Keto Beef Pho
Published January 11, 2021 • Updated March 9, 2026
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I pressure cook real beef bones with cinnamon, star anise, and ginger until the broth turns thick and gelatinous. This keto beef pho uses hearts of palm noodles to keep the whole bowl at 2.9g net carbs.
Traditional pho takes 6 to 8 hours of patient simmering. The pressure cooker cuts that to about 90 minutes and still extracts that deep, gelatinous body from the bones that makes real pho broth different from anything out of a carton. I blanch the bones first (5-minute boil, drain, rinse) to pull out the impurities that cloud the broth. Then I char the ginger and onion under the broiler until they blister. Those two steps take 10 minutes and produce a noticeably clearer, richer broth.
I tested this recipe with marrow bones, oxtails, and knuckle bones. They all work, but marrow bones gave me the richest broth with the least effort. Oxtails added more meat flavor but needed longer under pressure. Knuckle bones were the most gelatinous but took up too much pot space. For a weeknight-friendly version, marrow bones win.
The warm spice combination (cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, fresh ginger) is what separates this from plain bone broth. I toasted the dry spices in a hot pan before a few batches and the difference is real, as the cinnamon and star anise open up and release more aroma. One of my readers, Jasmine, said her 10-year-old walked into the kitchen and said ‘it smells like the pho place’ before she even told him what was cooking. That kind of reaction tells me the spice ratio is right.
For the noodle swap in this keto beef pho, I prefer hearts of palm over shirataki. I have tried both in hot broth, and hearts of palm hold a firmer bite that absorbs the surrounding flavors without turning rubbery. Zucchini noodles also work if you want a third option, though they release water into the broth and soften fast. With hearts of palm, the whole bowl stays at 2.9g net carbs.
I include stove top and slow cooker instructions in the recipe card if you do not own an Instant Pot. The stove top version simmers for about 4 hours. The slow cooker runs 8 to 10 hours on low. All three methods produce comparable broth. The only difference is your timeline.
For the beef, I use boneless strip steak sliced paper thin. The trick is to freeze the steak for 25 to 35 minutes before slicing. Too short and the knife drags through the meat; too long and you are cutting through a frozen block. When you pour the 200+ degree broth over the raw slices, the meat cooks through in about 30 seconds. That is the entire point of pho assembly: the broth does the cooking in your bowl.
The broth is the most time-intensive part, so I make a double batch every time and freeze it in quart-sized containers. On a weeknight, all you do is thaw broth, slice steak, and assemble. Total hands-on time drops to about 10 minutes when the broth is already made. This pairs well with beef and broccoli or sesame chicken if you want an Asian-themed dinner. The chicken and rice soup is another make-ahead favorite from my rotation.
How to Make Keto Beef Pho
For the clearest broth, I blanch the bones first. A quick 5-minute boil, drain, and rinse pulls out the blood and impurities that turn broth cloudy. I also char the ginger and half onion under the broiler for about 5 minutes until they blister. That charred edge adds a smoky depth you cannot get from raw aromatics.
Add blanched bones, charred ginger and onion, fish sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, salt, and peppercorns to the pressure cooker with 2 quarts of water. The Instant Pot runs about 90 minutes on high pressure. Stove top simmers covered for 4 hours. Slow cooker runs 8 to 10 hours on low.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. While the broth cooks, freeze the strip steak for 25 to 35 minutes, then slice as thin as you can. Prep your vegetables thin so they soften when the hot broth hits them.
To assemble, place hearts of palm noodles, raw beef, and vegetables in each bowl. Ladle boiling broth over everything. The broth cooks the beef on contact. Top with cilantro, Thai basil, lime wedges, and jalapenos.
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Pho Broth Ingredients
3 pounds beef bones -
1/2 onion, quartered
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1/4 cup fish sauce
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4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
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1 cinnamon stick
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4-6 star anise
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4-6 whole cloves
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1 tablespoon salt
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1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
Pho Components Ingredients
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1 pound boneless strip steak, cut into thin slices or shaved
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9 oz hearts of palm noodles
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1 cup broccoli, chopped
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1/4 onion, thinly sliced
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1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
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4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Add ingredients
Add beef bones, onion quartered, fish sauce, ginger, cinnamon stick, anise, cloves, salt and peppercorns to a pressure cooker. Fill with 2 quarts of water.
Pressure cook
Pressure cook on high for 1 1/2 hours. After the cycle has finished, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before turning or pressing the pressure valve to release remaining pressure.
Strain the bones and vegetables
Strain bones and vegetables out of the broth. Keep the broth simmering on high.
Assemble pho
To assemble the beef pho, pour 1 cup of broth into a bowl. Add noodles, vegetables and steak. Top with more fish sauce or cilantro.
Stove top instructions
Add all ingredients for the pho broth in a large stock pot. Bring to boil. Then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 6-8 hours. Continue with steps 3 and 4.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Should I blanch the bones before pressure cooking?
I blanch every time now. A quick 5-minute boil, drain, and rinse removes the blood and impurities that make broth murky. I skipped this step my first few batches and the broth tasted fine but looked cloudy. Once I started blanching, the difference in clarity was obvious. It adds about 10 minutes to prep but I think it is worth it.
How do I char the ginger and onion for more authentic pho flavor?
I cut the ginger in half lengthwise and quarter the onion, then set them cut-side up under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the edges blister and blacken. Some people use an open gas flame, which works too. The char adds a smoky sweetness to the broth that I cannot get any other way. I started doing this after my third or fourth batch and it made a noticeable difference.
Why is my pho broth cloudy instead of clear?
Two things fixed this for me. First, blanch the bones before the main cook. That initial boil pulls out the proteins that cloud the broth. Second, do not let the broth hit a hard rolling boil during the stove top version. A gentle simmer keeps it clearer. In the pressure cooker, I let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes instead of quick releasing, which also helps.
Can I use zucchini noodles instead of hearts of palm?
I have tried zucchini noodles in this recipe and they work, but with a tradeoff. They release water into the broth and soften fast, so the bowl gets more watery if you do not eat it quickly. Hearts of palm hold their shape better in hot liquid. When I use zucchini noodles, I spiralize them thick and add them right before serving so they keep some bite.
What can I substitute for fish sauce if I don't have it?
I have made this with coconut aminos when I ran out of fish sauce, and it works. Use about 2 tablespoons instead of the 1/4 cup since coconut aminos are saltier. The umami depth is slightly different but the broth still tastes good. Soy sauce works too at the same reduced amount. I prefer coconut aminos because the flavor is closer to fish sauce than soy is.
Can I make chicken pho instead of beef?
I have done a chicken version using a whole chicken carcass and the same spice blend. The technique is identical but I pressure cook for 45 minutes instead of 90. The broth is lighter and less gelatinous, but the star anise and ginger still carry that pho flavor. I use boneless chicken thigh sliced thin instead of strip steak.
How long can I store the leftover pho broth?
I keep broth in the fridge for up to 4 days and it reheats fine. For longer storage, I freeze it in quart-sized containers so each one holds enough for 2 to 3 bowls. Frozen broth lasts about 3 months. I thaw mine overnight in the fridge or in a pot over medium heat. Keep the noodles, beef, and vegetables separate until you are ready to eat.
Is pho keto friendly?
The broth and toppings are naturally low carb. Traditional pho uses rice noodles at about 42g carbs per serving, so the noodle swap is the only real change. I use hearts of palm noodles to keep the whole bowl at 2.9g net carbs and 25.9g protein per serving. That makes this one of my more protein-dense keto dinners.
Nervous about pressure cooking bones but the broth gelled solid when it cooled. Never would've guessed hearts of palm could work as noodles. Pretty proud of myself.
I've made this four times since January and the 1.5-hour pressure cook on the bones is non-negotiable. That broth comes out so thick it gels overnight in the fridge, and reheating it fills the whole kitchen with cinnamon and star anise before I even get the noodles open. Tried cutting the cook time once. You can tell. The hearts of palm are still a little wild to me texture-wise but at 2.9 net carbs a bowl I'm not fighting it.
Cut it once and you just know. Hearts of palm - took me until batch three. Now it's just part of the bowl.
My husband usually spots my keto swaps from across the room, so I didn't say anything about the hearts of palm noodles. He was halfway through the bowl before he asked what kind of noodles I used, and when I told him, he just shrugged and went back to eating. Good enough. The broth, though. Pressure cooking those bones with the star anise and cinnamon made something so deep and layered I kept wanting another spoonful even after I was full.
Pho was my comfort food before keto, my go-to after long work weeks, and giving it up was rough. Made this on a Sunday when it was still a little chilly out, and the moment cinnamon and star anise hit the pot, the whole kitchen smelled exactly right. The broth after an hour and a half in the pressure cooker gets thick, almost silky, way different from anything I've made before. Hearts of palm noodles took me a second to get used to visually, but once everything was in the bowl and I took a bite, I just stopped thinking about it. Sat there at the table and felt like myself around food again, something I haven't felt in a long time. I didn't realize how much I missed this until that bowl.
That smell when the star anise and cinnamon first hit the pot is exactly why I kept testing this until the broth was right. Really glad you got your pho back.
I've lost count, somewhere around batch six or seven. The broth is what keeps pulling me back. I pressure cook the bones the full hour and a half, and I was not ready for how rich it came out. Every time I pour it over the hearts of palm noodles I think there is no way this is 2.9 net carbs. The cinnamon and star anise fill the whole house while it's cooking, my kid wanders in before I've even finished straining the bones asking what's for dinner. Made soup from scratch maybe twice before this, so first attempt I was nervous, but the Instant Pot makes the whole thing manageable in a way the stovetop didn't. Leftovers the next day are actually better, broth gets deeper somehow. Trying extra ginger next batch.
Extra ginger works. I've used a 6-inch piece and the broth goes deeper without tipping soapy. Taste it before straining, it sneaks up.
I've tried making keto pho twice before using carton broth and it never tasted right. The pressure-cooked bone broth here is different (comes out thick and almost gelatinous in a way that actually tastes like the restaurant version I've been chasing). The hearts of palm noodles fooled me more than I expected them to. 2.9 net carbs for a full bowl of pho still kind of gets me every time I look at it.
Carton broth won't gel no matter how long you simmer it. The collagen has to come from actual bones, and there's no shortcut. 2.9 still gets me too.
Planning to make the broth Sunday and use it for lunches all week. How long does it keep in the fridge? And should I hold off on the hearts of palm noodles until I'm actually serving each bowl?
Broth keeps 4 days in the fridge no problem. And yeah, hold the noodles - hearts of palm hold up better than zucchini but they'll still soak up broth and get soft if you store them together. Add them when you're reheating each bowl.
Every pho I'd made before needed six hours on the stove. This one gets there in 90 minutes. Not sure what I was doing with my Sundays.
The six-hour version is how I used to do it too. Pressure cooker completely changed the math on weekday pho.
Thought pho was just off the table on keto, so that first bowl hit harder than expected. Might add more fish sauce next time.
More fish sauce, yes. I taste before sealing and usually add another splash. It deepens so much under pressure that a little goes a long way.
Made this Sunday when it was snowing and my 10-year-old walked in and said 'it smells like the pho place' before I even told him what it was. Wasn't sure the star anise and ginger would actually work, but apparently they do. He finished the whole bowl without saying anything was 'too weird,' which in our house means it passed.
The star anise and ginger are doing most of the heavy lifting. Took me a few batches to nail the ratio so it actually smells like restaurant pho and not just spiced beef broth. Kid approval is the hardest to get.
broth came out good. used instant pot, super easy
The instant pot makes such a difference here. I freeze leftover broth in quart containers so I can pull out enough for 2-3 bowls whenever.
solid. pressure cooker made it way easier than stovetop, done in under 2 hrs. broth came out clear and the star anise really comes through. used ribeye instead of strip steak since thats what i had, worked fine
Ribeye works great. Little more marbling than strip so you'll get a touch more fat on top but just skim it. Pressure cooker is the only way I do this now.
This recipe was awesome! My family loves pho and we have had challenges finding this soup since moving to Colorado from Southern California, where excellent pho is everywhere. The broth was wonderfully rich and super easy to make in my Instant Pot. I added Shirataki noodles, cilantro, green onions and a bit of Siracha (no hoisin). Wonderful recipe....can't wait to try some of your other keto recipes. Thanks so much!
Shirataki was the right call. And skipping the hoisin is smart anyway, it's mostly sugar and dulls the broth. You'll have pho on demand now.
Traditional Pho is subtly sweet and is cooked with a large chunk of rock candy sugar (substitute granulated erythritol).
Veggies always includes fresh basil (preferably Thai basil) and/or culantro. Super thin onions as you suggested, green onions and cilantro is also sometimes added. Fresh bean sprouts add crunch. Sliced Jalapeno is optional for some heat. Siracha and Hoisin (definitely not keto unless you make a low carb one yourself) sauce to taste.
Fresh lime juice really makes this dish shine!
The lime at the end changed everything for me. I skip the hoisin (haven't found a low carb version worth it) and lean heavy on the bean sprouts and Thai basil.