Make these delicious, fuss-free instant pot pad Thai noodles in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is better than take-out, one pot, vegan and gluten-free.
Want to try more instant pot recipes, then make these – Instant Pot Tomato Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Instant Pot Refried Beans.
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About This Recipe
Instant pot pad Thai is the answer to your Thai noodles cravings in under 30 minutes. It’s one pot, so it’s super easy, quick, and fuss-free, making your weekday meals easier and yummier.
Pad Thai noodles are spicy, saucy, and full of flavors. I can have these on a daily rotation. Now that I have perfected making pad Thai in instant pot, this is no more a distant dream. These noodles are also definitely better than your favorite take-out.
The best part is that you can customize them as per your taste and preferences. I have shared a vegan, vegetarian recipe but you can add protein like chicken, shrimp, pork, egg, or even tofu. Add the veggies you like and skip the ones, you don’t. You can even adjust the amount of sauces as per your taste.
These pad Thai cooked in instant pot are,
- One-Pot Meal
- Absolutely Scrumptious
- Vegan/Dairy Free
- Perfect for quick meals
- Better than takeout
Ingredients
For the Sauce – To make the tangy spicy sauce, we will use a combination of veg stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, tamarind paste, red chili paste, salt, and water.
While adding salt, keep in mind that sauces already have some, so taste before you add it. You can also increase the amount of red chili paste if you like it nice and spicy.
To make it gluten free, use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
Noodles – Use flat rice noodles to make this pad Thai recipe, but if they aren’t available you can use any other noodles or even spaghetti too. You can also go for brown rice noodles, if looking for a healthy alternative.
Veggies – I have used onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and bean sprouts, but you can even add broccoli, mushroom, zucchini, carrots, etc.
You can also add tofu, chicken, pork, shrimp, or even scrambled eggs for added protein.
Peanuts – For that nice crunch, add in some roasted and coarsely crushed peanuts. Do not miss this one.
Oil – Use sesame oil for authentic taste. But if you cannot find the same, you can also opt for vegetable oil or butter.
Garlic – This is my favorite ingredient, especially when I make noodles. This one adds a lot of flavors that no other ingredient can.
Red Chilies – To make it a little more hot, add some finely chopped red chilies too. You can adjust the amount as per your taste.
Cilantro and Lime Wedges – Finally, garnish it with some freshly chopped cilantro leaves and squeeze some fresh lime on top for a refreshing flavour.
How to make Instant Pot Pad Thai?
Start by making the sauce. Add ¼ cup veg stock, 3 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free), 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp red chili paste, salt to taste, and ½ cup water in a measuring cup. Mix well and keep aside.
Note – Soy sauce has a lot of salt. So be careful while adding any extra salt to the dish.
Break 300 g (10 oz) flat rice noodles into half and arrange them in the instant pot in a criss-cross manner.
Note – If rice noodles are not available, you can use any noodles of your choice. Even pasta like spaghetti and linguine works.
Pour water in the pot until the noodles are just covered.
Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 2 mins on high pressure.
Note – If you like the noodles al dente, then cook for 1 minute instead of 2 minutes.
The instant pot will take 10-12 minutes for the pressure to build up and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a cloth to move the valve to avoid steam burn and open the lid.
Open the lid of the pot once the pressure is released. Drain the noodles using a colander and rinse them with cold water to stop cooking. Keep them aside.
Wash the insert with water and put it back in the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE.
Add 2 tbsp sesame oil to the pot.
Note – If sesame oil is not available, you can use any other cooking oil.
Once the oil is hot, add 2 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped red chili, and ¼ cup thinly sliced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.
Add ¼ cup sliced red and ¼ cup sliced yellow bell pepper, ¼ cup bean sprouts, and ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts and saute for a minute.
Add the pad Thai sauce that we made earlier and the cooked noodles to the pot and toss everything well. The noodles will be very saucy at this stage but the sauce will get absorbed by them in some time.
Garnish with cilantro, lime wedges, roasted peanuts and red chili and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these delectable pad Thai noodles on their own or for a delicious Thai brunch. You can also serve these along with Thai Red Curry, Jasmine Rice and a Thai Watermelon Salad on the side.
Serve some momos, dim sums, or potstickers on the side with these spicy yummy Noodles.
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Recipe Card
Instant Pot Pad Thai Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 gram pad Thai noodles
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped red chili
- ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
- ¼ cup sliced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup sliced yellow bell pepper
- ¼ cup bean sprouts
- ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 5-6 lime wedges
For Pad Thai Sauce:
- ¼ cup veg stock
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste
- salt (to taste)
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce. Add ¼ cup veg stock, 3 tbsp soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free), 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp red chili paste, salt to taste, and ½ cup water in a measuring cup. Mix well and keep aside.
- Note – Soy sauce has a lot of salt. So be careful while adding any extra salt to the dish.
- Break 300 g (10 oz) flat rice noodles into half and arrange them in the instant pot in a criss-cross manner.
- Note – If rice noodles are not available, you can use any noodles of your choice. Even pasta like spaghetti and linguine works.
- Pour water in the pot until the noodles are just covered.
- Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 2 mins on high pressure.
- Note – If you like the noodles al dente, then cook for 1 minute instead of 2 minutes.
- The instant pot will take 10-12 minutes for the pressure to build up and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a cloth to move the valve to avoid steam burn and open the lid.
- Open the lid of the pot once the pressure is released. Drain the noodles using a colander and rinse them with cold water to stop cooking. Keep them aside.
- Wash the insert with water and put it back in the Instant Pot. Press SAUTE.
- Add 2 tbsp sesame oil to the pot.
- Note – If sesame oil is not available, you can use any other cooking oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add 2 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped red chili, and ¼ cup thinly sliced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.
- Add ¼ cup sliced red and ¼ cup sliced yellow bell pepper, ¼ cup bean sprouts, and ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts and saute for a minute.
- Add the pad Thai sauce that we made earlier and the cooked noodles to the pot and toss everything well. The noodles will be very saucy at this stage but the sauce will get absorbed by them in some time.
- Garnish with cilantro, lime wedges, roasted peanuts and red chili and serve hot.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!