9/11 soup is a comforting Thai-style noodle soup that comes together quickly and has tons of flavor! You’ll want to slurp up every last bit of the broth. Make it in your Instant Pot or Crockpot.

9/11 Soup (Instant Pot or Crockpot)
As we approach the 21st anniversary of 9/11/2001 I wanted to share a comforting recipe. I found a lovely article/recipe for 9/11 soup on Food 52 and wanted to create my own version of the soup. The original author stated that the soup was used to calm her jangled nerves.
I used ingredients that are easier to find plus I used an easier method. I couldn’t imagine this soup being better than it was. It was slurp slurp good. It was worth me going to two different grocery stores to find lemongrass. (I couldn’t find it at Walmart but it was at Smiths and Harmons). I hope you give it a shot. My family plus friends all loved it.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Water and Better than Bouillon Chicken Base–or chicken broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Soy sauce
- Chinese 5 Spice–you can find this next to the other spices
- Minced garlic
- Ginger–I keep gingerroot wrapped in foil in my freezer. I grate it frozen for recipes like this one.
- Mushrooms
- Lemongrass–find in the produce section. You can also use 2 Tbsp of lemongrass paste.
- Chopped, cooked chicken–I used rotisserie chicken
- Udon Stir-Fry Noodles–I used the Ka-me brand found in the Asian section of the grocery store.
- Sesame oil
- Fish sauce–or oyster sauce
- Lime juice–fresh tastes best
- Cilantro
Steps
- Add ingredients: Add water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Chinese 5 spice, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and chicken (if using) into Instant Pot.
- Bruise the lemongrass: Trim off the discolored bottom of the lemongrass. Peel off the outer layer. Discard. Lightly smash the stalk of lemongrass with the back of a chefs knife or a mallet. Add the lemongrass into the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 10 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the lemongrass stalks and discard.
- Stir in the noodles, sesame oil, fish sauce and lime juice.
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with some chopped cilantro. Slurp and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- This soup can be served as the main dish but it can also be a starter to a meal such as Instant Pot Thai Chicken Noodles or lettuce wraps.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator.
- Another recipe you can make with lemongrass is Instant Pot Thai Coconut Soup.
- Another recipe you can make with fish sauce is Instant Pot Drunken Noodles.

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Instant Pot Thai Noodle Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A comforting Thai-style noodle soup that comes together quickly and has tons of flavor! You’ll want to slurp up every last bit of the broth. Make it in your Instant Pot or Crockpot.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4 tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger (packed)
- 1 (8 oz) package mushrooms, washed and quartered
- 2 (4 inch) pieces of lemongrass (or 2 Tbsp of lemongrass paste)
- Optional 1–2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
- 1 (7.1) ounce package of Udon Stir-Fry Noodles
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Chinese 5 spice, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and chicken (if using) into Instant Pot.
- Trim off the discolored bottom of the lemongrass. Peel off the outer layer. Discard. Lightly smash the stalk of lemongrass with the back of a chefs knife or a mallet. Add the lemongrass into the Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 10 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the lemongrass stalks and discard.
- Stir in the noodles, sesame oil, fish sauce and lime juice.
- Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with some chopped cilantro. Slurp and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Chinese 5 spice, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and chicken (if using) into slow cooker.
- Trim off the discolored bottom of the lemongrass. Peel off the outer layer. Discard. Lightly smash the stalk of lemongrass with the back of a chefs knife or a mallet. Add the lemongrass into the slow cooker.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Remove the lid. Remove the lemongrass stalks and discard.
- Stir in the noodles, sesame oil, fish sauce and lime juice.
- Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with some chopped cilantro. Slurp and enjoy!
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker


*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This soup was the bomb and so easy! I always wanted to make a soup similar to pho but most instant pot recipes I found were far too complicated? I always prefer simple which is why I bought an instant pot, duh…Anyway, I added some pre cooked peeled shrimp that were frozen figuring they would defrost during the cook time and the entire soup came out perfect, including the shrimp
Thank you Karen for an awesome Thai style soup that is not only delicious but pretty simple too
★★★★★
So glad you tried it and liked it. I thought this one was sooo good too!
This soup is outstanding! Flavors are complex with a lot of umami and I love the noodles (I used 2 packs). If you like Pho this will definitely trip your trigger. Someone’s idea of ysing shrimp for protein was brilliant… Next time… I did not cook it in an Instant Pot, just a regular pot on the stove. With fall on the way, thanks for this great recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you tried it out and loved it! It was one of my favorites!
This soup is two of my favorite things – easy and delicious!!! 😋
The only things I did different from the recipe was to use 4 C. of homemade chicken broth in place of the water and “Better Than Bouillon” (only because I had just made some the day before)…and added raw shrimp after soup was done in my Instant Pot. The soup broth was hot enough to cook the shrimp in 2 or 3 minutes 😉
★★★★★
Ok the shrimp idea is genius!! YUMMM! I am going to try that next time 🙂
I loved this recipe! The broth has such a complex flavor. I think I will try pork, beef or seafood as the protein in the near future. This was just wonderful.
★★★★★
Thank you for your nice review! I am glad you liked it!
Because it would take a 50 mile to and then 50 mile back trip for the lemon grass I now have it ordered to give this soup a go!! I had everything else on hand. Even the noodles!! I went with the powder because I keep losing stuff in the back of the fridge.
Okay! Don’t you just love online shopping?! Let me know how you like it!
This looks delicious but we, in California have had temps from 106 to 118 all week Soup will sound good next week or next month when it finally cools down lol. Pinned the recipe!
★★★★★
Oh I know! It’s crazy! The day I made this it was 103 outside. I am just crossing my fingers that fall comes soon
can this be stored in fridge for 4 days/
george
Sure can!
Jennifer,
Did you bother to read anything she said in the recipe explanation? It was a copied recipe from someone else who created & named it such because it “calmed her jangled nerves”. Gee whiz!