Beef Pho Shortcut Recipe | Easy Homemade Pho Without Hours or Bones

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Beef Pho Shortcut

A quicker way to make a comforting bowl of beef pho at home without needing a whole pot of bones or hours on the stove.

Beef Pho Shortcut (Wednesday Noodle Night)

A quicker way to make a comforting bowl of beef pho at home without needing a whole pot of bones or hours on the stove.

This is what I’ve been doing lately for Wednesday noodle night. It’s simple, flexible, and still gives you that deep, beefy flavour super quickly.

Ingredients:

Broth
- 1.8l Beef broth (I used oxtail bone broth)
- 2 Vietnamese pho cubes (pho bo or pho ga)
- 3 onions, halved
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, halved
- Pho spices (in a spice bag)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar

To serve
- Rice noodles
- Thinly sliced shabu beef
- Beef balls

Toppings
- Basil
- Spring onion
- Coriander
- Fried shallots
- Lime

Instructions:

1. Make the broth
Airfry or roast onion, ginger and pho spices till charred. Place spices into spice bag.
Add to the pot of beef broth
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove aromatics and spices.

2. Season
Add the pho cubes.
Adjust with fish sauce and sugar.
You want it tasting very strong, it will mellow out once the noodles go in.

3. Add extras
Add beef balls.

4. Prepare noodles
Blanch noodles separately.

5. Assemble
Add noodles, beef balls and raw beef to a bowl.
Pour hot broth over.

For kids, I prefer to fully cook the beef slices in the broth before serving

Top with basil, spring onion, coriander, fried shallots and lime.
Serve with fish sauce and chilli on the side.

What I Used to Make This

These are the tools I use and love. Some links are affiliate, thank you for your quiet support 🤍

Caption

Vietnamese Pho Stock Cube

I add these to chicken or beef broth to make a quick deep tasting pho stock. Pho Bo is beef flavour and Pho Ga is chicken flavour.

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handmade

Fresh Beef Balls

Made in small batches and hand-formed for a bouncy yet tender finish with every bite. We love keeping this in the freezer and adding it to noodle soups.

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non toxic swap

Stainless Steel Strainer

I use a stainless steel strainer for my spices instead of paper soup bags. It’s reusable, holds everything in neatly, and avoids any paper or additives sitting in the broth.

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Vacuum sealed

Spice Pack for Pho

Convenient prepacked spice mix for pho bo and pho ga. I like these are they are individually vacuum packed for maximum freshness

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halal + gluten free

Vifon Rice Noodles

We love these noodles with the right texture for pho. Not too soggy and soak up the soup perfectly.

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Non-toxic swap

Glass Air Fryer

I chose a glass air fryer to avoid non-stick coatings. It’s a cleaner, low-tox alternative that lets you actually see your food as it cooks. Perfect for quick dinners, toddler meals, or when I need to walk away and let something crisp quietly on its own

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non-toxic swap

Air Fryer Tray Insert

I use this to cook marinated salmon in the airfryer. Made from food-grade stainless steel, with an optional rack for crisping or roasting. A non-toxic alternative to silicone baskets and wax paper liners

The 15cm size fits perfectly in the Mayer glass air fryer

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Watch how I made it