Pad Thai (2024)

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This homemade Pad Thai recipe is easy to make, tossed with a fresh and sweet and tangy sauce, and customizable with whatever protein, veggies, and spice level you prefer. (Chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, tofu and veggie-only options included below.)

Raise your hand if you love pad Thai! ♡

This delicious noodle stir-fry that hails from the rich food culture of Thailand has become one of the most iconic and beloved dishes around the world in the past few decades…and happens to be one of my all-time faves too! Made with chewy al dente rice noodles, stir-fried veggies, usually at least one type of protein, and an irresistibly fresh, sweet, and tangy tamarind sauce, this national dish of Thailand is everything I adore in a good bowl of noodles. And while it is unquestionably the most popular item on the menu at most Thai restaurants around the world, I was happy to learn years ago that pad Thai is actually quite quick and easy to make at home too!

Granted, I am definitely no expert on the topic of authentic Thai cooking, and the recipe included below is completely inspired by the restaurant version of pad Thai that I was privileged to grow up with halfway around the world in the Midwest. It includes a few ingredient substitutions that are more easily available and popularly used in that part of the world and thus by no means should be considered authentic. (If you are looking for a more authentic version of pad Thai made with traditional ingredients such as dried shrimp, pickled veggies, and garlic chives, I would highly recommend trying these recipes by Hot Thai Kitchen or Thai Table.)

This recipe is still one of our family favorites, though, and is absolutely bursting with layered, fresh, and tangy flavors. It’s also easy to customize with your favorite protein, veggies and spice level when making your own homemade pad Thai. And when you’re moving quickly, the entire dish can come together easily in just a little over a half hour, making it great for busy weeknights. (Plus, the leftovers taste amazing!)

So if you happen to be a fan of these noodles too, I say it’s time to give homemade pad Thai a try!

Pad Thai Recipe | 1-Minute Video

The History of Pad Thai

Details about the exact origins of pad Thai seem to vary a bit from source to source, based on what I’ve read.

But I was interested to learn that all sources agree that pad Thai is actually a relatively new dish, invented in Thailand less than 100 years ago. Some historians say that it originated in the 1930s thanks to a competition held by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the prime minister at the time, who was trying to promote nationalism by encouraging chefs to create a new national dish with Thailand’s signature blend of sweet, salty and sour flavors. Other historians believe that the dish came about during a wartime shortage of rice, when the prime minister was encouraging cooks to create new dishes with rice noodles instead of the usual larger quantities of rice.

Whatever the exact origins, the dish immediately became a hit in Thailand and is now one of the most famous noodle dishes in the world. (It actually ranked as the 5th most popular dish in the world in this poll a decade ago!) Different countries and different cooks have definitely put their own spin on the dish in modern times, often subbing in different proteins, seasonings and veggies used in their recipes. But the base dish with its brilliant combo of stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, and a tangy pad Thai sauce remains relatively consistent worldwide. And the world seems to adore it!

Here’s a great video to watch if you would like to learn more about the history of pad Thai.

Pad Thai Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need to the stir-fried noodles for this pad Thai recipe:

• Rice noodles:Pad Thai is traditionally made with thin rice noodles, such as these. But any width of rice noodles that you have on hand will also work.
• Protein:I’ve written the recipe below for chicken pad Thai, but feel free to instead use shrimp, beef, pork, tofu, or whatever protein you may prefer.
• Veggies:From what I’ve read, the vegetables traditionally included in pad Thai can vary between regions in Thailand. But I have written this recipe with the most common mix I’ve seen of fresh bean sprouts, shredded (or matchstick) carrots, and sliced green onions.
• Garlic:I also love to include lots of freshly minced garlic in this stir-fry.
• Eggs:I’ve also included eggs in the recipe below, which are briefly scrambled and mixed into the noodle stir-fry. But if you are making this dish vegan, you are welcome to omit the eggs.
• Toppings: And finally, when it comes to toppings, I vote the more the merrier and love to sprinkle my noodles with lots of chopped peanuts for crunch and an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice for tang. Plus, you are of course welcome to sprinkle on some extra crushed red pepper flakes if you would like to amp up the heat in your serving.

And here are the ingredients that you will need to make the delicious pad Thai sauce:

• Tamarind concentrate: This is the starring ingredient in pad Thai that gives the sauce its signature tangy, sweet, and fruity flavor. Granted, some American Thai restaurants have switched to using ketchup in its place, which gives the dish a notably different and less-tangy flavor. (And also makes the dish notably more red/orange.) But I really, really recommend picking up a jar of tamarind concentrate to make the sauce taste as fresh and authentic as possible. You can purchase it online or find it in the Thai section of the grocery store. Just be sure to purchase a Thai brand of tamarind concentrate for this recipe, since the Indian brands of tamarind concentrate have a significantly different flavor and potency. (I do not recommend using Tamicon tamarind concentrate for this recipe.)
• Brown sugar:Traditionally, pad Thai is usually made with palm sugar in Thailand. But since it can be difficult to find in American grocery stores, I’ve written the recipe below using light brown sugar (or you can use coconut sugar).
• Fish sauce: You will also need some good-quality fish sauce for this recipe. (This brand is my favorite!)
• Soy sauce:We will also add in a bit of soy sauce to give the dish some extra salty-umami flavor.
• Lime juice:And of course, lots and lots of fresh lime juice.
• Crushed red pepper flakes:And finally, you can add in whatever type and amount of chili flakes you prefer to give the dish a bit of heat.

How To Make Pad Thai

Full instructions for how to make pad Thai are included in the recipe below, but here is a brief overview of the process…

1. Make the sauce.First things first — go ahead and prep the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together (or shaking them in a jar) until combined.
2. Cook the noodles.Next, go ahead and heat your water and cook the noodles al dente according to the package instructions, then drain the excess water. If your noodles finish earlier than your stir-fry, I recommend rinsing them briefly with some lukewarm water and tossing them with a drizzle of oil to prevent them from sticking while they wait.
3. Cook the protein, veggies and eggs. Meanwhile, go ahead and begin your stir-fry. First, sauté your protein of choice until cooked through, then transfer it to a clean plate and set it aside. Next, sauté the veggies until crisp-tender. Then push them to one side of the pan and briefly scramble the eggs in the other half of the pan until cooked.
4. Put it all together. Then add everything back in with the eggs and veggies — the cooked noodles, cooked chicken, sauce and green onions — and give the mixture a good toss until everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
5. Serve.Then serve the noodles immediately while they are nice and hot, garnished with lots of toppings and fresh lime wedges for squeezing.

Possible Recipe Variations

As with any noodle stir-fry, there are endless ways to customize this dish to your liking when making it homemade. For example, feel free to:

• Choose your favorite protein: I have included options in the recipe box below for how to make this recipe using beef, pork, shrimp or tofu in place of (or mixed with) the chicken. Or feel free to use whatever other protein you may love best.
• Choose your preferred sweetener:As mentioned above, pad Thai is traditionally sweetened with palm sugar. But feel free to use whatever type of sugar or sweetener you prefer in the pad Thai sauce.
• Make it milder/spicier:Feel free to adjust the amount of chili flakes to taste to make your noodles milder or spicier.
• Make it vegetarian/vegan:To make this vegetarian/vegan pad thai, use tofu as your protein and vegan fish sauce or (extra lime juice, in place of the fish sauce).
• Make it gluten-free:To make gluten-free pad thai, use gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce.
• Use garlic chives:These are more commonly used in Thailand instead of green onions. So if your local market happens to carry them, just slice the garlic chives into 1-inch pieces and add approximately 1 cup of garlic chives to the dish in place of the green onions.