An image of a bowl of plant-based pho.

Plant-Based Pho (Asian Noodle Soup)

This Plant-Based Pho (Asian Noodle Soup) is one of our all-time favorite soup recipes! It’s warming, really yummy, and can be made in just over 30 minutes.
Best of all, it contains lots of veggies and immune-boosting ingredients such as garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, so it’s perfect for helping to prevent colds and flu during the wintertime.
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 450 g rice noodles
  • 1 liter vegetable broth
  • 1 liter water
  • 10 medium Crimini (brown) mushrooms
  • 4 baby bok choy
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 2 large carrots
  • 2 bunches spring onions
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 1/4 cup organic tamari
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Ginger Paste
  • 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 lime
  • Red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • If the rice noodles are thick, soak in cold water for 15 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  • Put the cinnamon stick, star anise, and whole cloves in a spice bag or infuser, so they are easy to remove after cooking.
  • Once you have sliced the vegetables, add everything to a soup pot except the rice noodles, bok choy, edamame, and spring onions. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the edamame, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the spice pouch or infuser containing the spices. Add the rice noodles, and stir them into the soup, then add the bok choy and spring onions. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Taste before serving, and add more tamari and/or rice vinegar to taste. Serve with lime wedges and sprinkle on some red pepper flakes if desired.

Notes

  • If you don't have any vegetable broth, use 2 vegetable stock cubes mixed in 1 liter of water instead. For 8 servings, there should be a total of 2 liters of liquid.
  • As this contains rice noodles, store any leftover soup immediately in the fridge and consume within 24-hours.
  • If you don't want to use rice noodles, you could use Soba (buckwheat) noodles instead.