Homemade Pho Soup in a Jar: My Weekly Office Lunch Hack – Just Add Hot Water

As someone who packs lunch for the office weekly, I've perfected this simple Pho-inspired soup in a jar. It's a game-changer: prep ahead, add hot water, and enjoy in 5 minutes.

Far healthier than store-bought packets loaded with preservatives, sugar, and artificial thickeners, this version uses fresh ingredients for authentic flavor.

Love Asian soups like Pho? This homemade instant soup delivers every time. Here's my go-to recipe I rely on weekly. Watch how easy it is:

Contents

• Ingredients
• How to Make It
• The Result
• Additional Tips

Ingredients

• Rice noodles (pre-cooked for best results)
• 1 tablespoon concentrated chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (spicy—adjust to taste!)
• Juice of 1/4 lemon (or a wedge)
• Finely chopped fresh herbs (coriander, basil, chives, or parsley)
• 1-liter wide-mouth jar
• Boiling water

How to Make It

Prep time: 3 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Serves: 1

1. Pour the concentrated chicken stock into the bottom of the jar.
2. Add the chili garlic sauce.
3. Fill the jar with rice noodles.
4. Top with chopped herbs and lemon juice or wedge.
5. Seal the jar and refrigerate overnight.
6. At lunch, pour in boiling water, seal, and wait 5 minutes.

The Result

Voilà! Your steaming, flavorful Pho soup is ready. Fresh, quick, and delicious—100 times better than commercial freeze-dried options thanks to real ingredients.

In my experience, using pre-cooked noodles keeps prep under 3 minutes. Skip the chili? Swap for a splash of soy sauce.

Layer wet ingredients at the bottom and dry on top to keep everything crisp. Jars stay fresh in the fridge for 4-5 days—perfect for batch prepping.

Additional Tips

Boost it with protein: Add diced chicken the night before—it cooks perfectly in the hot water.

Switch up flavors with fish sauce, soy, kimchi, or curry paste. I love tossing in shrimp, tofu, peas, dill, miso, sesame, ginger, or mushrooms for variety.

Every day a new twist—keeps lunch exciting!