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This homemade Pho recipe is easy to make at home and still has all the flavors of the classic Vietnamese soup. It’s the perfect beginner recipe.
Every incredible bowl of Pho begins with a good broth, and in this recipe, I’ll show you how to make your own in the slow cooker with chicken broth and fresh aromatics.
Easy Homemade Pho
Homemade Pho is one of the easiest chicken noodle soups to make at home. It is layered with the complex flavors of fresh toppings, protein, and thin rice noodles in a savory broth.
While traditional Pho broth is simmered on the stove-top for hours, I like to prepare it in the slow-cooker as a hands-free method.
When dinner is ready, everyone can assemble their bowl with the rice noodles and toppings and pour on the hot broth- it’s so easy, and the noodles will cook within a minute!
Pho Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make delicious Pho at home:
- Chicken breasts or thighs: sliced into thin strips and simmered in hot broth.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: use chicken broth from the carton, or try making this homemade chicken broth.
- Fresh ginger: known for its spicy-sweet aroma and taste.
- Garlic: balances out the sweet ginger notes.
- Soy sauce: adds depth of flavor.
- Fish sauce: a traditional Pho ingredient, just a splash is all you need.
- Rice noodles: use thin noodles which cook quickly in the hot broth. You can find these in the Asian dry-goods section of your grocery store.
- Toppings: the traditional toppings include Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, and lime. You’ll find more toppings ideas for homemade Pho at the end of the post.
How to Make Pho
Print the recipe card below and gather you’re ingredients because you’re about to make Pho at home! Here are the steps:
- Prep
Trim off the excess fat from the chicken breasts or thighs and slice into thin strips. - Slow Cook
Add the chicken, broth, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce to the slow cooker dish. Stir to combine and cook on low for 8 hours. - Assemble your Pho
Add the uncooked rice noodles, bean sprouts, and herbs to individual bowls. Ladle the chicken and HOT broth over the noodles and allow them to sit for 1-2 minutes. Top with a squeeze of lime and jalapeño, enjoy!
Best Toppings for Homemade Pho
Pho is known for its variety of fresh toppings that start to slow-cook when you ladle in the hot broth. The heat helps release their flavors and makes every bite even more delicious. Here are the most popular toppings for Pho:
- Green onions: adds a subtle onion flavor to the broth.
- Bean sprouts: found in the fresh produce section of your grocery store and any Asian groceries.
- Cilantro leaves: a staple herb for great Pho.
- Thai basil: another staple Pho herb with a spicy, licorice-like flavor.
- Mint leaves: optional, but fresh mint gives the broth a sweet, fresh note.
- Thai basil: another staple Pho herb with a spicy, licorice-like flavor.
- Jalapeńo: optional, but tastes great if you like heat!
- Lime: brightens the flavors of the broth.
- Sriracha: adds a spicy kick!
- Hoisin: a rich, savory sauce that makes a great condiment for Pho.
Grab your slow cooker, and favorite toppings, and get ready for an epic bowl of homemade Pho!
Homemade Pho for Beginners
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts or thighs, boneless skinless
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 32-ounce cartons
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or coconut aminos or Tamari
- 1 tablespoons fish sauce
- 12 ounces dried thin rice noodles
- 2 green onions, sliced, whites and greens divided
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 2 limes, sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to trim any excess fat from the chicken breast or thighs and slice into thin strips.
- Add the chicken, chicken broth, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and fish sauce to the slow cooker dish. Stir to combine and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Before serving, assemble rice noodles, sliced onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, jalapeño, and limes into smaller bowls.
- To serve, add the uncooked rice noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro, and other desired toppings to individual bowls. Ladle the chicken and broth over the rice noodles and serve. Rice noodles will cook in about 1 minute.
Lexi says
So a doubled the recipe and it called for 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger and as it’s cooking it smelling very much like ginger… is it going to taste a lot like ginger as well?!
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Lexi, aromatics like ginger aren’t always necessary to “double” since they are potent. I’ll add a note to the recipe itself for anyone trying to double it.
Sarah says
This soup was yummy. I’m 14 and I made dinner for my family with this recipe. Thanks!
Stella says
This recipe was delicious. Added it to our monthly recipe rotation!
Sammy says
My family loved this recipe. thanks!
Julie says
Hi Laura,
I would love to finally try Pho as I hear about it all the time. Thanks for the recipe.
WHAT IS FISH SAUCE???
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Julie! Fish sauce is a salty “sauce” made from anchovies. A substitute would be Worcestershire sauce, even though in this case I don’t recommend it. It’s inexpensive and a little bit goes a long way in many Asian dishes.
Jenna says
Super easy to make and the whole family loved it. We added shaved carrots too since I had those on hand. I used the low sodium version of Swanson’s chicken broth. We always have it in the pantry.
Genevive says
We made this Pho last night. It was really good! Swanson Low Sodum Chicken broth is a staple in our kitchen. Use it for everything from rice to add flavor to soups.
Talia says
I love pho!
I use broth a lot to make yummy sauces and gravies.
Stephanie R says
I added this to our meal plan next week. Thanks!
Elena says
Easy to make and everyone loved it.
Andrea says
This recipe was really good. Nothing foreign and my kids ate it. I used Swanson’s vegetable broth -was all I had on hand.
Adrienne says
My favorite way to use broth is potato soup or any soup or to cook rice. It’s so versatile.
Victoria Murrell says
Great recipe! I use chicken broth when I make Spanish rice and Thanksgiving stuffing!
Eloise Matthews says
Made this tonight. It’s not “authentic” like the Vietnamese place in my town but my family LOVED it, I didn’t slave over dinner, and it tasted really good. Also, saved me tons of money. win win.
Teresa says
I use Swanson broth for all sorts of things. My favorite is to simmer risotto and make it amazing.
Kelsey Bounds says
I like to use broth by replacing water in any rice or quinoa recipe to give a deeper flavor to my family’s meals.
Megan says
I love using broth to make a chicken enchilada soup or your recipe for curry lentil soup. My girls love that recipe!!
Carin says
We LOVE pho – but I have never made it. Can’t wait to try it. And a slow cooker would make it so much easier. Thanks for the chance to win!
Stacy L says
I use broth for so many things! I always keep a few in the pantry. Most recently I used it to make homemade “hamburger helper”…one of my family’s favorites! 🙂
beth says
I love to use chicken broth in chili made with ground beef and sweet potatoes! I make it pretty spicy but the sweet potatoes cut the spice with sweetness so even my six year old will eat it!
Diana says
GREAT RECIPE! While not 100% authentic “pho” it’s definitely full of flavor and easy to make. My whole family loved it!
Kay says
We love Swanson broth! We love the chicken, with low sodium. We also love veggie broth (but wish it could have less sodium). We use chicken broth in almost everything! We add it in mashed potatoes, cook grains in it, and sometimes even adding it to a savory smoothie for extra nutrients! Thank you.
Laura Fuentes says
Hi Kay! You won our slow cooker giveaway. Please keep an eye out for a separate email from us. Thank you!
Mia says
I am looking forward to making this dish. However, I do not have fresh ginger. Could I use ground ginger or ginger paste? If so how much should I use?
Laura Fuentes says
You can use a little under 2 teaspoons of ginger paste and about 3/4 teaspoon dried ginger. Enjoy!
Kristina says
Who can pick just one way to use broth? I use it most in a variety of soups, but most recently we used it in risotto.
Phoebe says
I like to make a veggie broth and add rice noodles and onions and cabbage
Sandra says
I love making soups for my family, especially creamy soups with Swanson vegetable broth. We are dairy free so I use broth to thin out and make creamy veggie soups.
Cheryl says
My favorite way of using broth is in homemade chicken noodle soup.
Laura Fuentes says
So comforting and delicious!
Tracy D says
My granny uses Swanson, my mom only uses Swanson… and guess what I ONLY buy: Swanson broth. The rest taste like “chicken flavored water” as my granny says.
Also, I use the chicken broth for my rice. Gives it a nice flavor.
Matt -your favorite SAHD says
I just threw the ingredients in the slow cooker. I have everything!!! dinner is going to be awesome.
Matt says
UPDATE: THIS WAS A HIT!!! KIDS LOVED IT. I used Swanson’s vegetable broth (all I had in pantry) but with the chicken it took a great flavor. The kids LOVED it.
Sarah says
This looks amazing. We LOVE pho at our house but with 6 of us it can get pricey to go out. This recipe is exactly what I’ve been wanting; a “set it and forget it” version. Thank you!