My Shrimp Pho is a faster, easier weeknight version that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen making the traditional bone-marrow broth. This aromatic shrimp noodle soup is warm, satisfying and full of flavor thanks to all of the herbs and spices.
When I was pregnant, I craved pho (pronounced “fuh”) all. the. time. To this day, I continue to crave it and make it at home at least 2-3 times a month. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup made with beef or chicken broth. Just like every Italian has a different meatball recipe, every bowl of pho will taste slightly different depending on who prepares the dish. Of course, there’s much more to it than that so here is The Evolution of Pho.
Why do I crave it? The intensely flavored broth is full of warm toasted spices, fresh flavors and aromatics. As you slurp the rice noodles, warm broth and bright herbs, you are instantly transported to another world. A delicious and happy world.
My Shrimp Pho is a faster, easier weeknight version that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen making the traditional bone-marrow broth. I leave that to the experts at my favorite local Vietnamese restaurant. ;-) Instead, I rely on a few shortcuts like boxed chicken stock and often use shrimp or chicken instead of beef. Additionally, I like throwing in leafy greens at the end such as bok choy or spinach.
There are a million and one ways to make pho and in fact, my version continues to evolve over time. There’s my Vietnamese Chicken Soup (Faux Pho) which I made before I learned the secret about toasting the spices. Another tip? Garnish with thinly sliced onion. I learned that one recently at my local nail salon when the owner of the shop shared a bowl of her homemade soup!
Lastly, lemon peel is a great substitute for lemongrass which adds a ton of flavor and doesn’t require a trip to the Asian market. Although Asian markets are probably one of my favorite places on the planet. :)
Your bowl is waiting.
Shrimp Pho - Vietnamese Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles thin or pad thai style
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or 1/2 teaspoon ground
- 2 cloves whole or 1/4 teaspoon ground
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns or 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons ginger root minced
- 1/2 tablespoon chili garlic paste
- 8 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 strips lemon peel use carrot peeler
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 8 cups bok choy stem thinly sliced & leaves roughly chopped
- 1 lb shrimp raw
Optional Garnishes
- thinly sliced onion
- slices jalapeno
- cilantro
- lime wedges
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha
- bean sprouts
- Thai basil
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles according to package directions and set aside.
- Toast coriander, cloves and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until they become aromatic. Remove from heat and crush with mortar and pestle or spice grinder; set aside.
- In a large soup pot, warm sesame oil over medium heat for 30-60 seconds until it starts to shimmer. Add ginger and chili garlic paste then stir for 30 seconds to release flavors.
- Stir in chicken broth, lemon peel, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, hoisin, cinnamon and reserved toasted spices. Bring mixture to a boil then add shrimp and bok choy.
- Continue to simmer until shrimp turns bright pink and bok choy wilts - about 3-4 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt/pepper/soy if necessary.
- Divide rice noodles evenly between four large bowls and ladle soup into each bowl.
- Serve with optional garnishes.
Nutrition Information:
For more Asian recipes, check out my Pinterest board!
Rose
May 13, 2019 at 3:50 pmWOW!!! DELICIOUS!!
Liz DellaCroce
May 13, 2019 at 7:03 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Stacie G
March 22, 2019 at 8:17 pmAbsolutely delicious!!
Liz DellaCroce
March 24, 2019 at 11:44 amI’m so glad you liked it Stacie!!
Peggy
February 22, 2019 at 10:21 amThis was the best recipe! Thank you so much for sharing <3 Hubs loved this more than the local Pho restaurant
Liz DellaCroce
February 24, 2019 at 11:07 amAhhh that makes me so happy!!
Renia
May 1, 2017 at 4:21 amWhat a tasty recipe!! Full of flavour and so easy to make! will defnitely do again :)
Liz DellaCroce
May 1, 2017 at 11:58 amSo glad you enjoyed it!
Phil
January 28, 2017 at 8:01 pmI finally found this recipe, about 4-5 years late
Sounds really good but I prefer lemon grass to lemon rind. How much lemon grass would you recommend?
Liz DellaCroce
January 29, 2017 at 1:34 pmSo glad you found it!! I prefer lemongrass as well – I would use 1 tablespoon per four cups broth.
Miranda
January 25, 2016 at 2:32 pmOkay. This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I probably make it spicier and fill it with as much fresh cilantro as I possibly can but when I make this for my husband, he doesn’t speak. He just keeps saying, “this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten”. And it is. Thank you Liz for sharing it and enhancing our lives. Xxx
Liz DellaCroce
January 26, 2016 at 7:05 amOh my gosh thank you so much Miranda!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! !
Alicia
February 3, 2017 at 8:56 amReading this convinces me I must go to the store to pick up these ingredients ASAP and make this for dinner tonight! Can’t wait for a soothing bowl of shrimp pho.
Liz DellaCroce
February 4, 2017 at 5:37 pmLet me know what you think of it!
Alicia
February 5, 2017 at 8:32 amWe really enjoyed this! It makes 4 generous portions, which was great because we had leftovers for next day.Went to our local Asian market to pick up the ingredients for a value. Used enoki mushrooms instead of bean sprouts before serving which resemble delicate sprouts and add a hint of Unami. It was a fun date night activity! Quite spicy (especially with jalapeño and siracha to top) but we’re into that.
Liz DellaCroce
February 5, 2017 at 1:09 pmI’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Love the version you made!
Lisa
September 20, 2015 at 1:47 pmI came across your recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it… And I just had to come back and let you know that it was absolutely delicious! Im a huge fan of ethnic dishes but so many recipes require ingredients that are not easily accessible or expensive, so I appreciated the simplicity and practicality of this recipe. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for creating such a yummy and easy recipe!
Liz DellaCroce
September 27, 2015 at 7:53 amI’m so thrilled you liked it Lisa!! Thank you so much for your kind comment!!
Jacquie
October 7, 2014 at 1:35 pmI am so glad to have finally found a great site that actually give a cholesterol count. Thank you so much, it makes my life much easier. :)
Liz DellaCroce
October 12, 2014 at 4:43 pmOh I’m so glad!!! Enjoy!!
Alicia
January 4, 2014 at 9:28 pmSo good!!
I just made it!!! I added scallions and mushrooms in the brooth and garnished with them both too.
Great TASTY easy recipe!!!
Liz DellaCroce
January 5, 2014 at 7:59 amI’m so thrilled you loved it!! It’s on my weekly menu this week too!! Enjoy!
Lori
December 28, 2013 at 9:36 pmThis was Phonomenal!!! Hub already asked me to make it again. I used jumbo shrimp but also added some thinly sliced grilled chicken, since I had it. Also added sliced mushrooms and spicy bean sprouts along with all of the other optional ingredients. Going in the “keeper” files, PHO sure! Thank you so much.
Liz DellaCroce
December 29, 2013 at 8:15 amI love all of the items you added!! Sounds so good! Glad your husband enjoyed it!! It’s one of my absolute favs!! :)
Daryl
November 16, 2013 at 4:51 pmI just wanted to let you know I tried this one last night and it worked great! Because I had so much minced fresh ginger and I used ground spices, I actually put the broth through a sieve before proceeding by adding in the shrimp. I like the broth a bit more clear if that makes sense. I just made sure I simmered it a bit longer so all the tastes were infused before discarding the spices. I will definitely try it again!
Liz DellaCroce
November 16, 2013 at 10:07 pmThat is so great to hear and such a wonderful tip!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Deborah McClellan
October 23, 2013 at 8:02 pmI’m so glad I found your recipes, especially this one. I made this with a few substitutions: I love squid so got some fresh squid from Whole Foods, I also used scallops and mussels in addition to the shrimp. I used a delicious seafood base instead of chicken broth, and I love the sweet and sour flavor tamarind gives dishes so added some tamarind as well. I’ve eaten Pho for years and never thought I could make it but thanks to your recipe I realize how easy it is. Also, my nail technician talked me into it. He kept telling me I could make it so I thought I’d give it a try. Thanks so much for making this delicious recipe available. I’m trying the fresh spring wraps next!
Liz DellaCroce
October 24, 2013 at 8:29 amI love squid too – what an awesome idea!!! I wish we lived closer to a whole foods. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!! Let me know if you try the spring rolls!!
Shelia
October 10, 2013 at 4:50 pmI know you love this soup so this is probably a silly question but do you know if this freezes well? It’s just me at home and I don’t eat much so, 4 servings would really end up be like 8 and while I love Pho not sure if I want to eat it 8 times in a row…
Linda
January 5, 2019 at 5:06 pmIt does freeze well – I’ve done it several times
Liz DellaCroce
January 6, 2019 at 9:30 pmYes very well!! So glad!
priskilla
October 4, 2013 at 9:42 pmvery nice
Southern Spoon Belle
October 2, 2013 at 5:44 amMade this tonight for dinner because the hubs was feeling under the weather, and I find that pho always makes you feel better. We both loved it! Didn’t have hoisin on hand so I subbed oyster sauce, and we also added some thinly sliced mushrooms along with the bok choy. I think I might tone down the cloves just a tad next time, though the hubs thought they were spot on. Great recipe, will make this often!
Liz DellaCroce
October 2, 2013 at 2:48 pmOh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!! Just reading your comment has me craving it again!! Love the idea of mushrooms and bok choy!! Thanks so much!
sally hessenius
September 13, 2013 at 11:23 amI have always been a soup lover. Lately i have been totally hooked on Pho. Recently I took a trip to San Diego to an authentic noodle house and now I crave it all the time. Looking forward to trying this version. Thanks so much!!
Liz DellaCroce
September 13, 2013 at 2:14 pmOh I hope you enjoy this easy version!!
Jennifer
August 29, 2013 at 6:55 pmAre you sure there’s only 8 cups of the noodle soup we are making it at the moment and there’s only a bit of broth and a lot of extra ingredients, but other than that it taste great
Jen
May 3, 2013 at 5:20 pmMade this today and it was deeelicious!! I was worried it wouldn’t come out right since I’ve never made it before/didn’t even know what bok choy was or where to find it, but it was so good :) I’ve been craving pho for a while and this hit the spot. Can’t wait to see what my Vietnamese mom thinks of it!!
Liz DellaCroce
May 4, 2013 at 3:47 pmOh I’m so glad to hear!!! We love it too! How did it go over?!
Linda
March 20, 2013 at 10:41 pmI had never had Pho before, but my daughter loves it. She gave me this recipe and asked me to make it. I used chicken instead of shrimp, and we are eating it right now. It is really good. I especially like the crunch of the bean sprouts. The flavor is delicious. My husband said he would go to a restaurant for this, he likes it that much:)
Liz DellaCroce
March 21, 2013 at 8:34 amOh I am so glad to hear!! It is one of my favorites too!!!
Brigitte
March 9, 2013 at 7:59 pmI just made this soup is so flavorful ! my bf ate two bowls and I did too. My favorite part was the broth.
Liz DellaCroce
March 10, 2013 at 8:35 amOh I’m so glad to hear!!! It is one of my favorites as well!