Quick to make, this tasty vegan Pad Thai recipe is packed full of flavour. Rice noodles are mixed with veggies and topped with a tamarind sauce, crunchy peanuts, tofu and lime for a zingy, delicious dinner that you won't be able to resist.
I adore Pad Thai.
It manages to be so many things at once:
- zingy
- crunchy
- mouth watering
- flavoursome
- moreish, and
- utterly delicious
This vegan Pad Thai ticks all the boxes for me.
It's a good source of protein (the tofu) and carbs (the noodles).
But it's also jam-packed full of vegetables. And even better, it's got a delicious mouth-watering flavour that's sure to have you heading back for seconds.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a traditional street food dish from Thailand.
At its most basic Pad Thai can be described as stir fried rice noodles.
It's spicy and sweet and really, really moreish.
If you've ever been to Thailand you'll have seen it being made by street food vendors all over the country.
Pad Thai is very adaptable
Every chef puts their own twist on the dish and as a consequence Pad Thai recipes can vary a lot.
A traditional recipe usually contains shrimp, tofu, eggs, tamarind, fish sauce and chillies. In addition it's often served with crunchy peanuts and lime wedges.
In my vegan version I've used tofu for the protein. I've also included seaweed flakes in my Pad Thai sauce for a hint of that distinctive fish sauce flavour.
How to cook rice noodles for Pad Thai
Cooking the noodles well can be challenging. It really shouldn't be but many of us who didn't grow up cooking noodles have had disasters with them sticking together in a big claggy mess.
Conflicting instructions don't help either. Some recipes call for them to be soaked in hot water first, others in cold.
Some say that they should be boiled yet others still say that they shouldn't be boiled at all and should go straight into the wok from soaking.
Felicity Cloake goes into this in more detail in her Guardian column about Pad Thai.
I've suggested in the recipe below that you follow the packet instructions when it comes to cooking your noodles.
My usual method is to boil the noodles until just soft, then drain them into a sieve or colander and rinse immediately with cold water.
I then set them aside before adding them to the wok at the end to reheat and soak up all of the spices and flavours. You can also toss them with a little oil eg sesame oil to help prevent them sticking together.
How can you make Pad Thai vegan?
Vegan Pad Thai is very easy to make.
Simply leave out the eggs and the shrimp and you're almost there.
The only other ingredient that needs replacing is the fish sauce. Soy sauce is a good substitute.
If you like the fishy flavour you can add some seaweed flakes to this recipe.
Ingredients
For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To make vegan Pad Thai you will need the following ingredients:
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon seaweed flakes, optional
For the Pad Thai:
- 200 g flat rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 3 spring onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 1 red chilli
- 2 carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 400 g pack firm tofu
- 200 g bean sprouts
To serve:
- 60 g unsalted peanuts
- 1 lime
- Fresh coriander
- Salt
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How to make vegan Pad Thai
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
This is quite a quick recipe to make once it gets going so do all your chopping and preparation in advance.
Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste*
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon seaweed flakes optional
For the Pad Thai
- 200 g flat rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 3 spring onions sliced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into half moons
- 1 red pepper finely sliced
- 400 g pack firm tofu drained and roughly chopped
- 200 g bean sprouts
To serve
- 60 g unsalted peanuts
- 1 lime
- Small handful fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
- Salt
Instructions
To make the sauce
- Mix the tamarind paste, soy sauce, syrup, lime juice and seaweed flakes (if using) together.
To make the Pad Thai
- Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a wok. Add the spring onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry until soft. Stir often.
- Add the carrots and peppers and continue stir frying until beginning to soften.
- Add the tofu and as it cooks break it down with the back of a wooden spoon or a masher so that it begins to look a bit like scrambled egg.
- Finally add the bean sprouts, sauce and cooked noodles. Stir and fry until all warmed through. Take care not to let it stick.
To serve
- Serve with peanuts, coriander and lime and salt to taste.
Notes
- I use tamarind paste from concentrate. If you’re making your own you may need to use more to get the same flavour.
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
Nutrition
If you like this you might also like my tofu ricotta recipe.
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