Easy Crockpot Beef Pho Recipe - The Schmidty Wife (2024)

Updated January 13, 2020

Crockpot Beef Pho uses easy and recognizable ingredients to simmer a pot of delicious tasting broth. Then when you are ready to eat you will simply add onions, noodles, beef, and garnishes for a warming and comforting meal.

Crockpot Pho

Without a doubt soup season here in the Schmidt house. Soups all week long, until my husband complains and I need to come up with something else to make. It turned cold quickly this year and all I want at the end of the day is a warm bowl of soup, and the easier the better. So I often turn to one of my husband’s favorites, Crockpot Beef Pho.

I have actually been making this ‘cheater’ Beef Pho in the crockpot for a while now but have yet to get it published on the blog. So I am super excited to finally share!

I call this ‘cheater’ Beef Pho because well, I cheat true beef pho is simmered with beef bones and oxtails, I just use beef broth either ready from the store or made with Better Than Bouillon. I add beef broth to my crockpot along with fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and brown sugar. I let it simmer on low all day long and come home to the most delicious smelling house, seriously this smell is the most comforting thing you could come home to.

Once the broth is ready finishing the soup is super easy. The onion is thinly sliced and added with the rice noodles.The beef is then thinly sliced and added once the noodles are tender. The Pho is then garnished with green onions, lime wedges, bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapeño, and sriracha. Voila Crockpot Beef Pho!

Ingredients for Pho in the Crockpot

This recipe is a good blend between fresh garnishes you need from the store and using your pantry and spice rack!

Ingredients for the Soup:

• brown sugar
• fish sauce
• star anise
• cinnamon stick
• whole cloves
• knob of fresh ginger
• beef broth
• water
• white onion
• rice noodles
• shaved steak or a sirloin steak

For garnishes you will want (but not limited too):

• green onions
• lime wedges
• bean sprouts
• cilantro
• basil
• jalapeño
• Sriracha

Crockpot Pho Recipe

In the morning you will start by adding brown sugar, fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, beef broth, and water to the crockpot. Stir together so the brown sugar isn’t sitting on the bottom. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Alternatively you can cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. You can also make the broth on the stove top boiling the broth together for 45-50 minutes until fragrant.

*I suppose you could also make the broth in the pressure cooker, I have yet to test this but I would guess around 20-25 minutes for the broth to cook.*

Once the broth is done cooking use a slotted spoon to remove all of the whole spices and ginger. Slice the onion as thinly as you can.

Now you can finish off the soup 2 different ways. The first way is the easy way but not the traditional way. The second way is more traditional.

For the easy way, add the noodles and onion slices to the crockpot. Cook an additional 10 minutes. While the noodles are cooking, thinly slice the beef if not pre-cut and prepare your garnishes. Once the noodles are fully cooked about 10 minutes add the beef. Let cook 1-2 minutes before promptly serving in large bowls with the garnishes.

For the more traditional way, add the noodles to the crockpot. Let cook about 10 minutes until fully cooked. While noodles are cooking thinly slice the onion and beef if it isn’t pre-cut. Prepare the ganishes. As the noodles are finishing cooking separate the raw beef into 4 large bowls. Add a few slices of the raw onion with the beef. Ladle hot broth over the top of the beef until fully covered, in doing so the beef will be cooked by the hot broth. Add noodles to the servings bowls, serve immediately topping with your favorite garnishes.

I honestly opt for the easy way almost every single time but there is something to be said about the fun process of the more traditional way.

As far as the garnishes, I love adding all of them except the jalapeno, for me it adding a fresh jalapeno often makes the dish too spicy but if you like spicy add the fresh jalapeno!

When serving Pho to kids

I found that it is best to let them pick the garnishes they want, my kids love the rice noodles, basil, and broth best about this dish but they usually like to also add some lime wedges and are curious about the bean sprouts as well.

If serving to young toddlers I would take caution about this beef as it tends to be very chewy, it might serve you best to cut it into small pieces.

I also would recommend serving with multiple utensils. I give my kids 3 choices at the table chopsticks, spoon, and a fork they choose which one serves them best!

Like Asian Inspired meals? Me too! Here are some of my other favorite Asian Inspirations:

• Grilled Pork Banh Mi
• Ground Pork Stir Fry
• 20 Minute Chicken Stir Fry
• Pork Fried Rice
• Shrimp Stir Fry
• Shrimp Banh Mi with Quick Pickled Vegetables
• Orange Ginger Beef Stir Fry

TIPS & TRICKS:

• If you want to make this on the stovetop it couldn’t be easier, in fact I have done it a handful of times, just use a large pot and let the spices simmer 30-40 minutes and then follow the remaining instructions
• A great tip for thinly slicing the sirloin, it cuts so much easier if it is just slightly frozen, when it is slightly frozen, it slices like butter, I do this by leaving it in the freezer for 20-40 minutes before cutting
• I always use these Gluten-Free Stir Fry Rice Noodles from Thai Kitchen

If you enjoyed this Recipe or any of my others let me know by using #theschmidtywifeon social media!

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Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more crockpot recipes? Check out my Homestyle Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup,Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili, or mySlow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup.

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