Instant Pot Pho
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How to quickly (and easily!) make restaurant-quality pho right at home in the pressure cooker in less than 1 hour! The broth comes out perfectly – so flavorful and comforting. You can’t beat that!
So we made it to Cinque Terre!
It was quite a trek to get here – from cruise, to shuttle, to taxi, to train, we were able to visit 3 of the 5 seaside villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, and Manarola.
All were so unique and adorable, as I quickly told Ben we had to move here immediately.
But before that happens, I have the best homemade pho for you guys!
And guess what? You can make it right in the Instant Pot® in less than 1 hour! No need to simmer for 5-6 hours as you would for traditional pho.
The IP takes care of all that for you. It’s just as flavorful and cozy – and the broth is simply perfect.
Instant Pot Pho
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 large sweet onion, quartered
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 ½ pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup torn mint leaves
- 1 Thai bird chili pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Set 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Heat canola oil; add onion, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in cloves, star anise pods, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and peppercorns until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken thighs, chicken stock, fish sauce, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 cups water. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 15 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove chicken from the Instant Pot® and shred, using two forks; set aside.
- Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. Skim any remaining fat from surface and discard; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.
- Divide noodles and chicken into serving bowls. Ladle over the broth mixture and serve immediately, garnished with bean sprouts, basil, mint, chili pepper and lime.
Did you make this recipe?
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1st time making this Pho and its Amazing And so easy, will definitely be making this again.
One of my all time favorite recipes! I would love an instant pot beef version! Thank you!!!
I doubled everything, made it in my 8 qt instant pot, pressure cooked for 15 minutes. Delectable!
LEAH
Pho is one of my favorite soups! This recipe is amazing! The broth tastes just like one from my fave Vietnamese restaurant. I love how quick the recipe is too. I always thought if I made pho at home it would take forever. I will be making this again for sure. Thank you for making this Instant Pot version!
This was so good, and so easy. You’re a legend.
Unfortunately, I had to substitute powdered ginger for the fresh ginger and anise seeds for the star anise (not the same plant, I know) because I forgot to put ginger on my shopping list and the store was out of star anise that day. So I don’t really have a realistic idea if the broth turned out authentic or not. It was different from the ones we’ve had at restaurants, but it gets five stars from me because my kids ate it up (well, mostly the noodles and chicken, but that’s just how they eat their pho) and it made my tummy feel really cosy and comfortable. There was an overpowering flavor of something – or a combination of somethings perhaps – that was slightly less satisfying, but it’s hard to tell what it was. Maybe I’ll try less cinnamon too next time and use all the correct ingredients to see if it turns out even better. Definitely saving this recipe!
This was the first recipe I tried in my new Instant-Pot! I was amazed at how easy and delicious it was – the chicken was so tender. We will definitely be making it again, but next time I would use less cinnamon (maybe half a stick instead of a whole stick, the cinnamon was overwhelming for me), definitely needed more salt and pepper in the end, and perhaps I would add some chiles to the instant pot while cooking the chicken to infuse some spicy flavor in the broth and chicken. I would also note that the 6-serving portion size is NOT a restaurant portion, it is about 1 cup of broth per person. I’d say in reality it makes about 3 dinner-sized portions. If you are cooking for a group of 3 or more increase the recipe!
Question, would I need to make any adjustments if I’m using a later IP. You mention the one you’re using is 6 qt and I believe mine is 8 qt. I know this matters for some recipes.
Yummy and flavorful recipe! As far as fresh herb toppings, we added THAI basil (which is an absolute MUST) and cilantro in addition to the mint. We also added spoonful of rooster sauce. Fabulous comfort food!
Can Bone broth be used?
Has anyone tried freezing this? How did it turn out?
Good But only two cups of water. Not enough for 4 servings NO??
I thought the same thing, but it’s 2 C. water (in the instructions) plus the 4 C. stock from the ingredients list. I think I’d still add another cup or so of water, but the recipe yields at least 6 C. liquid. Cheers!
This was the first meal I made with my Instant Pot. It came out amazing! The broth is super flavorful and as good as any restaurant I’ve been too. The Chicken was amazing! So tender and flavorful. I was eating it by itself. I ended up making a second batch the next day to freeze.
This recipe is so delicious and easy I love it for the nights we just can’t make it out to get our pho!! I love that it’s an instant pot recipe and would soooo look forward to your beef version
Quick question.. would I be able to use boneless thighs for this? My local supermarket does not often have bone-in available.
Absolutely!
My husband and I love this recipe. Yes, I had to go get some of the ingredients, but I make it so often it wasn’t a problem. I like to make it when the weather is cold, but even in hot weather my husband comments on the freshness of the ingredients. Excellent dish!
Hint: I strain everything from the IP into a strainer lined with cheesecloth. That allows me to pick out the chicken (by now in shreds and leave behind the spices. So much easier this way.
Question. I love beef pho, but it takes me hours to do. Could I sub beef shanks or ox tail and use beef stock? Would the cooking time vary? Also, I have whole cardamom, both the green and black. Which one would you use and how much? Do you recommend charring the onion and ginger first? When I get to craving pho, I don’t’ want to wait all day to eat it so I am SOOO excited to give this a go. The flavor profile looks on point! I have made several of your recipes with great success and this looks like it will not disappoint. I’ll be sure to let you know how this goes! Thank you!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Let me know if you figured it out, the recipe I’m watching simmers beef & ox tail for 12 hours, then the rest for another 12 hours. Would be great to cut this time down to an hour if possible!
I loved this recipe! I made it for my family and they gobbled it right up! The one thing I did have trouble with was finding the calories. Does anyone know how many calories are in this? I say this only because I’m on a diet and counting my calories. Other than that, it was delicious and I will definitely be making it again!
Hi Maurice! Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”).
I’m a pretty solid cook but a relative novice with the instant pot so I’m always hesitant to try an IP recipe. I made this tonight and it was a hit with the whole family, picky kiddos included! The broth was legit… it really was restaurant quality. Thank you so much for this easy and delicious IP recipe!
I feel the exact same way – there’s something about the IP that makes me nervous every time, but so far everything has turned out delicious! So happy you gave this one a try, Megan!
Can this recipe be made in an 8 quart instant pot?
Yes! When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. We hope you’ll enjoy this one, Elise!