60+ Vegan Vietnamese-Inspired Recipes
This classic Vietnamese Pho consists of a rich broth infused with spices, and served with vegan beef, rice noodles, and fresh herbs! This recipe is as close to authentic as possible!
Ingredients
Broth
- 7 and 1/2 cup water
- 1 onion halved
- 3 shallots halved
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices
- 1/2 daikon radish peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning optional
- 2 tsp vegan fish sauce optional, add more salt to taste if omitting
Spices
- 1 inch fresh ginger sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1 whole black cardamom
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 anise stars
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
Vegan "Beef"
- 12 slices vegan beef slices soaked for 20 minutes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
The Rest
- About 10 ounces dried flat rice noodles
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms
- a few slices of fried tofu
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- a handful of Thai basil
- 1/2 onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or culantro
Instructions
Broth
- Start by charring the onion and shallots: heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the halved onion and shallots, cut-side facing down. Char them for 3-5 minutes, or until almost black. Note: you can also char them under the broiler, in an oven.
- Transfer the charred onion and shallots to a large pot. Add the sliced carrots, daikon radish, salt, and sugar. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
- In the meantime, char the sliced ginger in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the whole spices and toast them for about 1 minute. Transfer the spices and ginger to a tea bag or cheesecloth closed with a string.
- After the 30-35 minutes, turn off the heat and add the spices tea bag to the broth. Let infuse for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the spices bag, onions, and shallots from the broth. Add the mushroom seasoning and vegan fish sauce if using. Taste and adjust the saltiness and sweetness if needed.
- At this point, you can also remove the carrots and radish, or leave them in the broth to serve later. Note: If planning to keep for broth for one day in the refrigerator, I recommend removing all of the vegetables, otherwise they will soak up some liquid and you will end up with less broth.
Vegan "Beef"
- Drain the vegan beef slices and rinse them under cold water a couple of times. Squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Transfer the beef slices to a bowl and add the sugar, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Stir to coat. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegan beef slices and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until slightly golden brown.
To Assemble
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and drain well.
- Add a handful of raw bean sprouts to each bowl. Top with the cooked rice noodles, sautéed vegan beef slices, fried tofu, and sautéed mushrooms if using. Garnish each bowl with 2 tablespoons of chopped green onions, a few leaves of Thai basil, onion slices, and chopped cilantro. Pour in the piping hot broth over the noodles and serve immediately!
- The broth will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.