A proper pho broth takes six to ten hours on the stove. This pressure cooker version takes about two hours and still delivers a rich, restaurant-style broth. One batch feeds six. The broth freezes for months.
Pho is my favorite food in the world, which is exactly why I took my time with this one. Most Instant Pot pho recipes cut corners I wasn't willing to cut. This one doesn’t. It takes a little longer than the fastest versions, but the depth of flavor is worth it. If chicken is what you want tonight, use my Instant Pot Chicken Pho instead.
Why This Recipe Works
- Charred aromatics do the work of a long simmer. Roasting the onions and ginger builds the smoky depth traditional pho gets from six hours on the stove.
- Parboiling the beef shanks helps keep the broth clear. Remove them when the water reaches a rolling boil, discard that water, and clean the pot before continuing.
- The pressure cooker builds deep broth in 30 minutes of cook time without giving up complexity or body.
- Gluten-free with suitable fish sauce and toppings. Check the hoisin and other packaged sauces you add. A single batch makes six generous bowls.
How Long Does Pressure Cooker Pho Take?
Plan on about two hours, start to finish. Here's the breakdown: 10 minutes of prep, 15 to 20 minutes of charring the aromatics and parboiling the beef, about 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, 30 minutes of actual pressure cooking, and at least 30 minutes of natural release. Straining, reboiling, and assembling the bowls finish the job; allow extra time if pressurization or release runs longer. Most of it is hands-off. Not a 30-minute weeknight dinner, but compared to the six to ten hours traditional pho demands, it's a shortcut that keeps the soul.
Best Beef for Pho
You need two cuts: bone-in beef shank for the broth, and tender steak sliced paper-thin for the bowls. After straining the broth, set the cooked shank aside for another meal.
For the broth: beef shank is the move. Marrow builds body, connective tissue builds flavor. Oxtail, chuck, or brisket all work if shank is hard to find. A mix of shank and oxtail is the restaurant-grade move if you want to go all-in.
For the bowl: sirloin, round eye, or London broil are the usual pho-shop cuts, and they work well when sliced paper-thin against the grain. If you want a more tender upgrade, use filet mignon. The thin end cuts of the tenderloin are perfect here.
Ingredients For Instant Pot Pho
For the Broth
- 3 inches fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 3 lbs. beef shank
- 16 cups water, divided: 6 cups for parboiling (discarded), then 10 cups for the broth
- 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
How To Make Instant Pot Pho
How to Make Pho Broth in the Instant Pot
Set the oven to 450°F. No need to preheat. Spray a baking sheet with oil, spread the onions and ginger in a single layer, and roast until the edges are slightly charred.
Add the beef shanks to the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water, enough to cover them. Bring to a boil on the high sauté setting. Once it hits a rolling boil, remove the shanks and set aside. Dump the water and rinse any scum from the bottom of the pot.
Add the star anise, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cloves, and cinnamon stick to the pot. Toast on the high sauté setting until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Return the beef shanks to the pot with the charred ginger and onions, fish sauce, sugar, spices, salt, and 10 cups of water. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for at least 30 minutes. Longer is better. Wait until the pressure indicator has dropped and all pressure is gone before opening the lid.
Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer. Set the beef shanks aside. You won't use them in this soup, but don't throw them out. See Expert Tips for what to do with that meat.
Bring the broth back to a boil, either in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting or on the stovetop. Keep it boiling hot for pouring over the paper-thin raw steak in the warmed bowls.
How to Assemble the Bowl
Cook the rice noodles according to the package. Preheat your bowls with hot water. Divide the noodles and raw steak among the bowls and top with the yellow and green onions.
Pour the boiling broth over the raw steak to cook it. Add your garnishes and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Don't skip the char. Roasting the onions and ginger is the single biggest flavor move in this recipe. You can taste the difference in the finished broth.
- Don't skip the parboil. Remove the beef shanks when the water reaches a rolling boil, discard that water, and clean the pot before continuing. Those steps help keep the broth clear.
- Freeze your bowl-meat for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Firm meat is easier to slice paper-thin. Slice against the grain; thin slicing alone does not establish the meat's internal temperature.
- The beef shank is not a throwaway. After the broth is done, the shank has given most of its flavor away, but the cooked meat is still useful. Shred it for tacos, fold it into a quick tomato ragu over pasta, mix it into fried rice, or use it in risotto the way a reader here did. That's a second meal for free.
- Make the broth ahead. Divide unused broth into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Use within three days. Once chilled, portion for freezing and use within three months for best quality. Reboil chilled or thawed broth, prepare the noodles, and assemble fresh bowls.
FAQs
Yes, with suitable fish sauce and toppings. Rice noodles are naturally gluten-free, but fish sauce, hoisin, and other packaged sauces can contain gluten-containing ingredients. Check their ingredients or gluten-free labeling.
Yes. Follow every step as written, but instead of pressure cooking for 30 minutes, bring the pot to a boil on the stovetop, drop it to a low simmer, and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 hours. Go 6 to 10 hours if you want the most traditional depth.
I use a 6-quart cooker for this recipe. Before pressure cooking, check that the water, shanks, and aromatics together stay below your model’s pressure-cooking maximum line. A larger cooker still has a fill limit; do not scale beyond it.
Yes. After cooking, the shank has given most of its flavor to the broth, but the meat is still tender and useful. See Expert Tip #4 above for how I use it.
Oxtail, chuck, and brisket all work. Oxtail gives you the richest broth of the three. A mix of shank and oxtail is the restaurant-grade move.
Divide unused broth into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Once chilled, freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Reboil chilled or thawed broth before assembling fresh bowls.
Yes, and I recommend it. Make the broth a day or two before, chill it promptly in shallow containers, and refrigerate. Reboil the broth and assemble the bowls fresh the night of.
Parboil the beef shank first, dump that water, clean the pot before continuing, then strain the finished broth. Those steps do most of the work.
Made this Instant Pot Beef Pho?
Leave a star rating and tell me how it turned out in the comments.
📖 Recipe
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). Open only after the pressure indicator has dropped and all pressure is released.
- 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Dawn
Delicious broth.
Arielle
What size instant pot did you use for this recipe?
Gary White
6 qt
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!
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!
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/
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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Vanessa
Amazing recipe, for easy and so full of flavor!
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.
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.
Jones
This was a pleasant surprise. It was even better than I hoped it would be!