of all, it comes together in 45 minutes. Yep, you read that correctly. 45 minutes for delicious pho using an 8-Quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. And you couldn’t tell that it was cooked any other way.

If you are looking for the traditional way of making phở and have some time on your hands, I got you too. Click below:

Traditional Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)
Traditional Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Phở Gà)

In this super simple recipe, we’re not blanching the bones to remove impurities. We are not salvages either so we are cleaning them beforehand with a bit of sexy salt rubbing action.

We are not charring ginger and onions as well. We are not toasting the spices. And lastly, we are not cooking for hours with the help of modern technology and our trusted appliance friend, the Instant Pot pressure cooker.

To make this pho recipe less daunting, we are sticking to only beef neckbones for the stock. They have the same flavor as oxtail, a type of beef bones that the trendy restaurants use, but without the ridiculous price tag.

Start off by putting everything in the pot. Beef bones, ginger, onions, and the pho spice bag. I’m using one Phở Hòa brand spice bag, the one pictured in the orange box above.

I’m using an 8-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker in this recipe.

Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. While waiting for the pressure cooker to do its magic, prep and cut the vegetables.

Once the pressure cooker is done, do a quick release slooooowly as not to destroy your kitchen ceiling. Discard the ginger and onions. Remove the bones and set them aside to cool. Once safe enough to handle, remove all meaty deliciousness from the bones and set it aside to add later to your noodle soup.

Next, skim off the impurities that float to the top and discard. For a clearer broth, you can strain the whole pot using a fine mesh strainer. Lastly, season the stock to taste. If you are using smaller capacity pressure cooker, simply reduce the seasonings in the recipe below.

The broth is now done. Ladle hot broth onto a bed of rice noodles, garnish as desired and enjoy.

Trust me. No one will tell that the pho noodle dish came together in less than one hour.

What is Pho?

Phở, pronounced as “Fuh” in the tone of a question, is the national dish of Vietnam. It’s a popular noodle soup that is widely served in Vietnamese restaurants in the states. To be an honorary Vietnamese, you must have at least had pho before.

Pho is a noodle soup dish consisting of rice noodles, meat, and herbs. The two most popular types of pho are chicken pho (Phở Gà) and beef pho (Phở Bò). In Vietnam, pho is served primarily as breakfast, as it takes all night to cook. By sunrise, the broth is ready for locals to enjoy before heading off to work.

Pho Broth and Spices

Pho broth is made from simmering either chicken bones for Pho Ga or beef bones for Pho Bo, along with charred onions, charred ginger and various spices such as Saigon cinnamon, star anise, dried cardamom, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and cloves. Traditionally it’s dry toasted and then placed in a spice bag to steep towards the end of cooking for that amazing finishing aroma.

Pho Ga is topped with hand-shredded chicken meat and sometimes chicken innards and unlaid eggs. Pho Bo is topped with a variety of beef cuts, depending on which Vietnam region you’re in.

What is the Difference between Southern and Northern Pho?

Pho originates in northern Vietnam, but you can find pho scattered all over the country. The northern Pho (aka Hanoi Pho) differs in style from the southern pho (aka Saigon Pho).

Northern pho is more savory with minimal cuts of meat, garnishes, and condiments. You will often see minced raw beef steaks (eye of round) in northern pho. Sometimes it’s even wok-fried in beef fat / talo. Northern pho comes garnished with plenty of scallions and a sprinkle of ground black pepper. It also comes with a long fried breadstick that you can dunk into the broth. Northern-style pho comes ready to eat without adding too much extra stuff. But there are optional condiments of pickled garlic and red chilies available table-side for a bit of customization.

Southern pho is a bit sweeter. It comes with a lot more options. There are a lot of different cuts of beef, such as rare slices of round beef steaks, crunchy tripe, gelatinous tendons, beef meatballs, thinly sliced flank steaks, and brisket. It also comes with a basket of fresh herbs and vegetables that you can add to your bowl. These baskets include Thai basil, culantro (also known as sawtooth herb), bean sprouts, freshly sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, and fresh jalapenos or red chili peppers. Condiments typically used in southern pho are siracha chili sauce and hoisin sauce. But no fried breadstick for dunking.

Pho Seasonings

For a simple pho broth, season with rock sugar, salt, and fish sauce.

For those who want a more authentic taste, add a bit of MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), also known as the-seasoning-that-Westerners-like-to-hate.

I also go one step further by adding bouillon powder. Since I can’t find a beef bouillon powder that I like, I simply add chicken bouillon powder for both chicken and beef pho. You can also use mushroom bouillon powder, which is available in many Asian supermarkets.

Pho Noodles

There are a few varieties of rice noodles that you can use for pho noodle soup.

There are the dried rice noodles in the dry good aisle that requires boiling. You can buy a couple of these packages and keep them forever in the pantry.

There are fresh rice noodles (bánh phở tươi) in the refrigerated aisle. These noodles are semi-dry and require a quick blanch. This is the one that I normally get for my pho noodle soup. They are typically vacuumed-sealed.

And then there are the ones in styrofoam trays that are also labeled as fresh rice noodles (bánh phở tươi) but are flat and wide and definitely fresh looking. Although labeled the same as pho noodles, these noodles are not meant for hot broth, as they break apart easily. These are meant for Banh Uot / Bánh Ướt. They require a quick heat up in the microwave or blanch in boiling water. Then separate by hand, strand by strand.