This recipe for Instant Pot Pho makes traditional pho in a fraction of the time with the help of your pressure cooker. This delicious pho recipe results in a flavorful broth and tender chicken. Combined with rice noodles, toasted spices, and fresh herbs, this soup packs so much flavor!
PS – Obsessed with brothy soups? You’ve got to try my Instant Pot chicken broth too!
You all probably know my kitchen obsession by now – The Instant Pot.
Like, I seriously sit at my desk all day thinking up new ways to use this little pot. Tonight, I’m dreaming of Red Beans & Rice, for Taco Tuesday, Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, and Wednesday – Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana is exactly what needs to happen.
If you haven’t heard of the Instant Pot yet, let me introduce you. It’s like an electric pressure cooker that has all these handy little buttons on it for cooking different things:
- Hard boiled eggs: Just add a little water to the pot, place your eggs on the cooking rack (as many as you’d like), and press the “EGG” button – Perfect hard boiled eggs in just about 10 minutes. You can even adjust the cooking time to make them as hard boiled or soft-boiled as you’d like. (I also love making these Sous Vide Egg Bites.)
- Rice: As easy as it is to make on the stovetop, with the Instant Pot there’s no babysitting. Just use a ratio of 1 cup water to 1 cup rice and push the “RICE” button. Easy! (Here’s my foolproof method for Instant Pot rice.)
- Quinoa: Make quinoa in a flash with no fuss! (Here’s my foolproof method for Instant Pot quinoa.)
- Meat: You can cook from frozen or fresh and amazingly it’s the most moist, tender meat – So yummy!
- Slow cooker: Use the Instant Pot just like you would use your crockpot – Set it to cook low and slow for any amount of time that you’d like. This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfect for meal prep!
- Dried beans: Cook them in a flash with no pre-soaking. (I’ve made Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Black Beans, and Refried Beans)
As handy as it is for all the above, the main reason I bought the Instant Pot was to make Pho.
I’ve wanted to try making Pho at home pho-ever. Ahem… However, there was one thing preventing me from trying it – time.
Traditional Vietnamese pho is so super tasty. But, it typically simmers away all day, often for 12 hours or more. You have to roast the bones for the broth, toast the spices and char the veggies!
With the Instant Pot, pho took me an hour from start to finish! And while it won’t take the place of my local Vietnamese takeout restaurant, this is a way to make the dish at home. But of course, it’s much simplified from the traditional, authentic pho recipe.
A key highlight of the Instant Pot, and how it may differ from a slow cooker is that you can sauté in it, making it possible to do everything with just one appliance.
This pho starts by charring the onion and ginger, letting it get nice and toasted without stirring it, to that we add the spices, let them get fragrant, and then the broth gets started by adding in the chicken thighs and some water, along with a couple other key ingredients that lend that sweet, salty umami flavor – namely fish sauce, a fuji apple, and a bit of sugar in my version.
Pop the lid on the pot and set the cook time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
My version comes from a few recipes that I gathered around the internet – Like this one from Nom Nom Paleo and this one from Epicurious. I liked the blend of spices that the Epicurious version incorporated – ones that I can remember tasting in phos of my past – coriander seeds, cloves, a cinnamon stick, cardamom and star anise. The Nom Nom Paleo version only calls for coriander and cloves.
The Nom Nom Paleo version added a fuji apple into the mix, and I thought that was a great way to add in some additional sweetness and flavor, similar to my Korean Bulgogi Tacos which seasons the meat with a bosc pear. The apple ended up lending a delicate flavor to the pho broth and I’m happy I made that addition.
The final question was – how much fish sauce? The Epicurious version called for twice as much as the Nom Nom Paleo version… So I started off with just 2 tablespoons… And then I decided it needed more – 3 tablespoons of that potent stuff ended up being just perfect.
The result? An umami-filled pot of pho that was seriously ready in under an hour. I mean, how pho-reaking cool is that?
🛒 Ingredients
- Rice Noodles – I’m using rice pho noodles in this recipe. But, you could also swap in regular pasta or ramen noodles.
- Chicken Thighs – Use bone-in, skin on thighs to add the most flavor to your broth.
- Olive oil – Extra virgin is best.
- Onion & Ginger
- Dried Spices – Cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, star anise pods, cloves.
- Apple – I used a fuji apple, buy any type will work here. It lends sweetness to the broth.
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fish Sauce – This is sold in the asian foods aisle of major grocery stores.
- Sugar + Salt – I used white sugar, but brown sugar will also work.
Pro Tip: Head to the bulk section of your grocery store to shop for the spices. That way you can grab just what you need, a few cardamom pods, a few cloves, etc. No need to buy the whole bottle, as spices tend to lose their flavor quickly anyway.
🌿 Toppings
Garnish your bowl of pho with some of these yummy toppings:
- Fresh herbs – Thai basil, mint, cilantro
- Thinly sliced red onion or green onions
- Jalapenos – for some heat
- Sauces – Sriracha, hoisin sauce, soy sauce
- Lime wedges
- Crunchy bean sprouts
🕕 How long is Chicken Pho good for?
- It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, you can freeze the broth (without the noodles) for up to 3 months.
🍷 Wine pairings
- Gewürztraminer and dry-Riesling are both great options because they will compliment the sweetness in the pho while downplaying its spiciness.
- Try a Sparkling Rosé – The bubbles will play nicely with the rich broth and balance nicely with the fragrant spices.
Did you try this instant pot pho?
If you loved this instant pot chicken pho I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.
✔️ Instant Pot soup recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup with Sausage & Kale
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Weight Loss Soup
🥣 Asian-inspired soup recipes
Instant Pot Pho Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounces rice noodles
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 large yellow onion (halved)
- 1 2-inch piece ginger (cut into 1/4 inch slices and slightly smashed)
- 3 cardamom pods (lightly smashed)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 star anise pods
- 5 cloves
- 1 fuji apple (peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 chunks)
- 1/2 cup coarsley chopped cilantro leaves
- 6 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 2 jalapenos (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes)
- Fresh herbs ((mint, cilantro, basil))
- Bean sprouts
- Sriracha sauce
- Daikon radish sprouts ((optional))
Instructions
- Soak the noodles in large bowl of warm water for 30-45 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the pho broth.
- Add the oil to your Instant Pot and select the sautee option. One hot, add onion cutside down, and ginger. Cook, without stirring, for about 4 minutes, until slightly charred.
- Add cardamom, cinnamon stick, coriander, star anise and cloves and cook for 1 minute longer, until fragrant. Add the water to the pot along with apple, cilantro, chicken, fish sauce, and sugar. Secure the lid.
- Select Manual and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When done, turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure decrease naturally for 10 minutes. Set a timer and if the pressure hasn’t completely released when it goes off, turn the valve at the top to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Strain the broth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Skim some of the fat from the broth.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones and divide the meat among 4 large soup bowls. (Reserve the bones for making bone broth.) Strain the noodles and divide them among the 4 bowls. Top each of the bowls with the broth and your desired toppings.
I’ve always preferred ramen to pho, but you are selling me on this hot pot!
OMG yum!!! I love your soup recipes! We have been loving our Instant Pot for the same staples and Nom Nom Paleo’s recipes are great!
I instantly became obsessed with my Instant Pot – LOVE it!
YUM! I will have to pin this recipe and check it out. 🙂
I’m obsessed with Pho, and this looks better than something from a restaurant!
I love Pho too – I was so excited to find out that it’s easy to make at home (and quick) with the Instant Pot!
I haven’t jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet…I think I’m hoping it will pass, mainly because I don’t have room for one more appliance! 😉 However, recipes like this one look SO good and make me seriously consider getting one!
It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon too Marlynn – But now I seriously find myself using the Instant Pot just about every day!
I’ve been waiting for this since I saw it on Instagram! You’ve pretty much sold me on the Instant Pot. I make stuff from scratch a lot but I’ve actually avoided pho because it takes so long. I don’t know when I’ll actually get one but I’m on the bandwagon now.
You sound just like me Meg! It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon (at least a few months of thinking about it) – BUT, I seriously use my Instant Pot almost every single day! And, Pho is what convinced me to try it out. I say go for it! 🙂
I’m obsessed with my IP. This recipe was so easy to make, and very good!
I’m so glad you liked it Patti! I love my Instant Pot too!!!
I received an Instant Pot for Christmas and this is the first thing I want to try to make with it! If I have time and wanted to cook it for longer, should I cook it at a low temperature or leave it on high for several hours?
Thanks! Excited to try!
Hi Hannah – You can complete the cooking process as the recipe states, but then you can leave it in your Instant Pot – It will keep it on the “WARM” setting until you’re ready to eat. Hope this helps!
Any ideas on how to adapt this for beef?
Use oxtail bones. You can get this at the Asian store.
That sounds like a great swap Sonya!
That wouldn’t be Pho Ga though…
Hi! I am getting ready to make this for the 2nd time and I’m confused about which rice noodles to use. The first time I bought a package of very thin, straw like noodles and the texture wasn’t right after soaking per instructions. Today I bought something called “stir-fry rice noodles” that are a little thicker and look more like pasta but the instructions say to put them in boiling water and turnoff the heat for 8=10 min. Which are the right ones? Is there a brand you can reference? Thanks!!
Hi Molly. Those are the ones! See my link in the recipe. They’ll work perfectly! Cheers and Happy Friday!
FYI, NYT Cooking has a great Beef Pho recipe for the IP 🙂
Have you ever used essential oils instead of spices? I have all those listed (except Anise Star). I don’t have an Instant Pot but being we eat very clean and need no sugar, gluten, etc., I like to control the ingredients more. How many of Instant Pot lovers also have special dietary needs?
I made this last night and it’s wonderful! Quick tip: I used a blender (Vitamix) to measure the water and put a mesh strainer over the blender to capture the strained broth later. Then it was easy to pour broth into individual bowls. This is definitely now my go-to pho recipe. Thank you!
So glad to hear that you liked it Annie! Love your tip.
I’m checking out Penzey’s for some of the harder-to-find spices, and I thought when I looked up Cardamom pods, there’s be one result. Hell no. There are black pods, white pods, and green pods. Any idea which would be best for this recipe? I love pho and have always wanted to try making it. But the recipe always seemed over my head. Hoping to give this one a go with the Instant Pot that was just delivered. 🙂
I had no idea there were so many varieties! I would go with the black pods for the Pho.
Thank you!
Follow-up: Went to Penzey’s. We’re lucky enough to have a brick-and-mortar store in Buffalo. They have samples to smell, and the green seemed to smell most like the restaurant pho I’d had. So I’m trying with the green. http://www.penzeys.com No, I don’t work for them but walked out with a haul of spices that my wife swore would cost $100. Total was $34 and change with two freebies thrown in.
That’s an amazing deal Dan – I’m a big fan of Penzey’s too – Such a great selection!
The black cardamoms are the right kind for pho, not the green pods. I have done research on them after trying the green pods first.
Was unable to find cardamom, any substitute?
Thank you for sharing your recipe & helpful hints! I just made chicken pho soup for the first time & it was delicious, inexpensive, and very filling! Your hint to buy spices in the bulk aisle was key. Whole Foods had the cardamom, cloves, star anise, etc at pennies compared to what I’d paid in the bottled spice aisle. I’m new to the Instant Pot & hadn’t been that impressed with it so far, but your recipe has me a believer! Thanks so much for helping me succeed!
I’m so happy I could help Jill!
Let me start by saying Pho is my favorite food but I cannot eat it usually because I am allergic to MSG which most restaurants add as a stewing agent. We made this for my birthday tonight and it was easy! This will now be a staple in my house. I recommend adding Kosher salt with the liquid before cooking. After cooking mash the strained ingredients in seive or cheese cloth and squeeze all the juices once cool enough to handle to get all that wonderful spice. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear that you liked it Rachel – Happy Birthday!
I made this Pho dish and it was amazing! The flavours were perfect. My whole family loved it! Thank you for posting. I will definitely try with beef as well. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Sharon!
We just got back from Vietnam Nam, so I am hunting for a good Pho recipe! I prefer chicken breast meat to thighs… if I substitute, are there additional seasonings Inshould add?
Hi Peggy – I think that you’ll be good without adding any additional seasonings! I’d love to hear back on what you think after you give the recipe a try!
HELP? I WANT to love my new I.P. and your Pho recipe sounds amazing – but so far all I’ve made that’s been any good is hard-boiled eggs. I even turned my rice mushy because I mixed it with quinoa and then had to GUESS at the amount of water. I’ve tried sous vide in it – filet mignon – and it over-cooked it. I even over-cooked my artichokes (but finally did them right last night). Do you have any other recipes I can try? I’d like to stay away from beans (my husband already farts too much), and we don’t do a lot of gluten – no lactose or soy. You seem like the person who can help me learn to love my I.P….
Hi Danna – Here’s a link to all my Instant Pot recipes. Maybe give those
Instant Pot chicken breasts a try? They’re delicious and simple!
I have made this every week for the last four weeks (since I got my Instant Pot). It’s delicious. And once you have all the spices, it’s quite easy to prepare. My kids love it. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that you like it Mia!
I saw one of your recipe had nutrition ingredients. I know it’s a pain, but if you have the ability to estimate calories, that would be so helpful.
Hi Jeannette – I just calculated the nutrition for you and added to the post. I hope that helps!
Is the calculated nutrition per serving or for the full recipe?
Hi Melinda – The calories are per serving.
Hi
Just got my pot but since I am alone, I got the 3 qt mini. I assume your recipes are for the larger pot? For those of us who have the smaller size, it would be helpful if you gave the total volume of the completed recipes so we would know how much to decrease ingredients for our pots. This recipe sounds so yummy that I can’t wait to try it!
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! Used chicken breast instead of thighs because that’s what we had and it still turned out great. Definitely saving this recipe.
I’m so happy you liked it Jennifer!
This looks delicious!!! I love Chicken Pho! Could this be made on the stove if I don’t have an instant pot yet?
This was very very tasty not too difficult to prepare… my husband said we will never need to go out for pho again! now I need to try my hand at the beef version. Thank you! 🙂
I’m so happy you both liked it!
Hi. You list the cuisine as Thai but it should be Vietnamese. 🙂
What makes this so carb heavy 🤔
I made this for the first time last night and it was AMAZING! We also added a quick pickled cucumber and shallot topping. I have yet to taste a pho this good outside of a Vietnamese restaurant. I’m telling all my IP-owning friends about this. Can’t wait to make it again. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Molly – Thanks!
Hi Erin! Trying your recipe out for the first time, and just wanted to know if you use both halves of the halved onion or just one?
Best,
Bre
Hi Breanna – I use both halves of the onion.
This is almost exactly the recipe from the Instant Pot Cookbook by Laurel Randolph. We made it for the first time tonight and it was pretty good, but we are going to change it up a bit for next time and add some heat. But it was a nice fresh tasting healthy soup!
Yum! Looking to make for a big dinner. Could I somehow double this recipe to feed 8?
Hi Jean – That would definitely depend on the size of your Instant Pot. You don’t want to fill it beyond the MAX fill line.
Can’t wait to try this! Does it freeze easily?
Hi Jennifer – I haven’t yet tried that, but I believe it should be just fine stored in the freezer for a few months. If you’re able to, I would maybe reserve the noodles (skip that step) to ensure that they don’t get soggy. Then, when you’re ready to serve, soften those noodles in warm water and add them to the reheated broth. Hope that helps!
This was really good and SO EASY! I only had boneless skinless chicken thighs so I used bone broth instead of water and it was perfect.
842 calories per serving? I could eat half a chocolate cake for that. 4 servings =approx 1.5 chicken thighs and veggies. The noodles couldn’t add up to approx 500 calories. Maybe the whole package. You should recheck the nutrition.
Hello! I’m confused by your recipe. The ingredients say sugar but the video says salt.
I’m so sorry Rachel! Thanks for catching that! There is a typo in the video 🙁
Could I know how many it’s the chicken thighs are ? Cuz all thighs are not created equal 😂
I meant kg ^
Is the nutritional info based on the whole pot or per serving? If per serving the sodium content noted seems really high with only 3 TBLS of fish sauce. Thanks!
Hi Lynne – This is per serving, but unfortunately I’m not a nutritionist. The program I use to create my recipe card calculates the nutrition facts, but I can’t guarantee its information. But unfortunately, yes, pho is quite high in sodium.
Pho is amazing, and this is such a great way to make it. Guess what I’ll be using my Duo Nova for next? Honestly, I’ve been having a craving for pho and that’s how I came across your website. Sure, I could always buy it, but that doesn’t have the “I made this myself!” factor. Thanks for this recipe, I’m going to try it soon!
Hi there! What size instant pot did you use for this?
Hi! I use an 8-quart.
My first time ever trying to make this kind of pho in an instapot. I followed it to the letter and it was OFF THE CHARTS who needs restaurants!! Thank you for such clear instructions! I also added mini chunks of zucchini, the best shiitake mushrooms in mini slices, radishes thinly sliced and julienned carrots to give it more colour. My boyfriend and I loved it!!! 💖💖
I’m so happy to hear that Summer!
I finally broke down and purchased an instapot last week. This was the first recipe I made. So easy yet so good!
Yay! You’re going to love your IP Jen!
I don’t have any fresh ginger root. Can u make this using minced ginger?
You sure can!
This was absolutely amazing!!! It rivals a restaurant. Thank you
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you!
Hi. Thank you for the recipe. It looks amazing! I have a question about your comment about saving the bones to make bone broth. I would have thought that cooking this soup would have used up all of the goodness of the bones so they wouldn’t be useful for making bone broth after making this soup.
The recipe is great, it was my first time making Pho at home but it is one of my favorites to go out for. I used ground cloves instead of whole cloves, and found the equivalent on Google (To use ground cloves instead of whole cloves, use ¾ teaspoon ground cloves for every 1 teaspoon whole cloves called for in the recipe) which made the smell to overwhelmingly too clove-ish, although it still tasted okay. Next time I’ll use less cloves. Other than that, it was a great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for trying it Jen!