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!
Was a bit skeptical on trying as many Asian dishes online are sometimes made to be more westernised and lack flavour but this did not disappoint by any means .. restaurant quality and very authentic … A MUST TRY
Hello nagi.. First of all, everything I try from your website turns out amazing, thank you so much for making coming fun again. I enjoy my pad Thai really saucy what do you recommend
Hi Nagi, I have some palm sugar that I’d like to use. Would you recommend heating the sauce prior to adding to the stir fry in order that it dissolves? I’m not sure if the palm sugar would dissolve into the sauce without heating beforehand and would be worried that the sweetness would not even distribute.
This was absolutely delicious!! Thanks Nagi! another great recipe.
Thanks so much Kylie, that’s great to hear! N x
Thank you Nagi for another amazing recipe. I tried the ketchup version and it taste delicious. Great to have substitutes when you can’t get certain ingredients.
No more take-out! I wanted to get rid of the tamarind concentrate I never used. It tastes amazing! Just like the one I tried in Thailand. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Our store was out of tamarind concentrate so we tried the ketchup trick. It was delicious! I can’t wait to try it again with the tamarind.
So, so good. We all enjoyed it. Thanks again for a delicious recipe.
This was delicious and extremely easy to make. I had to soak my rice noodles for closer to 20 minutes but that was okay. I will add some red pepper flakes while cooking to add some spice. Made without tofu also. We both loved this! I am becoming a good cook thanks to you and your recipes. Love the videos as this helps. I have told my kids so they are also trying these out. Thanks so much, Nagi!
This was delicious and extremely easy to make. I had to soak my rice noodles for closer to 20 minutes but that was okay. I will add some red pepper flakes while cooking to add some spice. We both loved this! I am becoming a good cook thanks to you and your recipes. Love the videos as this helps. I have told my kids so they are also trying these out. Thanks so much, Nagi!
That’s awesome Chris!! Thanks so much for taking the time to write some feedback!! N x
I am desperate to make this but nobody in my house will eat it with the bean sprouts and tofu.
Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Angela, just leave them out! Or you can sub with more chicken or another protein 🙂 N x
made the ketchup version – delicious and authentic tasting 🙂 a must try if you cant find tamarind paste!
Hello,
Is tamarind concentrate the same as paste or should I adjust the amount?
Hi Sasha, it really depends on where you’re located, but there are different types of tamarind available and they are usually labelled as paste/puree, pulp or concentrate. Paste and puree are the same thing, they are in the form of a thick sticky sauce and this is what is used in my recipe.
Now here’s where it gets confusing – concentrate can come in the form of a brick or puree – if it is a puree, it’s the same as what is labelled “puree/paste” in other countries. If it is in the form of a dried brick, it is the same as tamarin pulp that needs to be reconstituted with water to make the paste/puree.
I hope that clears things up Sasha!! N x
Thank you Nagi, made this yesterday with precise measurements for the sauce and it turned out oh-so-authentic! The best part about it was that it was so easy and took me only 45 mins to make a portion for 4 people. Totally made my day after a long day at work!
I just made this recipe. it was so good!!!!!! I am keeping this recipe in my recipe book. thanks and have a great day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Veronique!! N x
Somehow this is the first time in my 37 years that I have made chicken pad Thai at home. I’ve always wanted to make it but just never did…until tonight! I am so glad that this is the recipe I chose. I will never have to look any further. It is so good! My boyfriend said it was “restaurant quality.” Thank you for this phenomenal recipe! I’ll be making it again for sure. The only thing I did differently was add more spice while cooking.
Since there aren’t enough 5-star reviews or glowing comments LOL this recipe is SO AWESOME. I made meatless by using about a cup of Butler Soy Curls rehydrated in no-chicken broth, and crisped them in the air fryer before adding in at the end. I did not have peanuts so (hangs head in shame) used about 2TB of extra crunchy PB in with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Delicious! Just like my favorite Thai place used to make. I’m so happy I can do this myself now — and my omnivore spouse had seconds! Eighteen thumbs up! (Edit – hey Nagi, your system will not accept a “.us” email address although that is valid!)
hi there i tried pad thai from a restaurant the other day and instantly like it and wondering what can i use in place of garlic chive, my local woolies or coles doesnt seem to stock it and with fish sauce i brought Ayam Fish Sauce i had no idea what one to buy but it seem to be thicker than the one in your video, is Ayam Fish Sauce nice or should i buy another brand
This was an easy and very delicious meal!
I used the Erawan noodles, and could not fault them! I omitted the chicken and added more tofu instead. Also added a much larger amount of garlic chives because why not!
Fantastic recipe. We alsys order Phad Tahi when we go out. This recipe tasted just as good. I loved the information provided on Australian brands. I couldn’t get Chang’s noodles, but will try another supermarket next time I make it. This recipe is a keeper!
I have made this recipe three times now. It is absolutely perfect. Because of my own taste, I put some pre-bagged coleslaw cabbage in it instead of bean sprouts.
I couldn’t find garlic chives, so I just used a regular green onions.
I cant get enough ❤
Yum, sounds great Steph! N x
You are now my go-to site for all things Asian. You make every thing look so easy!
Thanks so much Mimi!!! N x