Slow-Cooked Vietnamese Beef Pho Broth

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-04-27 · Updated 2026-04-27

A fragrant, deeply flavored beef broth simmered with traditional spices, perfect for classic Vietnamese pho noodle soup. This Vietnamese recipe, ready in about 405 minutes, pairs beef bones with marrow, onion, halved, ginger, sliced lengthwise for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 150 calories and feeds 8, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef bones with marrow
• 1 large onion, halved
• 4-inch piece ginger, sliced lengthwise
• 5 whole star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 tbsp rock sugar
• 5 quarts water

The stock pot we’d simmer this in → Best Stock Pots for 2026: Top Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 450°F. Place 3 lbs beef bones on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes until browned and fragrant.
2. Step 2: While bones roast, char 1 large halved onion and 4-inch sliced ginger over an open flame or in a dry skillet until blackened on the surface, about 5 minutes.
3. Step 3: Transfer roasted bones to a large stockpot, add charred onion, ginger, 5 whole star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole cloves, 3 cardamom pods, and 5 quarts cold water.
4. Step 4: Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and skim foam and impurities off the surface for the first 30 minutes.
5. Step 5: Add 1 tbsp salt, 1/4 cup fish sauce, and 1 tbsp rock sugar. Simmer uncovered for at least 6 hours, occasionally skimming fat and impurities, until broth is rich and aromatic.
6. Step 6: Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids, and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce or salt as desired. Use immediately for pho soup or refrigerate for up to 3 days.