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!
This recipe is outstanding! I’ve eaten a lot of Pad Thai and this is right up there with some of the best 🙂
I didn’t have tamarind paste but did find a recipe to make a great substitute:
1/2 c tomato paste
2 T water
3 T lemon juice (fresh is best)
2 T brown sugar
3 T Worchestershire sauce
Combine ingredients in small bowl and use equal amounts as you would use tamarind paste.
Because it makes about 1 cup, I freeze the rest in 1 T amounts in ice cube tray and when frozen, pop into a freezer bag. All ready for my next Pad Thai!
I’m so glad you loved it Laurie – I actually have a tamarind substitute in the recipe notes 😉 N x
No need to get take away anymore. Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. My aerospace engineer of a husband made it and was a hit with all the family. We served Thai satay chicken sticks beforehand. All family says this is ‘one for the poolroom!!!’ Thanks again Nagi
YUM!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Rae! N x
“aerospace engineer husband”…y is his profession necessary to mention? My doctor husband wanna know…see how weird n unnecessary it is?
I agree. Will not list my profession that took over 12 years of study to accomplish.
This is a food/recipe website, please take your inadequacies about your career to social media.
Loooooveee!!! I used the sauce substitute (cynics be gone!) and it came out tasting amazing.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Runa! N x
Wow! We weren’t able to get the tamarind paste, but this was fantastic. We didn’t have dark soy so I used regular with a smidge of honey. We finished the pot (I doubled the recipe 🤭). We also added heat, but man I can’t wait to make it again. Simple and easy to put together. Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Perfect Davinia!! N x
Thank you! This recipe tastes just like pad Thai take out from my favorite restaurant
Wahoo, that’s great to hear! N x
Yummmm! Like most of your recipes, Nagi, this was delish!!
Thank Adrienne!! N x
Hi Nagi,
What brand fish sauce do you use?
Hi !! This was amazing… BETTER than my favorite Thai restaurant. I used your ketchup replacment since I couldn’t find Tamarind. I put a big dollop of natural creamy peanut butter in sauce and it was perfect !!!
YUM! Sounds perfect Elizabeth! N x
This Pad Thai turned out great! I made it with more chicken and no Tofu. I also used half of rice noodle pack. The only suggestion I have is next time I need to double the sauce.
Hi Artaa, I’m so glad you loved it! Traditionally pad Thai is a dry fried noodle (not saucey) but you can definitely up the sauce if you prefer! N x
Just wondering if I can add other veggies to it?? If so what would you recommend?? I like pad Thai so I was thinking adding more veggies would be a way for me to enjoy them and eat somewhat healthier 😂
Hi D’Arne, you could add anything you like really, asian greens, capsicum, baby corn!
I followed this recipe exactly except I used more tofu to replace the chicken (I’m trying to have at least one meatless dinner a week) and it turned out amazing! So good and easy. I wasn’t sure if I should buy the tamarind because I wouldn’t use it for anything else, but I think it made a difference. If y’all can get it, I would highly recommend using it over ketchup. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
This recipe produced black noodles with an extremely sour taste. I suspect I did something wrong. The recipe calls for TBSP, which I took to be table spoon. Should I have used teaspoons instead?
Black noodles Bill??? I’m not sure what product you’ve used but that’s definitely not right! What type of tamarind paste were you using? N x
I used Aunt Patty’s Tamarind Paste. Again, I’m not sure what I got wrong. Should I be using teaspoons or tablespoons? Thanks!
Yum..yum…havent made this before, so easy, and a perfect light Easter Sunday lunch…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Marian! N x
Can I substitute brown packed sugar for palm sugar? And if so what would be the conversation please.
Love the way you organized this recipe with the photos:). Very easy to follow (and delicious)!
Thanks Rachel and Carl
-AG
I made this today and it. was. amazing. Tastes just like my favorite Thai restaurant! I made the ketchup version and made substitutions to make it gluten free! I used gluten free oyster sauce and braggs liquid aminos instead of dark soy. I have tried many pad Thai recipes in the past and I finally found one that I love! Thank you Nagi!!
I was wondering if I could make extra sauce and store it in a container in the refrigerator to make this even easier to throw together for a quick weeknight dinner. Do you know how long I could store the sauce in the refrigerator?
DELICIOUS! Thank you for this recipe it does not disappoint. The whole family loved it, I ended up making it two nights in a row!
5 stars! Best pad Thai I’ve ever made! My whole family loved it. Omg sooooo good
Wahoo, that’s so great to hear Haley!!! N x
Followed the recipe and used tamarind concentrate. It came out bitter & strong tamarind flavor. It really did not come out as what I’m used to. Can you please assist, thanks