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This Vietnamese pho recipe is made with an authentic broth made from scratch using charred ginger, onion, fennel, clove, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a Vietnamese noodle soup originating in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century. Since then, it has spread across the globe, becoming one of the world’s most beloved noodle soups. One taste, and you’ll see why. If you haven’t tried it, Vietnamese pho is savory, incredibly aromatic thanks to the perfect balance of spices.

Every time I make this authentic beef pho recipe (phở bò), I want to make it again. It takes some time, but it’s mostly letting it simmer on the stove (the aroma is incredible). We first learned how to make pho many years ago and are so happy that we did. Even if you’ve never made pho before, you can do it, and after you make one bowl you will be hooked.

Key Ingredients

Beef Bones: The secret to the best, most flavorful pho is to simmer bones rich in collagen and marrow for 3 hours. I love knuckle and leg bones for pho, but you can mix and match what’s available. Neck, marrow, knuckle, and leg bones are all excellent options.

Onion and Fresh Ginger: To get that distinctive, smoky flavor of traditional beef pho, you’ll want to char the onion and ginger before simmering them with the bones. It’s a simple step that adds incredible flavor and a bit of color to our broth. You’ll lay onion and slabs of ginger on a baking sheet and broil them until charred around the edges (watch me do it in the video). Then, add them to the stockpot with your parboiled bones.

Pho Spices: Beef bones add incredible savory flavor, but it’s the spices that really make the best pho. Our recipe calls for cinnamon, whole coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves, and a black cardamom pod. If you do not have these in your spice cabinet, you may have success at an Asian market where I’ve often seen spice packets for pho.

The most unusual spice I listed is black cardamom, which I’ll admit I’ve only really use for this recipe. That said, if you can find it, it’s so worth it! I’ve seen it in Asian markets or online. It’s very smoky, and even though we only add one pod, it adds so much flavor.

Fish Sauce: You can’t make pho without fish sauce. You’ll use it when cooking and serving the broth. Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen suggests that when shopping for fish sauce, look for glass bottles, not plastic, and allow price to guide you. Go for the mid to high-priced fish sauce (which will run you $8 to $15). Two brands of pho we have in our kitchen are Three Crabs and Red Boat.

Rock Sugar: Sugar balances the savoriness of our beef broth. I use yellow rock sugar for traditional pho, which I buy at a local Korean market (it is also sold online). If you cannot find it, you can use regular sugar. The flavor is not exactly the same, but it works. (Rock sugar does a better job at rounding out the flavors.)

Noodles: Use flat rice noodles for pho, also known as bánh phở in Vietnamese. Rice noodles are delicate and a little chewy, made from rice flour and water. I use the noodles that are around 1/4-inch wide. You can buy fresh noodles at Asian markets (pictured below), which is a nice treat, but dried rice noodles work nicely.

Beef for Serving: In traditional Vietnamese pho, thinly sliced raw beef is often added to the serving bowls before pouring over hot broth. The heat of the hot broth gently cooks the thinly sliced raw beef to a tender medium or medium-rare, depending on the broth’s temperature. You can use cooked beef instead or leave it out (the soup is still delicious without extra meat).

Toppings for Pho: If you’ve ordered pho at a Vietnamese restaurant, then you know one of the most exciting things about it is the plate of optional toppings that comes with your big bowl of pho! We serve pho soup next to a plate of Thai basil, fresh mint, thinly sliced onion, crispy bean sprouts, and lime. Fresh chilies are also lovely! You can also keep fish sauce, Asian chili sauce, and hoisin sauce nearby.

How to Make the Best Pho

Making pho at home takes some time, but most of that time is hands-off. You’ll spend most of your hands-on time in the first 40 minutes, and then it’s sitting back while the broth gently simmers.

Tip 1: Parboil the beef bones. I highly recommend that you par-boil the bones before simmering them for our broth. It feels a little odd since you’ll fill a pot with the bones and water, bring it to a boil, and then dump all the water down the drain. Many of our readers worry this is getting rid of flavor for your broth, but it isn’t. The flavor comes much later after a few hours of simmering. Par-boiling simply helps clean the bones of any impurities that would muddy the flavor or color of your broth. You can watch me do it in our video!

Tip 2: Toast your spices. The second tip for the best tasting pho is to toast your spices. Toasting them wakes them up and makes them even more aromatic. Toss them into a dry pan over medium heat, stay close, and shake them around several times. You’ll know when they’re ready when you start to smell them. It only takes two to three minutes.

Tip 3: Simmer broth low and slow. Cover the parboiled bones with water, and add the charred onion and ginger, toasted spices, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. The broth will cook at a very low, gentle simmer for about 3 hours, and then you are ready to serve! Before serving, I like to taste my broth and then adjust the seasoning with more salt, sugar, or fish sauce as needed.

Tip 4: Prepare your bowls for serving. When your broth is done, you can strain and get your bowls ready! To assemble the bowls, cook your noodles in a separate saucepan (never in the broth), rinse them, and divide them between serving bowls. Place raw or cooked beef on the noodles, then ladle the simmering broth over them.

Tip 5: It’s all about the toppings. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings, such as fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and lime. I hope that’s helpful! Remember, we have a full-length video walking you through this process, so if you are hesitant, make sure you hit play!

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