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    You Are Here: Home → Main Course → Pasta

    Homemade Pad Thai

    July 27, 2023 by Ryan 4 Comments

    290 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    This homemade Pad Thai recipe is restaurant quality and can be changed based on whatever protein, vegetables and spice level you prefer.

    pad Thai on plate with chopsticks

    Pad Thai is one of those dishes you can never go wrong with, at least in my opinion. It's one of the few out there that hits all five flavor profiles - salty, sour, sweet, spicy and bitter.

    The funny thing is, while you'll find it at any Thai restaurant and it is probably their most popular dish, it probably isn't even Thai. A dish with noodles and a stir-fry usually originate from China. And while this recipe is super quick, you can speed it up even further with this Instant Pot Pat Thai version.

    Why This Recipe Works

    • Customizable Ingredients - Making Pad Thai at home allows you to personalize the dish to your taste preferences, adjusting the spice level, protein choice, and vegetable selection.
    • Healthier Option - Homemade Pad Thai lets you control the amount of oil and sodium used, making it a healthier alternative to some restaurant versions.
    • Cost-Effective - Preparing Pad Thai at home can be more budget-friendly than dining out, especially when cooking for multiple servings.
    • Cooking Control: You can maintain control over the cooking process, ensuring the noodles are perfectly cooked and the flavors are balanced to your liking, resulting in a delicious and satisfying meal.
    • Peanut Lovers - While not traditional, this sauce includes peanut butter, adding a complexity to it, making it very similar to Thai satay.
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Ingredient Swaps
    • Step-by-Step Photos
    • FAQs
    • Protein Variations
    • Equipment
    • Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
    • Other Thai Recipes
    • Homemade Pad Thai
    overhead shot of ingredients for pad thai

    Ingredient Notes

    • Noodles - Brown rice noodles are a healthier alternative to traditional rice noodles, providing a nutty flavor and gluten-free option.
    • Protein - Choose from extra-firm tofu, uncooked beef, chicken, pork, or shrimp to suit your preference.
    • Eggs - In the recipe below, you'll find eggs that are briefly scrambled and incorporated into the noodle stir-fry. However, for a vegan version, feel free to omit the eggs, and the dish will still turn out wonderfully.
    • Vegetables - Shredded carrots, bean sprouts, frozen peas, and thinly sliced green onions create a colorful and nutritious combination.
    • Sauce - The sauce is a key component in Pad Thai. It includes coconut milk, water, creamy peanut butter, maple syrup, low-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, lime juice, and toasted sesame oil.
    • Peanuts - Chopped peanuts add a crunchy element to the Pad Thai and complement the other flavors.
    • Garnish - Lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and crushed red pepper flakes are perfect garnishes that enhance the overall taste.

    Ingredient Swaps

    Like any recipe, you can mix up the ingredients if you want. Some variations include:

    • Rice noodles are traditional, but you can try using other types of noodles like sweet potato noodles or zucchini noodles (zoodles).
    • While I like coconut milk as it pairs well, heavy cream can be used as well.
    • If you have a peanut allergy, almond butter or even sunflower seed butter can be substitute.
    • Maple syrup is my go-to for this dish, but granulated sugar or honey works too.
    • If you need the dish to be gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari sauce.
    • Just use more soy sauce in replacement of fish sauce if you don't have it.
    • Customize the vegetable selection to your liking. Bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, or mushrooms can be great additions or substitutions.

    Step-by-Step Photos

    Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.

    process shots of cooking tofu and making pad thai sauce in pan

    For this version I made crispy baked tofu. Toss tofu with the other ingredients and bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes.

    Make the sauce by adding the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat while preparing the rest of the recipe.

    process shots of scrambling eggs before adding veggies to wok

    Add beaten eggs to wok, cooking to scramble. Toss in the veggies and cook for another 2 minutes.

    process shots off tossing in noodles and sauce to wok

    Stir in the noodles, sauce and scallions, tossing to combine.

    FAQs

    What is Pad Thai?

    Pad Thai is a popular and flavorful Thai stir-fried noodle dish that has gained international popularity. It is a traditional Thai street food made with rice noodles, protein (such as shrimp, chicken, tofu, or beef), eggs, and a variety of vegetables like bean sprouts and shredded carrots.

    The dish is typically seasoned with a tangy and slightly sweet sauce made from tamarind paste, fish sauce, and other ingredients.

    Is It Gluten-Free?

    Homemade Pad Thai can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free soy sauce and ensure all the ingredients are gluten-free.

    How Do I Prevent the Noodles from Sticking Together?

    After cooking the noodles, rinse them under cold water to prevent sticking. Toss with a little oil to further prevent clumping.

    How Long Will It Last?

    If you plan on keeping leftovers, I'd keep the noodles separate from the sauce or they will soak it all up and get mush over time. You can keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen for 3 months.

    How Do I Reheat?

    My preferred method is placing the leftover noodles in a skillet with the sauce. Cook on medium-low until heated through.

    You can also microwave. Place in a microwave-proof bowl with a splash of water and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another minute or until heated through.

    Protein Variations

    The great thing about this recipe, is you can use whatever protein you'd like. Whether it's tofu, which I included in the recipe below or chicken or beef or pork or shrimp. If using a protein besides tofu, just follow the directions below to make them with this easy Pad Thai recipe. For every option, you want to use 1 pound of protein.

    • Chicken Pad Thai: Cut the chicken (boneless chicken breasts or thighs) into ½" pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan over high heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally. The chicken should be lightly golden browned on the edges and cooked through. Transfer to side of pan when ready to add eggs.
    • Beef Pad Thai: Thinly slice the beef (lean steak) against the grain and cut into ½" pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan over high heat. Add the beef and sauté for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until beef is browned on all sides. Transfer to side of pan when ready to add eggs.
    • Pork Pad Thai: Thinly slice the pork (lean boneless pork chops) and cut into ½" pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan over high heat. Add the pork and sauté for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until pork is browned on all sides. Transfer to side of pan when ready to add eggs.
    • Shrimp Pad Thai: Peel and devein large shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté for 1-2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until shrimp are bright pink. Transfer to side of pan when ready to add eggs.

    Equipment

    The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:

    • Skillet/Wok - You want something large enough to cook all of the ingredients.
    • Spoon - A good wooden spoon is needed to stir everything together.
    • Chef's knife - You Need a good knife to cut the the protein and veggies.

    Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

    • Whatever protein you use, be consistent with the cuts so they cook evenly.
    • While it isn't traditional in a Pad Thai sauce, the peanut butter adds additional complexity to the dish and makes it a mix of Pad Thai and Satay.
    • If you don't have maple syrup for the sauce, you replace it with honey or brown sugar.
    • If you have a wok use it. This allows you to push eggs and protein to the sides without overcooking them as you are preparing this Pad Thai recipe.
    • Only cook the noodles till al dente and then throw in cold water to stop the cooking process. They will cook more as you add to the wok and toss with the sauce.
    • If you want some additional crunch for this Pad Thai recipe, toast the peanuts although it isn't a necessary step.
    overhead shot of easy pad Thai in wok

    Other Thai Recipes

    • overhead shot of thai veggie curry in two white bowls
      Thai Vegetable Curry
    • overhead shot of vegetable Pad Thai in bowl
      Vegetable Pad Thai (Noodle-Free)
    • overhead shot of Thai peanut chicken ramen in white bowl
      Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
    • veggie curry with white rice on white plate
      Thai Butternut Squash Curry

    If you’ve tried this homemade Pad Thai recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

    pad Thai on plate with chopsticks
    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Homemade Pad Thai

    This easy Pad Thai recipe is restaurant quality and can be changed based on whatever protein, vegetables and spice level you prefer.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time25 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Pasta
    Cuisine: Thai
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 321kcal
    Author: Ryan Beck

    Ingredients

    Pad Thai

    • 1 lb brown rice noodles
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
    • 1 lb extra-firm tofu, uncooked beef, chicken, pork or shrimp cut into small pieces
    • 4 large eggs, whisked
    • 2 cups carrots, shredded (about 2 medium carrots)
    • 1 cup bean sprouts
    • 1 cup frozen peas
    • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
    • ½ cup peanuts, chopped
    • lime wedges, chopped cilantro and crushed red pepper flakes for garnish

    Pad Thai Sauce

    • 1 cup coconut milk
    • ½ cup water
    • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
    • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
    • 2 tablespoon lime juice (1 lime)
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

    Instructions

    • Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add coconut milk, water, peanut butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, garlic and ginger. Simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce comes together and has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and sesame oil and set aside.
    • Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions to be al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking and set aside.
    • Drain the water from the tofu and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Press down for 15-30 minutes with something heavy. I have a panini press that I use but also have heard tofu presses are great as well. Slice the tofu into ¾" pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the tofu in 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan in a single layer for 2 minutes. Flip the tofu and cook on the other side for 2 minutes, until lightly browned.
    • Move tofu to the side of pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook the eggs until scrambled.
    • Add bean sprouts, peas and carrots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the noodles, sauce and scallions into the pan with the vegetables and eggs and toss to combine.
    • Serve immediately and garnish with some peanuts, cilantro, fresh lime juice and crushed red pepper flakes.

    Notes

      • Whatever protein you use, be consistent with the cuts so they cook evenly.
      • While it isn't traditional in a Pad Thai sauce, the peanut butter adds additional complexity to the dish and makes it a mix of Pad Thai and Satay.
      • If you don't have maple syrup for the sauce, you replace it with honey or brown sugar.
      • If you have a wok use it. This allows you to push eggs and protein to the sides without overcooking them as you are preparing this Pad Thai recipe.
      • Only cook the noodles till al dente and then throw in cold water to stop the cooking process. They will cook more as you add to the wok and toss with the sauce.
      • If you want some additional crunch for this recipe, toast the peanuts although it isn't a necessary step.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4550IU | Vitamin C: 14.9mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2.3mg
    Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karly says

      September 15, 2019 at 10:49 am

      Yes!! Better than take-out!

      Reply
    2. Chris says

      September 15, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      Definitely better than takeout!

      Reply
    3. Selena says

      February 16, 2021 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for a delicious pad thai recipe that we can make ourselves!

      Reply
      • Ryan says

        February 16, 2021 at 6:14 pm

        Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    290 shares