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
Elizabeth Leaver
Ohh Pho ❤ I love all Asian flavours, but pho has a special place in my heart! Such a great idea cooking it in the slow cooker, such a great way to let all of the flavours combine and develop for a really hearty, flavoursome broth.
Homemade & Yummy
This recipe is packed with flavour, hope you give it a try.
Michelle
This is such a comforting dish, perfect to come home to and how great that it can be made in the slow cooker! I would definitely skip the takeout for this.
Homemade & Yummy
Slow cookers are amazing, and so is this recipe. ENJOY!
Tammy
I love pho and it’s such a perfect day for a bowl! I’d love some right now…this looks superb!
Homemade & Yummy
Give it a try and see how easy and delicious this recipe is.
Kelly Anthony
Oh my goodness! The shrimp in here looks so perfectly cooked! I never thought to make pho in the slow cooker! Sounds and looks amazing!
Homemade & Yummy
Slow cookers are amazing things for sure. Hope you give this a try.
Kiki Johnson
I love Pho! I love making it at home and I swear it gets me through winter healthier! I usually do not add shrimp to mine but might start now! It looks SO GOOD and I love that I can just let it simmer in the slow cooker while I am at work!
Homemade & Yummy
Love the addition of shrimp. Adds another level of YUM!!!
Toni
This is such an amazing comfort food! Perfect meal any night of the week!
Homemade & Yummy
This is a winner in our house for sure.
Liren
Pho is a weekly thing for us — the slow cooker makes it so much easier!
Homemade & Yummy
Love this slow cooker version. Easy and delicious.
Helene
Because I like pho too! =D It’s one of those super comforting dishes stuffed with flavors, cooked slowly during the course of a day and packed with healthy ingredients. I feel inspired!
Homemade & Yummy
Well you will LOVE the soup…it is so delicious.
Kirsten
Okay, I never would have thought to make pho in a slow cooker. This is a life changing discovery, as I love it but rarely take the time to make it at home. You are right about the Thai basil–it’s such a neat flavor to add if you can find it. This is going on our menu rotation for sure!
Homemade & Yummy
This is so easy to make in the slow cooker. No need for takeout anymore…this is way better.
Trish @ Rhubarbarians
Wow you’ve ticked of all the boxes with this one! I looooove pho. I crave it so much this time of year but we never think to make it at home. We’ve jumped on the IP bandwagon, but we’ve got to give this slow cooker pho a try! YUM!
Homemade & Yummy
This is such and easy and delicious way to enjoy pho. Hope you love it as much as we do.
Mackenzie
I love going out to eat pho, but I’ve never been brave enough to make it at home. I think that it was partially because I was afraid it would turn out so poorly that all of the ingredients would just sit around and never get used again. But this recipe is so simple and home cook friendly that I no longer have an excuse!
Homemade & Yummy
Head on into the kitchen and give this recipe a try. You will see for yourself just how easy and delicious this is to make. No need for takeout anymore.
susan |
What a great way to use the slow cooker! I love a good pho, and there are no local restaurants here who serve it. Thanks for this – I can’t wait to try it!
Homemade & Yummy
Once you make this, you won’t need to go out for pho again.
Debra
So many yummy flavors in that broth. I can’t wait to try. I would probably add in some broccoli and snow peas to go with the bok choy, which I absolutely love in soup. We are in the midst of an arctic chill here, so this is going to be PERFECT for dinner tonight.
Homemade & Yummy
Be my guest, add whatever your little heart desires. You can’t go wrong with homemade soup.
Marisa Franca
I just had to write and tell you that we made the Pho this weekend. It was delicious!! We got our slow cooker out and then got busy opening more boxes. The soup was such a treat and so flavorful!! It was so miserable outside that this soup made our evening pleasurable!! We love trying new dishes and cuisines.
Homemade & Yummy
I am so glad you popped back to let me know how this recipe turned out for you. WE love this recipe, and glad to hear you do too.
Sean@Diversivore
If there’s one thing that’s more soothing and wonderful than soup, it’s soup full of spices that’s been cooking all day. I love a good pho – though I’ve actually never tried to make it from home. I haven’t used my slow cooker much these days since getting an Instant Pot, but this sounds like a pretty great reason to let something sit on the counter and work its magic all day. Cheers!
Homemade & Yummy
Slow cookers are magic….and I hope you give this recipe a try. I’m sure you can make it work in the Instant Pot too.