Vegetarian Pho
This vegetarian pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) is full of flavor, thanks to spices, herbs and sautéed shiitake mushrooms! It’s easy and fun to make, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 30, 2024
Hallelujah! I finished my cookbook. Photos are finalized and uploaded; every sentence has been double-checked for accuracy. We even made “Cookie + Kate” bigger on the cover, thanks to your feedback. I can’t wait for you to see it on May 16th!
The minute I sent off the final draft of my book, I started plotting my next vacation. I’ve felt tied to the book project for the past year and a half, both mentally and physically. As rewarding as it’s been to produce a book that I’m 100 percent proud of, it’s been way too long since I got a break—a real, true, mind-clearing break.
On my list for this year? A yoga retreat in Morocco (booked!), exploring Costa Rica with Grandma Virginia (she’s been dying to go), and who knows, maybe Southeast Asia or Iceland for good measure. Is that too much? The answer I’m looking for is, “No!” I’m suffering from a serious case of wanderlust and a palpable sense of urgency to go now—right now, post-cookbook, while I’m still young and fancy-free.
To appease my travel cravings for now, I’m cooking up some exotic recipes in my kitchen, including Vietnamese pho. It’s hot, comforting and fresh, and fills the house with warming aromas of cinnamon, anise, cloves and ginger.
Vegetarian Pho Tips
Traditionally, pho is made with strips of beef, and the broth is flavored with fish sauce. To make mine vegetarian, I substituted shiitake mushrooms for the beef and used tamari (or soy sauce) instead of the fish sauce.
I tried a vegetarian pho recipe a couple of years ago that was essentially fat-free due to the use of vegetable broth and the absence of meat. As a result, it was lacking in body and depth of flavor. For this version, I intentionally sautéed the mushrooms in some oil to enhance their flavor and texture and to add extra depth to the soup. Success!
Also of note, I used a combination of vegetable broth and water to make sure that the delicate notes of cinnamon, star anise, clove and ginger shine through. So, that’s why you might want to add some salt back in during the cooking process. (For the photos, I made the mistake of using a very orange broth, but yours will be clearer in color and flavor.)
For a more intensely flavored broth, char your onions and ginger before adding them to the broth—it’s an extra step that takes 20 minutes but makes this pho taste a little more traditional (see recipe notes for details).
Watch How to Make Vegetarian Pho
This is a fun, quick and delicious version of your favorite restaurant’s pho, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Please let me know how it turns out in the comments!
Craving more light and healthy soups? Browse all of my vegetarian soups here.
Vegetarian Pho
This vegetarian pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) is full of flavor, thanks to spices, herbs and sautéed shiitake mushrooms! It’s easy and fun to make, too. Recipe yields 4 generous bowls of soup.
Ingredients
Soup
- Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 large white onion*, peeled and quartered
- 4-inch piece of fresh ginger*, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock or broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 6 ounces (one large handful) rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, mild extra-virgin olive oil or your neutral-flavored oil of choice
- 5 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
- Salt
Garnishes
- Mung bean sprouts
- Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or cilantro
- Sprigs of fresh mint
- Thinly sliced green onions (mostly green parts)
- Very thinly sliced fresh jalapeño (omit if sensitive to spice)
- Small wedges of lime
Instructions
- Warm a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, ginger, vegetable stock, water and tamari. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavors time to meld.
- In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside.
- To prepare the shiitake mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside.
- Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavors of the spices really shine.
- Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content (don’t forget the lime!). Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoons.
Notes
If you love spicy pho: Sriracha overpowers the delicate flavors in this soup, so I don’t recommend adding any. You can add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the broth as it cooks, and/or add extra sliced jalapeño to your bowls.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (tamari is usually gluten-free, but check your bottle to be sure).
*For even more flavor: Char your onions and ginger before adding them to the pot. If you go this route, just slice the onion in half (instead of quarters), and don’t peel the ginger. You have a few options on how to char them—you can supposedly char them with metal tongs over a gas flame (I don’t have gas, so I couldn’t try this), or broil them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, or—the most reliable method—roast them, cut sides down, on a baking sheet, on the upper rack in a 500 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Mushroom alternatives: You can just omit the mushrooms altogether (I’d actually stir a couple teaspoons of oil into the broth, for body). Untraditional alternatives include crispy tofu or steamed edamame.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Frontier Co-op and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Congrats on the cookbook, lady! Hope you have a minute you dust off your hands, kick your feet up, and relax with a bowl of pho.
Thank you so much, Annie! I appreciate it. :)
This soup is so stunning! Perfect timing for the January blahhhs. Congrats on finishing book- so excited to see the real deal! P.S NEVER enough travel plans :)
Thank you, Meredith! Oooh, I just can’t wait to get some stamps in my freshly renewed passport.
Oh, I’m moving this to the top of my recipes for the weekend! I love my slow-cooker faux pho, but once those smells start filling my apartment I don’t want to wait 5 hours to get my fill.
Thanks for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it, and congrats on the cookbook!!!
Thanks, Dani! Hope you love this one. Slow cooker pho is a good idea, too. Have a great weekend!
god no, that’s not too much!! You deserve it, and i know more than most what you’ve put into that cookbook – enjoy yourself, cause your cookbook is the BOMB!!
Thank you, Dervla! Definitely couldn’t have done it without you. :)
OMG! Totally making this tomorrow ahead of the ice storm. Question, as a fellow Kansas Citian, where do you find this super fresh produce? I’ve been going to Sprouts.
Thanks, Taisha! I got lucky and found some good produce at SunFresh for this one. I just recently went to Nature’s Own and bought the most amazing produce. I still have a bunch of their kale in my fridge that’s going strong a week later! Sometimes I go all the way to Whole Foods.
Do you have an idea to sub some of the mushrooms? I love them and would love to make this but my husband doesn’t and since it’s just the two of us, I’m afraid that I’d just be making this for myself :( I think I would still put mushrooms in mine but do you think it would be too light if I took them out of his?
Sarah
I’m wondering the same…I’ve always been curious about pho but I don’t care for mushrooms at all. I can’t think of any substitutes off the top of my head, though.
Hey Sarah, you could certainly just omit them (easy enough, since you sauté them separately and add to individual soup bowls). Untraditional alternatives include tofu or cooked edamame. Hope you both enjoy this one!
There is a restaurant where I live that adds broccoli, cabbage, and carrots and it’s delicious! I think that would make it a bit heartier if you didn’t use mushrooms.
Do you know if this can be made in the Instant Pot and how I would adapt the recipe for that?
I’m sorry, Allison, I don’t have any experience with an Instant Pot so I am not sure.
Yes; set all the vegetables into Sauté mode and cook them till brown. Add broth @n$ set to steam for 4/5 min. Done
My favorite part about pho is the huge pile of herbs. This looks so simple and delicious. Might even throw in some tofu.
Thanks, Stacy! I think tofu would be great.
Congrats on finishing, yay!! There is never enough travel, so go for it girl! I’ve been wanting to go to Iceland (and Europe..and Chile..)for a while and I just want to make it happen. I also was wondering where your yoga retreat was, that’s such a dream! I would love to pick your brain after you go and see what you think :)
Thank you, Abby! I found the retreat on triptribe.com. They have a lot of yoga retreats on there if you want to look around! You are always welcome to pick my brain. I’ll try to share some of the trip on the blog, too.
Congrats on the book! I was going to ask about your yoga retreat as well, I will check out trip tribe. Check out Iceland Air and their layovers. We booked a trip to Norway/Sweden/Denmark last fall , flew Icelandic and did a 4 night “layover” in Iceland. It was wonderful! We flew direct from Chicago, it was only 5 hours and prettying reasonable.
Kate, if you get to Costa Rica, specifically the Puerto Limon area, go to the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary. You will fall in love with the sloths. We’ve been there twice and would go again. They are a rescue facility for injured and/or orphaned sloths. I’m glad you are getting to travel. It is so life-enriching, and in my opinion, you can’t do too much, as long as you have the energy and money. Enjoy your travels!
Thank you, Susan! I just saved your suggestion in my travel notes. Sloths, how cool.
This looks like the perfect meal for a cold day! I’m going to try and sub zucchini noodles for the rice noodles to see how it tastes.
Yes – it’s a great winter warmer. Let me know how the veg noodles work out!
This looks just gorgeous =)
Thanks, Sara! If you can believe it, it tastes even better ;)
Mmmm this sounds so yummy! And NO, that is NOT too many trips! That Moroccan Yoga trip sounds amazing :)
Xo,
Megan
Thanks, Megan!
You are going to LOVE Morocco! I’ve been three times and can never get enough. Congrats on finishing up the cookbook! Would you ever consider doing an entry on your kitchen/how you stay organized/how you arrange things that works for you? I’m in the middle of a kitchen rehab and am always so interested to see how people who are so good at cooking keep themselves organized and motivated!
Lian, so sorry for the delayed response! Glad to hear that you have loved your Morocco experiences! I really can’t wait. I think I’m going to stay for a few days after the yoga retreat and go exploring. I am probably not as organized as you might think, but a few storage details that make a huge difference are built-in spice racks (or just sufficiently sized drawers with liners that prevent the spices from rolling around) and vertical storage (for baking pans, muffin tins, etc.) make a huge difference for me.
Congrats on finishing the book! This pho looks BOMB, friend! Can’t wait to try it. xoxo!
Thanks, pal!!
Would this recipe pass for vegan? It sounds delicious.
I believe it would, Lori! I hope you enjoy it :)
Before you trot off to explore Iceland ~ which is the most incredible country ~ please check out vegetarian food availabiltity. I lived there for four years and with only one vegetarian restaurant in the entire country {yes!} and the vegetarian alternative being the ubiquitous stir fry, you might need to pack plenty of snacks! Also, their cheeses are not suitable for vegetarians, so unless things have changed, it can get very monotonous!
Thanks for the head’s up, Deborah! I really want to go, so maybe I’ll just travel with a bunch of granola bars to get me by.
No need for granola bars! I’m Icelandic and in the last few years we’ve had quite a few vegetarian places pop up and most restaurants offer vegetarian options. Admittedly they are harder to find out of the city.
If you need any tips on food here or Iceland in general I’m happy to answer any questions!
This looks amazing and yummy…but I’m a vegetarian allergic to mushrooms (I used to really like the flavor, unfortunately)! Is there any substitute that would still lend as much flavor and weight?
Hi Neda! I just added a recipe note with mushroom alternatives, since I’ve gotten a few questions about it.
Congrats! I totally know how you feel at the end of a really mammoth project – just enjoy the ride now!
Thank you, Rachel!
Congratulations on your cookbook! Your hardwork and dedication really shows in everything you do. I can’t wait to pick up a copy of this soon. I’ve been a longtime reader of your blog, and I finally took the leap at the start of the year in starting my own food blog, which launched today. I owe many thanks to you and a few other longtime food bloggers who inspired me to take the plunge. Thank you for continually inspiring me and so many others. Keep up the great work. ♥
Thank you, Whitney! I appreciate your kind words. Your new blog looks awesome! Best of luck with it. I really want one of those chocolate almond cups.
Congratulations Kate! So excited for you and for all of US who will be making your wonderful recipes. Cannot wait to try this Pho!
Thanks so much, Erica! I can’t wait for you to see the book. Let me know how the Pho works out for you :)
Just pre-ordered your book. Can’t wait for May 16th!
PS: Made your spinach and black bean enchiladas for dinner last night and my husband stopped two bites in and said “are you sure this is healthy?” We both loved them!
Thank you so much for pre-ordering, Caroline! I really appreciate it. Can’t wait for you to see the enchiladas in the book!
Red chilli is better than green. Grill onion and garlic put more flavour into your broth also.
This sounds fabulous! I’ve never made pho at home so this is definitely something I wanna try!
Let me know how it works out, Tori!
AMAZING!!! I discovered your site a few months ago and have been working my way through several of your recipes. Each one I’ve tried is fantastic – think the peanut sesame slaw is my husband’s current fave and mine is the Thai pineapple fried rice! Wonder if you have a hot & sour soup somewhere in your repitoire? That’s what I was looking for when I found your pho!! Thx for all the fabulous recipes!! Please keep ‘me coming they are very much appreciated.
Thanks, Jeri! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. I do not have a hot and sour soup—I’m actually not sure I’ve ever tried it! I’ll keep an eye out for it at Chinese restaurants.
Darn autocorrect…that was supposed to read …please keep ’em coming! :)
This looks delicious.I must make it soon:)Best of luck with all the trips!Looking forward to the book.
Thanks Geetha! I’m looking forward to everyone seeing it.
Gosh, I love pho! Can’t wait to try this. Congrats on finishing your cookbook!
Thanks so much! Let me know how it goes when you make it!
Can’t wait to try it! Vietnamese food is so delicious. Thanks for a vegetarian pho recipe.
Have a wonderful time on your travels! Morocco is great. And delicious! I had no trouble traveling there as a vegetarian.
Thanks again for all your delicious recipes and creativity.
Thank you, Christine! I hope you enjoy the pho. Glad to hear that you found great vegetarian options over there! I can’t wait.
A picture of cookie is required with such lovely post
Ha, sorry about that! I photographed these under such low light that she didn’t make it into the shots.
Yum! That looks delicious!
Let me know if you make it, Kari!
This looks and sounds SO delicious! My boyfriend was just telling me that we need to make homemade pho sometime soon – totally trying this recipe!
Congrats on finishing your book! I can’t wait to get my hands on it :)
Let me know how it works, Alexa! And I’m looking forward to you seeing the book :)
Hello!!
This looks amazing! Looking forward to making it. I am pretty sensitive to mushrooms do I am just wondering if you can suggest an alternative?
Thank you! :)
Hi Carla! I added a note to the recipe with mushrooms alternatives.
Congrats on finishing such a huge project! That must be an incredible feeling! We went to Panama last year on the advice of a friend who knew we were thinking about Costa Rica. It’s similarly gorgeous weather, landscape,and beaches, but it’s a bit less of a tourist destination so we were able to do the trip for a lot less! Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I’d still love to do CR too but check out Panama as Ann option! Enjoy your travels!
Bet, thank you! I am still sort of in denial that it’s over. It didn’t conclude with much fanfare but I want to throw a party to celebrate! I just added Panama to my list. It sounds awesome. My grandma is really set on Costa Rica so I am going to try to make that happen for her, but now I want to go to your yoga resort, too!
hello Kate
first let me start by saying a friend told me about your site and for the past year i use it at least once a week. love love love it. inspiring recipes and simple to follow.
i once had a dish that involved vermicelli noodles, veggies, and white fish is a coconut curry type sauce. it wasn’t a soup, but it was a little saucier than normal if that makes sense. i have never been able to locate a recipe for it. could you work on inventing a dish similar to this minus the fish?
keep up the inspiring work.
sean & dorma & roxie (greyhound and dachshund )
Hi Sean, thank you so much for your note! Delighted to hear that you have been enjoying my recipes. I can see something like your soup in my head. I will try to come up with something similar soon!
Kate, Love this Pho! I’ve always wanted a GF, veggie version. After sautéing the mushrooms, I sautéed some thin slices of tofu which I had on hand, and added those to the soup too. Thank you!
Patricia
YUM-tofu sounds delicious with this, Patricia. Happy your version turned out well!
Congrats on finishing the cookbook! I just pre-ordered a copy. And definitely take the time to travel this year. Sounds like fun.
Made it tonight and it was delicious. I let it simmer for maybe an hour or little longer.
:) Letting the flavors simmer is key, for sure.
So cool to see blogs that I follow make pho! The Sriracha tip is so true!
:) Happy you liked it, Jean!
Made this for dinner tonight. I charred my onion and ginger. I charred the ginger with the peel on and it was super easy to peel afterwards. But I wish I had not used low sodium tamari.
Do not feel guilty about traveling while you are young, healthy, free and able! May I request a receipt that uses preserved lemons after you come back from Morocco? I have a jar on my counter but only one receipt that calls for them. I would love to see your take on this unique ingredient.
Thanks, Heather! I haven’t been too crazy about preserved lemons when I’ve encountered them, but I imagine this Morocco trip might change my mind about them. Here’s a pasta recipe on my friend’s blog that uses them, and here’s a Moroccan salad bowl that I’ve had my eye on as well.
I love your recipes and your website.I hope you get to travel to all of the places you listed! I hope you come back from Morocco with some inspiration for us- but I don’t want you to feel pressured to have your work brain on during your retreat! Wishing you happy and safe travels!
Maria, can’t tell you how much I appreciate your comment! Thank you. :)
I absolutely can not wait for your cookbook to be released! Every recipe I’ve made from your site has been delicious!
So sweet, Kathi! I’m really looking forward to it, too. I can’t wait for you to see it!
congratulations on the cookbook! I’ll definitely be getting a copy :) I’m also going to make this pho tonight!
Thank you!! & let me know how the pho goes :)
Hi Kate, It is summer here in Australia but I saw your recipe and tried it the other night. My husband and I loved it and I am sure I will be making it quite often. Thanks for sharing.
So happy you both enjoyed it, Sandi. Wonderful.
I absolutely LOVE pho & would love to try this vegetarian version. However, I am allergic to mushrooms. Any suggestions on a good substitute? Hard to duplicate that flavor & texture. What might make this just as rich tasting without mushrooms? Thanks for the help!
Hi Sandy! I’ve gotten quite a few questions about removing the mushrooms so I added a note at the bottom of the recipe.
Thanks!! I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out!!
I made this last night and was worried about getting that really yummy “Pho” flavor with no meat. WOW!!! This is my new favorite. There was so much flavor. I charred the onion and ginger like you suggested. It made all the difference in the world. I felt like I was eating a meaty, yummy bowl of deliciousness. I will make this one again over and over.
The smokiness of the charred ingredients is key! So happy you enjoyed.
Fantastic pho recipe!! The broth was so perfectly rich and flavorful. (Hard to believe it’s vegetarian.) I will definitely make this again, thank you for the great recipe. :)
Thanks so much, Leah!
Just made this recipe and it is GREAT! I used dried mushrooms – I rehydrated them in hot water for 30 minutes, then added it to the broth. It was very flavorful and the mushrooms are earthy and delicious.
Kate is definitely right about sriracha – you don’t need it! I usually add sriracha when I get pho at restaurants because I love the spice, but it will easily overtake the broth in a bad way. I added more jalapeño and let it sit in the broth for a bit and it worked like a charm! The whole recipe was easy and super duper tasty. Thanks Kate!
Thanks for the dried mushroom tip, Kathryn! So happy you made it nice and spicy to your liking.
Hi Kate! I wanted to say thank you for making this recipe.. it is such a challenge to find good vegetarian pho. You never really know if you’re actually getting a veg broth in restaurants & some of them can be so greasy. Yours is the first recipe I’ve found that is simple & quick. My family really enjoyed it tonight for dinner. Thank you again! And keep up the good work! I always get so excited when I get a post of yours in my inbox. :)
So happy you found what you were looking for with this recipe, Miranda!
Thanks for the inspiration. I love Vietnamese cuisine ever since I was introduced to it back when I was a senior in high school (Grad ’95!).
I’ll be making this tonight but using both basil and cilantro and topping the soup with hoisin sauce for added flavour.
You’re right about the Sriracha potentially overpowering the soup. A workaround to that is to set a side dipping sauce of one part hoisin to one part sriracha. It makes a sweet and hot sauce.
Ooh, that sweet n’ spicy hoisin/sriracha sauce sounds really good. Let me know how your version turns out, okay? Thanks, Jhansen!
Hi Kate,
The verdict is in and the pho was pretty darn good! I had to add one extra star anise and a touch of salt to kick it up a tiny bit.
Adding the hoisin gave the soup this nice balance of flavours. I didn’t add it to the stock broth. The hoisin was added to taste in individual bowls.
I also added one Thai Bird Chili to each bowl of soup to really add some heat without being so overpowering in the flavour department. And, did it ever pack some heat from such a little pepper!
My mother loved it and packed some with her to take to her grandchildren.
Thanks for this recipe. In the past, I would spend about half the day preparing the soup (no joke). Your recipe is clean, lean, and remarkably easy. Gonna be making this more frequently.