Vegan phở recipe with tofu and mushrooms

Phở is a delicious and popular noodle soup dish that has been captivating taste buds for generations. Originating in Vietnam, this dish has become a staple food not only in the streets of Vietnam but also across the world.

I remember the first ever phở I tried. It was in a local vegan establishment on the island of Phú Quốc in Vietnam. I hadn’t yet acclimatised to the heat, but I still managed to devour a full bowl of this noodle soup.

Ever since then, I was addicted. I ate it pretty much every other day. It was the perfect hangover cure, as well as a comforting weekend breakfast dish. You could eat it in a fancy restaurant or on the side of the road from a local street vendor. No matter where, it was delicious.

In this vegan phở recipe, I am going to show you just how simple it is to make this delicious dish in your own kitchen. It does require a little bit of patience to infuse the broth with the spices and aromatics, but it requires very little effort from yourself to pull off.

Whether you are already a phở lover or just phở curious, I hope you will enjoy my vegan take on the traditional phở.

What is phở?

Phở is a comforting and satisfying meal originating from Vietnam and is actually considered to be their national dish. The dish is made with an aromatic broth, which is served with rice noodles, herbs, sriracha or hoisin sauce, and a protein source – traditionally beef (but there are vegan variations).

The broth has a really deep umami flavour which is balanced delicately with spices and aromatics. It is typically quite a clean-looking broth, meaning you should be able to see through to the bottom of your bowl. But some variations of it, like my vegan phở, may use ingredients that darken the broth slightly.

Fun fact: the rice noodles used inside a phở are actually called bánh phở. They are flat rectangular white rice noodles that you will only really find used in this soup, or in dry versions of the dish. But you are probably going to have a hard time finding these exact noodles outside of Vietnam, so you can use Thai flat rice noodles instead.

How do you pronounce phở?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve been pronouncing it like ‘foe’ all this time. Pretty much everyone does until they try to order one in a Vietnamese restaurant and are met with very confused looks.

Instead, it is pronounced more like ‘fuh’. Or ”Fu Uh’, expressing a tonal rise in the middle of the word.

If you still find it tricky to pronounce, here are some tips:

1. Make the f sound as if you were about to say the word ‘fun’ or ‘fog’
2. Once you make the ‘f’ sound, start rising your tone to make the ‘uh’ noise

It is also quite useful to know that pronunciation of the word may vary slightly depending on regional accents and dialects within Vietnam, but the “fuh” pronunciation is widely accepted and understood. Good luck!

Can phở be made vegan?

Yes, phở can easily be made vegan! While traditional phở is typically made with beef or chicken broth and then topped with slices of meat, it is possible to make a vegan version of the dish that is just as flavourful and satisfying.

First, you’ll need to replace the meat broth with a vegetable broth made from various ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, and ginger. And instead of using meat to top the dish, you can top it with various types of mushrooms and tofu (or other plant-based protein sources).

In my vegan phở recipe, you’ll find I use a mix of dried mushrooms to create an umami flavour in the broth and then I top the broth with tofu and mushrooms. In particular, I like to use Lion’s Mane mushrooms since they have a lovely meaty texture (I buy mine from Merit Mushrooms). But you can opt for a mushroom that is easier to find in supermarkets, like shiitake or king oyster.

Vegan phở ingredients

The ingredients list is relatively simple and hopefully, you should have most of these ingredients sitting around in your fridge and food cupboards anyway. Here is a list of the main ingredients along with some alternative suggestions, just in case you find yourself without these ingredients:

• Spices: star anise, whole cinnamon, coriander seeds, black cardamom and cloves. All of these are pretty essential, but if you don’t have them all just use the ones you do have
• Dried mushrooms: dried mushrooms help to add an umami flavour to the broth. Without them, you won’t really achieve a good depth of flavour. You can try using a really good quality vegan ‘beef’ stock or mushroom powders if you can’t get your hands on any.
• Noodles: typically a phở uses flat white rice noodles which are very similar to the Thai noodles you can buy in supermarkets. I like to use a brown rice noodle alternative as my stomach tolerates it much better than white rice noodles.
• Vegan protein: most vegan phở will be served with tofu and/or fake meat. I like to use silken tofu because it is quick and easy. You simply cut it into cubes and dunk it into the broth. You can opt for firm tofu instead and fry it before adding it to the dish.
• Mushrooms: for a much more natural alternative to meat slices, you can add slices of mushrooms to your dish. I like to use meaty mushrooms like Lion’s Mane or King Oyster Mushrooms.

Vegan phở top tips

The recipe that I have presented to you is a relatively simple variation of the recipe and it is hard to get wrong, but here are some handy top tips if you want to create phở-fection:

• The longer the better: the longer you cook your broth, the more chance the ingredients have to impart their flavour into the liquid. But if you choose to cook yours for longer, do make sure to remove the spices from the stock pan as these can start to overpower the broth.
• Be prepared: if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands in the evenings, you can very easily make this broth ahead of time. Simply cool it down and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days before heating it through to serve. You could even keep a few portions of the broth in your freezer for a few months.
• Keep it simple: the trick with phở is to keep things simple. Don’t overcomplicate your toppings and let the broth do the talking! I like to add a protein source and some mushrooms. But I have seen variations of this recipe which include all sorts of vegetables and legumes. You’d never find a phở in Vietnam with such extensive ingredients inside!

Serving suggestions

The toppings and side servings with a phở are typically quite simple. Focusing mostly on fresh herbs, chilli and onion. Here is a list of what you can serve your vegan phở with:

• Herbs: Thai basil and coriander
• Vegetables: Spring onion, thinly sliced brown onion, and bean sprouts
• Citrus: Lime
• Sauce: Hoisin and/or sriracha sauce on the side (that can be stirred in)

What you serve with your vegan phở is entirely up to you, but any of the above would be really authentic!

How do you make vegan phở?

Whilst this process may take a few hours, there is relatively little work involved in making a vegan phở broth. The plant-based protein toppings can be changed up depending on what you have in the fridge or your cupboards, and how much time you have on your hands.

Follow these simple steps to make your very own vegan phở:

Other vegan Vietnamese recipes

Having spent a lot of time in Vietnam, I get a lot of enjoyment out of recreating the dishes that I love eating there. Check out my other creations here:

• Vegan spring rolls with peanut sauce
• Vegan banh xeo
• Vietnamese-style vegan kimchi