This is a Pad Thai recipe that truly stacks up to great Thai restaurants yet is totally doable for every home cook with just a trip to your every day grocery store. With the slippery noodles, signature sweet-savoury flavour, sprinkle of peanuts and tang from lime, this is a Thai food favourite for good reason!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Pad Thai recipe
Pad Thai is one of the world’s most beloved noodle dishes. Along with Thai Green Curry and Red Curry, this is the dish by which every Thai restaurant is measured. In fact, I was trying to find the “best” Thai restaurant in my area just last week and it brought me much amusement that Pad Thai was the baseline of a favourable or unfavourable rating for almost every review!
If you’ve been disappointed by basic Pad Thai recipes in the past, have faith – I promise this one delivers!
What is Pad Thai??
Pad Thai is a Thai noodle stir fry with a sweet-savoury-sour sauce scattered with crushed peanuts. It’s made with thin, flat rice noodles, and almost always has bean sprouts, garlic chives, scrambled egg, firm tofu and a protein – the most popular being chicken or prawns/shrimp.
Authentic Pad Thai
Authentic Pad Thai on the streets of Thailand has a distinct fishy/prawny “funk” (which sounds thoroughly unappetising but is actually completely addictive and the very essence of true Thai street food). If authentic is what you’re after, try this Prawn/Shrimp version I shared from Spice I Am Thai restaurant.
On the other end of the spectrum, a quick Google is all it takes to find a myriad of basic westernised versions which are typically made with not much more than something sour (vinegar, lime juice), soy sauce and sugar. These recipes will not taste like any Pad Thai you’ve had from a restaurant.
This recipe I’m sharing today lies in the middle between hardcore authentic version (which even I find borderline too fishy) and very basic westernised recipes that tend to lack the proper depth of flavour and are typically too sweet.
It truly stacks up to your favourite Thai takeout – except less oily (restaurants tend to use loads of oil) – but you will not need to hunt in the dark corners of an Asian store to find the ingredients.
What is Pad Thai Sauce made of?
Pad Thai Sauce is made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and tamarind.
Tamarind is the ingredient that is the heart and soul of Pad Thai sauce, giving the sauce the sour flavour that Pad Thai is known for. It’s an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking, like this Malaysian Beef Rendang.
Authentic Pad Thai is made with Tamarind pulp which comes in a block (size of a soap bar) which is then soaked in hot water, then pressed through a sieve to make tamarind puree.
To make life easy, I use ready made tamarind puree which is sold at supermarkets here in Australia. 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Or Asian stores, obviously (and it’s cheaper).
Can’t find Tamarind Puree?
Believe it or not, a great substitute is ketchup. With a few tweaks to the recipe, you can achieve a similar, extremely good outcome!
The Noodles
Pad Thai is made with flat dried rice noodles which can be found in everyday supermarkets.
I recommend Chang’s “Thai style” rice noodles rather than the actual Thai brand rice noodles (Erawan Rice Sticks – red pack below) that are sold at supermarkets.
Chang’s are less prone to breaking and require just 5 minutes of soaking in hot water.
The Erawan Rice Sticks are far more prone to breaking when stir frying.
Other ingredients in Pad Thai
Here are two more ingredients that are very Pad Thai-centric: firm tofu and garlic chives.
You’ll find firm tofu at the supermarket too – go for the firmest plain tofu you can find (read the label, give the packet a squeeze to check). Don’t even think about trying this with soft tofu – it will just totally disintegrate!
Garlic chives are the big brother of normal chives. They taste like garlicky chives (I know, you’re shocked right? 😂) and are shaped like blades of grass. These are also sold at supermarkets here in Australia (with the other fresh herbs). Sub with extra garlic and green onions if you can’t find them.
How to make Pad Thai
Once you’ve gathered the ingredients, the making part is actually very straight forward!
As with all stir fries, make sure you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to toss into the wok or skillet because once you start cooking, things move fast!
I cannot believe how I’ve just written about Pad Thai without barely pausing for a breathe.
I’m going to stop here before I run out of space for the recipe. 😂
So – meet your new favourite Pad Thai recipe. The one you will make over and over again, any night of the week, just by popping into Woolies on the way home. WHOOOOT!!!!! – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 125 g / 4oz Chang’s Pad Thai dried rice sticks (Note 1)
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tbsp tamarind puree , NOT concentrate (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 4)
Stir Fry:
- 2 – 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 onion , sliced (brown, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 150 g/5oz chicken breast (or thigh) , thinly sliced
- 2 eggs , lightly whisked
- 1 1/2 cups of beansprouts
- 1/2 cup firm tofu, cut into 3cm / 1 1/4″ batons (see photo)
- 1/4 cup garlic chives , cut into 3cm / 1 1/4″ pieces
- 1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
For serving:
- Lime wedges (essential)
- Ground chilli or cayenne pepper (optional)
- More beansprouts
Instructions
- Place noodles in a large bowl, pour over plenty of boiling water. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander and quickly rinse under cold water. Don’t leave them sitting around for more than 5 – 10 minutes.
- Mix Sauce in small bowl.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan (or well seasoned skillet) over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add chicken and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until mostly cooked through.
- Push to one side of the pan, pour egg in on the other side. Scramble using the wooden spoon (add touch of extra oil if pan is too dry), then mix into chicken.
- Add bean sprouts, tofu, noodles then Sauce.
- Toss gently for about 1 1/2 minutes until Sauce is absorbed by the noodles.
- Add garlic chives and half the peanuts. Toss through quickly then remove from heat.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with remaining peanuts and lime wedges on the side, with a sprinkle of chilli and a handful of extra beansprouts on the side if desired (this is the Thai way!). Squeeze over lime juice to taste before eating.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2018. Updated January 2019 with a new video, new step photos. No change to recipe.
More Thai food favourites
Good Thai is sorely lacking in my neighbourhood – so it’s critical to have recipes for all my favourite Thai dishes!
Life of Dozer
Flashback to when I first published Pad Thai back in May 2018 when he tore his cruciate ligament and was confined to a small space during his recovery. He does an excellent sad face. 😢
Happy to report that 3 months later, he was back to his wild, crazy self!
Can confirm this tastes so authentic and delicious. Pad Thai is one of my favourite dishes and the store bought sauces just don’t cut it.
Thanks Tamara! I am happy you liked it! N x
Made this recipe tonight and it was a hit! Do not doubt the ketchup substitute for tamarind paste – it works! Going to put this in my regular rotation. Nice work Nagi!
I’m happy you liked it Jim!! N x
Made this last week – I have always used pre-made Pad Thai sauce in the past but those times are over – this recipe was superb, will never make it any other way again – thank you – The whole family loved it.
This recipe is a cracker…by far the best pad thai I have ever eaten and I was at home!!!
Death to jar sauce!! I am happy they all liked it Chris! N x
I’m confused you don’t have dog listed in the recipe ingredients but then have a photo of one? Should I add my neighbours or is that a no..?
I followed this recipe exactly, including the times. Served it, sat down and the noodles weren’t cooked. 😭 I was so sad. I love pad thai but have yet to make a decent one
Did you cook the noodles according to the packet directions first Jenni? N x
Why is oyster sauce necessary for this everyday version as stated in note 4? Is there a non-everyday vertion that is better that has different ingredients that fill in for the oyster sauce? After reading many recipes for hours I am confused how they are so different in measurements and ingredients For exampe how much sugar is used or if soy or oyster sauce is even used at all. Some even have things like chili paste, garlic, or ginger in the sauce. I just want to know what to belive and if these other ingredients are even good or traditional.
Hi Jessica – my recipe contains traditional ingredients for Pad Thai and is very highly rated on my website so I think it’s a good one – just make it and see if you like it. I can’t really comment on other people’s recipes that you have read but I say try mine and see! N x
This recipe is amazing!! Better than any restaurant versions I’ve tried. Well done Nagi 👏 Soo tasty and easy to make. Pad Thai has now been promoted to one of my favourite Thai dishes x
Amazing recipe.. I can’t stand the smell of fish sauce so I ended up substituting it for light soy sauce like you mentioned. First time using tamarind concentrate, and I also made rice noodles from scratch.. best pad Thai I’ve ever had and I’ve had my fair share from plenty of restaurants.. Thank you for the recipe it’s truly amazing.
I am glad that you liked it Caleb! N x
I’ve made this recipe a few times both with tamarind paste and with the ketchup substitution listed in the notes and both ways turned out amazing! I modified the sauce to be vegan friendly by subbing the fish sauce for some soy sauce and only used tofu. This recipe is super delicious and a go-to of mine!
Pad Thai is my favourite but home made never tasted right. Until now. This recipe is simple, tastes just like the pad Thai from a takeaway. Easy and delicious I’ll be making this again.
This is the best Pad Thai recipe I’ve ever tried! The tamarind makes all the difference. Every recipe I’ve tried before just didn’t taste *right*, but this one did. I couldn’t find jarred tamarind paste so I bought a bunch of fresh tamarind pods and made my own, freezing the homemade paste in 1.5 tbsp pucks specifically for this recipe.
Yum yum yum!!! This pad Thai recipe is easy and so delish! I toned down on the sugar but that’s just for personal preference. I added chiu chow oil (chilli with oil in a jar from Lee kum kee). I sometimes use left over chicken from roast chicken. We don’t see garlic chives here often in UK groceries but I just used spring onions. The pad thai or flat rice noodles from shops here are ok, just follow the instructions in the packet. I’ve used most of them and they don’t break easily, no need to rinse unless the packet says so. Thank you Nagi for the recipes, you are making our lives easier and yummier! Good luck with the cookbook!
Great recipe
I didn’t use so much sugar but I like things tart. I also added some yellow pepper and asparagus for colour and nutrition
This is not just the best pad thai recipe I have ever made but the best I have ever eaten! I used the ketchup recipe because I didn’t have tamarind, scallions instead of onions, a ton of cilantro because I love it in pad thai, and some sambal oelek in the sauce for a kick! No need for take out ever again :)!
I’m worried that I’m not doing this correctly. So the ketchup substitute replaces the entire sauce, right? The original has so much brown sugar, and the subtitute has so much less…? How can that be?
Easy to make and delicious. Big hit with the whole family. Love your work Nagi, you’re the family cook’s best friend.
Awwww…I’m blushing! 😊😊 N x
Damn good recipe and so easy!!! I have made various Pad Thai recipes before but never bothered to make them again. This recipe, on the other hand, I will definitely make again! So glad I have another use for the tamarind concentrate I bought from an Indian store! Recipe is very tasty and quick to make! And it is definitely restaurant quality!! 😁
So much better than take out! The substitute tamarind was perfect (I didn’t sugar though) This definitely goes in our rotation. Thank you!
Hey, I was wondering what to add if I wanted to make this dish spicy?
I would add chopped fresh Thai red chillies if you want some heat Victoria! N x
Delicious! We ate it all! Used the recipe with ketchup alternative (what?!?), but just ordered tamarind puree for next time. Best Pad Thai recipe I’ve found online. This is a keeper – like your stir-fry sauce, and the mac and cheese recipe (both awesome). Thank you!
Excellent. I love how detailed your recipes are, and every one of your recipes I have made so far is a winner.