Vegan Pad Thai

Name: Vegan Pad Thai
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp sesame oil; 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped/crushed); 1 small red onion (sliced); 1/2 red chilli (deseeded and sliced); 1 small head of broccoli (sliced into smaller florets); 1 red pepper (sliced); 1 large handful bean sprouts; 1 small handful unsalted peanuts (crushed (more for serving)); 150 g rice noodles; 3 tbsp tamari; 3 tbsp maple syrup; 1 heaped tsp miso paste; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 juice of lime

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Introducing the best 15-minute Vegan Pad Thai you will ever taste! This easy Pad Thai is absolutely rammed full of colour and flavour. You will be shocked that it’s actually gluten, dairy, egg, and refined sugar free!

Vegan Pad Thai served in a plate next to a pan on the table.

Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy

Jump to:

Why this recipe works
Ingredients to make Vegan Pad Thai
Substitutions
Variations
How to make Vegan Pad Thai
Leftovers
Recipe FAQs
Recipe
Reviews

Why this recipe works

So if you hadn’t guessed by now, I love the flavours in Thai food. It had been a LONG time since I’d had a Pad Thai, so the other day I tasked myself with turning a Pad Thai recipe vegan and gluten free and WOW it was incredible!

If you love Thai food too, then trust me that you’re going to absolutely LOVE this recipe – even if you’ve never tried Pad Thai vegan style! And at roughly 15 minutes to make and £6 for two portions, it will save you some serious time and money on those restaurant or takeaway trips!

This gluten-free Pad Thai is easy, colourful, healthy, and so tasty! It’s full of simple ingredients you can buy from most supermarkets. The flavour this veggie Pad Thai packs is crazy from so few ingredients!

This easy vegetarian Pad Thai recipe will be a complete crowd pleaser! You can serve this up to the biggest Wagamama fans and I think they will be pleasantly surprised with how authentic this flavour is. And they’ll be even more surprised that this is completely free-from gluten, dairy, eggs and refined sugar!

This was inspired by my Peanut Butter Noodles recipe, and pairs well with this amazing Crispy Satay Tofu sidedish recipe.

And for more of my Thai recipes then check out my Thai Tofu Curry or Thai Red Prawn Curry.

Ingredients to make Vegan Pad Thai

Sesame Oil – is used to fry up the delicious vegetables.
Garlic Cloves – should be finely chopped and/or crushed.
Small Red Onion – needs to be sliced before cooking.
Red Chilli – should be deseeded and sliced. Deseeding it takes away some of the spice.
Small Head of Broccoli – will be sliced into smaller florets.
Red Pepper – adds a bright colour and flavour. It should be sliced.
Bean Sprouts – are mixed in after everything has cooked.
Unsalted Peanuts – should be crushed before being mixed in. Plan on having more for serving as well.
Rice Noodles – are my preference for gluten-free and vegan Pad Thai noodles. If you have any spare then try my Thai Curry Noodle Soup.

Pad Thai Sauce

Tamari – has a soy sauce type flavour, but is gluten-free. If you have any spare try my Vegetable Thai Green Curry.
Maple Syrup – is one of my favourite natural sweeteners.
Miso Paste – is a well known flavour in Japanese cooking.
Sesame Oil – adds a great flavour to the Vegan Pad Thai sauce.
Lime Juice – I recommend using juice from a fresh lime.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions

Sesame Oil – You can use other types of oil if needed.
Garlic Cloves – You can use minced garlic in place of fresh.
Red Onion – Yellow or white onions will do in place of red onions.
Vegetables – Feel free to change up the vegetable selection to what your family likes best or what you have on hand.
Tamari – can be replaced with soy sauce, amino acids, or coconut aminos.
Lime – You can use a lemon instead of a lime. Another option is to use bottled lemon or lime juice.

Variations

Spicy – Leave the seeds in the chilli pepper for a spicier dish.
Deluxe – Top with more peanuts, green onions, and fresh herbs.
Kid friendly – If your kids are sensitive to heat, drop the chilli pepper. Adjust the vegetables to their preferences.

How to make Vegan Pad Thai

Step 1: Firstly, finely chop the garlic, red onion, chilli, finely slick the pepper and broccoli (into small florets).

Step 2: Heat a nonstick pan with sesame oil. Add in the chopped and sliced ingredients and fry for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Meanwhile, boil some rice noodles per package instructions.

Step 4: Prepare the Pad Thai sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mixing until smooth.

Ingredients for Vegan Pad Thai combined in a pan.

Step 5: Add everything together into the pan and stir until covered.

Hint: This will keep for lunch the next day if you are just cooking for one!

Leftovers

Leftover vegan Pad Thai can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan or the microwave. Add a little water to loosen up this noodle dish.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make a Pad Thai recipe vegan?

You can! With a few simple swaps, you’ll have an incredibly delicious Pad Thai that meets all of your vegan needs! Tamari, maple syrup, miso paste, sesame oil, and lime juice make for a fantastic sauce. No need for fish sauce!

Is Vegan Pad Thai healthy?

My recipe is chock-full of vegetables! The sauce is sweet and delicous without any refined sugars. No eggs or meat also helps to cut down on the less-healthy parts of traditional Pad Thai.

What type of rice noodles work best for Pad Thai?

Long, flat, thin noodles are the best ones for Pad Thai. They are often labeled as such.

Is Vegan Pad Thai gluten-free?

My recipe is, as I have to eat gluten free. In regular Vegan Pad Thai, the only thing that is usually not gluten free is the soy sauce. I use tamari instead to make it gluten free as well!

Vegan Pad Thai served on a plate with wooden chopsticks.

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