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Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho (Phở Bò)
4.7 from 57 votes

Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho (Phở Bò)

Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho (Phở Bò) is a rich, aromatic noodle soup made by simmering beef bones with brisket and shank alongside warming spices like cassia cinnamon, star anise, cloves, coriander, and fennel seeds. The broth is clarified and infused over several hours before serving with rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, fresh herbs, and condiments. The careful preparation yields a deeply savory, fragrant broth with tender meats and a balanced flavor profile suited for customization.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
6 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
7 hrs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 384 kcal
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

For the Broth
  • 3 lbs beef bones
  • 1.25 lbs beef brisket
  • 1 lb beef shank
  • 14½ cups water (about 3.75 quarts)
  • 1 tablespoon salt (and more for seasoning)
For the Spice Blend
  • 1 cassia cinnamon about 0.2-0.25 oz, large piece of cassia bark or 2-3 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 star anise
  • 6-7 cloves
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1½-2 black cardamom pods crushed open
For the Aromatics
  • 2 yellow onion about 12 oz, medium, skin-on, sliced in half
  • 2 ginger about 2.5 oz, thumb-sized pieces, sliced in half lengthwise plus 2 more slices
  • 4-5 shallot
For Seasonings
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon rock sugar
For the Bowls
  • 1.5-2 lbs rice noodle cooked
  • flank steak optional, if you want to have rare beef pho, thinly sliced, or tenderloin or sirloin
  • 1 yellow onion try to make them paper-thin, medium, thinly sliced into half moons
  • scallion white part, shredded
  • scallion green part, thinly sliced
  • cilantro thinly sliced
  • black pepper freshly-cracked

Instructions

Prepare the Broth
    Cup of Yum
  1. Par-boil beef bones in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes then transfer to a bowl of cold water and clean the bones. Bring a stock pot with 3.75 quarts of water to a simmer, then add the bones together with 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 slices of ginger (about 2-inch long).
  2. Let everything come to a boil and skim off any foams, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with the lid askew and simmer very gently for 6-8 hours.
  3. While simmering the bones, use kitchen twine to tie the beef brisket and shank. Par-boil them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Rinse and add them to the stock pot. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and skim off foams. Cover with the lid askew.
  4. Cook the beef brisket and shank until tender to your liking. Beef brisket may take 2.5-3 hours and beef shank may take 1-1.5 hours. Once they are ready, remove them from the broth and add them to a bowl of iced water. Once cool, refrigerate them if the broth isn't ready yet.
  5. About 2.5 hours before finishing simmering the broth, char onions, ginger and shallots (all with skin-on) on a grill pan or broil in the oven. It may take 10-15 minutes and you will see charred marks on their skin. The onions will feel softer with some juices bubbling. Peel off the skin and blackened part from the charred onions, ginger and shallots.
  6. In a skillet over medium-low to medium heat, toast the spices for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Be careful to avoid burning them (especially the cloves). Add them to a spice bag.
  7. Skim off excess fat from the broth (note: leave some fat in the broth). Place the spice bag, onion, ginger and shallot in the stock pot and simmer them in the broth for about 2 hours prior to serving, then remove them.
  8. Right before serving, season the broth with additional salt (I often add another teaspoon of salt), fish sauce and rock sugar to taste. Also check to see if too much water evaporates and you can add a splash of water to the broth if needed. Each bowl needs about 1½-2 cups (360-480ml) of broth depending on size (medium or large).
Assemble Beef Pho Bowls
  1. Slice beef brisket and shank thinly against the grain.
  2. Place rice noodles in serving bowls. Top with sliced cooked beef, raw beef slices (optional), thinly sliced onions, thinly sliced scallions, cilantro and freshly cracked black pepper.
  3. Bring the broth back to a boil. Add the white parts of scallions to the broth to poach for several seconds, and then immediately ladle the soup into pho bowls. Serve right away with accompaniments of your choice. See list of accompaniments in the Notes below.

Notes

  • Serve pho with traditional accompaniments like fried dough sticks, lime wedges, chili, hoisin sauce, and fresh herbs to enhance flavors.
  • Simmer bones for 6-8 hours to develop a rich broth; brisket and shank need less cooking time and can be added accordingly.
  • For varying broth styles, adjust fish sauce and sugar amounts to approach Northern or Southern Vietnamese flavors.
  • Make-ahead options: broth and cooked meats can be refrigerated or frozen, reheating with added aromatics to refresh flavor.
  • If beef shank is unavailable, oxtails are a suitable substitute requiring longer simmering for tenderness.
  • This recipe serves six people and can be increased to serve more by adding water and adjusting seasonings carefully.

Nutrition Information

Calories 384kcal (19%) Carbohydrates 41g (14%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 76mg (25%) Sodium 1558mg (65%) Potassium 678mg (14%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 82mg (8%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 384

% Daily Value*

Calories 384kcal 19%
Carbohydrates 41g 14%
Protein 32g 64%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 76mg 25%
Sodium 1558mg 65%
Potassium 678mg 14%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin C 6mg 7%
Calcium 82mg 8%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.