Instant Pot Pad Thai

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 can be easily made gluten-free.

Want to try more instant pot recipes, then make these – Instant Pot Tomato Soup, Instant Pot Cuban Chicken Soup, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Instant Pot Refried Beans.

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• About This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How To Make Instant Pot Pad Thai
• Serving Suggestions
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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, 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 the 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 proteins 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 sauces as per your taste.

Ingredients

For Pad Thai Sauce – To make the tangy spicy sauce, you will need 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 extra. 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 – Pad Thai is made using flat rice noodles but if they aren’t available you can use any other noodles or even spaghetti too. You can also opt for brown rice noodles as a healthy alternative.

Veggies – I have used onions, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and bean sprouts, but you can also 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.

Oil – Use sesame oil for authentic taste but feel free to use regular cooking oil if you don’t like its taste.

Garlic – This is my favorite ingredient, especially when I make noodles. It adds a lot of flavor that no other ingredient can.

Red Chilies – Adjust them as per your taste.

Cilantro and Lime Wedges – Garnish the noodles with some chopped cilantro leaves and squeeze some fresh lime on top for a refreshing flavor.

How To Make Instant Pot Pad Thai

Make Pad Thai Sauce

Start by making the Pad Thai Sauce. Add ¼ cup veg stock, 3 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free), 3 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon 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.

Cook The Noodles

Break 200 g (7 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 1 minute on high pressure.

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.

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.

Assemble The Pad Thai

Rinse the insert with water and put it back in the Instant Pot.

Press SAUTE.

Add 2 tablespoon 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 teaspoon chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon chopped red chili, and ¼ cup thinly sliced onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Keep stirring frequently.

Add ½ cup sliced red and ½ cup sliced yellow bell peppers, 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 and light in color at this stage but the sauce will get absorbed by them in some time and they will become darker.

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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