Easy Vegan Pad Thai Noodles Recipe + Video

Name: Easy Vegan Pad Thai Noodles Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 10 ounces uncooked Pad Thai noodles (300 g); 2 tablespoons sesame oil (or any other oil that you prefer); 2 teaspoons chopped garlic; 1 teaspoon chopped Thai red chilies; 1/4 cup sliced onions; 1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers; 1/2 cup sliced yellow bell peppers; 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts; 1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; 5-6 lime wedges; 1 tablespoon chopped green onions; 1/4 cup vegetable stock; 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 3 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 teaspoon tamarind paste; 1 teaspoon red chili paste; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup water

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Made using simple ingredients, these easy Vegan Pad Thai Noodles come together in under 30 minutes. You can customize this recipe and add your choice of protein to suit your preference.

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About Pad Thai Noodles
Ingredients
How To Make Pad Thai Noodles
Pro Tips By Neha
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
Serving Suggestions
Storage Suggestions
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Recipe Card

About Pad Thai Noodles

Pad Thai Noodles is a popular Thai stir-fry dish made using flat rice noodles, an array of vegetables, meat or seafood, garlic, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts.

These ingredients are sauteed in a wok over high heat and then tossed in a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce with an umami kick.

Also, known as Phad Thai Noodles, this dish is commonly sold on the streets of Thailand as well as in Thai restaurants all around the world.

Pad Thai Noodles are super easy, flavorsome, and just take 30 minutes to come together.

The homemade version of these noodles is as good as the ones you might have tasted on the streets of Thailand. And the best part about making these at home is that you can customize them as per your taste preferences and dietary regulations.

In this post, I am sharing a vegan version of these noodles but you can definitely add your choice of protein like chicken, shrimp, etc, and make a non-vegetarian version.

Serve these super comforting Thai noodles for brunches, get-togethers, and potlucks, or just enjoy it on a lazy weekday night with your favorite glass of wine.

Here are a few more Thai recipes lined up for you

Ingredients

You will get all the ingredients to make this noodles recipe at your regular grocery stores or in an Asian market.

Noodles – Pad Thai is traditionally made with ¼ inch wide rice noodles (rice sticks). You will find these in the Asian section of grocery stores or online.

Vegetables – Vegetables add a nice crunch to these noodles. I like to use red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, onions, and bean sprouts but other veggies such as napa cabbage, snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli, carrot, zucchini, etc can also be added.

I made the vegan version of these noodles but feel free to add chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, eggs, or tofu.

Pad Thai Sauce – To make this spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce, you will need dark soy sauce, vegetable stock, brown sugar, red chili paste, tamarind paste, salt, and water.

You can replace vegetable stock with chicken stock and add a little fish sauce if you are ok with these ingredients.

Tamarind pulp is the star ingredient here, so make sure you do not miss it.

Traditionally palm sugar is added to this Thai stir-fried noodle dish but I replaced it with brown sugar. You can also use coconut sugar or maple syrup.

Oil – Use toasted sesame oil for an authentic taste or else use vegetable or canola oil.

Others – You will also need garlic, Thai red chilies, cilantro, green onions, and lime. Thai red chilies add a spicy kick to these noodles. Adjust the chilies as per your liking.

Peanuts – Crushed peanuts give a lovely crunch to these noodles.

How To Make Pad Thai Noodles

Prepare The Noodles

Soak 10 oz (300 g) flat rice noodles in boiling hot water for 10-12 minutes until they are tender or cook them according to the package instructions.

Drain the water and toss the noodles with a few drops of oil. Set aside.

Make The Pad Thai Sauce

In a saucepan, stir together

¼ cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon red chili paste
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water.

Pad thai sauce ingredients added to a small pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring a few times in between.

Remove the pan from heat and set it aside.

Make The Noodles

Heat 2 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok over high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add 2 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon chopped Thai red chili and saute for 4-5 seconds.

Add

¼ cup sliced onions
½ cup sliced red bell pepper
½ cup sliced yellow bell pepper
½ cup mung bean sprouts

and saute for a minute.

Now add the cooked noodles and the sauce to the wok and toss well to coat the noodles. Cook for a minute and then switch off the heat.

The noodles will be watery at this stage but they will soak up the sauce in another 3-4 minutes and also become darker in color.

Cooked noodles and pad thai sauce added to the wok.

Transfer the noodles to the serving bowls and top with ¼ cup crushed roasted peanuts, 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon chopped green onions, and 5-6 lime wedges. Serve hot.

Pro Tips By Neha

Rice noodles are very delicate and get overcooked and mushy very soon, so keep a check on them while soaking or cooking.

The best way to cook the rice noodles is by pouring boiling hot water over them and letting the noodles cook in the heat of the water.

If you feel that they are not cooked perfectly, then keep them on heat and cook until they are just cooked (Al Dente).

If you like the noodles saucy, double the sauce ingredients.

Add some creamy peanut butter to the sauce for creamier noodles.

Replace tamarind paste with rice vinegar and lime juice, but only if it is not easily available to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a healthier homemade Pad Thai recipe?

To make this dish healthier, reduce the quantity of noodles and add more veggies. Use brown rice noodles instead of white rice noodles. Use low-sodium soy sauce and replace brown sugar with honey.

Can I use zucchini noodles to make Pad Thai?

You can give this recipe a healthy twist by adding zucchini noodles (zoodles) to it instead of rice noodles.

You can make zucchini noodles using a spiralizer, a julienne peeler, or a mandoline slicer. Either use raw zucchini noodles or boil them in water for just 1 to 2 minutes.

Are Pad Thai Noodles and Drunken Noodles the same?

Pad Thai Noodles are different from Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao). The noodles used in Drunken Noodles are thick, creating a rubbery, chewy texture, whereas Phad Thai Noodles use flattened thin rice noodles. Pad Thai also has fewer calories than Drunken Noodles.

What is the difference between Pad Thai and Pad See Ew?

Flat rice noodles are also used to make Pad See Ew, another popular dish in Thailand. While Pad Thai is nutty and a little sweet, Pad See Ew is sour and has a fantastic char-grilled flavor to it.

Variations

Add in Preferred Protein – For vegetarians, you can go for tofu, and non-vegetarians can choose from egg, chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, etc.

Make it Mild/Spicy– Want it to be spicier, increase the quantity of red chili paste, or add an extra red chili and vice versa.

Veggie Loaded – Add in as many veggies as you want. It is a great way to use up all the leftover vegetables.

Vegan – This recipe is vegan-friendly.

Gluten-Free – Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce. All the other ingredients are gluten-free.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe is a meal on its own. However, these Thai noodles can be enjoyed with Thai Red Chicken Curry and Spicy Thai Green Papaya Salad on the side.

You can also serve some Momos, Dimsums, or Potstickers on the side with these spicy yummy Noodles.

Storage Suggestions

These noodles will last in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days when stored in a clean and dry air-tight container. Reheat it in a pan or microwave before serving.