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!
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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!
wow!! loved this recipe!! followed it to a tee (except only had 1 egg) and it was delicious! quick and easy to make and still perfect the next day to take leftovers to work!
I’ve never had Pad Thai before. I absolutely fell in love with this recipe, this will become one of my regular dinners ! And between the chicken, the tofu and the egg it’s suuuper rich in protein, which also matters to me 🙂 thank you !
I’m so happy you love it Manon!!
I was wondering what I can add to make this recipe “hot” or “thai hot”? I like my pad thai spicy and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Brent, typically it is served with a sprinkling of chilli or cayenne pepper. You could do this or alternatively add some Birdseye chilli in when you stir fry ☺️
This was perfection, don’t usually follow recipes to the T, but this I did as well as any of your recipes actually. So good, used chicken and prawn as my protein and the tamrind. Thank you for all your amazing recipes. Big fan
Woah what a great compliment Mona, thanks so much!
I was recently diagnosed with celiac’s disease, which has meant that as a family we don’t eat out as often – including at my favourite Thai place! So when I saw your pad thai recipe, I had to try it, as I’ve been craaaaaaaving pad thai!
The noodles were a bit of a disaster (I used Pandaroo, they were undercooked? and I think I used far too many noodles for the amount of sauce/vegetables) but the sauce. Oh my god the sauce. I wanted to just drink the sauce (I made the tamarind version). The perfect pad thai sauce – just the right blend of the sweetness and tanginess and the fishiness. That sauce, plus peanuts…..if I can get the noodles right, I’ll be in heaven! Thank you so much for all your hard work in developing this recipe and sharing it with us all!!
(I did make one slight change – I fried the tofu before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, our local Thai joint have fried tofu in their pad thai and my 5 year old will eat it like hot chips, so I had to see if I could get the same result. Turns out I could!)
Hi Bex, I usually soak the noodles as per the packet instructions but take them out slightly early so they don’t overcook in the pan. I’m glad you loved the sauce and that tofu sounds divine!
Great recipie. Thank you so much for sharing. I made the ketchup version. Everyone loved it. For my 5 year old I left out the nuts and lime and he said it was yummy. Will definitely make it again.
If you can impress a 5 year old then you nailed it Rebecca!!
So glad to have encountered your recipes. I am echoeing Angela’s comments. Your recipe is a winner — after trying a few of them. Thank you, Nagi, for posting delicious recipes, well written and easy to follow. Also love your comments regarding substitutes. Well done!
You’re so welcome Francine, thanks so much for taking the time to write some feedback! ❤️
I would like to know what kind of spice to add for a small tangy taste found sometimes in restaurants. Thank you
Hi Lyne, the tanginess comes from the tamarind paste ☺️
Hi! I wanna thank you for the pad thai recipe. It’s easy to follow and the result is amazing. I have made it three times, my family just loves it ❤
High five! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback!
I made this tonight and was it ever amazing. Probably one of the best dishes I have ever made. I used ketchup instead and it was great!!!
I’m so glad you loved it Kayla! Woot!
Absolutely outstanding! This was my third recipe I tried for Pad Thai in 3 days. One was inedible, another was meh and this one is extremely close to my favorite Thai takeout place! I used shrimp and no other protein but followed the recipe exactly otherwise. Thank you, Nagi!! I look forward to knowing your other recipes will be just as amazing.
Thanks for the feedback Angela!! ❤️
For health reasons I’ve swapped the hoisin sauce for coconut aminos and brown sugar for coconut sugar and the sauce works incredibly well.
Great to know Roza!!!
So so grateful for this cheat style pad Thai! I’ve made the authentic one before and perhaps I was very inexperienced but gosh it took forever haha 🙂 yum
😂 SO glad you loved it!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve never had Pad Thai before..this was amazing!! Just another one of your excellent recipes.. definitely a keeper,like all of your recipes 😜
Have a good day Nagi.
Thank you..
Phil.
I’m so glad you loved it Phil!!
Hi Nagi, thank you SO MUCH for your Pad Thai recipe! I discovered your blog a month or so ago and have been reading a lot of your recipes, but when I found the Pad Thai I knew I had to try it. I had most of a block of tamarind pulp leftover from previous Pad Thai attempts, so I turned it all into tamarind paste, then made a quadruple batch of your Pad Thai sauce (because I knew it would be good). I fried up a quick test batch of noodles with just garlic, eggs, and carrots, then topped it with red pepper flakes and peanuts. Oh my gosh, it was SO GOOD! My wife even said it was the best I’d made yet. I can’t wait to get some prawns, tofu, chives, and bean sprouts to make a proper Pad Thai. Again, thank you SO much!
Excellent Mike!!!
I’ve replaced my go-to pad thai recipes with yours! I’m on my second bowl at the moment 🙂
Woot! What a compliment – thanks so much!
Hi Nagi, Rinda here from Brisbane. Thank you for sharing your recipe and even “secret” sauce recipe. I’m so happy to find out about your blog! Finally, I can cook many Asian cuisines with an assurance that I’ll get the identical ingredient as you suggest because I could find it easily at Coles, Woolies, and Australia’s Asian store! Pandaroo and Chang’s FTW! 😀
YESSS!!! 🙌
I love this recipe, i have made it several times using all sorts of substitutions based on what i have had available to me and it’s very forgiving. Really easy and so tasty.
That’s great!!
I never leave comments on recipes but this time I had to. This recipe is amazing, I cannot believe how easy it is to make pad thai. This recipe is sooo good,I didn’t have oyster sauce so substituted for hoisin sauce. It was delish, I want to make this everyday 🙂
That’s great to hear Veronika!!!
Hi Nagi,
I’m making this tonight but disappointed I couldn’t find the garlic chives. I do have normal chives though but I guess it’s not the same. Also I got the noodles you didn’t reccommend! 😕 damn. Let’s see how we go.
My husband and I really enjoy cooking your wonderful recipes, so much detail goes into everything you submit ie *see note 2 etc.
Anyway if I’d really wanted to drive a but further on I could of found those garlic chives in a speciality shop, we do have quite a few in the north west of Sydney.
Bec