This Instant Pot Pho has all the flavor of an authentically prepared Pho but in a fraction of the time. And the depth of flavor is worth every minute.
I had never even heard of pho until about 10 years ago. But once I tasted it, I immediately had a new favorite food. I'm not kidding. A great bowl of pho is my favorite food in the whole world. So, for that reason, I was a little reluctant to post a recipe. I have a pretty high standard for pho broth. And even though this easy pho recipe takes more time than most Instant Pot pho recipes, the depth of flavor achieved is worth a few extra minutes.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Instant Pot significantly reduces cooking time, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or special occasions.
- The broth gets a smoky depth from charred onions and ginger, which mimic the slow simmering process of traditional pho.
- The broth is the star of the show, simmered to perfection with aromatic spices and charred aromatics.
Easy Instant Pot Pho - But it Takes a Little Time
My Instant Pot is my favorite kitchen tool. While quicker than traditional Pho, this is not the quickest Instant Pot Pho recipe out there. I won't compromise quality for time, so this recipe takes 2 hours from start to finish. The prep is easy, but cooking takes 20 minutes to pressurize, 30 minutes to cook, and 30 minutes to release pressure. It may not be a go-to easy weekday dinner recipe, but when you're ready for something special, it's worth every minute!
Choose High-Quality Lean Beef
I've prepared this dish using several different meat choices. And I must say, without a doubt, it's worth spending a few more dollars for filet mignon. The tenderness is just in a league of its own. If you decide to use filet, I recommend using the thinner end cuts of the tenderloin. Nobody usually wants these for steaks, so they are always available in the grocery store.
If you don't want to splurge on filet mignon, sirloin steak, round eye, or London broil are fine substitutes. They are actually more common in restaurants and work well for thin slicing and easy eating.
More Recipes You Might Want to Try
- Instant Pot Chicken Pho
- Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Cajun and Dill Peanuts
- Instant Pot Dirty Rice
Ingredients For Instant Pot Pho
For the Broth
For the Bowl
For the Garnish
How To Make Instant Pot Pho
And this is the AMAZING result
Expert Tips
- While it is technically okay to skip the first two steps (not charring the onions and ginger or parboiling the beef), here are the reasons why you should not skip them:
- Charring the onions and ginger is the best way to enhance the depth of flavor. You might think you can't tell the difference, but you will!
- By parboiling the beef and getting rid of the scum, the finished broth with be much more clear and appetizing than if you simply cook all of that into the soup.
- If you don't want to splurge on filet mignon, sirloin steak, round eye, or London broil are fine substitutes. They are actually more common in restaurants and work well for thin slicing and easy eating.
- Since you want to slice the beef as thin as possible, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, slice it while firm, and defrost it afterward.
- This broth can be frozen for months and then reheated when ready to serve.
- Char the onions and ginger until they're slightly charred but not burnt for the best flavor.
FAQs
Can I eat the beef shank? Absolutely. After boiling, you will not need the beef shank for this recipe, but it can be eaten separately. We usually serve it to our kids while we eat the soup.
Can I use different cuts of beef for the broth? Yes, you can use cuts like oxtail, chuck, and brisket. You can use a mix of any of these, but I love the complexity from the marrow in the shanks.
How long does the broth keep? The broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
★ Did you make this Instant Pot Pho?
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Instant Pot Pho
Ingredients
For the broth
- 3 inches fresh ginger sliced
- 2 large yellow onions roughly chopped
- 3 lbs. beef shank
- 16 cups water divided
- 5 star anise
- 1 tsp. coriander seed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp. fennel seed
- 3 cloves
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. sea salt
For the bowl
- 1 lb. filet mignon (or top sirloin) thinly sliced
- 14 oz. rice noodles
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
For the garnish
- fresh herbs basil, cilantro, mint
- bean sprouts
- limes
- sauces sriracha, hoisin, chili garlic
- jalapeños
Instructions
For the broth
- Set the oven to 450°F (no need to preheat). Spray a baking sheet with oil and add the onions and ginger. Spread out into a single layer. Place the sheet tray in the oven and bake until slightly charred.
- Add beef shanks to the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water (enough to cover them). Then, using the high sauté setting, bring it up to a boil. Remove the shanks and set aside once the water reaches a rolling boil. Discard water and wash all scum from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the star anise, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick to the pot and toast them on the high sauté setting until fragrant (about 3 minutes).
- Return beef shanks to the pot along with charred ginger and onions, fish sauce, sugar, spices, salt, and 10 cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).
- Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer. You can eat the beef shank, but we won’t use it anymore for this recipe. Return broth to heat and bring it back to a boil. You can do this in the pot using the sauté setting or on the stovetop.
For the bowl
- Prepare rice noodles according to the instructions on the box.
- Preheat your bowls with hot water.
- Place noodles in a heated bowl. Divide the noodles and raw steak among bowls and top with yellow and green onions.
- Pour boiling broth over the steak to cook it. Top with your choice of toppings and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- While it is technically okay to skip the first two steps (not charring the onions and ginger or parboiling the beef), here are why you should not skip them.
- Charring the onions and ginger is the best way to enhance the depth of flavor. You might think you can't tell the difference, but you will!
- By parboiling the beef and getting rid of the scum, the finished broth with be much more clear and appetizing than if you cook all of that into the soup.
- If you don't want to splurge on filet mignon, sirloin steak, round eye, or London broil are fine substitutes. They are more common in restaurants and work well for thin slicing and easy eating.
- Since you want to slice the beef as thin as possible, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, slice it while firm, and defrost it afterward.
- This broth can be frozen for months and then reheated when ready to serve.
- Char the onions and ginger until they're slightly charred but not burnt for the best flavor.
FAQs
Can I eat the beef shank? Absolutely. After boiling, you will not need the beef shank for this recipe, but it can be eaten separately. We usually serve it to our kids while we eat the soup. Can I use different cuts of beef for the broth? Yes, you can use different cuts like oxtail, chuck, and brisket. You can use a mix of any of these, but I love the complexity from the marrow in the shanks. How long does the broth keep? The broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.Nutrition
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Jones
This was a pleasant surprise. It was even better than I hoped it would be!
Sheila
As a vegetarian, what do you recommend I replace the meat with?
Chef Gary
That's a tough one. I actually don't have a replacement suggestion for this particular recipe. Sorry.
Ashley
Tofu is a normal non meat option on the menu of many pho restaurants I’ve been to.
Chef Gary
Yes, but the main component of pho is the broth, not the meat. So, yes you can do a vegetable broth with tofu, but then it really becomes a different dish altogether.
Lauren
I worked at a Vietnamese restaurant and they have a broth that has the same aromatics but the base comes from carrots I think. Add more onions too! I don’t know the recipe but use the same herbs/spices and play with strong tasting veg that boils well.
Josef Roesler
You're supposed to discard 2-3 pounds of beef shank? By discard, I assume you mean eat? That's a lot of perfectly fine, tender, expensive meat to discard.
Chef Gary
Hi Josef - When I developed this recipe, I tried eating the beef shank used to make the broth. But I found that, after cooking for 1.5 hours under high pressure, all of the flavor had cooked out of the meat. It tasted like nothing and I did not find it appetizing at all. So, for that reason, we did not eat them. This is one of those preparations where the broth is the star of the dish, so we used the meat to help create the best broth possible.
Kristin Maloney
I ate the beef shank! I didn’t want to waste it. We added some into the soup to supplement along with the filet mignon, but today I also heated some up and mixed it in with some leftover risotto and it was incredible!! I highly recommend repurposing the beef shank for a good risotto mix in! Yum.
Vanessa
Amazing recipe, for easy and so full of flavor!
Janet S
Excellent recipe.
Gary
Ox tail can be used instead of the shank or both for a extra rich broth.
Chels
If i start with a frozen oxtail how long should i cook it for?
Gary White
I don't think you'll be able to sear them if they're frozen.
Marsha Kathnelson
The recipe looks spectacular but my husband and I are not huge fans of the star Annise and clothes. Can you tell me whether or not you can actually taste those things in the broth? Also, with that much fish sauce will we be tasting fish? We do eat pho and I don’t know what the recipe is of course because it’s in restaurants, but we don’t taste fish or clothes etc. The recipe looks spectacular but my husband and I are not huge fans of the star Annise and clothes. Can you tell me whether or not you can actually taste those things in the broth? Also, with that much fish sauce will we be tasting fish? We do eat pho and I don’t know what the recipe is of course because it’s in restaurants, but we don’t taste fish or clothes etc. I look forward to your kind reply.
Gary
This is a pretty traditional recipe, kinda. I'm 95% sure that all pho contains star anise, cloves, and fish sauce. You cannot distinguish any of those flavors. They just come together to add depth.
Rob C.
I noticed that the ingredients lists coriander seeds but in the instructions you don't mention adding them to the pressure cooker. Should i add the coriander seeds at the same time as the other spices?
Gary
Yes.
NC
Hello! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe but I had a question about boiling the bones. Do you need the skim the broth (of the foam) after the bones boil? When I make bone broth I always have to bring the bones to a rapid boil and skim the foam before letting it simmer. I have not used an IP before but I am looking to open it up and make pho for my first recipe! Thank you!
Gary
No need to skim, though you will pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer (step 3).
Diane
Are you supposed to use 12 cups of water or 10? Or 22? You’ve got 12 listed at the beginning of the list of ingredients and then 10 cups listed later on in the list?
Gary
Thanks for pointing out the discrepancy! It should be 10 cups total. We've updated the post to reflect this.
Ginnie
After returning from a vacation where I had the most amazing pho ever (with the tenderloin) I was sooo happy to make this recipe which was absolutely delicious! I would not change a thing! We ended up adding the beef shank meat to our tomato sauce and served it over pasta. It added a different flavor which was excellent!
Gary
Glad you enjoyed it!
Cynthia
I have been looking for a good pho recipe that is easy to make and delicious. I crave the homemade one my mom makes but she lives in another state! This recipe was delicious. I didn’t have 5 star anise so I used some anise seeds (?) instead, I filled my IP to almost the max line with water and I didn’t strain. I also used the shank as part of the meat inside the pho. It was so flavorful and delicious! Even my pickiest children thought it smelled amazing and even ate it then commenting on how good it was! Definitely doing this again. Already shared it with a few others. Now to find a chicken recipe...
Gary
So glad to hear it was a hit! If you're looking for chicken, you may be interested in our new Pho Ga recipe: https://thefoodieeats.com/pressure-cooker-pho-ga/
Kim
Loved this Pho recipe! i forgot the cloves but we made the best of it lol. I made this in my 6qt Instant Pot. Seared the shanks (1.5lb) and onions before adding spices and water. Cooked the full two hours but couldn't wait any longer so quick release. We are lucky to live near plenty of Asian grocery stores so the pho noodles were an easy find - even fresh ones! All the herbs were in my garden this time of year. We added a splash more fish sauce at the table. Since there are just two of us there is plenty of broth to freeze. I am from Florida but transplanted to Maryland for now. Thank you Gary!
Jen
This was delicious! I looove phō, and make a couple versions at home without the instant pot. This was just as good as any phō prepared stove top, AND faster and easier. The only changes I made were to quarter the onions rather than chop them, and then roast them in the oven (skin on) with the ginger (smashed) for about 30 min at 400 before throwing it all in the pot. It adds depth of flavor. 😊
For what it’s worth, I’m a little snobby about making quality food, and this sort of meal is what the IP is MADE for. The quick, dump everything in and walk away week day meals are easy, but usually not as good as if you prepared it stove top. The IP really shines when you’re using it for complex broths, braised meats, dried legumes, and Indian food.
Gary White
That's so funny that you recommended those steps. I've already planned to add them to this recipe, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks for the confirmation!
Arielle
What size instant pot did you use for this recipe?
Gary White
6 qt
Dawn
Delicious broth.
Elvira
How can this be made without a pressure cooker?
Gary White
For step 3, instead of pressure cooking for 30 minutes, you would bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for hours. Some people simmer their broth for 3 hours, others simmer for up to 10 hours.
Alicia S
I see bay leaves in the instructions but not in the ingredients list. I'm making this right now so I'm guessing 2 leaves. What was it supposed to be? Thank you!
Gary White
Hi Alicia, I apologize for the oversight! In the original recipe we used bay leaves, however upon further testing and development, we removed them from the recipe as they were not needed. I forgot to remove them from the steps in the recipe card. I will update this now.
Huang Wi Ming
This is good in prepare pho due to it cut time to more than 50% in preparing Pho without reduce the quality
Dorothy Chin
Quite a lots of steps on the recipe. It all worth it at the end. Very happy and satisfied. Will continue to use this recipe and pin it as my family favorites. Thanks.
Jacque
Delicious! Do not skip boiling the beef once then skimming off the froth before continuing. I could completely see how it made a huge difference in the finished broth.
Theresa
The broth was restaurant quality. I’ll definitely make this again.
Kell
So I’ve made this before with my pressure cooker following the guidelines and have never had any issues.
However, I upgraded to the instant pot duo and the preset determination for the broth is different, it’s much longer (which is fine) I’m just curious of the recommendation on that, stick to the presets for broth or override and just use it on high for 30 minutes?
Gary White
The only preset I ever use is the rice button. I recommend using times listed in each recipe.
Anna
This is an awesome recipe! I always wanted to make my own pho and i stumbled on to your site. I made it for the second time tonight. I added 2 black cardamom plus i pressure cooked some beef tendon this time. I had thai basil and cilantro to kick it up. It turned out wonderful! Thanks 🙂
Melle Lomax
This was an easy recipe to follow. Unfortunately, I had to improvise on some of the ingredients but still turned out well. My husband gave me a respectful fist bump to give me credit on it, lol. My question is, where did the coriander seeds go in the instructions? I assumed it went into the pot along with the rest of the other ingredients before setting to pressure cook and strained out later. It was still a great at home meal.
Gary White
Thanks for pointing out that the coriander seed was missing from the instructions. I've updated the recipe card to included them in step 3, with the other spices.
Cyndi
I didn't get a beefy full flavor to the broth as I could only find beef soup bones not shanks. But the process was simple. The Roasted onion and ginger made the house smell wonderful and I think improved the broth. Will definitely try again. Will have to go to an actual butcher shop to get the shanks.
JP
I'd like to add 1 pound of beef brisket to this recipe, as I love the cooked brisket/raw flank.
Can I add the brisket in when I return the beef shank to the pressure cooker before starting the pressure cooking?
If so, will I need to add any additional water or time?
Thank you!!
Gary White
Unfortunately, I cannot give you great advice here. I never cooked any brisket in an IP, so I couldn't say either way.
Marissa
This was such a flavorful broth and easy! I used plain soup bones instead of shank and thin cut sirloin. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Laurie Letz
We spent 2 weeks in Haiphong a few years ago and ate pho daily. This recipe is almost identical to the pho we got from street vendors. The broth is amazing! Thank you.
Gary White
Well, that is a huge compliment. Thank you so much for sharing!
Jim
This comes together quickly. I charred my onion and ginger on the stove. I followed the instructions and did the full natural release. I will be making it again.