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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
My husband is officially obsessed with this. I’m making it for my son’s family tonight. Delicious!
Awesome, Marie!
I’m wondering if it is necessary to use chicken broth or if using just plain water would work as well?
Water should be just fine but I recommend using chicken stock.
My family LOVED this recipe. The broth was so delicious and easy to pull together.
That’s awesome!
Hi, I was going to make this for dinner tomorrow and wanted to use up some roast chicken and some homemade chicken broth I have in the fridge. Is it important to the flavor of the pho to pressure cook fresh chicken in the recipe or can I add the roast chicken I have just before serving to warm it up? Thanks for the help!
Will this recipe fit a 3-qt instant pot or should I divide the recipe in 2?
When using a 3qt or “mini” Instant Pot, the general rule of thumb is to divide the recipe in half with the same cook time. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Oh my goodness… I lived in the Pacific Northwest for 30 years, where there is a pho or teriyaki joint on every corner. I never had the patience to make real pho and was sadly disappointed by my attempts to make quick versions. I now live in the midwest, where the nearest Pho shop is an hour away. This is absolutely a game-changer! Amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe. Also, I do not have an IP so I made it in a pressure cooker. Turned out great.
Delicious! My 13 year old son gobbled his pho up and ask for the leftovers for lunch the next day! Will make again!
Awesome!
I can’t wait to make this recipe! The ingredient combination sounds so fresh and delicious!
Question: how do you strain the broth whole keeping the chicken separate?
You can set the chicken aside first and strain the broth. 🙂
Sooo yummy! Thank you!!
Making this tonight and can’t wait to try it! I’ve always wanted to try making my own Pho but always too intimidated. Thanks for making it look simple! Quick question- I just realized I only have ground cloves instead of whole cloves. Can I substitute it for ground? Will it make a big difference? Thanks!!
I recommend using whole cloves for the best results possible.
This was so quick and easy.. and so delicious! Exactly what I needed on a cold Seattle night. My only issue was lack of enough broth, but I like a ton of broth. Next time I will probably double the amount.
I also made your amazing kimchi beef tacos the day before the pho.
Awesome, Chelsea!
What can you use in place of the star anise, where can you buy it? Thanks!
Most grocery store chains should have them readily available. 🙂
I always get them from Cost Plus World Market if you have one nearby!
Does it have to be chicken thighs?? We have breasts in the freezer and Id love to use whats on hand 🙂 Thank you!
You can certainly substitute chicken breasts but thighs would be best, of course! 🙂
Hey there, I love this recipe but recently started keto. Do you have any nutritional facts for this dish so I know if I’m good to make it again? Thanks! 🙂
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new 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”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the recipe! I’m confused though, are you using pho noodles or just standard vermicelli noodles? I’ve only eaten the flat rice sticks, now I’m confused as to which ones are more authentic?
Dave, you can really use either noodle but I am using rice noodles here (primarily used in pho), which is not to be confused with vermicelli noodles which is from mung bean starch or rice starch rather than rice grains itself. Hope that helps!
I made this dish on Sunday.
My husband: is this damndelicious again?
Me: what do you think?
Him: I love that girl.
You’re a hit in our house!! And this pho is amazing!
Hahaha that’s awesome! Thank you, Kate!
Sorry, just saw your link to my question below! Thanks, Monika.
Could you provide instructions on how to make this in a crock pot? If not, I’m sure I could do a search and find something. Thank you, Monika.
I’ve made this three times now and each time I love it more. It is in rotation with your Thai Red Curry soup–about once every week to week and a half I make one of them and enjoy every bowl immensely. Thank you for all you do and I cannot wait until you crack the IP Beef Pho recipe. 🙂
Those are both such good recipes! Glad you’re enjoying them.
This looks amazing! Have you tried or do you know how to double this recipe? Would you just double everything but keep the cooking time the same? Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Dee! Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, it’s hard to answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I declare this the best thing I ever made! I used my own chicken stock (also made in IP) but when I sautéed all those spices…oh my gosh! Thank you, thank you. Easiest best pho and so glad to be able to have it anytime in the comfort of my house. Also…WE LOVE BUTTERS!
Yay! That’s awesome!
Made this last weekend and it was AWESOME! Thank you for such a great and easy recipe!
Of course! Thanks for sharing with us.