I’m absolutely obsessed with this Vegan Pad Thai! It’s my new favorite quick weeknight dinner. Why? Because it’s easy to make, it has bold, wonderful flavors, and it tastes like a dish you’d find at a Thai restaurant, but made and enjoyed in the comfort of your home (plus it’s vegetarian!). A perfectly filling and satisfying meal, you’re sure to love!

vegan Pad Thai dish in a large skillet this recipe

I’ve decided, I definitely need more Thai food in my life! It’s so wonderfully tasty and it always leaves me craving more. This Vegan Pad Thai recipe is no exception to that!

This dish is a quick meal to throw together and it’s jam packed with amazing flavors! I love the way the noodles are coated in the irresistible sauce and, of course, I love the added deliciousness and color of all the fresh veggies used here.

If you haven’t tried much Thai food, this simple Pad Thai is a great place to start. It doesn’t use any crazy ingredients that are hard to find, it’s an easy-to-follow straightforward recipe, and the results are incredible.

vegan Pad Thai served in a white bowl with chopsticks

What is Pad Thai?

Traditional Pad Thai is a rice noodle dish often served as Thai street food and at most restaurants in Thailand as part of the country’s cuisine. Authentic Pad Thai is usually made with rice noodles, chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu, peanuts, a scrambled egg, and bean sprouts, as well as other vegetables. Once the ingredients are sautéed the dish is tossed in the signature Pad Thai sauce, which gives the dish delicious bold, savory flavor with a hint of sweetness. We’re mixing things up and using common ingredients you can find at a normal grocery store and we’re making this Pad Thai recipe completely vegan. Don’t worry, though… it’s so tasty, you’ll never miss the meat!

Key ingredients for Vegetarian Pad Thai:

Grab your grocery list! For this Pad Thai recipe, you’ll need:

  • Rice noodles. You can find rice noodles at pretty much any grocery store, located near other Asian products.
  • Pad Thai sauce. For the signature sauce, you’ll need soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, garlic, ginger and cornstarch. This blend of ingredients makes for the most amazing, rich flavor!
  • Veggies. We’re adding carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, bean sprouts and snow peas for a boost of nutrition, color and texture. From my experience, pad thai often has less veggies in it than my recipe but I wanted extra color and nutrition in the dish so added some more :)
  • Extras. When serving Pad Thai, I like to finish the dish with crunchy chopped peanuts and garnish with lime wedges and fresh parsley or cilantro. Yum!

How to make Vegan Pad Thai:

Making this Pad Thai is super simple! Here’s a quick rundown of what’s involved, but you can find the complete recipe at the bottom of the post.

Cook noodles. Add Pad Thai rice noodles to a large pot of boiling water and cook according to the directions on the packaging– usually about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water.

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

making sauce for vegan Pad Thai

Cook vegetables. Heat oil in a large skillet and then sauté veggies until softened.

Heat sauce. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and place into a bowl. Now, add the sauce to the pan. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes, or until it has reduced and thickened.

cooking veggies for vegan Pad Thai

Combine sauce, veggies and noodles. To the heated sauce, add the Pad Thai noodles, cooked vegetables, green onions, bean sprouts, and snow peas. Toss to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are warmed through.

Garnish and enjoy! Remove skillet from the heat and garnish with chopped peanuts, lime, and/or parsley or cilantro and dig in!

combine noodles, vegetables and sauce for Pad Thai

Tips for making homemade Pad Thai:

  • Vegan Pad Thai stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, which makes this recipe great for meal prep.
  • This dish is delicious when served hot, at room temperature or cold. It’s really just up to your personal preference!
  • Toasted sesame oil is highly recommended because it has a more complex and distinctive flavor than regular sesame oil. However, either will work.
  • I love the crunch and flavor of the peanuts in this Pad Thai recipe, but if you have a peanut allergy or just don’t want to add nuts, feel free to omit them.

vegan Pad Thai served in a white bowl with chopped peanuts and lime wedges

More vegan Asian inspired recipes to try:

As usual, PLEASE let me know if you make this vegetarian Pad Thai recipe and let me know how you like it! You can come back here and leave a comment or tag me on instagram (@foodwithfeeling).

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vegan Pad Thai dish in a large skillet

Vegan Pad Thai

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Brita Britnell
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Vegan Pad Thai has bold, wonderful flavors, and it tastes like a dish you’d find at a Thai restaurant, but made and enjoyed in the comfort of your home. A perfectly filling and satisfying meal, you’re sure to love!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 (8 ounce) bag of rice noodles
  • ¼ cup of veggie broth
  • ¼ cup of soy sauce 
  • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
  • 1 lime, juiced (about 1 tablespoon) 
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic 
  • 1 teaspoon of grated ginger 
  • 1 teaspoon of cornstarch 
  • 1 tablespoons of olive oil 
  • 2 carrots, julienned or in matchsticks 
  • 1 red bell pepper, julienned or in matchsticks 
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced 
  • 1 cup of bean sprouts (optional)
  • 1 cup of snow peas 
  • ¼ cup of peanuts, chopped 
  • For serving: lime wedges and fresh parsley or cilantro, optional 

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in the pad thai rice noodles. Cook according to the directions on the packaging– usually about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, lime juice, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch. Set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and allow it to heat for a minute. Next, add the carrots and bell pepper and sauté until the vegetables are softened and start to caramelize– about 5-7 minutes. 
  4. Next, remove the vegetables to a bowl and add the sauce to the pan. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. 
  5. Add the pad thai noodles, cooked vegetables, green onions, bean sprouts, and snow peas. Toss to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are warmed through. 
  6. Once cooked, remove from the heat and garnish with chopped peanuts, lime, and/or parsley/cilantro and enjoy.
  7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: vegan, pad thai