Vegan pad thai recipe with loads of veggies, homemade sauce without fish sauce and shrimp paste. You will love this Thai style spicy rice noodles, very popular Asian recipe.
This vegan recipe is a treat for pad thai lovers with all vegetables, sprouts crunchy peanut topping. Perfect weeknight meal, so much better than take out. You can also add sauteed tofu for protein.
This plant based pad thai recipe is one the vegan recipes I am so glad I developed. I love noodles especially the ones loaded with veggies and crunchy toppings.
Few years back I tasted this thai style rice noodles also known phad thai is a Thai restaurant. I was hooked to the taste and have been making this vegetarian or vegan variation ever since.
This is such a simple, easy and flavorful thai recipe that anyone can make easily at home. An easy to follow recipe and takes only 30 minutes to make.
Imagine this, a bowl of perfectly cooked non sticky noodles tossed in ever flavorful homemade paad thai sauce combined with crunchy veggies and loads of roasted sesame seeds and peanuts to top it. Seriously what’s not to love?
You can make this recipe in so many ways. It is very adaptable with noodles and sauce as base. Add whatever veggies you have in hand.
No vegetables handy? no problem just use some sprouts, sauteed tofu and there you have a wholesome noodle bowl.
I like to add as many vegetables as I can in this recipe. For vegetable pad thai you can use colored bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, cabbage.
To make this Thai rice noodles more hearty you can add chunks of tofu, chopped mushrooms etc.
Whatever vegetables you choose, please don’t skimp on sauce, add generous toppings and serve the noodle bowl piping hot with extra sauce and toppings on side.
You are going to love this ultimate comforting piping hot noodle bowl as a cozy winter or monsoon dinner!
This Vegan Pad Thai Is
100 % plant based recipe, no fish sauce, shrimp paste
Made with super flavorful homemade sauce.
Loaded with veggies
Contains crunchy toppings
Gluten free when made with tamari instead of soy sauce
Delicious, flavorful & comforting noodle bowl.
Before getting into the recipes here are some tidbits and fun facts about the recipe.
Did you know pad thai is one of the national dishes of Thailand?
This Thai style stir fried rice noodle was developed to overcome the shortage of rice, the staple food of Thailand during world war II.
Is pad thai vegetarian? No the authentic version is not even close to vegetarian. It is made mostly with shrimp or sometimes prawn or chicken.
Traditionally this dish is combination of softened rice noodles, dried shrimp or shrimp paste and fish sauce. Over the years this dish evolved a lot.
Now you will vegetarian pad thai or even vegan pad thai in takeouts and restaurants easily. But with my easy recipe, you can fix your noodles craving easily at home without stepping out.
Here is a breakdown of simple ingredients for vegan pad thai.
Ingredients You Will Need
Sauce– the main secret ingredient for this recipe is the sauce. As mentioned above the fish sauce is used traditionally but here we are using soy sauce and red chili paste. This is a very flavorful homemade sauce and I have given the method in the recipe.
Noodles– Rice sticks or flat rice noodles also known as pad thai noodles is ideally used in this recipe. However if you don’t have the specific ones you can easily use any type of noodles. If you are trying to avoid noodles you can easily use zoodles or zucchini noodles in this recipe.
Vegetables– Colored peppers, cabbage, brussels, carrots, bok choy, scallions etc go well here. Add whatever you have handy. Make sure to slice them thin for quick cooking.
Bean sprouts– One ingredient I never miss while making pad thai is bean sprouts. Homemade mung bean sprouts lend such a wonderful crunch apart from boosting the taste and flavor.
Peanuts– Roasted and crushed peanuts are probably my fav part in this noodle bowl. Add as much as you like. You can also add roasted sesame seeds for more crunch.
Other Ingredients– Minced ginger garlic, onions, chopped ciantro leaves, garlic chives, scallion greens for garnish.
Tips To Make Best Vegan Pad Thai
Cook the noodles perfectly- The noodles we use for thai style noodle stir fry is a very delicate one and does not need much cooking. It is pure rice noodles. Most of the brands call for just soaking in warm water until softens.
If you let it boil for cook more than required, they clog up and become a sticky mess.
Toss the cooked noodles in few drops of oil– These noodles dry up pretty quick. So once they are cooked or softened, add few drops of sesame oil and toss gently. Keep covered until you prepare the rest of pad thai recipe.
Sauce is everything– the homemade pad thai sauce is the heart of this recipe. With a perfectly made flavorful sauce, you can get away making this noodle bowl with just one or two veggies or even just tofu.
The sauce ingredients are tamarind paste, soy sauce, chili paste brown sugar boiled in medium high heat for vegan version.
Tamarind paste– tamarind paste is a main ingredient in this recipe. Authentic pad thai recipe uses tamarind paste and since it is an easily found ingredient, please do include it. Here I have soaked tamarind and extracted the pulp.
Toppings– Add as much of toppings as you like. Crispy peanuts, crunchy bean sprouts make this noodle stir fry so much better. You can also add sauteed tofu or mushroom for interesting varies textures.
Step By Step Recipe
Preparation
Soak the rice noodles or rice sticks in warm water for the timed mentioned in the package.
Once the noodles turn soft, drain excess water.
Toss few drops of sesame oil to the cooked noodles and mix well. Cover and set aside.
Chop veggies into thin slices.
Roast peanuts and crush slightly.
How To Make Sauce For Pad Thai
Soak a small tamarind ball in warm water for 15 minutes and extract pulp. You can also use 1 tablespoon tamarind paste from stores. To that add 1/2 cup water or veg stock and soy sauce. You can also use vegetarian fish sauce, I did not use though.
To that add red chili paste.
Next in goes brown sugar.
Finally add salt to taste and bring the mixture to a boil in high heat.
Now reduce the flame to medium high and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Remove from flame.
How To Make Vegan Pad Thai
Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a wok or wide pan over medium high heat.
Add crushed ginger and garlic. Saute in medium high for a minute.
Add sliced onions and saute in medium high heat for a minute again.
Now add all the chopped pad thai veggies and bean sprouts. Saute in medium high heat for 5-6 minutes.
Add the red chili paste if required. We like to make this noodle stir fry spicy so I added red chili paste in this step. You can omit it as we have already used red chili paste in the sauce.
Mix well and add the prepared pad thai sauce. Mix well.
Add the noodles and toss well. Saute for a minute.
Add the crushed roasted peanuts, sesame seeds if using and more bean sprouts if you like.
Finally throw in the chopped cilantro leaves and mix well. You can also use scallion green finely chopped.
Serve vegan pad thai with lemon or lime wedges and extra sauce if preferred.
Gluten Free variation– To make this recipe gluten free, just use tamari instead of soy sauce.
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I hope you will try this easy to follow vegan pad thai recipe and enjoy as much as we did.
Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
For pad thai sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce use tamari for gluten free version
- 3 tablespoons chili paste adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup veg stock or water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Other Ingredients for pad thai
- 200 grams rice noodles 7 oz
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger garlic or ginger garlic paste
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups mixed chopped mixed vegetbles carrot, cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste optional
- salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup roasted and crushed peanuts
- 3 tabespoons roasted sesame seeds
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Soak the rice noodles or rice sticks in warm water for the timed mentioned in the package.
- Once the noodles turn soft, drain excess water.
- Toss few drops of sesame oil to the cooked noodles and mix well. Cover and set aside.
- Chop veggies into thin slices.
- Roast peanuts and crush slightly.
How To Make Sauce For Pad Thai
- Soak a small tamarind ball in warm water for 15 minutes and extract pulp. You can also use 1 tablespoon tamarind paste from stores. To that add 1/2 cup water or veg stock and soy sauce. You can also use vegetarian fish sauce, I did not use though.
- To that add red chili paste.
- Next in goes brown sugar.
- Finally add salt to taste and bring the mixture to a boil in high heat.
- Now reduce the flame to medium high and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from flame.
How To Make Vegan Pad Thai
- Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a wok or wide pan over medium high heat.
- Add crushed ginger and garlic. Saute in medium high for a minute.
- Add sliced onions and saute in medium high heat for a minute again.
- Now add all the chopped pad thai veggies and bean sprouts. Saute in medium high heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the red chili paste if required. We like to make this noodle stir fry spicy so I added red chili paste in this step. You can omit it as we have already used red chili paste in the sauce.
- Mix well and add the prepared pad thai sauce. Mix well.
- Add the noodles and toss well. Saute for a minute.
- Add the crushed roasted peanuts, sesame seeds if using and more bean sprouts if you like.
- Finally throw in the chopped cilantro leaves and mix well. You can also use scallion green finely chopped.
- Serve vegan pad thai with lemon or lime wedges and extra sauce if preferred.
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