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Home » Vegan Soup Recipes » Spaghetti Squash Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Spaghetti Squash Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

November 30, 2014 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 13 Comments

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The advent of the vegetable spiralizer has made it possible to swap vegetables for noodles in a variety of dishes. I love my spiralizer (and by the way, it would make a great holiday gift for anyone you know who likes to experiment in the kitchen!) But I’ll always be partial to nature’s noodle: the spaghetti squash. Today it stands in for rice noodles in this vegan spaghetti squash pho.

Vegan, gluten, oil, nut, and refined sugar free pho with spaghetti squash noodles, scallions, carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, and fresh thai basil | yupitsvegan.com

I’ve been wanting to recreate vegan pho ever since trying a version with smoked tofu at a restaurant a couple of months ago. We have a criminal amount of winter squash in our pantry right now, so the spaghetti squash pho idea was a natural one. The other week I was lucky enough to find a whole sack of star anise for $3, so it was finally time for the spaghetti squash pho I dreamt of. Plus, I thought that this recipe would be a much-needed lighter option, post-Thanksgiving.

Fresh pan roasted cinnamon, coriander, fennel, star anise, cardamom, and ginger aromatics infused into a from scratch vegan pho broth with autumn spaghetti squash noodles - perfect warming recipe for cold days

Some obvious changes are needed to make pho vegan: remove the meat; remove the fish sauce. Luckily, a good dose of soy sauce will easily take care of your umami needs. To account for the flavor normally added by the meat, I pan-roasted the whole spices before infusing them into the broth. This step is not normally taken with pho, but I think it adds more depth to the vegetarian broth. I liked it with just the spaghetti squash, but you could also add tofu (like the restaurant did), mushrooms, seitan, or whatever else you fancy.

If you don’t want to make the homemade vegan pho broth, there are several shortcuts. Pacific Foods sells a cartoned vegetarian pho base (it’s mushroom-based). You can also get pre-mixed pho spice packets to avoid buying full containers of whole spices. And of course, this broth is great with real noodles instead of spaghetti squash, if you like. =]

That all said, if you have the time, willingness to get the ingredients, and motivation to follow the steps, I really do recommend the homemade pho broth. I have no words for how good it smells, simmering away on the stove. “This tastes like real pho!”, exclaimed my partner. Please, it is real pho! Plus, you can retrieve the whole spices afterward, dry them, and have yourself the beginnings of an elevated Vietnamese-inspired potpourri. 🙂

Ingredients for homemade pho - from scratch steamy broth, crispy chopped carrots, thin cut green onion, green thai basil and cilantro, and nature's noodle spaghetti squash ready to be served into a white dishAssembled serving of real, nutrient filled Vietnamese noodle soup with hearty vegetable filling served on a blue kitchen towel with extra servings of crunchy bean sprouts and chopped green flavor

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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

A delicious, warming vegan spaghetti squash pho, made with squash instead of grain-based noodles, and authentic Vietnamese flavors.
Course Soup, stew, Vietnamese
Cuisine gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword spaghetti squash pho
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 2 hours hours
Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 4 bowls
Calories 179kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the homemade vegan pho broth:

  • 1 yellow or white onion peeled and quartered
  • 1 shallot peeled and halved
  • 1 large clove garlic halved
  • 4 to 6 inches ginger root (unpeeled), cut into thick slices
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp whole fennel seeds
  • 5 whole star anise
  • 1 whole cardamom pod (optional)
  • water as needed
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari, aminos, etc.), plus more to taste
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

For the vegan spaghetti squash pho:

  • 1 spaghetti squash cooked
  • vegan pho broth (above)
  • limes
  • fresh cilantro chopped
  • fresh Thai basil chopped
  • green onions or scallions thinly sliced
  • hot peppers very thinly sliced
  • carrots thinly sliced (pickled or fresh)
  • mung bean sprouts
  • other toppings/additions of choice (like cooked tofu, mushrooms, etc.)

Instructions

For the vegan pho broth:

  • If you have a gas stove, turn on the flame and use a pair of metal tongs (or a metal cooling rack/grate, if it's stove-friendly) to char the onions, shallots, garlic and ginger slices until blackened. If you don't have a gas stove, put them in the oven on broil (or the highest heat setting, if your oven doesn't broil), and cook until very browned.
  • Add the charred aromatics to a large pot, and add 8 cups of water. Turn the heat to high.
  • Meanwhile, in a small, dry skillet, toast the cinnamon, coriander, fennel, anise, and cardamom over medium heat. As soon as the spices start to brown or become fragrant, remove them from the heat. Scoop them into a spice bag or cheesecloth, and then add them to the pot. (You can also add them directly to the pot, but it might be more of a pain to stir later).
  • When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce it to a simmer. Cook for about two hours, stirring occasionally, until you can taste the flavors infused into the broth and it is reduced by a couple of inches.
  • Stir in the soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Allow a minute or two for the sugar to dissolve. Taste the broth for seasoning and add more soy sauce or table salt, and sugar, as desired. Turn off the heat.

For the vegan spaghetti squash pho:

  • Add several large handfuls of spaghetti squash "noodles" to a soup bowl. Ladle a generous helping of vegan pho broth over the squash. Squeeze some lime juice onto the broth and then add all of the garnishes (or mix and match by preference).
  • Store any leftover broth, squash, and garnishes separately.

Notes

You may taste the broth and think that it's plenty savory, but lacks a little bit of spark. That's why it's served with a fresh squeeze of lime. Mix and match the rest of the toppings as you wish, but don't exclude the lime!
Nutrition facts include the broth and spaghetti squash and exclude other toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 12.4mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1.8mg

 

Complete bowl of authentic Vietnamese flavor filled healthy vegan pho topped with fresh, thinly sliced vegetables and brought to life with hand squeezed lime juice served in a white bowl

P.S. This recipe was originally inspired by my friend Laura, who blogged at the now-defunct blog the Gluten-Free Treadmill and shared a vegan spaghetti squash pho recipe many moons ago.

Filed Under: Autumn, Lunch, Soup Tagged With: Asian-inspired, CSA, gluten-free, grain-free, high-vegetable, nut-free, oil-free, paleo, plant-strong, refined sugar-free, winter squash

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Comments

  1. Leisa says

    October 10, 2022 at 13:40

    I just tried this and it’s so good! At first, I didn’t think I’d like the broth, but once I got all the extra goodies in there, it turned out to be delicious!

    Reply
  2. Alanna says

    December 12, 2014 at 00:14

    5 stars
    LOVE the substitution of spaghetti squash! I’m constantly craving pho due to the cooler weather, it’s such a feel good meal!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 20, 2014 at 07:42

      Agreed, it really is! Thank you, and thanks for sharing on your site!

      Reply
  3. Poppy says

    December 3, 2014 at 19:18

    5 stars
    I LOVE THIS!!!

    Reply
  4. Annie says

    December 3, 2014 at 09:57

    YUM YUM YUM!

    Reply
  5. Cheryl says

    December 1, 2014 at 11:31

    I can’t even. I can’t! I’m not a huge spaghetti squash fan, but when I saw this photo on my phone, I think I literally exclaimed something to display my disbelief. How gorgeous! How genius! How perfect! Luckily I bought a spaghetti squash yesterday, not for any real reason, so now I know what it’s going into..

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 6, 2014 at 20:10

      It’s a spaghetti sign!… or something.

      Reply
  6. Thalia @ butter and brioche says

    November 30, 2014 at 23:20

    Love pho – definitely going to be making your vegan version for dinner tonight. Good thing I have all the ingredients on hand!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 6, 2014 at 20:09

      I’d love to hear how it turned out!

      Reply
  7. Baby June says

    November 30, 2014 at 11:09

    Wow, that sounds amazing! I will definitely have to try this. Especially with the use of spaghetti squash–never seen that before!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 6, 2014 at 20:09

      Thanks, June! I was needlessly intimidated by the idea of making pho… definitely easy and well worth the effort!

      Reply
  8. Cadry says

    November 30, 2014 at 10:15

    What a fun idea to use spaghetti squash for pho. This sounds delicious!!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      December 6, 2014 at 20:08

      Thank you! Spaghetti squash is so awesome!

      Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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