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!
Yum! This was so tasty! I used the ketchup substitute and scallions instead of garlic chives. My family loved it and thought it was better than restaurant pad thai! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made it last night,and my kids,a 4 year old and a 1 year old loved it. My daughter said: “mommy please make this every night!!”
Hi Nagi, I tend to get an allergic reaction to oyster sauce; is there anything I can use as a substitute?
Thank you!
Hi Megan! Though not authentic, hoisin will make a good substitute. You will get a slight Chinese Five Spice flavour but it will still be absolutely delish! It’s honestly the best sub I can think of for oyster sauce for this recipe 🙂
Delicious!!! I never thought I’d be able to make pad thai at home that tastes just like restaurants!! So goooooood 🤤
We enjoyed it but there I was with half a pack of noodles, tamarind paste, tofu anf garlic chives, sooo, my friend made it the next night and also said it was a hit,. Way to go. Waste not want not.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Angela! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
It exceeded my expectations! Ketchup version is epic! I am a big fan of Pad Thai and I had tried other recipes before, but only after I tried this one, I thought that I don’t need to order Pad Thai in a restaurant any more, because I am able to do just as good as the one they serve. Besides perfectly composed ingredients, the recipe is written very clearly and contains a lot of additional useful tips and information. Thank you!
That’s so great to hear Rava! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Made this tonight and my very picky husband LOVED it! I love the simplicity of your recipes , yet they are so full of flavour. Thank you for sharing !
For those wondering too- I made the version with the ketchup as I couldn’t find the tamarind in any store close by. I also prepped as much as I could in advance to make dinner time more smoothly. I made the chicken , cooked the noodles , prepared the sauce and had the peanuts and limes as well. When I got home I put the chicken with the onions on and added the egg. Then added noodles , peanuts (1/2) and the sauce. It was super easy !
Thank you again for sharing all your delicious and inspiring recipes !
That’s so great to hear Sarah! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
My Grandson is allergic to peanuts, but I would like to make this. Can you suggest a different nut Please
Cashews!
Thanks for the substitute. Would not thought of them myself, but now I think it would be even better than peanuts.
Best pad Thai recipie me and my husband have tried! I’m so glad we don’t have to get out take out just for pad Thai anymore. Thanks!!
Thank you Kendra! So glad you enjoyed it! N xx
My oh my! I just made this using the ketchup sauce recipe since i had run out of tamarind and man it is good! So glad i found this recipe. Definitely a staple!
Hi
I have pure tamarind concentrate, do you know what I need to add to it to make it a puree?
Thanks
I tend to be a purist when it comes to Pad Thai, so hopefully I will always be able to get my hands on tamarind. I know that some use lime juice instead, but for me the unique taste of tamarind will always be the best.
Hi Nagi – me again! After trying this wonderful recipe and totally addicted now… I was wondering if you have a Pad Kee Mao recipe?
Made this 2 nights in a row! Yummmmy!
So quick and easy. A real winner. Thx Nagi!
Wonderful to hear John! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Oh my gosh this recipe is amazing! I’m from England and absolutely love Thai food, so I really wanted to try and make it from home (Thai restaurants are pretty pricey over here!) I couldn’t find any rice sticks as suggested, so I used what was simply labelled ‘rice noodles’ and they were just like Pad Thai noodles I’ve had. I also used a larger amount of noodles as the packet size was different and we like huge portions! The sauce still covered the noodles fully. I didn’t have garlic chives or tofu so I left them out – I did add some mushrooms though and replaced the chicken with prawns. Other than that (it’s not many changes really!) I followed the ingredients and method to the letter and it tasted EXACTLY like proper restaurant Pad Thai. Absolutely deliciously yummy! I made the recipe twice and put both portions in one huge dish, so three of us could grab however much we wanted – it worked an absolute treat. Thanks!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Elenya, thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi, you don’t need to soak them if you’re stir frying – that’s why your noodles are breaking (or their too old). You fry them on high, toss it around, doesn’t matter if they’re still sticking, for about 30 seconds, add sauce whilst mixing and they come apart nicely and soften the noodles. If you soak before, they’re too soft and will break.
Hi A! I’m using dried here which is why they need to be soaked 🙂 But if using fresh, you’re absolutely right! N x
Hi Nagi,
Made this tonight and it was awesome!
Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe – easy and delicious.
WHOOO HOOOOOOO!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Vim! Thank you so much for letting me know what you thought! – N xx
Hi Nagi – I’m a long time reader first time poster. I tried this tonight with the Erawan Pad Thai noodles (not the red or green thinner Erawan versions) and the noodles were perfect! They were available at my local Woolies in a blue/purplish packet!
Thanks for your recipe! It’s a bit dangerous with this recipe on hand now!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Sylvia, thanks for letting me know! N x
I totally have a package of dried shrimp in my cabinet that would be perfect here. I love those things, such delicious flavor. And I’m with you on the tamarind puree. I tried to use fresh tamarind and make my own once and it was such a huge hassle I will never do it again. I will say I’m totally intrigued with the ketchup. I’ve never even though of using that in pad thai before. I might have to try it to see how it turns out! I have this market near me that makes fresh rice noodles every day, so when I make something like this I go and get those noodles. They are so awesome and don’t break like the dried ones 🙂
Oooh fresh rice noodles! They are soooo good! My local grocery store has some fresh rice noodles but unfortunately they are quite fragile and they do break easily 🙁 N x
Hi Nagi! We don’t have garlic chives in the supermarkerts where I live. Is there a substitute? Should I use green shallots or regular chives?
Hi Kim! I’ve got substitutes in the notes to the recipe, shallots/scallions/green onions (the long green things) are a terrific sub! 🙂 N x
Thank you I didn’t see the note at first! My husband loves a little spice in his pad thai. What would you recommend to add a little heat? Can’t wait to try this, I love your recipes…so delicious 🙂
Hi Kim! The way it’s served in Thailand and in the authentic Thai restaurant here in Sydney, chilli powder is served on the side of the noodles. Just a little pile next to extra peanuts and lime wedges 🙂 So what I do is sprinkle some on the noodles just before serving – it’s in the ingredients as an optional extra and also in the video. Just a little sprinkle to taste! N xx