Crock Pot Beef Pho From Scratch

a bowl of beef pho with chopsticks holding a bite up

4.90 from 48 votes

Make your own Beef Pho From Scratch in your trusty Crock Pot! You'll be surprised at just how much it tastes like Pho from your favorite Vietnamese Restaurant!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian

Diet Gluten Free, Low Salt

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 10

Servings people

Calories 492kcal

Author Tracy

Ingredients

1 1/2 -2 lbs beef bones marrow or knuckles
1/2 - 3/4 lbs flank steak
2 whole cardamon pods
4 whole star anise
1 tsp whole fennel seed
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 white or yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil
8 cups water
1 bunch bok choy
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
8 oz banh pho rice stick noodles
fresh basil to taste
fresh bean sprouts to taste
fresh jalapeno, sliced to taste
sriracha to taste
hoisin to taste
chili garlic sauce to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add beef bones. Boil for 10 minutes (may require longer if more beef on bones). Drain and rinse and then add to crock pot.
Meanwhile, in a sauté pan on medium low, toast star anise, cloves, coriander, fennel, and cardamom pods, and cinnamon for approximately 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add immediately to crock pot.
Add oil to pan and cook onion and ginger until onion is browned and soft, approximately 5-7 minutes. Turn ginger over half way through. Add to crock pot.
Add 8 cups of water, sugar, and fish sauce to the crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low on 8 hours.
With a sieve (or colander, but dependent upon colander size it may not capture all of the seeds) drain seeds, pods, etc. from broth from crock pot into another large pot them immediately return to crock pot.
For the last 30 minutes, turn to high (or add 30 minutes to the 4 hours) and add chopped bok choy. Put flank steak in freezer for about 10 minutes to make slicing easier. Slice steak as thin as possible.
In final 10 minutes add noodles and steak to crock pot (for rarer steak less time in the crock pot and for thinner noodles less time). Check noodles for desired done-ness at 5 minutes.
Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings!

Video

Notes

You can buy pre-made pho spice packs. Most Asian markets sell them, or you can find them here on Amazon.

There are a lot rice noodle options. Most Asian markets sell Pho Noodles or you could buy Banh Pho noodles at 1/16 inch is the best, but whatever you can find will work! Just keep away from super fine angel hair like rice noodles, those wont hold up as well.

You don’t want too much extra meat / marrow in your bones. The most meaty and marrow filled the bones still are, the longer you’ll have to blanch them.

Check your steak and noodles after 5 minute because that may be all they need. It’ll all depend on how thick your noodles are and how rare your want your steak.

Nutrition