Updated August 28, 2026
How many calories are in pho? A chart of 21 kinds
A regular bowl of beef pho is about 345 calories — lighter than most people assume, and lighter than almost anything else you can order for lunch.
A regular bowl of well-done beef pho — about 500 g of broth, noodles and meat — comes to roughly 345 calories. Chicken pho of the same size is about 450, and beef pho in red wine sauce can reach 830. Most bowls land between 300 and 450 calories, which puts pho well below a burrito, a burger or a plate of fried rice.
The numbers below come from the Vietnamese food composition tables that CaloCalo uses as its database — not from a restaurant's marketing sheet. The per 100 g column is the source data; the per portion column estimates a normal-sized bowl or plate. Restaurant bowls vary a lot, so treat these as reference points rather than exact figures.
Calorie chart: soup pho
| Dish | Cal / bowl | Cal / 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Pho with rare and well-done beef | 300 | 60 |
| Chopped chicken pho | 305 | 61 |
| Slow-cooked chicken pho | 330 | 66 |
| Pho with eye round steak | 330 | 66 |
| Well-done beef pho | 345 | 69 |
| Pho with beef heel muscle | 345 | 69 |
| Buffalo pho | 360 | 72 |
| Rare beef and brisket pho | 390 | 78 |
| Rare beef pho | 410 | 82 |
| Pho Thin | 430 | 86 |
| Chicken pho | 450 | 90 |
| Pho with red wine beef stew | 560 | 112 |
| Beef pho with red wine sauce | 830 | 166 |
Nearly all the variation comes from the meat. Lean well-done beef sits at the bottom of the chart, while brisket, chicken skin and red wine sauce push it up. Beef pho in red wine sauce carries almost three times the calories of the leanest bowl, and virtually all of that gap is fat.
Calorie chart: stir-fried, mixed and rolled pho
| Dish | Cal / plate | Cal / 100 g | Portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stir-fried pho with beef | 276 | 92 | 300 g |
| Mixed chicken pho (dry) | 397 | 99 | 400 g |
| Mixed pho (dry) | 409 | 102 | 400 g |
| Puffed fried pho | 346 | 115 | 300 g |
| Soft stir-fried pho | 354 | 118 | 300 g |
| Pho rolls (pho cuon) | 276 | 138 | 200 g |
| Stir-fried pho | 434 | 145 | 300 g |
| Fried pho | 465 | 155 | 300 g |
Fried and stir-fried versions are far denser because the noodles soak up oil — per 100 g, fried pho is more than double well-done beef pho. But a plate of stir-fried pho is smaller than a bowl of soup, so the totals end up closer than the per-100 g numbers suggest.
What actually makes a bowl heavy
- The noodles. Dried rice noodles are 364 calories per 100 g. A bowl holds 150–200 g cooked, which is about half the total on its own.
- The cut of meat. Brisket, flank and stewed beef carry far more fat than lean well-done beef.
- Fried dough sticks. A pair of quẩy adds roughly 150–200 calories — enough to turn a light bowl into a heavy meal.
- Extra fat broth. Asking for nước béo means ladling rendered fat straight into the bowl.
Ordering a lighter bowl
Pho is already one of the better things you can order: mostly liquid, real protein, very little sugar. A few small changes are enough — ask for well-done beef instead of brisket, skip the fried dough, request fewer noodles and more meat, and pile on the bean sprouts and herbs, which fill the bowl for almost nothing.
The number worth watching is sodium, not calories. A bowl runs roughly 300–1,800 mg depending on the kitchen, and most of it lives in the broth. If you are tracking blood pressure, eat the solids and leave most of the liquid behind.
Charts only get you close
A calorie chart gives you the average. The bowl in front of you has its own amount of noodles, its own cut of meat, and its own answer. Photograph it with CaloCalo and the app identifies the dish, estimates the portion against a Vietnamese food database, and logs it.
Common questions
Is pho good for weight loss?
A bowl of soup pho is roughly 300–450 calories, which fits comfortably into most calorie targets. It is mostly broth and water, has real protein, and almost no added sugar — so it fills you up for fewer calories than a sandwich or a rice plate. The catch is sodium, not calories.
Which has fewer calories, chicken pho or beef pho?
Well-done beef pho is about 69 calories per 100 g and chicken pho about 90, so beef is usually the lighter bowl. That surprises people, but chicken pho is typically served with skin on, and chicken skin carries a lot of fat.
How many calories are in the pho broth alone?
Most of a bowl by weight is broth, and it carries a modest share of the calories — the noodles and meat account for most of them. Skipping the broth saves you far more sodium than calories: a bowl can hold up to about 1,800 mg.
How do I know what my actual bowl had in it?
Take a photo with CaloCalo. It recognises the dish, estimates the portion and returns calories along with protein, carbs and fat — from a Vietnamese food composition database rather than a generic Western one.