Easy Pad Thai
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Made with pantry staples and easy-to-find ingredients, this pad Thai recipe is weeknight-friendly, full of flavor, and better than takeout.
Pad Thai is a quick and flavorful stir-fried noodle dish—a beloved street food in Thailand and a go-to favorite in Thai restaurants around the world. If you love it as much as I do, you’ll be happy to know it’s easier to make at home than you might think!
Traditional pad Thai typically has a daunting list of ingredients—think tamarind liquid, dried shrimp, pickled white radishes, and garlic chives—that can be hard to find at your local grocery store. This simplified, “Westernized” version uses a few smart swaps (yes, that’s why there’s ketchup!) to keep things accessible while still delivering bold, satisfying flavor.
“Made it last night and it is the best pad Thai ever! Easy to make and customize. Thank you!”
Video Tutorial
What You’ll Need To Make Pad Thai
- Flat rice noodles – The key ingredient in pad Thai. You’ll soak them in hot water (not boil) until just tender, then rinse to keep them from turning gummy in the pan. Look for them in the Asian section of most large supermarkets.
- Eggs – Stirred into the noodles for richness and a little extra protein.
- Shrimp (or chicken or tofu) – Shrimp cooks quickly and adds great flavor, but you can easily swap in chicken or tofu. Just slice it thin and cook it through before tossing everything together.
- Garlic and scallions – Sautéed at the start to build the base flavor of the dish.
- Fish sauce and soy sauce – These give the pad Thai its salty, savory backbone. Look for a brand of fish sauce from Thailand or Vietnam, and don’t worry about buying a large bottle—it keeps forever.
- Rice vinegar, ketchup, and light brown sugar – These three balance each other out and create a pantry-friendly version of classic pad Thai sauce. The ketchup stands in for tamarind, adding just enough tang and sweetness.
- Peanuts, bean sprouts, and cilantro – Scattered over the top just before serving. The peanuts add crunch and nuttiness, the bean sprouts bring a fresh, crisp finish, and the cilantro adds a bright, herbal note that ties everything together.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Soften the noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the noodles, swish to separate, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft but still a bit chewy. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Be careful not to over-soak the noodles—they’ll continue cooking in the pan later. Aim for just shy of al dente so they hold their texture in the finished dish.
Step 2: Beat the eggs. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and set aside.
Step 3: Make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and red pepper flakes.
Step 4: Cook the shrimp. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and a pinch of salt and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the garlic and light scallion parts and cook 1 minute more. Transfer everything to a plate and scrape the pan clean.
Pro Tip: To avoid overcooking the shrimp, use visual cues; pull them from the heat as soon as they curl into a “C” shape. This will keep them nice and juicy.
Step 5: Scramble the eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and scramble the eggs until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the shrimp.
Step 6: Cook the noodles. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan, then the noodles and sauce. Cook, stirring gently, until the noodles absorb the sauce and are tender. (Use a light hand—tossing too aggressively can break them apart.) If they’re still firm, add a splash of water.
Step 7: Toss and serve. Return the contents of the plate and the dark green scallions to the pan and toss to combine. Serve topped with peanuts, bean sprouts, cilantro, and lime wedges, if desired, and enjoy!
More Asian-Inspired Dishes You’ll Love
Pad Thai
This pad Thai has everything you love, from tender noodles to crisp toppings and a crave-worthy sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces flat rice noodles (linguini or fettuccini width)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
- 2½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
- ¾ pound large (31/35) shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- Salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 scallions, light parts thinly sliced, dark green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup dry roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot or wide skillet of water to a boil. Off the heat, add the noodles. Briefly swish them around to separate them, then let sit, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the noodles are soft and pliable but still chewy to the bite, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and season with ⅛ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, for two minutes. Add the garlic and light green scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until softened and the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute more. Transfer the shrimp, garlic, and scallions to a large plate, using a rubber spatula to scrape the pan clean.
- Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the plate with the shrimp.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the hot pan. Add the drained noodles to the pan, along with the sauce mixture. Cook, tossing the noodles gently so as not to break them, until the liquid is absorbed by the noodles and the noodles are cooked through, a few minutes. If the noodles are still firm to the bite when the sauce is absorbed, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking. Add the contents of the plate and the dark green scallions to the noodles and toss gently to combine, until everything is warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving platter and top with peanuts, bean sprouts, and cilantro (if using). Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 579
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Sodium: 1,411 mg
- Cholesterol: 230 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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This was so delicious! Everyone in my family loves it and had seconds. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
This was excellent! I felt that it was of a lot of work between all of the chopping and different prep steps, but was rewarded in the end. I left the hot pepper out and the kids devoured this happily-and took multiple extra helpings! Will make again-on weekends and nights that I have time. Will try to make this with tofu and minus eggs and fish sauce (ideas on substitutions appreciated)for vegetarian family members. Thanks for another great recipe, Jen! I tell everyone about your site!
Jennifer, So glad you liked it! You could use soy sauce in place of the fish sauce but the dish will have more of a Chinese bent than a Thai one without the fish sauce. Still tasty, just different!
Terrific recipe!! The sauce was spot on – though I did add a Tbsp of Red Thai Curry paste for zing. Much better dish than any of the restaurants in our area. Even the left-overs, warmed up slowly so as not to make the shrimp rubbery, were delicious! Another WINNER =D
Hi!
What if I don’t have fresh ginger, but granulated? How much of that should I use? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this recipe soon!
If you’re referring to ground ginger, I would use about 1/2 tsp., If you’re referring to the granulated/candied ginger, I wouldn’t suggest it. If that’s the case, you can just omit the ginger.
Loved this recipe! Pad Thai is my fav and even though I did not have ginger, cilantro to hand it tasted great. Hubby declared best pad Thai ever- and we ate pad Thai in Thailand:)
Excellent. I made this according to the recipe, and it was very good.
I actually have dried shrimp and tamarind paste in the house. How can I add that to make it more authentic (as well as how much)?
Hi Anjli, Because this is just my “take” on Shrimp Pad Thai, I wouldn’t really know the best way to work those ingredients in- I’m sorry! I would suggest looking for a more traditional pad thai recipe if you really want to use those ingredients!
I would love to try this but I am allergic to shrimp. I have had chicken pad Thai in restaurants. Could I substitute chicken; and if so, how much and how should I cook it?
I’m new to the website and me and my husband have been loving the recipes we’ve tried so far! Thanks!
Hi Amy, you could definitely prepare this with chicken. Like the shrimp, use a pound, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces. The chicken will take a bit longer than the shrimp to cook; probably about 3 – 4 minutes per side. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for the tip on switching out the shrimp for chicken. I love Pad Thai, but someone I cook for cannot eat shrimp. I cannot wait to try this. I also appreciate the comments as to the sodium content, as that is a concern for me too.
Hi
I have tried this recipe with both Prawns and with chicken, and both are equally good. Love this recipe totally. The sauce is phenomenal and the beansprouts add the correct crunch to the dish.
Thanks
Vanita
Asked and delivered! Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try it!
Questions
1 Is the weight of shrimp (I pound) before or after peeling?
2 What were the original ingredients for which you used substitutes?
Hi Gordon, the weight of the shrimp is prior to peeling. And I didn’t really use substitutes for ingredients like dried shrimp and tamarind paste because there are no real substitutes. This is more of my “take” on Pad Thai. Hope you enjoy!