This quick Shrimp Pho with Vegetables (Vietnamese-inspired Noodle Soup) makes smart use of scraps, so you can make a shortcut stock that tastes like it spent all day simmering while also having zero waste.
Shrimp Pho with Vegetables
Guys this soup is SOOO good! Like, my new favorite soup good! It comes together quickly thanks to using store-bought broth here. To get restaurant-quality pho, in a fraction of the time the broth simmers with aromatics and sauces before adding the shrimp and veggies. Other than the noodles, this pho is a one-pot meal. For more Vietnamese recipes, try my Shaking Beef, Shrimp Summer Rolls, and Slow-Cooker Banh Mi Rice Bowls.
What is shrimp pho?
Shrimp pho, pronounced “fuh,” is a traditional Vietnamese soup consisting of shrimp and vegetables in an aromatic broth served over rice noodles and topped with a variety of garnishes. It’s typically eaten with chopsticks and a big soup spoon but use whatever you have.
The stock is absolutely delish, you’re going to have to trust me here! Don’t leave anything out. For my shortcut stock, I use the following ingredients to flavor the stock:
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce
- Cinnamon stick
- Star anise pod
- Sliced ginger
- Shrimp shells (If you use already-peeled shrimp, don’t worry about adding shells to the broth.)
How do you cook dried rice noodles for pho?
Rice noodles are very easy to find in the Asian section of any supermarket, and they cook super fast. You simply soak them in hot water using one of two methods:
- Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour in water from the tea kettle,
OR - Bring water to a rapid simmer in a skillet and add the noodles off-heat.
Pho Toppings
Part of the fun of pho is that the garnishes are very much a choose-your-own- adventure. They’re the best way to replicate the experience you’d have at a restaurant. So, feel free to use whatever garnishes you and your family like best. I like to top mine with jalapeno, mint, scallions, and cilantro. The lime juice and sriracha are also a must!
Below is a list of pho garnishes to choose from:
- Veggies: Mung bean sprouts, scallions, thinly sliced white onion
- Peppers: Jalapenos, serrano peppers
- Herbs: Thai basil, mint, cilantro
- Sauce: Sriracha, hoisin, lime juice
More Asian Recipes You’ll Love:
- Easy Wonton Soup
- Chicken and Shrimp Laap (Larb)
- Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad
- Asian Beef Zoodle Soup
- Honey-Teriyaki Salmon with Cauliflower Rice
Shrimp Pho with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp
- 1 ½ quarts vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise pod
- 1- in piece ginger, sliced
- 8 oz white mushrooms, halved
- 1 bunch cilantro
- Salt to taste
- 6 ounces thin rice noodles
- 3 cups cauliflower or broccoli, from 1 small head
- Garnish: Thinly sliced jalapeno, lime wedges,, mung bean sprouts, fresh mint, Thai basil, sliced scallions, sriracha, and/or hoisin sauce
Instructions
- If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw it completely and drain as much water as possible, using a paper towel to pat it dry.
- If you’re using fresh, shell-on shrimp, peel it and reserve the shells for the stock.
- Add the broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise pod, sliced ginger, and (if applicable) shrimp shells to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Chop the leafy tops from the bunch of cilantro. Add all the stems to the saucepan.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until very fragrant, then use a slotted spoon to remove and discard the solids. Keep at a gentle simmer.
- Meanwhile, just before the broth is ready fill a wide skillet with water and bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and add the rice noodles.
- Let soak for 3 to 5 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Add the mushrooms and cauliflower florets to the broth and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender but still crisp.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until firm, opaque, and pink.
To serve:
- Divide the rice noodles to each bowl first, then use a slotted spoon to distribute the shrimp and veggies, about 1 1/4 cup each.
- Ladle 1 cup broth over the top and garnish however you like.
- Serve with lime wedges and sriracha.
I used Better than Bouillon Pho Base for my broth and added all ingredients! Truly delicious!
Quick, easy & delicious. I added some lemon grass and quartered baby bok choy. This recipe invites your personal favorites. Thank you Gina!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This is phenomenal!! Quick and easy to make, delicious! It definitely hit the spot! This recipe will go into my regulars
So flavorful and easier than I thought! I’ve been searching for years to find a tasty, authentic-tasting pho recipe that features seafood/fish and that felt easy enough to make with my kiddo. Thank you Skinnytaste for once again helping me get creative in the kitchen!
This is wonderful and my husband raves about it! Making again for him tonight!
Delicious! Switched out the shrimp for chicken but was still very tasty even my children loved it. I really love all of your recipes. My 3 children (11, 9, & 5) have loved them all.
This recipe is easy to make , and flavourful
Delicious. My husband didn’t seem to excited about this dish. He said he would not ever say let’s get Pho. He really liked it and said I should add it into the rotation. Wicked easy to make. I happened to pick up Seafood broth.
This is the go to recipe. I used wild caught shrimp skipped the sriracha added hoisin sauce and my family loves it
So good!
Is this 6 0z of cooked rice noodles divided across 4 servings or a 6oz package before cooked
Really enjoyed this quick alternative to take out pho. Just what the doctor ordered!
Where do the chopped cilantro tops go?
garnish at the end
Easy and full of that traditional pho flavor. A keeper for sure!
Delicious! Love this recipe!
Both my husband and I hate cilantro. Can we leave it out? Is there anything you would substitute?
Sure use basil or fresh mint
I loved everything about this recipe! It is definitely going into become a regular. I added baby spinach leaves when serving for even more nutrients. Thank you!
Could I use soba noodles?
I have a jar of 5 spice. Can I substitute that for the anise , cinnamon and ginger? How much should I use?
I’m eating it for lunch right now. So delicious! I added in some bok choy leaves as some reviewers suggested and it brightens up the colors even more. I wish I could post a picture of it because it’s so pretty!!! Love all of your recipes – thank you so much! 🙂
Where can you get Star anise local? We live in your town
wild by nature
This is fantastic. I didn’t even have the vegetables to add in – so I threw a handful of spinach in at the end, and it’s beyond flavorful. It’s also a WW 0 pt. meal for me if I use brown rice noodles – so, yahoo! Thanks Gina!
We enjoy many of your recipes, but one issue that commonly occurs is the outrageous amounts of sodium.
These amounts are not heart healthy nor good for our blood pressure with just one serving being over 1,500mg, we are done for the day.
Sorry Larry, shrimp in general are high in sodium so feel free to swap broth for low sodium.
I agree. I have to keep sodium under 2000. Fresh never frozen shrimp are less sodium but buying pork loin and slicing it raw and thin and freezing works with chicken and using a boiled egg with slightly soft center is an alternative as well. ❤️
Amazing! The depth of flavor in the broth in 30 mins is impressive! Thank you for a new family fav!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Could I make this with chicken? What would you suggest? My daughter’s allergic to shrimp.
This is a great, quick pho recipe. I am surprised at how good it is. I make chicken pho a couple times a week and it takes hours but worth it. This will be in my new repitoir and will save my shrimp shells just for this purpose. Thanks so much for the recipe….super well done!!
Is there a veg you would recommend in place of broccoli/cauliflower? My husband truly despises both.
I use snap peas instead. Delicious!
Bok Choy
WOW! This is really really good, and i think perhaps my favorite soup recipe from you Gina! I think this could cure a cold!
I was searching for a recipe for shrimp stock and stumbled across this jem which uses my leftover shrimp shells, leftover cilantro stems, veggie broth (i used better than bouillion) and easy spices from my cabinet….so fun having success w star anise and cinnamon stick in a quick and easy soup! I didnt even add shrimp, but kept it vegetarian! Works great! especially with the jalapeno and thai basil /cilantro garnishes. This one’s a keeper!! 🙂
Was great, but, between steps 7 and 8, do you need to increase the heat? Took a lot longer to cook the vegetables and shrimp than the recipe specifies! (Note to self: if you leave the heat on between first and second helpings, the cauliflower will turn to mush!)
OMG! I’m with you – my new favorite soup!!! That broth was out of this world good 🙂
Loved this depth of flavor within a short period of time. I followed it exactly and will make this again soon. I added, basil, mint, scallions, cilantro, lime, jalapeño and a little bit of hoisin as toppings.
Really pleasantly surprised by how good this was! I do think the shrimp shells and star anise is essential. I didn’t see the call for cauliflower or broccoli till too late so we just did mushrooms. Next time I think I might add bok choy in addition as well.
Hi. This looks like a good recipe but it is not pho. There is no broth in Vietnamese culture that uses soy sauce. Soy sauce is only used in Chinese broths. This is an inaccurate representation of pho. This whole blog post is unfortunately a representation of cultural appropriation. I would recommend diving deeper into the origins of pho if you want to post a pho recipe.
That’s ridiculous. Food is like language— it evolves with those who use it. Almost every food is borrowed from another culture at some time or another. Do you think every Italian dish is authentic? Do you see Italians uprising against Olive Garden? Do Indians get mad at West Indians for curry? How far back in time should we go to assign each recipe to a culture? Appropriation is supposed to acknowledge when someone benefits from something that is considered unacceptable when done by the original culture. You dilute the word by using it where it doesn’t apply.
Love this explanation!!!!
Well said Keisha!!
It’s food! It’s just cooking food. Everyone puts their own spin on it. It’s a personal thing. It’s not a crime to experiment or change things. That’s how we get some pretty amazing outcomes in the culinary world. Lighten up.
Hi, as much as I agree with the fact that culture evolves with creativity and mix of other cultures. There are certain things you should respect as well. It is like daring to call a a dish “boeuf bourguignon” when it is made with chicken and white wine 🤔 and not respecting the beef and red wine… Phở is typically one type of soup with a type of rice noodle called… “Phở” and typical ways to do the broth. Other noodle soups have other names…. So I am glad that you appreciate my culture but I would be even more happy if you could use the correct words 😉 . Thank you.
OH GOOD GRIEF! I’m apparently late to the party (just found this pho recipe), but this entire thread about “cultural appropriation” is not only ridiculous, it’s downright arrogant. Gina CLEARLY says this is a Vietnamese “inspired” recipe — she has put her own spin on it and isn’t claiming to be some sort of expert in Vietnamese culture. I’m with Keisha on this one: “How far back in time should we go to assign each recipe to a culture?” For Rebecca and Minh, perhaps you should do a little research on the origins of “pho” before you disparage Gina’s own recipe on her own blog. Here are a couple of places you might want to start:
https://www.lovingpho.com/pho-opinion-editorial/history-and-evolution-of-vietnamese-pho/
https://alphahistory.com/vietnamwar/french-colonialism-in-vietnam/
Hmmm, perhaps the Vietnamese “appropriated” pho from the French? Say it ain’t so!! Vietnam certainly did not escape French influence. Anyway, enough already with the “someone’s stealing my culture and I’m offended by it.” Make some soup, enjoy it with those you love, call it whatever you want, and then call it a good day.
Keep the amazing recipes coming, Gina — we need you!!
This was soooo delicious! I never eat all of my leftovers, and I ate every drop of this! And just made it again, it’s so flavorful and comforting! The only modifications I made the second time was using shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower, bok choy, some additional salt and pepper and chili sauce. And I added the rice noodles to the stock and vegetables to cook. So amazing!
I never doubt you! This broth truly tastes like pho broth in such a short time! You are awesome.
This was very good, I’ve made twice and am making again today. I added bok choy and really liked this addition. The broth is so flavorful and I could drink it separately! I found some brown rice ramen at Costco and use a small amount. Definitely a keeper!
Loved by the whole family! Thanks for a great recipe.
Made this last night and it was a big hit. I will double the broth next time because it is that good!
I made this soup for family and everyone raved about how flavorful it was. I think the secret was using the shrimp shells in the broth. It was so darn good! I also made the shaking beef same night and it was to die for. This will definitely be a go to recipe.
Wow! This was fantastic! The broth was just as good as the Vietnamese restaurant we like to order this from! The only thing I would change is to add more broth.
This recipe was fantastic for lunch today! The only thing I changed was I did double mushrooms instead of using cauliflower.
This dish is really low cal but has a lot of flavor and is a lot to eat. For me, it almost was too heavy on the rice noodles. My husband dug out some chopped onions, sriracha, and jalapenos and thought the onions were a good addition. He said it was fine, but not a keeper. We’ve tried Pho before and had similar reactions, so I think we just aren’t fans of this type of soup.
Wow! My 21 year old son loved this soup – keeper he said! He especially loved the broth. I added Hoisin sauce as a garnish too, along with the siracha, jalapenos, cilantro and green onions.
This soup has delicious, rich flavor. Our whole family loved it!
I usually love your recipes. But this was too salty.
Soooo delicious! Perfect for a cold evening. Will definitely be making again.
Hi Gina, I have made many of your recipes and have enjoyed following you and trying your recipes for several years. However, I have never commented before. But I just had to this time. This recipe rocks!! The only thing I changed was, I only had 32 oz of chicken broth so I added 16 oz of water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes for the other 1/2 quart. I also added both broccoli & cauliflower and also sliced up carrots as well. I garnished with bean sprouts, mint, basil, scallions & jalapeños. It was delicious! Thank you so much for all your fantastic recipes! Keep them coming!! 🙂
Thanks LaCaya!
I actually used one carton of chicken broth and 1/2 carton of vegetable broth (because I didn’t buy 2 chicken 🙂 ). So good – I also added equal parts broccoli and cauliflower. Carrots would have been a great addition too! Oh, and my mushrooms were baby bellas!
Hi Gina,
I do not like the taste of anise. Is the recipe still complete/ good if I just omit that? Should I replace with something else?
You can just leave it out.
This was delicious! I didn’t have the star anise so I substituted 1/2 tsp five spice powder. Garnished it with scallions, jalapeños, hoisin sauce and siracha. I will definitely be making this again! Yum!!
Never heard of Shrimp Pho. I am Vietnamese American, in my mid 50s.
Please be authentic.
She never said that this is authentic pho. Her recipes are usually inspired by a wide variety of food, but made lighter.
Nevertheless, a lot of pho places here in Vancouver (run by Vietnamese immigrants) serve pho with seafood (pho do bien), and yes, it includes shrimp.
Sometimes I just have to turn a blind eye when it comes to authentic. The Indian dishes are not authentic either. I understand your frustration. I love pho and will make this and use chicken
God it must be hard living so wound tight. Loosen up.
Made this tonight and it was really good. I cooked the broth on low for 90 minutes before adding the veggies and shrimp. Added more veggies than recipe called for. Will definitely make again!
This recipe is AMAZEBALLS! It’s exploding with flavour, it’s versatile (you can add/remove veggies as per your lining), change the protein, mix the herbs! Was a major HIT! I’m giving it 5 stars and it’s going in the fav list! Will do it again!
I added a bunch of veggies I had on had: carrots, celery, onions & served it with line & sriracha, soy sauce & hoisin sauce on the side.
Awesome!!
I can’t wait to try this. Do you think I could make the broth in an Instant Pot? What setting/time would you recommend? Thank so much
Sure 10 min high pressure for the broth.
This was really good! My whole family enjoyed it, which is saying something. The broth is really flavorful despite this being pretty quick and easy. Will definitely be making this one often!
I am so glad!
What would you use in place of cilantro in the broth? I have the gene that makes it taste like soap so I can’t stand it. Parsley?
This sounds and looks great, however, the sodium levels are really high! Any suggestions for that?
Oh my!
I absolutely LOVE this! I am 4 yr WW-blue and this hits the spot for craving Asian. I live on the S. Texas coast so fresh shrimp with shell on is how we buy it. If you can buy frozen shrimp with the shell on., it is not only cheaper, but adds the extra flavor and is so worth the trouble to clean them.
I can’t speak to substitutions on spices because I actually have them in my cupboard. I will say, the Star Anise is essential.
This is a fantastic recipe! I can’t eat regular noodles so I used my mandolin, which has a juliene setting, to make Zucchini noodles. It was just as delicious! Thank you for this great recipe.
Wow,love this! No anise,but every thing else the same.Definitely a keeper
I made this last night and thought it was good. I was wondering what you would suggest adding more of in the broth to make the broth have a bit more flavor? I noticed that there was no salt in the recipe – does the soy sauce take the place? and is that what I would add?
I had a hard time finding the star anise pods like someone else mentioned – finally did find them (5th store) and wowsers – sticker shock $10.99 a bottle! Now I see them cheaper on Amazon. They sure do smell good and one pod added much flavor. Nice to learn something new!
If you have an Indian grocery store anywhere near you they have many spices that may not be available at the chain grocery store. I get cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, and star anise pods for a fraction of what they cost elsewhere.
Made this Pho last night…easy and so delicious! I used broccoli, shiitake mushrooms and shredded carrots along with the shrimp. Toppings were jalapeños, sriracha, scallions and cilantro. So flavorful…another winning recipe @skinnytaste!
I’ve tried making pho before at home and it came out so-so. My husband and I LOVE pho and have some incredible Vietnamese restaurants near us where we would often go pre-pandemic to get our fix, but we’ve had it a lot less over the past year since it’s just not the same when getting it as take-out. I made this today for lunch and oh my god, the broth! It’s incredible! My husband walked into the kitchen while it was simmering and thought I’d ordered take-out, it smelled so much like it came from a restaurant. I’ll definitely be making this again!
I can’t find star anise at my local grocery stores.. can I use regular anise? How much would you recommend?
How big does the piece of ginger have to be?
Thai Shrimp Soup
This really super flavorful! It’s not hard to make but doing prep ahead of time will help. Break the noodles up before cooking. Otherwise they become a large mass. I ended up cutting cooked noodles with scissors! Take the time to make this broth. It’s fantastic with any veggies and proteins. Skinnytaste could bottle this. I’d buy it.
Isn’t it delish!!
This looks amazing I can’t wait to make it! Thanks Gina
I really want to try this! But please, talk to me about fish sauce….I got some for the pineapple fried rice….maybe I had a bad bottle, but I found it so repulsive that I had to toss it out. Can you recommend what brand you use? Maybe a substitution or maybe I could leave it out? I am not picky at all, but I swear the stuff tasted and smelled so bad!
It does smell bad!! But it makes the soup. If you must, leave it out.
Fish sauce smells horrible and can taste terrible on its own, but once mixed into a sauce or soup adds a lovely umami flavor.
This looks really good. However mushrooms and I don’t get along. Any recommendations for subbing mushrooms? Thanks!!!
bok choy!
WOW ZA BALLS. This looks so good. I love me some soup and will absolutely be making this yumfest this weekend.
Your recipes are so easy. I’ve recommended SkinnyTaste so many times.
Thank you Gina for the time you devote to creating recipes.
My husband is allergic to shrimp. What fish would be acceptable to substitute for shrimp? Would pieces of cod work? Halibut? Thank you!
Sure!!
I can’t eat shrimp, do you have a chicken or vegetable version of Pho? I love Pho and have been missing it!
I have a chicken version that uses chicken thighs in one and done. You can easily swap it out by cooking the chicken in the broth in the first step.