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!
Kerry says
This recipe is amazing!! Better than any restaurant versions I’ve tried. Well done Nagi 👏 Soo tasty and easy to make. Pad Thai has now been promoted to one of my favourite Thai dishes x
Caleb says
Amazing recipe.. I can’t stand the smell of fish sauce so I ended up substituting it for light soy sauce like you mentioned. First time using tamarind concentrate, and I also made rice noodles from scratch.. best pad Thai I’ve ever had and I’ve had my fair share from plenty of restaurants.. Thank you for the recipe it’s truly amazing.
Nagi says
I am glad that you liked it Caleb! N x
Emily Wise says
I’ve made this recipe a few times both with tamarind paste and with the ketchup substitution listed in the notes and both ways turned out amazing! I modified the sauce to be vegan friendly by subbing the fish sauce for some soy sauce and only used tofu. This recipe is super delicious and a go-to of mine!
Colette says
Pad Thai is my favourite but home made never tasted right. Until now. This recipe is simple, tastes just like the pad Thai from a takeaway. Easy and delicious I’ll be making this again.
Sarah says
This is the best Pad Thai recipe I’ve ever tried! The tamarind makes all the difference. Every recipe I’ve tried before just didn’t taste *right*, but this one did. I couldn’t find jarred tamarind paste so I bought a bunch of fresh tamarind pods and made my own, freezing the homemade paste in 1.5 tbsp pucks specifically for this recipe.
Chachacha says
Yum yum yum!!! This pad Thai recipe is easy and so delish! I toned down on the sugar but that’s just for personal preference. I added chiu chow oil (chilli with oil in a jar from Lee kum kee). I sometimes use left over chicken from roast chicken. We don’t see garlic chives here often in UK groceries but I just used spring onions. The pad thai or flat rice noodles from shops here are ok, just follow the instructions in the packet. I’ve used most of them and they don’t break easily, no need to rinse unless the packet says so. Thank you Nagi for the recipes, you are making our lives easier and yummier! Good luck with the cookbook!
HeadaB says
Great recipe
I didn’t use so much sugar but I like things tart. I also added some yellow pepper and asparagus for colour and nutrition
Meredith says
This is not just the best pad thai recipe I have ever made but the best I have ever eaten! I used the ketchup recipe because I didn’t have tamarind, scallions instead of onions, a ton of cilantro because I love it in pad thai, and some sambal oelek in the sauce for a kick! No need for take out ever again :)!
Melody says
I’m worried that I’m not doing this correctly. So the ketchup substitute replaces the entire sauce, right? The original has so much brown sugar, and the subtitute has so much less…? How can that be?
Simon de says
Easy to make and delicious. Big hit with the whole family. Love your work Nagi, you’re the family cook’s best friend.
Nagi says
Awwww…I’m blushing! 😊😊 N x
Carrie says
Damn good recipe and so easy!!! I have made various Pad Thai recipes before but never bothered to make them again. This recipe, on the other hand, I will definitely make again! So glad I have another use for the tamarind concentrate I bought from an Indian store! Recipe is very tasty and quick to make! And it is definitely restaurant quality!! 😁
Cathy says
So much better than take out! The substitute tamarind was perfect (I didn’t sugar though) This definitely goes in our rotation. Thank you!
Victoria says
Hey, I was wondering what to add if I wanted to make this dish spicy?
Nagi says
I would add chopped fresh Thai red chillies if you want some heat Victoria! N x
Alison says
Delicious! We ate it all! Used the recipe with ketchup alternative (what?!?), but just ordered tamarind puree for next time. Best Pad Thai recipe I’ve found online. This is a keeper – like your stir-fry sauce, and the mac and cheese recipe (both awesome). Thank you!
Martyna says
Excellent. I love how detailed your recipes are, and every one of your recipes I have made so far is a winner.
Cinnamon says
Nagi. I have been trying the same pad Thai recipe from another blog for *years*, despite its highly specialized ingredients that require me running all across Chicago to find (and some suburbs, too). I finally decided to just give something else a try because it never seemed to come out right and wow. You are magical. This is the closest to a restaurant—honestly, better—than I’ve ever had. Oddly, my grocery store was out of fish sauce for the first time in forever, so I subbed hoisin with amazing success. I made it 2 nights in a row that way and can’t wait to try it exactly as written if it was already mind-blowing with one substitution. Thank you so, so, so much. I’m a Recipe Tin Eats fan for life, am already planning out meals for the month with your website as a guide (Reuben sandwiches tomorrow!), and can’t wait for your new cookbook to hit shelves!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you liked it!! How’s the winter treating you??!! 🥶 N x
Cinnamon says
Oops, that was hoisin for the oyster sauce!
Jo N says
This was delicious! My Woolies didn’t have the Chang’s noodles so I used the Erawon wide noodles (they were okay- needed longer soak time than 45 mins). Flavour is yummy like the thai restaurants! Will definitely make this again
Shaneca Hudson says
I am a lover of Pad Thai and this recipe turned out perfect. I don’t think I’ll ever buy Pad Thai again. It was so easy to prepare. I cooked it at lunch because I was too hungry to wait for dinner. Thanks for the amazing and easy recipe.
Nagi says
I get like that sometimes! Just this morning I said I shouldn’t look at recipes before breakfast as I get too hungry! N x
Michelle says
Can I substitute palm sugar for the brown sugar?
Len says
Yes, you may. It’s actually better than brown sugar
Unknown says
This recipe is cultural appropriate! I am Thai I never in my life see a Pad Thai with a CHICKEN!
AHM says
Cultural appropriation is a stretch!
In the UK, every Thai restaurant (run by Thai staff) includes a Pad Thai on their menu and I’ve never encountered a single one that doesn’t have a chicken option. Is it an authentic Pad Thai? No. Is it something people enjoy and that makes the restaurant money? Yes.
Every nation’s cuisine can evolve and be adapted. It’s the magic of cooking!
Billy says
What a silly comment! No one listen to this please
Olga says
If you actually read the blog post you can see that Nagi CLEARLY disclaims that this recipe is somewhat Westernised. Also, I’m pretty sure you meant to write “cultural APPROPRIATION”, although you would still be incorrect 🙂 When folks like you use the phrase cultural appropriation wrongly, it dilutes and distorts its original meaning.
BENGISU says
I did not understand the reasoning behind soaking the rice noodles before we start doing anything if it cannot wait for more than 5-10 mins aside.
Lauren Molieri says
Came out amazing! Great recipe, thank you!!!