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!
You did it again, Kate. This recipe is so delicious. It’s the best recipe of its kind I’ve had since I stopped eating meat. Bravo.
YESS so happy to hear this, Tanner!
Hey! This looks great and I am excited to make it tonight… however I will now have a zillion spices left over that I’d love to use… was wondering if you have any spice cake recipes up your sleeve?
Thanks,
Suze :)
Hey, Suze! Great suggestion. I’ll add it to my recipe requests list :)
This looks really good. One of the best recipes I’ve seen online. I am happy to find a veggie version. Just wondering: Have you ever added garlic to the soup? This is the first one I’ve seen without garlic. I can hardly wait to try it! Thank you.
I haven’t, but that’s interesting, because I didn’t see garlic listed in the other pho recipes I referenced when I was planning this one!
It could be because most recipes for pho have meat! I browsed different sites until finding yours. Most of the ones on allrecipes.com have garlic, including veggie pho. As soon as I get a chance I am going to check out the co-op you mentioned. Star anise is not easy to find here! Thanks again.
Ok Kate….You are amazing:) I have made this once a week for almost 2 months now and my husband never tires of it. I make the broth in the Crock-Pot so I can enjoy the smell all day. Sooooo delish!!!!!!!!!
Too kind of you, Joey! And I love a delicious-smelling house, too. I’m so glad the two of you love the pho!
Perfection! Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for the recipe and congrats on your cookbook!
Fantastic Recipe! Love the fresh herbs. Added a little sake to the broth and served it with a Chinese marbled tea egg, really hit the spot even on this warm day in May.
Sounds delicious, Ray! I’m intrigued by that egg, so I’ll have to do some research!
First time making Pho and it was delicious! Will be making it again this week, maybe adding a few more veggies. Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks, Lisa.
This turned out great! Instead of boiling it, I cooked it in the instant pot for 14 mins.
Nice! Thanks for the tip, Nate
Four years later I’m still making this recipe. I had to come find this comment to remember my modification!
Wish I could leave a photo of my pho, which I must say was pho-king amazing!!!!☺️ Thankyou for the wonderful recipie xx
Amazing!! Easy and tasty! This recipe is a keeper!
I’m just making this now I will photo the finished Pho. I am on dialysis so I need something that’s light and flavourful.im going to make it without the hot spices
Enjoy Val! Let me know what you think :)
If I wanted to incorporate fish sauce, how would you recommend doing that with this recipe??
Hi Aly, I would add it to taste instead of the soy sauce.
Delicious! I added some baked tofu slices… satified my pho craving! :)
Great! Thanks so much for the review.
Yummy!! Love how this isn’t an all day thing!
Thank so much, ALexis for your review :)
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for almost a year now. I’m so glad I found this one- the pho was amazing. I’m definitely going to buy your cookbook!
Thank you!
Happy you found it, Sam! Thanks for the comment. And the cookbook is wonderful :) I really think you will enjoy it!
I just found your site tonight and just made this soup. I have been craving pho all day and living in a small town in Italy means that if it’s going to be, its up to me! :)
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! This was absolutely delicious and had that background spice flavor that I could never quite put my finger on. You have demystified pho. I added a few Szechuan peppers, lime leaves and some arame for a touch of seafood flavor to the broth. Also, I didn’t have shiitake, but used portobellos and it was still great. And I still have a jar of this tasty broth for another time!
I’m happy you came across the blog and you were able to get your Pho fix! Thank you, Nicole for your comment.
Made this tonight and absolutely loved it! I could drink that broth for days!!
Great! Thanks so much, Claire for your review.
This was DELICIOUS!!! Thanks so much for making my night!
Great to hear, Michele! Thanks for sharing :)
Making this right now and I have never smelled a broth like this outside of a restaurant. AMAZING!!!! I can’t wait to eat it!!!
When it smells good, it usually means it is good. What did you think when you tasted it?! Thanks for the star review, Kyle!
Awful and bland. It is really missing some serious flavor. Does not taste like actual pho and for once I actually had all of the ingredients.
I had to add even more seasoning to the mixture because it originally tasted like water. I do not recommend this recipe. Sorrrrry!
I’m sorry you feel that way, Jess. What did you specifically think that it was missing?
Oh my Goodness this looks amazing – such great flavors and recipe:)
Thank you!
HOT DIGGITY!!! This pho was SOOO GOOD!!!! I added some zucchini and snow pea at the last minute for a bit more bulk… it was delicious. I used dehydrated shiitake which I rehydrated in the water that was called for in the recipe = extra umami in the broth <3
Ha! Thank you, Asako. I appreciate the comment and review.
Super tasty! I added red pepper flakes as it cooked and cooked the mushrooms a bit longer in the broth. Will make again soon. Thanks!
Thank you, Marie for sharing!
My first run at this recipe and it turned out amazing! I have shared this with a few friends now and I will definitely be making it again ( my husband is also a big fan!)
Fantastic, Sally! Great that it turned out so well for you.
I really didn’t like this pho. The star anise was incredibly over powering and I used the smallest in the bag. It ruined the whole soup. We had to dump the whole soup out. Shame.
I’m sorry to hear that, Ashley! I don’t recall the star anise being predominant in my soup, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a pho recipe without it. Soup flavors tend to mellow out overnight, too. Better luck with your next recipe!
I am going to make this recipe again — but maybe quadruple the spices, and some tofu. The pho was pleasant, but unremarkable, and lacked flavor and body. Real pho can be a substantial thing; this version is more suitable as a light side dish.
I’m sorry you didn’t love the recipe as written, A. It’s kind of impossible to make a vegan pho with as much body as beef broth, since that naturally contains gelatin. The funny part is that a commenter before you found the anise to be totally overpowering. You might want to make sure your spices are fresh, or of course quadrupling them should help.
This was amazing! We really enjoyed this!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
I love all of your recipes so I was excited to try this one. I’m afraid to admit, this one just didn’t do it for me. I feel like the result is not worth the time. For all the spices I used, the broth seems spicy but not very flavorful. Which brand of noodles did you use? I had a hard time finding ones without being super super thin noodles. Maybe I did something wrong? Any tips?
Amber, I’m so bummed to hear that! It could be that your spices were less pungent than mine, or your broth wasn’t good to begin with. I can’t remember the brand of noodles, maybe Thai Kitchen? I usually work with broth from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods 365. Hope your next C+K recipe turns out perfectly!
Just made this – it is DELICIOUS! Yes, I miss that hearty flavor which meat stocks often have – this one is packed with rich flavour. It’s soooo quick as well! Yum!
Great! It is packed full of flavor. I’m happy you agree, Andrea.
Thank you for a wonderful base recipe! I made several tweaks that I feel made this perfect for my taste and wanted to share… I use the same amount of spices, but also add chopped garlic with the onion (a ton of it). Then, I add four cups of water along with veggie bouillon. To add some richness, I add about 2.5 Tablespooons of miso. I also use Braggs Aminos. I added a pinch of fennel seeds. I let it cook for three hours in a dutch oven… then remove the chunks. At this point, I added extra garlic and onion powder (if needed after tasting), and cinnamon and clove powder (if needed).
So far, I’ve fed this to three people (all Pho snobs) and they have all agreed it’s the best Pho they’ve ever had.
Fairly recently I had to radically change my diet (and eliminate animal proteins) for health reasons. I’ve never had a veggie Pho I’ve liked… and Pho is something I’d typically eat once a week. So, thank you… thank you… thank you… for this incredible recipe that I could work with!
Thank your for sharing! I really appreciate it.
How many calories are in this?
The nutrition information is under the notes section, for future reference. For this recipe, one serving is 237.
Wow, delicious! This was a surprisingly straightforward recipe, and it resulted in a warm, hearty, healthy, and delicious bowl of noodles, veggies, and broth.
Some notes:
+ I added vegan fish sauce I had made for a vegan pad thai and had leftover in my fridge (rather than tamari) to the broth, as well as a tablespoon of miso, hot red peppers (incl. seeds), and a bit of toasted sesame oil.
+ I topped it with green onions, bean sprouts, spinach, and basil. Basil really takes it to another level!
+ Don’t forget lime. Lime is essential.
Thanks for a great recipe! This one will sure be going in the rotation.
Thanks for sharing, Shanti!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing with us!
You’re so welcome, Cyndi!
Delicious. Thanks for receipe. Do you have a news letter
Ann I can subscribe to?
Hello, Ann! Thank you for your comment. Yes, you can sign-up to join my email list. Scroll to the bottom of the page on the blog and you will be able to enter your email to get the emails. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is excellent! Both times I have charred the onions and ginger because I wasn’t pressed on time. The second time I used dehydrated shiitake mushrooms because the store was out of fresh. I thought the dehydrated ones had a more intense flavor which my boyfriend and I preferred sine we both love mushrooms. Lovely recipe, Kate! Everything I have made of yours has been wonderful!
Thank you, Claire for sharing!
Ok, so this was d e l i c i o u s! It was full of flavour and just amazing. I made it for dinner for my sister and brother in law and they both really enjoyed. The smell was divine and it was actually easy. Thank you Katie!
(I think that all of your recipes I ever tried – and you are my go to site for all recipes – were delicious, thank you:))
Love hearing that, Jana! I really appreciate your review.
Hello!
Made this last night for my daughter who LOVES pho. I am a bit reticent when it comes to trying new things, so I don’t know the original taste. I followed your instructions, except I forgot to add onions, instead I crushed a clove of garlic into the broth. It was a huge success. She loved it and wants to cook it herself.
We learned about your site this weekend from a friend and I was browsing just out of curiosity and I’ve bookmarked this site. Looking fwd to trying out the enchiladas and the sunshine salad dressing for starters.
Thank you! Love, mona
Welcome, Mona! I’m glad you liked this and your daughter is now going to make it herself. Thanks so much for your comment and review.
I just love your recipes. I think you’re my tastebud doppelganger. The veg pho is a staple in my house – the star anise is key.
Mary Jennifer Pruim
Haha, that’s hilarious! Thanks for sharing, Mary.
Loved this! Super easy to make and very flavourful! Will definitely be going on the dinner rotation.
Great to hear, Janice!
Yesterday was cold & rainy & I started this recipe as soon as I got home. Soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cloves & anise. This dish was AMAZING & instantly warmed us all up! The flavors are delicious, the bean sprouts add a nice crunch, & noodles are always fun! Thanks C+K for another fabulous recipe!!
A nice option for a cold and rainy day! I’m glad you loved it, Colleen.
Made tonight and it’s amazing! Added a tiny chili paste and it turned out perfect. Thanks for this!
You’re welcome, Sydney!
This recipe was good, but the depth of flavor was somewhat lacking. If I try this recipe again I will probably try charring the onion and ginger as recommended. The broth sure made my kitchen smell good though. I added cubed tofu for protein and crossed over the vegetarian line by adding some fish sauce to try to boost it.
I’m sorry you didn’t just love it! I do appreciate your feedback, Dan!
I made this last week and then had to make it again right away! We LOVED it. I think it tastes as good if not better than the veggie pho we’ve had at restaurants here in NYC. And it’s SO EASY – no chopping or sautéing required. For the haters, don’t skimp on herbs and fresh lime – makes a huge difference. We added tofu and agedashi tofu we bought at the japanese market to make it a more filling meal. Thank you!
Also – I don’t love mushrooms so for this recipe I cooked them separately then put them in the strained broth when it was still hot, and let it all cool together. I think it infused a lot of flavor, and I could easily keep them out of my bowl when serving :)
I’m glad you loved it, Katya! Thanks for your review.
Have made this several times. Really delicious. I char the ginger and onions as Kate suggests. A few pinches of red pepper and basil garnish work really well. My only modification to the recipe is that I don’t ladle out the noodles, mushrooms etc into the bowl. Couldn’t see why can’t just combine them all in the pot, which is what i do. I also added cubed tofu to increase protein. It’s become my vegetarian substitute for chicken soup when i have a cold.
Thanks for sharing, Steve! I really appreciate the review. Sounds like a wonderful cold remedy.
I have made this twice now and really love it! Last time I made it, I did not have cinnamon sticks or cloves so I just used extra star anise and cinnamon powder and it stillcame out great! Today I am making it but do not have vege stock so am just using all water – so I am using extra onion, garlic, & ginger, hopefully it still turns out ok! Thanks for this recipe!!! <3
I’m glad it still worked, Hana! You’re welcome.
I just made your recipe and it was amazing! Thank you for your labor of love creating a plant-based option.
Thank you, Sheila!
Thanks for this recipe. I didn’t follow it – lol – I have a habit of just looking at the ingredient list and then doing my own thing – but what I got from this was the addition of mint, usually, I just use basil, and the advice about sauteing the mushrooms – GAME CHANGER!! Thanks for helping me stay healthy!
I’m glad it provided inspiration, Stephanie.
This looks delicious. I was thinking of trying to meal prep this for lunches. Do you think I could make the broth and keep it separate from the cooked noodles and mushrooms until I am ready to heat it? Any other suggestion?
That’s an idea! Or you can just store as is and add the garnishes before serving.
I have made this recipe several times. I LOVE it!
Wonderful, Cheri! Since you love it so much, I would love a star review. :)
Brilliant recipe. So easy and tastey! I feel like a pro!
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for the review, Vanessa.