What is the Healthiest Thing to Eat at a Pho Restaurant?

October 15, 2025 •

4 min read

Did you know that a typical large restaurant bowl of pho can contain anywhere from 700 to over 1,200 calories, with sodium levels often exceeding half of the daily recommended intake? Knowing what is the healthiest thing to eat at a pho restaurant means focusing on smart choices and mindful customization.

Quick Summary

Making healthy choices at a pho restaurant involves selecting lean proteins, boosting your vegetable intake, and controlling high-sodium elements. Customizing your order is key to creating a nutritious and satisfying meal.

Key Points

Choose Lean Proteins: Opt for chicken breast, tofu, or lean cuts of beef like eye of round to reduce fat and calories.
Increase the Veggies: Maximize your intake of fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, and add extra vegetables such as bok choy or bean sprouts for more fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Manage Sodium Intake: Request a low-sodium broth if available, and limit or avoid high-sodium condiments like hoisin and fish sauce.
Control Noodle Portions: Reduce the amount of rice noodles to lower the overall carbohydrate and calorie count.
Consider Fresh Alternatives: If pho isn't the right fit, fresh spring rolls (Goi Cuon) are a great, healthy alternative packed with fresh ingredients.
Drink the Broth Mindfully: While the broth offers minerals and collagen, remember it is the main source of sodium in a restaurant bowl and should be consumed in moderation.

The Components of a Nutritious Pho Bowl

Pho is a beloved Vietnamese noodle soup known for its fragrant broth and fresh ingredients. While it has many healthy components, restaurant versions can be surprisingly high in sodium and calories, mainly due to large portion sizes and liberal seasoning. To make the healthiest choice, it's important to understand the nutritional aspects of each element and how to customize your bowl.

The Foundational Broth

The heart of pho is its slow-simmered broth, traditionally made from beef or chicken bones with a blend of aromatic spices like star anise, cloves, and ginger. This bone broth provides trace minerals like calcium and phosphorus and contains collagen, which can support joint and gut health. However, this is also where most of the sodium resides, with restaurant broths often containing over 1,000 mg of sodium per serving. For the healthiest option, you can request a low-sodium broth or simply consume less of the broth overall.

Lean Protein Choices

Protein is a crucial and filling component of pho, supporting muscle repair and satiety. While traditional pho can use various cuts of meat, some are healthier than others. Your best protein options include:

Lean beef: Opt for lean cuts like eye of round steak or flank steak over fattier cuts like brisket or fatty flank.
Chicken breast: Lean chicken breast is a low-fat and high-protein choice for chicken pho (pho ga).
Tofu: A plant-based alternative, tofu is an excellent source of protein and is naturally cholesterol-free.

Mindful Noodle and Portion Control

Rice noodles provide the carbohydrates that give you energy, but in restaurant portions, they can contribute significantly to the total calorie count. One way to make your bowl healthier is to reduce the noodle portion. You can request a half-portion or simply eat fewer noodles. Alternatively, for those on a low-carb diet, some restaurants might offer vegetable-based noodle alternatives, though this is less common.

The Power of Fresh Herbs and Vegetables

This is where you can truly boost your meal's nutritional value. The plate of fresh garnishes that typically comes with pho, including bean sprouts, Thai basil, and cilantro, is packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. Maximize your health benefits by loading up on these extras. You can also ask for extra vegetables to be added to your soup, such as:

Bok choy
Mushrooms
Spinach
Carrots

Customizing for a Nutritious Pho Meal

Beyond just choosing your main protein, customizing your order is the most effective way to optimize your pho for nutrition. Here’s a simple checklist:

Request less broth: A clear and easy way to significantly reduce sodium. You can also ask for the low-sodium version if available.
Ask for extra vegetables: More herbs, more sprouts, and extra cooked vegetables add fiber, vitamins, and bulk for very few extra calories.
Limit high-sodium condiments: Avoid adding too much hoisin sauce, soy sauce, or fish sauce. Use lime juice and chili peppers for flavor instead.
Go light on the noodles: As mentioned, a simple reduction in rice noodles can dramatically lower the carbohydrate and calorie count. Some people even replace them with extra bean sprouts.
Control your portion size: Many restaurant bowls are large. Consider ordering a small size or sharing a large one.

Comparison Table: Healthy Pho Options


Feature	Vegetarian Pho (Tofu)	Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)	Beef Pho (Lean Cut)
Calories (Avg.)	300-400	350-450	400-500
Protein (Avg.)	15-20g	20-30g	28-33g
Fat (Avg.)	Low (0 cholesterol)	Low (2-5g)	Moderate (5-10g)
Sodium Concern	Moderate	High	High
Best For	Plant-based diets, low-fat options	Weight loss, heart health	High-protein diets

Healthier Alternatives to Pho

If you're dining at a pho restaurant but looking for an alternative, consider other Vietnamese dishes that offer a great balance of nutrients.

Goi Cuon (Fresh Spring Rolls): These are a fantastic option, typically filled with fresh vegetables, herbs, rice vermicelli, and lean protein like shrimp or chicken. They are served with a light dipping sauce and are generally very low in fat and calories.
Bun Cha: This dish features grilled pork or tofu served with vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs, and a light, flavorful dipping sauce. It's often a lighter option than a large bowl of pho.
Vietnamese Salads: Many restaurants offer fresh salads with a variety of vegetables and often include a light, vinaigrette-style dressing. These are excellent for maximizing nutrient intake and are typically low in calories.

Conclusion: Your Healthiest Pho is a Customized Pho

So, what is the healthiest thing to eat at a pho restaurant? It's not a single menu item, but rather the meal you design through customization. By choosing lean proteins like chicken or tofu, prioritizing extra fresh vegetables, and consciously reducing your sodium and noodle intake, you can transform a large, calorie-dense restaurant meal into a nutritious and satisfying dish. Embracing the vibrant, fresh herbs and leveraging low-sodium alternatives for flavor will ensure your pho experience is both delicious and supportive of your health goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pho broth, especially when made from simmered bone stock, contains minerals, collagen, and amino acids. However, restaurant versions are often very high in sodium, so it's best to consume it in moderation or request a low-sodium version.

Chicken pho, or Pho Ga, is typically healthier than beef pho because it contains leaner protein and less fat. For a beef option, choose a lean cut like eye of round to reduce fat content.

Yes, you can make pho low-carb by reducing the amount of rice noodles or asking for a half-portion. You can also replace noodles with extra bean sprouts or other spiralized vegetables like zucchini if the restaurant offers the option.

Yes, fresh spring rolls are often a healthier appetizer or meal option. They are typically filled with fresh herbs, vegetables, and lean protein, and are not deep-fried, making them lower in fat and calories than many pho bowls.

To reduce the sodium in your pho, you can ask for a low-sodium broth if available, use less of the broth itself, and limit your use of high-sodium condiments like hoisin and soy sauce.

Vegetarian pho with tofu and extra vegetables is an excellent choice. It is naturally low in cholesterol and calories, and provides a good source of plant-based protein. You can further enhance its nutrition by adding more vegetables.

For healthy flavor, prioritize fresh additions like a squeeze of lime juice, chili peppers, and lots of fresh herbs. Limit the use of hoisin and Sriracha, which can be high in sugar and sodium.