Simple Slow Cooker Pho is super easy. This cheater recipe saves you money, no need for takeout.
Vietnamese pho is such a great meal for any night of the week. Who wouldn’t welcome a bowl of noodle soup?
A savoury broth with the flavours of star anise, cloves, and cinnamon, with a touch of fish sauce.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this homemade pho are at the bottom of this post.
I love Asian takeout. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, all so full of flavour. Since I love cooking at home, making some of these wonderful dishes is a fun way to travel the world without leaving the kitchen.
This chicken pho recipe packs a flavour punch. If you love chicken noodle soup, this is the Asian version.
Looking for a little more soup fun, Cambodian Pineapple Soup is fun to make too.
Are YOU a noodle lover? We sure are. Authentic Ukrainian Egg Noodle Casserole and fun Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs are a few of the dishes we enjoy.
We enjoy noodles in stir fries too. Fried cabbage and noodles is the perfect meal for busy weeknights, and is a fraction of the cost of takeout.
Can You Cook Pho In The Slow Cooker?
YES! This really is a simple soup to make, and the perfect crockpot dinner recipe.
The broth, chicken and shrimp are all prepared in the slow cooker. The noodles and bean sprouts are the only things you need to make on the side.
Slow Cooker Pho Ingredients
- chicken breasts
- chicken stock
- brown sugar
- *(affiliate) fish sauce
- tamari sauce
- cinnamon stick, star anise, and whole cloves
- cooked shrimp
- bok choy
- fresh basil
- lime
- jalapeno
- *(affiliate) Sriracha sauce
- *(affiliate) rice noodles
- bean sprouts
How To Make Chicken Pho In The Slow Cooker
- Just like all slow cooker recipes, this pho soup is no exception.
- Lightly coat the slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker.
- Combine the stock, fish sauce and seasonings, and pour over chicken breasts.
- Cook on low for 9 hours.
- Prepare shrimp and bok choy (see instructions in recipe card), and add to the pot.
- Continue to cook for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken, shred and return to pot.
- Prepare rice noodles according to directions on the package.
Recipe Tips
- I love chicken and shrimp so I decided to use both in this pho soup. You can make this a chicken only version if you like. You can also use chicken thighs for this recipe.
- Thai basil is not always easy to find, so you can use whatever fresh basil you can find at the grocery store (or your garden).
- For the rice noodles, I chose the kind you would find in Pad Thai. I cooked them ahead of time and placed them in the fridge.
- I blanched my bean sprouts (some people prefer to eat them raw).
- For pho toppings, I used jalapenos and Thai basil. Nuts like cashews or peanuts would be a great option too. Also, you might consider sliced snap peas or bell peppers.
Is Pho Healthy?
I guess it depends on what YOU class as healthy. For some people, it may be high on sodium because of the fish sauce, but you could adjust the amount you use.
It contains rice noodles (that are gluten-free). Protein from the chicken and shrimp. You get some veggies from the bok choy and bean sprouts.
Vietnamese noodle soup is a tasty dish that acts as a main course. Just like noodle bowls.
Pho in the crockpot is easy and totally delicious. Perfect for any night of the week. Better than takeout. Hope you give it a try soon.
Since I know you will LOVE this recipe, Slow Cooker Creamy Fish Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Easy, hearty and so delicious.
Slow Cooker Spicy Kale Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Hearty and delicious. The heat comes from the dry-cured sausage.
This recipe was inspired by Served From Scratch Crockpot Chicken Pho.
What is YOUR favorite flavour of pho soup?
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Vietnamese Slow Cooker Pho
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (skinless/boneless)
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoons tamari sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 star anise
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp (thawed/tail on)
- 4 cups baby bok choy (chopped)
- ½ cup Thai basil (roughly chopped)
- 2 jalapenos (sliced)
- 1 lime (quartered)
- Sriracha sauce (as needed)
- 12 ounces Pad Thai noodles (pre cooked)
- 12 ounces Fresh bean sprouts (raw or blanched)
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in slow cooker.
- Combine stock, fish sauce, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cloves, tamari, and brown sugar.
- Pour over chicken breasts.
- Cook on low for 9 hours.
- Roughly chop bok choy.
- Rinse and dry shrimp.
- Remove chicken breasts from slow cooker along with the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise.
- Add bok choy and shrimp to the slow cooker.
- Replace lid, turn slow cooker to high and cook for 30 minutes.
- At this point, you can blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water. If you are eating them raw, be sure to RINSE thoroughly.
- Shred the cooked chicken breasts.
- Return shredded chicken to pot and heat for a few minutes.
- Place noodles in bowls, ladle broth, garnish with jalapenos, basil, Sriracha and bean sprouts.
- ENJOY!
Nutrition Information
Naiby
I love those flavour combos. And the little heat that’s in the pho is just perfect.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So glad you enjoy this slow cooker pho. It is a favourite here too.
Amanda Dixon
What a wonderful soup! It had the perfect depth of flavor, and the slow cooker made the whole process super convenient. We’ll definitely put this on the rotation.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I know right? So easy and delicous. The perfect easy pho recipe.
Ramona
This dish is calling my name for me to make it! This is the perfect comfort dish and I am super excited to make it. I love the colors in this recipe, thank you for sharing this!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I need to make this again soon. Who needs takeout when you can make this slow cooker pho at home?
Aya
I love trying new recipes, and this one was exceptional. The spices used and the flavors combined work well together. This was my first time trying rice noodles, and I’m so glad I did. I will definitely be making this pho recipe again.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So happy to hear you enjoyed this slow cooker pho recipe. It is a favourtie in our house too. No take-out needed.
Lauren Michael Harris
My husband loves pho, but I’ve never thought to make it at home. You make it seem so easy – definitely a must try!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Making pho in the slow cooker is super easy. I hope you give it a try and see for yourself. You will be please with the results.
Kayla DiMaggio
This slow-cooker pho was so delicious! I loved all the flavors and it was so warming!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. We really love this slow cooker pho.
Denise
This Pho looks delicious and filling! I can not wait to give your recipe a try.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We love this cheater pho recipe. Hope you give it a try soon.
Bernice
I bet this smells amazing while it cooks all day! I love Pho and I’m always craving it. We spend a ton on takeout Pho because it travels so well. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is so easy and so delicous. Slow cooker pho is as good as takeout.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
We think this slow cooker pho is as good as takeout, sure saves us money. Hope you give it a try.
Liz
I have never tried this soup before, but your photos look delicious! It seems like an easy to prepare recipe as well. Excited to give it a try!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I hope you give this slow cooker potato soup a try. It is sure easy and delicious.
Kristen
This recipe really does turn out restaurant quality pho. We were pleasantly surprised by how delicious and easy it was to make. The hardest part was finding some of the ingredients at the grocery store, but now we have them for next time. And there will definitely be a next time.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Yeah, sometimes ingredients are tricky to find, especially these days. So glad you loved this slow cooker pho. It is a fav in our house too.
Leanne
My two favourite things together – pho and my slow cooker. Thank you so much for this fabulous and simple receipe. I made this exactly according to the recipe except omitted the shrimp, it was amazing!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It is delicious…and I love how the house smells while this cooks too.
Misty
I have made this recipe 4 or 5 times now, and it truly is delicious ,easy, and tastes just like restaurant Pho. However, each time, I’ve noticed that the broth loses flavor over time or when reheated. Any tips??? Has this happened to anyone else? I’m just so greedy, I want to enjoy that flavor until the last drop!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. That seems to be the case, even with takeout food. You could always add a bit more fish sauce to the broth, but remember it is really salty.
Elena
I just wanted to tell you how wonderful this recipe is. This has to be my 10th + time making this dish- my husband and I are in love! I don’t put bok choy or shrimp in it but everything else I follow exactly as directed. It tastes like restaurant quality pho! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I am sooooooooo happy you love this recipe. The aroma is amazing….and the taste is fantastic. Thanks so much for letting me know how much you enjoy this. I really appreciate it.
Christopher Lupold
An excellent and convenient recipe. I might pull the chicken earlier next time and add it as i serve. Thanks for a great Pho experience.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks for letting me know so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Christopher Lupold
It’s in the crock pot…a 4 quart crock will hold the 8 cups of stock and two split breasts with a bit of room to spare. No tamarin so i used soy… and did 7 star anise and 4 clove. Will let u know in 10 hrs or so. Thanks.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY…I am sure it will be delicious.