This Pad Thai recipe is fast and easy to make with simple, authentic ingredients in under 30 minutes! Add shrimp, chicken, or tofu for a delicious vegetarian version. Video.
As a chef and caterer, I’ve cooked and eaten a lot of Pad Thai in my lifetime, both here and all throughout Thailand. We’ve captured the authentic flavor you’ll find in Bangkok while keeping the ingredients simple and the cooking fast and easy.
I may be biased, but I think this is the best Pad Thai recipe around—not overly sweet like many Americanized versions. You’ll find no ketchup or peanut butter in this recipe. But don’t take my word for it; just read all our great reviews!
But first, What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a popular stir-fried noodle dish from Thailand made with rice noodles, shallot, garlic, scrambled eggs, and a protein, typically chicken or shrimp, in a flavorful, tangy, umami Pad Thai Sauce. It’s served with fresh bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, scallions and lime.
Why this Pad Thai Recipe is the Best!
- Balanced Flavor. Pad Thai sauce is a delicate balance between umami, sourness, and sweetness. Most American versions are way too sweet; this one is just right.
- It’s adaptable! This recipe can be made with chicken, shrimp, tofu and /or veggies! Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan-adaptable.
- Quick and Easy– Once the ingredients are prepped, this takes 15 minutes of cooking time!
- Simple Ingredients. These accessible ingredients can be found in most grocery stores.
Pad Thai Ingredients
- Rice Noodles: Pad Thai is typically made with noodles called “rice stick”, which are rice noodles that are about 1/4 inch wide. Some brands are better than others- many fall apart when stir-frying. I have had the best luck with Thai Kitchen rice noodles. Make sure to soak the noodles, rather than boil, to prevent breaking.
- Protein: Add thinly sliced chicken breast, shrimp, or crispy Tofu, or leave out the protein and add stir-fried veggies. Extra firm tofu works best.
- Eggs: Traditional pad thai has scrambled eggs, vegans can leave this out.
- Garlic cloves and shallots: Shallots really elevate Pad Thai. I highly recommend shallots over onions if possible. Some versions use ginger, but in Thailand, they generally don’t.
- Fresh Lime Juice: adds acidity.
- Garnishes: The garnishes make Pad Thai, adding texture and flavor. Sliced green onions, crushed roasted peanuts, fresh bean sprouts, Thai chili flakes and lime wedges and if available, Thai basil, all elevate!
Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients
The secret to the best Pad Thai Sauce is the perfect balance of salty, sweet and sour. Our sauce has delicious umami and depth, while not being overly sweet with a lovely tang. Letting the sauce caramelize in the wok for just a few seconds, adds a lovely smokiness.
- Fish Sauce – Fish Sauce can vary in degrees of saltiness from brand to brand. I like Red Boat Fish sauce, or Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce (found at most grocery stores) best for this recipe. (*Vegans can sub our vegan fish sauce and soy sauce.) If you are new to fish sauce, keep in mind, it has a little “funk” to it. You can start off lighter and replace the rest with soy sauce.
- Tamarind Water or Rice Wine Vinegar – authentic Pad Thai is made with tamarind water and lime juice to give it the sour component, but feel free to use Rice Wine Vinegar and lime to keep things simple here. See recipe notes for using tamarind.
- Sugar – In Thailand, it is traditional to use palm sugar but we use brown sugar, coconut sugar or regular cane sugar to add sweetness. Note: Do not be tempted to cut back on the sugar, the Pad Thai will be too sour.
- Soy Sauce – adding a little soy sauce adds even more depth. You can also use gluten-free liquid aminos!
How to make Pad Thai (easy Instructions)
Step 1: Soak the rice noodles. Pour boiling water over the rice noodles let them soak until they are soft and pliable (about 5-6 minutes) but not overly soft; drain.
Step 2: Whisk the Eggs. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt. Set aside by the stove.
Step 3: How to make Pad Thai Sauce. Whisk the pad thai sauce ingredients together in a small bowl- keeping in mind, there is a delicate balance between salty, sour and sweet, so if you alter one ingredient, you may need to adjust the others. Make sure the sugar completely dissolves.
Step 4: Prep the Protein & Veggies. Chop the shallot and garlic finely and set aside. Slice chicken thinly across the grain (or peel and devein shrimp). If adding veggies, chop or slice them small, so they cook quickly in the wok.
Step 5: Prep all your garnishes and have everything ready to go by the stove, keeping in mind the stir fry part will go quickly!
Step 6: Stir Fry! Season the protein with salt and pepper, and stir fry in a carbon steel wok until just cooked through and set it aside. If adding veggies, stir-fry these now and set aside as well.
Add more oil to the wok and stir fry the garlic and shallots for just a couple minutes, scoot them over, add more oil if needed, and add the whisked the eggs, scrambling and breaking to bits.
Scoot the eggs over and add more oil and stir fry the noodles, letting the noodles get a little crispy! Turn your hood on and pour in the Pad Thai Sauce. Let the sauce caramelize for 30 seconds, until you smell the sugar caramelizing. This will add great flavor!
Add back in the cooked protein and veggies, with some of the bean sprouts and scallions. Add a squeeze of lime.
*Taste and adjust salt, lime or sugar to taste. Find the perfect balance. See FAQ’s for troubleshooting the flavors.
Step 7: Serve. Divide between 2-3 bowls and garnish with fresh bean sprouts, lime, wedge, crushed peanuts, chili flakes, scallions and basil. For extra heat, serve it with our chili garlic sauce!
Pad Thai Noodle Tips
- Read the whole recipe through before you give it a go.
- Prep everything first, then place it near the stove. Cooking goes very fast here!
- Cut chicken very thinly to cut down on cooking time. Remember to cut across the grain, into ⅛ -¼ thin strips about two inches long.
- To lower calories, poach the chicken in a little salted water, until cooked through which just takes a couple of minutes. Then set it aside.
- Use shallot. Shallot adds so much flavor here- much more so than onion.
- Crispy noodles. Crisp up the rice noodles in the pan before adding the sauce.
- Let the Pad Thai sauce caramelize in the wok, before turning off the heat. This is the secret to the best flavor- a smoky sweetness we all crave!
Pad Thai Don’ts
- Please do not add ketchup or peanut butter. This is not authentic and takes away from the dish.
- Don’t use white vinegar instead of rice vinegar. White vinegar tastes way more acidic and it will be overly sour.
- Don’t skip the sweetener. you will lose the balance of the dish. You will end up with fishy, overly sour, salty Pad Thai that tastes terrible. TRUST ME.
- Don’t make too big of a batch. The noodles are stir-fried. You want the noodles to get slightly crispy in the pan, and the sugars to caramelize, giving them that incredible smoky flavor- this is difficult to achieve if making huge batches.
Serving Pad Thai Noodles
- Serve Pad Thai with lime wedges.
- Add fresh bean sprouts.
- Sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts (or try this amazing Peanut Chili Crunch!)
- Add chopped scallions or Thai basil.
- Serve with Thai chili flakes, sriracha or chili paste for extra heat.
Storing Homemade Pad Thai
Pad Thai is best served right after it is cooked. Leftovers will last up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat pad Thai in a skillet or wok, lightly stir frying.
Pad Thai Recipe FAQs
Yes, Pad Thai can easily be made vegan. Use vegan fish sauce or soy sauce and crispy tofu as the protein, and leave out the eggs.
The secret to the best Pad Thai is not overcooking the rice noodles, using a very hot wok, cooking in smaller batches so rice noodles can caramelize, and having the perfect balance of flavors- not too sweet, not too sour, and not too salty.
Peanut oil adds the best flavor, while avocado and coconut oil both have a high smoke point. Both work well here. Any neutral high heat oil will work.
Any quick-cooking vegetables that can be cooked in a wok can be added to Pad Thai- asparagus, green beans, matchstick carrots, bell pepper and bok choy to name a few. Feel free to add steamed broccoli too!
Try adding a little more brown sugar and vinegar to balance it.
Add a little more brown sugar to balance it. White vinegar will do this- so always use rice wine vinegar, tamarind water or lime, which are all less acidic.
Add more acid ( rice vinegar, tamarind water or lime juice) to balance it.
What to serve with Pad Thai!
I hope that after you make this, you’ll think this is the best Pad Thai recipe you’ve ever had too! 😉 Haha! Let me know in the comments below! 🙂 Here are more of my favorite Fast, Easy Dinner Ideas!
Happy weekend.
xoxoxo
PS. It is my hope that through cooking, we not only learn new ingredients and techniques but also learn more about the culture and people from which the food we make originates. Cooking can be a way of celebrating all our unique and beautiful differences. I’d like to believe expanding our repertoire in the kitchen can also expand our hearts.
More Favorite Thai Noodle Dishes!
Love Thai Cuisine? Try…
- 33+ Easy Thai Recipes!
- Authentic Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
- 30-Minute Thai Green Curry
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You may also love this Malaysian Char Kway Teow!
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How to make Pad Thai Noodles | Video
Easy Pad Thai (Chicken, Tofu or Shrimp)
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Main
- Method: stir-fried
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy, 30-minute recipe for Pad Thai made with rice noodles, your choice of chicken, shrimp or tofu, scrambled eggs, and an incredible “not too sweet” Pad Thai Sauce. Makes 2 large servings. Watch the video!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces rice noodles
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided ( or use avocado oil, or coconut oil)
- 8 ounces chicken breast, tofu or prawns (peeled and deveined)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large shallot, finely diced (much better than onion here)
- 4 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs, whisked with a fork with a generous 3-finger pinch salt if vegan, leave it out)
- 1 lime
- 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
Pad Thai Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (see notes- or use vegan fish sauce)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar, palm sugar, or regular sugar) see notes
- 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (or tamarind water– see notes) do not sub white vinegar, it will be too sour.
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (or GF liquid aminos like Braggs)
Garnish:
- lime wedges, fresh bean sprouts, chili flakes, chopped scallions, roasted peanuts, Thai basil
Instructions
- Soak the rice noodles. Place rice noodles in a shallow pan and cover with boiling water for 4-7 minutes, stirring occasionally (so they don’t stick together) until al dente; drain, rinse with cold water to stop cooking. They don’t have to be totally soft, just bendy and pliable.
- Whisk the two eggs in a bowl with a fork and add a generous, 3-finger pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Make the Pad Thai Sauce: whisk fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. (see notes) in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Prep the protein. Chicken: slice chicken into very thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Crispy Tofu: Blot tofu with paper towels pressing down firmly. Cut tofu into ¾ inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and for extra crispy, dredge in a little corn starch. Shrimp: season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the protein: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan or wok, over medium-high heat. Sear the seasoned chicken, shrimp or tofu until cooked through. Set aside,
- Stir Fry: Gather your chopped shallots and garlic, whisked eggs, cooked noodles, cooked protein and Pad Thai Sauce around the stove. Heat a little more oil in the wok over medium heat, add shallot & garlic and stir fry 2-3 minutes. Scoot the shallot mixture to the side, add more oil, and pour in the eggs. Scramble and break them apart into little bits, and move them to the side. Add more oil, and the noodles, stirfry 2-3 minutes until noodles are soft and pliable and even a little crispy.
- Pour in the Pad Thai Sauce (turn hood on) stir everything together and cook 1-2 minute, then add the cooked protein and stirfry for a few more minutes. Just as you start to smell the sugar carmelizing, you are there! Squeeze with a little lime juice. Turn off heat.
- Taste. Adjust salt, lime, heat and sweetness to your liking; add salt, or soy sauce for more depth if you like, a squeeze of lime juice, chili flakes, or a pinch of sugar to taste.
- Toss in 1/2 the bean sprouts and roasted peanuts (or serve on the side) and sprinkle with chili flakes and scallions. Give one more toss and serve immediately. Divide among two plates.
- Garnish with more bean sprouts, fresh scallions, cilantro or basil, chili flakes, lime wedges and roasted crushed peanuts. Or make this Peanut Chili Crunch!
Equipment
Notes
Fish Sauce: If you are not accustomed to fish sauce, or are using a brand you haven’t tried before (some are fishier than others) feel free to go lighter on the fish sauce– like 2 tablespoons. If going with less, replace it with soy sauce.
Poach the chicken. An easy way to cut back on the oil in the recipe is to poach the thinly sliced chicken breast in a little salted water, or broth for a few minutes, until cooked through. Drain and set aside. The thinner you slice the chicken the faster it will cook.
Tamarind: If using tamarind paste (instead of rice vinegar) make tamarind “water” by mixing 1 tablespoon tamarind paste with 2 1/2 tablespoons hot water. If using tamarind “concentrate” mix 1-2 teaspoons with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Use tamarind water in place of the vinegar. Using tamarind is more authentic but not everyone has access to it. Tamarind is extremely sour so if unfamiliar, go light. You can always add more lime to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 409
- Sugar: 14.3 g
- Sodium: 1134 mg
- Fat: 14.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.4 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 20.5 g
- Cholesterol: 165.4 mg
A great weeknight dinner. Quick and really delicious! I added some veggies (carrots and bok choy). I’ll be making this again for sure!
I appreciate your note about cutting back on the sugar. I’m always trying to healthify things, but then they don’t taste right!
I made this tonight… really easy and super tasty!
So glad you liked it!
LOVED IT! Made it with Reduced Sodium Tamari and Tofu with lots of cilantro and sprouts. The entire family raved about it and is asking for it again. Thanks for this quick and easy recipe.
So glad you enjoyed!
Loved it, I halved all the sauce ingredients as doing weightwatchers and added some
Water at the end like the recipe suggests and it was fab. Added a carrot made into strips with a peeler as suggested!
Vey tasty and simple to make. I poached my chicken, as suggested, and also poached a handful of prawns, which I chopped.into bite-sized pieces after removing tails. My son has spent time in Thailand, and he said the flavours were pretty authentic. I will definitely come back to this recipe again. Thanks for posting!
Glad you and your son liked it!
Thanks Silvia for posting! This recipe is my boyfriend’s latest favorite dish! We love it
Before I say this was awesome, I have to admit I made a few changes. Mostly because I used what I had on hand that was “similar”. I had lemon, not lime, an onion, not shallot, and apple cider vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar. I left the ginger out but would try it with it. Also, my husband can’t stand spicy stuff so I added my red pepper flakes after I divided it up into bowls. The only other change I made was to add 2 T of peanut butter to the sauce. The first time I ever had pad thai, it had a peanut sauce and I thought it was SO good. This was just as good, even with my changes. I made it with shrimp and added veggies.
Glad you liked it and thanks for sharing your adaptions!
I can’t wait to make this tonight! Your pictures are making me drool! In step 9 you say to add tahini sauce but that’s a typo, right? I followed the link to the tahini sauce recipe and definitely want to make that now too lol
I think it is a typo, sorry about that! I will fix.
Surprisingly good, will definitely be having again.
Very authentic recipe !!!
I enjoyed making this recipe, but a word to the wise. Made this for my family of 6 last night, which meant I quadrupled the recipe. If you also plan on multiplying the recipe, beware of the fish sauce. I kept all of the ratios the same and that fish sauce really jumped out and got my taste buds. Family still thought it delicious and ate up every bite, but if I had to do it over again (and I will), fish sauce will be cut back for sure. Thinking of also adding more veggies such as carrots and snow peas. With these few things, it would be a solid 5-star recipe.
First Pad Thai recipe I’ve ever made and it was one of the best dishes I ever. I’m a amateur in the kitchen, never even used fish sauce before but just followed the recipe and it came out splendidly. Huge thanks for the recipe!
Loved this!!! Doubled the recipe. My husband and I ate this three days straight, and was sad when it was all gone. Very authentic taste. Delicious!!!
Interesting. I’ll definitely have to try this. Is the tamarind really not missed? It’s such an important flavor in the real thing. I’m curious to taste the difference.
Steph, of course tamarind is traditional and always best, but it’s not readily available, so I tried to make a recipe without it. It’s pretty good, I think! This Pad Thai recipe is more traditional.
Delicious recipe, even though it took longer than 15 minutes to make the 1st time. I’m sure it will go faster once I’ve made it a few times. I didn’t have bean sprouts so I flash-sauteed whatever vegetables were on hand (bok choy, carrots, kale, scallions) and that turned out well.
I did feel that very generous squeeze of lime juice at the end was necessary to help counterbalance the sweetness of the sauce. Probably next time I’ll try it with 2 Tbsp sugar first, then add as needed.
Otherwise, a super-delicious and easy recipe that I’ll make again and again. Thank you!
I tried this one with chicken. It has a great flavor profile (mostly) for being a “quick” pad thai. I just felt like it was way too sweet for me. IDK maybe it’s just because I’ve been trying to not put extra sugar in my diet for a while…?? I love your recipes though. And you’ve made them simple, so I appreciate that!! Thanks for doing what you do.
Thanks Kimberly , that is strange. It shouldn’t taste sweet. Do you recall if you used the called for amounts on the soy, fish sauce and vinegar?
This was delicious, who knew you could get the vivid flavours of pad thai in 15 minutes?
And you were right, I already had all the ingredients in my pantry already, it cost me nothing to make! Could I suggest a cheap eats tag on your recipes in future so recipes like this are easy to find? Just a thought!
Thanks and that is such a great idea! Appreciate it!!!
This was delicious – much better than my expectations of a 15 minute dish. I used smoked tofu, because that’s what I had to use up, and altered the sauce a bit, since I didn’t want to go to another store to find the veggie fish sauce. Because of that, I cut the sugar drastically and I’m glad I did. This is a recipe that I would make again without hesitation. Thank you!
Love that you used smoked tofu and improvised with the fish sauce. Good call on lowering the sugar without fish sauce. Sounds like you know your way around a kitchen. Nice job!!!
Yum! This took me longer than 15 minutes, but I’ll be making it again, so I bet next time will be faster. 🙂 I added a thinly sliced red bell pepper and carrot cut with the veggie peeler, and used rotisserie chicken.
I’ve been hearing this quite a lot… so you are not alone! And I know the next time will be faster… once you get the hang of it! Love that you used rotisserie chicken….great idea!!!
Hi Sylvia, it seems like alot of sugar, 3 tablespoons. may I ask what would be the subsitute. thank you
Yes its a lot, but to balance out the fish sauce, unfortunately you need that amount. Play around with agave/ honey or maple…and see what you think. Let me know!!
Didn’t feel like another tuna sandwich so made this after reading that it only takes 15 min. Awesome recipe, loved it. My 9 yo loved it as well. More easy vegetarian recipes like this please!
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for sharing!
thank you so much for this recipe! I love pad thai but would never have thought I could make it at home in 15 minutes. can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Happy travels Sylvia. I look forward to a recipe (or two) with some Italian flare? Thanks for the Pad Thai recipe 🙂 . Be safe and enjoy your time abroad!
Thanks so much Heather!! Yes, getting a lot of inspiration over here 😉
I love pad thai and cannot remember the last time that i made it! definitely hungry for a bowlful now. looks delicious and so easy to make too.