Pad Thai Recipe

It takes just 30 minutes to make this easy Pad Thai Recipe! Complete with a homemade sauce, this is a flavorful restaurant-quality dish your family will love. Pair it with shrimp, chicken, tofu, or vegetables!

Course Main

Cuisine Thai

Keyword pad thai, pad thai recipe, pad thai sauce, pad thai sauce recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 499kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

Wok for stir-frying
Small bowl for mixing sauce
Pot to cook noodles

Ingredients

Pad Thai Noodles

4 oz. rice noodles
8 shrimp 8 to 9, fresh or frozen; if using fresh, peel and devein
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
½ cup firm tofu cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1.5 cups bean sprouts
¼ cup garlic chives divided - use half to cook with, half to garnish; see notes for substitutes
2 wedges lime
¼ cup peanuts
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 3 teaspoons for more spice

Pad Thai Sauce

3 Tablespoons fish sauce
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 Tablespoons tamarind paste see notes for substitutes
3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

Pad Thai Noodles

Bring a pot filled with water to a boil. Once boiling, cook rice noodles for the time indicated on the noodle packaging.
4 oz. rice noodles
Drain the noodles and set aside.

Pad Thai Sauce

In a mixing bowl, add tamarind puree, fish sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Mix together until the brown sugar fully dissolves, then set aside.
3 Tablespoons fish sauce, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 4 Tablespoons tamarind paste, 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
While cooking the noodles, set a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add coconut oil and shrimp once hot, and pan-fry until the shrimp are opaque pink and cooked through. Set aside.
8 shrimp, 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
Add tofu to the wok. Cook until it turns golden-brown on every side.
½ cup firm tofu
Once tofu is browned, add garlic and chopped garlic chives, and toss for 20-30 seconds.
2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup garlic chives
Add the noodles and sauce to the wok. Mix until the noodles are lightly browned, then push the noodles to the side of the wok.
Pour the eggs on the opposite side of the wok to the noodles. Scramble using a wooden spoon or chopsticks.
2 eggs
Add the shrimp back to the wok along with bean sprouts, more fresh garlic chives, and peanuts. Continue stirring until all combined with the noodles.
1.5 cups bean sprouts, ¼ cup peanuts
Serve with remaining peanuts, lime wedges, and a sprinkle of chili flakes. Enjoy!
2 wedges lime, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Notes

Substitutes:

If you can't find tamarind paste for the sauce, use lime juice and a little extra brown sugar.
If you can't find garlic chives, replace them with shallots or green onions. You can also use a little additional garlic instead, if you prefer, to taste.

Tips:

It's important you don't freeze the pad thai again if you use frozen shrimp to make it.
Don't let the rice noodles sit for too long after cooking them, or they clump together. I like to start them when I've already started cooking the sauce, because they don't take long to cook.
I prefer using red chili flakes to powder for this recipe - even better if you can find Thai ground chili (prik pon).

Nutrition