Phở is all about the broth. It's packed with so much warm and savory flavor. Our broth does not skimp on flavor, it has all of the spices you'd expect in an authentic phở, and it's bulked up with meaty shiitake mushrooms and sweet carrots and herbs. And of course there's the noodles, you must have those rice noodles!
Can I just tell you how obsessed Alex and I are with phở? Clearly, we’re not the only ones because it’s a true food trend throughout the country right now. In case you’re not familiar with this Vietnamese street food, let us introduce you.
Phở is soup with a rich and warm broth that’s made with low-sodium vegetable broth, caramelized leeks, garlic, star anise, tamari, fresh ginger, cinnamon, basil, and cilantro. We let it simmer for 30 minutes so all of the flavors marry and become one delicious treat.
We also added meaty shiitake mushrooms to replace the beef that phở is typically made with. And to make it one step healthier, we put some sweet carrots in for good measure. Lastly, we added the rice noodles that are an essential ingredient in this Vietnamese soup.
Sound intriguing? Good, let’s get cooking!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN VIETNAMESE PHO
First – Caramelize the leeks in the olive oil until they’re a light golden brown. This will add so much flavor to the broth. If you don’t cook with oil you can cook them in a little bit of broth.
Second – Add the carrots, mushrooms, garlic, star anise, ginger, vegetable broth, water, tamari, bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes.
Third – While the broth is simmering cook the rice noodles.
Fourth – Add the chopped cilantro and squeeze the lime juice into the soup and stir it to combine.
Fifth – Divide the noodles into four bowls and pour the broth and mushrooms over the noodles. Garnish it with more cilantro and basil leaves.
Make this delicious vegan phở recipe and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag us @veganosity on Instagram so we can see your beautiful creation.
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Vegan Shiitake Pho
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 leeks chopped
- 3 carrots sliced
- 10 shiitake mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 28 ounce light vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup tamari
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnishing
- Sea salt to taste
- 8 ounce rice noodles
- Basil leaves to garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large deep pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium heat and caramelize the leeks until they’re a light golden brown. This will add so much flavor to the broth. If you don’t cook with oil you can caramelize them in a little bit of broth.
- Add the carrots, mushrooms, garlic, vegetable broth, water, tamari, star anise, ginger, bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package.
- Add the chopped cilantro and squeeze the lime juice into the soup and stir it to combine. Salt to taste.
- Divide the noodles into four bowls and pour the broth and mushrooms over the noodles. Garnish it with more cilantro and basil leaves.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Patti says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was dubious about getting a good pho broth without meat, so haven’t had pho in ages. i really missed it... But you nailed it. It was so delicious. It will definitely become A regular go-to in my house.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Patti! We're so happy to read this. Pho is such a tricky recipe and we're thrilled that you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to let us know. 🙂
Santiago says
Hey Linda, this is definitely a great dish to serve while we have vegan guests. A friend of mine recommend me to cook with these shrimps, and I had the opportunity to invite him and his girlfriend to have dinner at my place, and surprise them with your recipe. I purchased my Shiitakes from https://www.burmaspice.com/, because this is where my friends bought them too. THANK YOU, Linda, they were amazed and amused by this lovely plate. Cheers.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Santiago! Thank you for making and serving our recipe to your friends. We're so happy you all enjoyed it. We appreciate your kind comment. 🙂
natural mushrooms says
Nice recipe.Thank you for share this delicious recipe....
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! Our pleasure!
James says
Looks amazing Linda. Do you usually try and pick out the bay leaves after?
Linda Meyer says
Hi James! Thank you! Yes, we take out the bay leaves after cooking. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Yum, this looks perfect for this week's weather, thanks! I adore Pho and would probably make it more if we didn't have a great, local vegan Pho restaurant. 😛
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! You're so lucky to have a vegan Pho restaurant in your area. I'm jealous. 🙂
Jennifer Bliss says
Very nice, indeed! I need more bowls in my life and soon! This looks like the perfect place to start!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! We're currently obsessed with this soup. The broth is so good!