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How To Store, Freeze & Reheat Pho [Pics]

This article was update on 06/07/2023 for clarity.

Pho traditionalists would never reheat pho. It’s not the done thing.

Mainly because the noodles go a little mushy. But also because after you add all the garnishes and sauce into the broth, its taste changes, and it’s no longer ‘fresh’ pho. 

But don’t let that stop you! I reheat pho all the time and it works out fine. 

Need a quick answer?

With any leftover pho you need to separate all the solid ingredients from the broth before you store it. Then you can reheat the broth in the microwave or on the stove. Once it’s piping hot, pour it over the noodles and meat to warm them.

How to reheat pho

There are two main ways to reheat pho: in the microwave, or on the stove.

Neither of them is better than the other, so use whichever one is convenient for you.

Note that my instructions assume that your pho is separate, so the broth and the noodles/meat/veggies are in individual containers (this is how takeout pho will come). But if you’ve already assembled your pho or only have broth, you can easily adapt the methods.

Step-by step instructions:

  1. Remove your pho components from the fridge and put the noodles, meat, and veggies to one side to warm up to room temperature.
  2. Heat the broth until it’s boiling hot (2-3 minutes in the microwave, or 4-5 minutes on the stove).
  3. While the broth is reheating, put the noodles in the bottom of your bowl and lay any meat or veggies on top of the noodles.
  4. As soon as the broth starts to boil, pour it over your noodles, meat, and veggies and wait 2-3 minutes for the noodles to separate. 
  5. Stir the pho to mix the ingredients and add any garnishes you want.

It’s really important you wait until the broth is boiling to pour it over the noodles. Otherwise, it wont be hot enough to unstick the noodles and warm the other ingredients.

So if your takeout pho broth is only lukewarm when you get it home, you need to heat it up!

I also always let my noodles and meat come up to room temperature before pouring the broth over them because if they’re straight out of the fridge, they’ll cool the broth down too much.

Pro tip


If your noodles are really stuck together, I recommend microwaving them separately to the broth for 30 seconds with a damp paper towel covering them. The resultant steam will help loosen them up.

Can you eat pho cold?

Pho is a dish that is supposed to be served boiling hot because the hot broth separates the rice noodles and cooks (or warms) the meat. Cold pho can also have a greasy texture because of all the fatty components in the broth, so I wouldn’t recommend eating it cold.

How to store leftover pho

It’s very important to store pho broth separately from any leftover solids. You can separate the solids from the broth using a sieve, then keep them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. The broth will last 6-7 days, while the noodles and meat will last 2 days. You can also freeze the broth for up to 6 months.

As soon as you’ve realized you’re not going to finish your bowl of pho, take the noodles out (or eat them all and just leave the broth). 

The sooner you remove the noodles from the broth, the better because every second the noodles are in the broth, they’re absorbing liquid and becoming mushier. Eventually the noodles will completely disintegrate!

If the texture of the noodles is already overly mushy, I would advise either eating them or throwing them away. The mushiness will only get worse in the fridge. You can still keep the leftover broth and meat and add fresh rice noodles when you want to eat the leftovers.

Related: How To Store, Freeze, And Reheat Rice Noodles

Can you freeze pho?

You can’t freeze pho noodles, because they’ll become mushy when you thaw them, but you can freeze the pho broth. Portion the broth out and put each portion into a heavy-duty freezer bag. Freeze the broth for up to 6 months.

It’s a little fiddly, but bags are better than containers because you can lay them flat in the freezer and save loads of space.

Remember to leave a little bit of space in the bag for expansion. The broth will expand as it freezes, and you don’t want the freezer bag to burst!

Note: if you cook a lot of pho, I recommend reusable freezer bags to cut down your plastic waste.

If you don’t want to use individual containers, a good trick is to freeze the pho in an ice cube tray and transfer the frozen cubes to a big airtight container. The ice cubes won’t stick together, so you’re able to take as many or as little as you want each time.

To thaw the pho broth, take it out on the freezer the night before you want to eat it and let it defrost slowly in the fridge. You can also heat it straight from frozen on a low heat on the stove, or in the microwave.

Heating it from frozen will be quicker if you have ice cubes, or can break up the ice block into smaller bits.

While the broth is defrosting, you can prepare new rice noodles and veggies to add to the broth.

Similar To Pho: How To Reheat Miso Soup

The BEST Way To Reheat Pho [Tested Methods]

The good news is that you can absolutely reheat pho, and I have tried several methods to find out what gives the best results.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: pho, reheat pho
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 person
Calories: 450kcal

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Sieve

Ingredients

  • 1 portion pho broth
  • 1 portion pho solid ingredients meat, noodles, vegeatables

Instructions

  • Ensure that the pho broth and solid ingredients are spearated using a sieve.
  • place the pho broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Once the pho broth is boiling, pour it into a large bowl and immediately add the noodles, meat, and vegetables.
  • Don’t be tempted to pour the broth over your noodles until it’s boiling. If the broth isn’t hot, enough the noodles won’t separate.
  • Wait approximately 3-4 minutes for the noodles to separate and the temperature to cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 250g | Calories: 450kcal

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