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There are few things on this Earth more comforting, homey and restorative than a flavorful, warm broth. This vegan pho recipe delivers just that: an easy-to-make, smooth and well-spiced vegetable broth that’ll warm your bones and invigorate your spirit. Add to this rejuvenating broth some hearty rice noodles, crispy golden tofu and fresh herbs, and you’ll have a beautiful and simple pho that rivals even the classics in its ability to satisfy your primal craving for a hot, wholesome soup on a cold, blustery day.
“An idealist is one who, on noticing that roses smell better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.“
– H. L. Mencken
Spices You’ll Need For This Vegan Pho Recipe
Pho broth is famous for its depth of flavor, and this vegan pho recipe does its best to uphold that reputation. The richness of the broiled, charred vegetables along with the toasted spices breath life into the meek boxed vegetable broth base.
In order to achieve a flavorful soup, you will need spices – some in their whole form rather than ground – that will bolster your broth and give you that depth of flavor that every pho deserves. In this vegan pho recipe, you’ll find these spices:
- Whole Cloves
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Whole Coriander Seeds
- Whole Black Peppercorns
- Celery Seed
- Ground Allspice
Additionally, you can add other spices if it feels right to you, like a couple whole star anise buds, for example.
The most important part of the whole process of flavoring a broth with whole spices is to toast them in a little bit of olive oil. Toasting spices releases their entire array of flavors, and so your broth will be greatly enhanced.
“Good manners: The noise you don’t make when you’re eating soup.”
– Bennett Cerf
Crispy Tofu: A Beginner’s Guide
The simplest and most texturally satisfying way to prepare tofu is to dredge it in white rice flour and salt, and then pan fry it in olive oil until golden brown. Also, this is a great way of transforming tofu for beginners, since it doesn’t require any fancy marinades, rubs, or unusual techniques.
Even so, if you’re especially unfamiliar with tofu, or haven’t really cooked with it at great length, then it’s still going to be perplexing at times. As such, I’ll walk you through some of the most pivotal aspects of preparing crispy tofu for this vegan pho recipe, so that you can tackle the soybean curd with confidence!
- Firstly, drain the tofu, and then cut the slab into thirds or fourths.
- Next, press the firm or extra-firm tofu between two cutting boards with something heavy on top (like a large pot or pan) for 20 – 30 minutes. Make sure to pad the slabs of tofu with a clean dish towel, so as not to squish the tofu too much.
- Next, dice the pressed slabs of tofu into 1- or 2-inch cubes, and then dredge them in white rice flour and a little bit of salt. An effective way of dredging tofu completely is to enclose the cubes in a Tupperware container with the rice flour and salt, and then shake it up until all the surfaces of the tofu are coated.
- Preheat a skillet with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat, and then pan fry the dredged tofu until beautifully brown and crispy. Agitate the tofu often to ensure an evenness of color and cookery throughout. This usually takes anywhere from 5 – 7 minutes to complete.
There you have it: golden brown crispy tofu. This particular iteration of tofu goes excellently atop the rice noodles in this vegan pho recipe, and provides the soup with a wonderful textural contrast, as well as an amazing source of hearty, plant-based protein.
If you’re looking for another fantastic vegan recipe that features the simplicity and pleasing textural contrast of crispy tofu, then check out this Pad Thai Lettuce Wrap with Crispy Tofu!
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
– Ludwig Van Beethoven
Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar & Tamari
Usually, I’ll season a soup with a spike of acid, like citrus or vinegar, as well as the salty umami tang of tamari right before serving. This is a great way of imparting one last kick of flavor to the broth before you ladle it into the soup bowl.
In the case of this vegan pho recipe, I used both Murkan seasoned rice wine vinegar and a low-sodium, gluten-free tamari, which highlights the toasted spices and charred vegetables in the same way that salt does: the palate able to distinguish each flavor more clearly once seasoned well.
Also, for another delectable vegan soup with a similar kick at the end, check out this spectacular Vegan Chickpea Tom Kah!
“I live on good soup, not on fine words.”
– Moliere
The Taste of Simplicity
Leonardo Da Vinci said it best when he stated that “simplicity is the ultimate sophisticaiton.”
And this idea of Da Vinci’s holds true in this vegan pho recipe, too. Every individual element in this dish is fairly basic and unassuming and simple: tofu, rice noodles, spiced broth, and fresh garnishes. And yet, there’s something so beautiful and fulfilling about the combination of these ingredients, a veritable confluence of simplicity into one bodacious and slurpable soupy masterpiece.
As such, dare to taste this sophisticatedly simple vegan pho recipe. It’s a comforting and cozy pho that’ll be there for you next time that you need a warm pick-me-up bowl of amazingness. Really, if you love warm and comforting soups, then this super smooth and well-spiced vegan pho broth is for you!
Vegan Pho with Crispy Tofu
4.60 from 5 votes
That Vegan Nephew
There are few things on this Earth more comforting, homey and restorative than a flavorful, warm broth, especially on chilly autumnal days. This vegan pho recipe delivers just that: an easy-to-make, smooth and well-spiced vegetable broth that'll warm your bones and invigorate your spirit. Add to the light broth some hearty rice noodles, crispy golden tofu and fresh herbs, and you'll have a beautiful and simple pho soup that rivals even the classics in its ability to satisfy that primal craving for a hot, wholesome soup on a cold, blustery day.
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Pressing Tofu 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Course All Recipes & Main Course & Soup
Cuisine vegan & Vietnamese
Servings 4 Bowls
Calories 217 kcal
Equipment
Baking Sheet
Soup Pot
Cutting Boards for Pressing Tofu
Pan for Frying Tofu
Medium Pot for Boiling Rice Noodles
Fine Sieve or Colander for Straining Soup
Ingredients
For the Pho Broth
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped into half moons
- 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, skin removed, crushed but left whole
- 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, skin removed but left whole
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 – 6 cloves, whole
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 10 – 12 black peppercorns
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or to taste
- 1 ½ – 2 ½ tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar, or to taste
For the Crispy Tofu
- 1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
- 1 – 2 tablespoon(s) white rice flour, or enough to coat all of the tofu
- Dash of salt
- 1 – 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil, for frying the tofu
For the Pho Soup Garnishes
- ⅓ – ½ package vermicelli or thin rice noodles, cooked until tender
- Some fresh parsley or cilantro (optional)
- Some sriracha (optional)
- Some bean sprouts (optional)
- Some lime wedges, (optional)
Instructions
Firstly, transfer the onion, red pepper, garlic and ginger to a baking sheet, and then broil them in the oven for 5 – 10 minutes until nicely charred, checking frequently.
Aside: a great idea to char the veggies from the blog GimmeSomeOven and their vegetable pho!
Meanwhile, in the soup pot over low-medium heat with a couple teaspoons of olive oil, toast the cloves, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and peppercorns, until fragrant, around 3 – 5 minutes.
Note: the coriander seeds tend to pop wildly when toasting.
After the spices are toasted, add the broiled vegetables to the soup pot, and cook for just a couple minutes. Then, add the 8 cups of broth, along with the celery seeds and allspice. Cover with a lid, and let the soup boil for about 25 – 30 minutes.
While that's happening, cut the tofu into slabs and press it between two cutting boards with something heavy on top for about 20 – 30 minutes.
Once that's done, cut the tofu into 1 to 2-inch cubes, coat it in rice flour and a little salt, and then fry in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high heat, until crispy and golden brown, about 5 – 7 minutes. If necessary, do this in two separate batches (one half of the tofu cubes then the other) so that they have room to crisp up in the pan. Set aside the tofu until you're ready to serve the soup.
Next, boil a couple quarts of salted water, and cook the rice noodles until tender. They don't take long, so watch them closely. Strain them, rinse briskly with cool water, and set aside until you're ready to serve the soup.
Lastly, once the soup has boiled for the allotted 25 – 30 minutes, strain out all the vegetables and spices with a fine sieve. Press the juice out of the vegetables to extract the maximum amount of flavor. Then, season the broth to taste with the tamari and seasoned rice wine vinegar.
Serve the pho broth in a large bowl, topped with noodles, then tofu, as well as whatever fresh garnishes you'd like and sriracha.
Nutrition
Serving 1 bowl Calories 217 kcal Carbohydrates 16.1 g Protein 11.3 g Fat 12.9 g Saturated Fat 1.5 g Sodium 1345 mg Potassium 288 mg Fiber 3.9 g Sugar 8.2 g Calcium 233 mg Iron 3 mg
Keyword crispy tofu, easy tofu recipe, easy vegan pho, vegan pho recipe, vegan soup, vegan soup recipe
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May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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