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How Long does Pho Last in the Fridge?  

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Do you love Pho, the fragrant and flavorful Vietnamese noodle soup? Are you wondering how long it lasts in a refrigerator? Many people enjoy this delicious comfort food but aren’t sure about its shelf-life. 

How long does Pho last in the fridge? As long as you separate the dry and wet ingredients, you should be able to store Pho in the fridge for up to 3 days. The broth can even stay fresh for up to a week. 

In this blog post, let’s answer the age-old question of how long Pho last in the fridge, as well as provide helpful storage tips so that your Pho remains fresh and safe to eat for longer. 

How Long Does Pho Last In The Fridge?

The traditional Vietnamese dish of Pho is a favorite of many, but it can be tricky to store. The first thing you should know about storing Pho is never to store a bowl of Pho as-is. 

There are different components in a bowl of Pho, including rice noodles, meats, greens, and broth.

If you get takeout pho, you’ll notice that the dry and wet ingredients are always separated, and you’ll have to assemble the dish when you’re ready to enjoy it. 

This is because pho noodles are a type of rice noodles that soaks up liquid very easily, which means they will start soaking up the broth as soon as you pour it into your bowl. 

If you mix the ingredients together and store a bowl of Pho in the fridge, the noodles will soak up the liquid completely, and you’ll end up with no broth at all after a few days. The noodles will become mushy and inedible. 

Separating the dry and wet ingredients of Pho will also mean that the ingredients will last longer. The broth can remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, while the meat and noodles can last for up to three days. 

The key to enjoying a delicious bowl of leftover Pho after a few days is knowing how to store all of the ingredients correctly so that they won’t spoil before their prime. Let’s take a look at how to do that. 

How To Store Leftover Pho?

As we’ve mentioned, the best way to store leftover Pho is to store the wet and dry ingredients separately. 

This is why pho restaurants only assemble the individual portions minutes before they are served.

Any remaining leftovers can be stored separately, which will ensure that they stay fresh as long as possible. 

This is also our most important tip: make sure to only assemble individual servings so that anything that you don’t finish can be stored as separate components. 

However, if you don’t finish a bowl of Pho, you can still store it as leftovers using a few simple steps. 

Step 1: Separate the dry and wet ingredients 

This step is the easiest if you have a strainer. Use the strainer to separate all of the dry ingredients and the broth.

Shake the strainer to ensure that all of the liquid is removed from the noodles. 

You should do this step as soon as you want to store Pho as leftovers – don’t wait for the bowl to cool down!

The noodles will soak up the liquid and become mushy if you leave it for too long. 

Step 2: Let the ingredients cool down 

Once the dry ingredients are removed from the broth, let both the dry and wet ingredients cool down. 

You can add ice to the broth to allow it to cool down quicker, which will prevent bacteria from developing and allow the broth to stay fresh for longer. However, the disadvantage of this is that the ice may water down the flavorful broth, so don’t add too much. 

Step 3: Transfer to airtight containers 

Transfer the broth and the dry ingredients to separate airtight containers and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

If you want to keep leftover Pho for longer than 3 days, the best way to store it is by freezing it. Let’s take a look at how to do that. 

Can You Freeze Pho?

You can freeze Pho as long as you separate the dry and wet ingredients per the instructions above. Pho broth, noodles, and meat can be stored for up to a month when frozen. 

Here’s how to safely freeze Pho. 

Step 1: Follow the instructions above to separate the dry ingredients from the broth, and let both cool down completely before freezing. 

Step 2: Transfer the ingredients to airtight containers. 

You can transfer the pho broth to an airtight plastic container to store it in the freezer. Since the broth is a liquid, it will expand a bit in the freezer, so using a plastic container is the safest way to do this. 

As for the dry ingredients, you can store them in a Ziploc bag. Using a Ziploc bag will allow you to squeeze out all of the air bubbles from the container, which will help prevent freezer burn and keep the dry ingredients fresh. 

Step 3: Label the containers and freeze 

Use a marker to label both containers with the freezing date to make sure that you consume the Pho before the ingredients go bad. Then, you can just store the ingredients in the freezer until you are ready to finish them. 

When you are ready to enjoy the Pho, make sure to let the ingredients thaw in the fridge. Simply transfer the containers to the cool compartment in the fridge and let them thaw out overnight. 

This is the safest way to defrost food while still preventing bacteria from getting into the ingredients, which will ensure that the soup will stay fresh and prevent any harmful bacteria from getting into your system. 

How To Reheat Pho?

The best way to reheat Pho is on the stove, but you can also use the microwave as well. 

Regardless of the method, make sure to heat up the broth first and then add the noodles at the last minute to ensure the noodles don’t soak up too much liquid by the time it’s ready for serving. 

How To Reheat Pho On The Stove

First, remove the broth and the dry ingredients from the fridge and wait for about 10 minutes to let the ingredients return to room temperature.

Let step will make the noodles easy to separate, and the broth will also take less time to boil. 

Then, pour the broth into a small pot, and let it boil. 

Once the broth boils, quickly add the dry ingredients to the pot. Use chopsticks or tongs to separate the noodle strands while bringing the entire pot to a boil. 

As soon as the liquid starts to bubble again, turn off the heat and transfer the soup into a serving bowl.

The noodles will continue to expand in the broth using the residual heat, so you can continue to separate the noodles before serving them hot. 

How To Reheat Pho In The Microwave

Alternatively, you can reheat Pho in the microwave. Note that microwave heat can’t bring a liquid to a boiling temperature, so the noodles will be a bit harder to separate. 

Similar to above, remove the broth and the dry ingredients from the fridge and let it return to room temperature, which will take about 10 minutes. 

Use a microwave-safe container to heat up the broth in the microwave for about 3 – 5 minutes. 

Once the broth is properly heated, transfer the noodles into the broth container and use chopsticks to separate the noodles. 

If the noodles are still sticking together, you can cover the container with a damp cloth or paper towel and microwave the entire container again using 30-second intervals while mixing the noodles in between the intervals. 

The steam and liquid will warm up the noodles and separate the strands to get them ready for serving. Once the noodles are revived, you can serve the soup hot.  

Signs That Pho Has Gone Bad

Eating bad Pho can be a health hazard, and there are some telltale signs one should look for to make sure the food is fresh. 

One key indicator is the presence of an unpleasant smell. When cooked correctly, Pho should have a fragrant aroma, and if the soup smells sour or off, it’s best to avoid it. If the broth or noodles smell rancid, that’s definitely not a good sign! 

Another warning sign indicates that the noodles may have been cooked too long if they are soft, mushy, and bloated. 

This is a sign that the noodles have, unfortunately, absorbed too much liquid. Although this may not be a health hazard, the soup will no longer be very pleasant to consume. 

If this is an issue, you discard the noodles and buy dry pho noodles from an Asian supermarket to replace the mush. You should still be able to enjoy the broth and the meat with the fresh noodles. 

Finally, if the broth looks cloudy and murky with bits of floaty material, or if the noodles and meat look discolored or moldy, it’s definitely no longer safe to consume. 

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