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If you’re looking for a simple vegan pad Thai recipe you can easily make at home, look no further. This vegetable pad Thai is versatile, flavorful, and easy to prepare in just 30 minutes. Skip the takeout and save money with hearty & healthy noodles!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Pad Thai Recipe!
Vegetable pad Thai is a deliciously savory weeknight dinner, with complex flavors that keep you craving more. The whole family will love this this vegan pad Thai, with hints of sweet and spice. Since it’s packed with loads of fresh veggies, it will nourish and satisfy.
Plus, this pad Thai recipe cooks up quickly for a busy weeknight or easy meal prep. Save the leftovers for easy lunches later in the week!
If you love the flavor of this vegan pad Thai, you might also enjoy yellow tofu curry or sweet coconut Thai tofu. Or you can explore the full collection of Thai recipes to find more plant-based meals for an easy and flavorful meal. For another quick weeknight dinner, try my vegan Thai red curry recipe.
What is Pad Thai?
This noodle dish is one of the most well-known and popular Thai recipes. It’s typically made with rice noodles, tofu, shrimp, crushed peanuts, fish sauce, bean sprouts, chilies, and eggs.
While not an exact replica of this more traditional dish, this vegan pad Thai recipe makes a few substitutions creating a plant-based Thai dish that delivers great flavor for a hearty meal. This recipe was developed by Renee Press.
Ingredients for Vegetable Pad Thai
Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients needed to make vegetable pad Thai! Many of these are pantry staples you might already have on hand.
- Rice noodles: I prefer using ¼-inch noodles but it can be made with any rice noodle.
- Soy sauce: Swap with tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free options.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds a richer flavor than white sugar. You can also use agave as a substitute.
- Lime juice: There’s no substitute for the flavor of freshly squeezed lime!
- Ketchup: Adds tomato flavor to the pad Thai sauce.
- Oil: I recommend sesame, peanut, or grape seed oil for the best flavor.
- Aromatics: Shallots and fresh garlic are the first layer of flavor in this pad Thai recipe. You can also use yellow onion.
- Hot chili pepper: Choose a Thai or red chili for a spicier flavor. Make sure to deseed the chili so it’s not too spicy.
- Mung bean sprouts: Available in the produce section of many grocery stores. Buy as close to cooking this dish as possible, as they are delicate.
- Herbs: Cilantro, basil, and green onions. Read more about how to store herbs here!
- Peanuts: Chopped and added as a garnish right before serving. Use roasted and unsalted for the best flavor.
- Avocado: A healthy source of fat added for color and flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
- Change the spiciness. Use more or less chili pepper depending on how spicy you like your vegan pad Thai!
- Tofu pad Thai. Marinated tofu or fried tofu works great to add on at the end!
- Add some veggies. Change them up depending on what you have on hand or what’s in season. Broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms all make excellent additions. Simply slice thinly and saute them when you add the bean sprouts.
- Swap the peanuts. Toasted sesame seeds or toasted cashews are some alternatives.
- Oil-free. Simply leave it out or saute the veggies in vegetable broth instead.
How To Make Pad Thai Vegan
Prepartion Steps:
- 1) Heat a medium pot of water until boiling for rice noodles. Check the package for cooking time instructions. Cook them just until al dente.
- 2) When they’re ready drain, rinse, and set aside. Drizzle with a teaspoon of oil if desired and toss to prevent noodles from sticking together. You can work on preparing other parts of the recipe while the noodles are cooking.
Step 1: First, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and ketchup in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the shallot, garlic, and chili pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly browned. Next, add mung bean sprouts, green onions, and half of the sauce mixture. Toss well and let cook one minute more. Then transfer veggies to a large bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Next, add the cooked rice noodles to the same skillet and toss with remaining sauce, salt, cilantro, and basil. Then mix together well.
Step 4: Combine the rice noodles and veggies, tossing them together like making a salad.
Step 5: Meanwhile, add peanuts to skillet to gently toast and warm. Cook them on medium heat until turning golden, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 8: Serve up a bowl of noodles topped with chopped peanuts and sliced avocado. Finally, add more chopped basil, cilantro and extra lime juice if you want. Additionally, you can garnish each plate with a wedge of lime.
Toni’s Recipe Tips for Vegan Pad Thai Recipe
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Rice noodles are more delicate than other types of noodles. Be sure to check the package and cook only until al dente. They will cook a bit more when added to the skillet.
- Don’t like spicy? Or if you have kids at the table, reduce the number of chilies in the vegan pad Thai and serve them up on the side at the table for those who want it spicy to add more.
- Adding veggies? Make sure to cut them into similar-sized pieces so they cook in about the same amount of time.
- Store leftovers. In the refrigerator for up to three days. Vegetable pad thai shouldn’t be frozen.
FAQs for Vegetable Pad Thai
Transfer the leftovers to a skillet or wok and heat over medium-low heat until everything is heated through. If it seems a bit thick and is sticking to the pan you can add a touch of oil to the skillet or a bit of water to loosen the sauce up.
No, typically it isn’t. While the rice noodles traditionally used to make pad Thai are gluten-free, the dish is typically made with soy sauce which contains gluten. You can swap it out with a gluten-free tamari or use coconut aminos instead to make gluten-free pad Thai.
Serving Suggestions
- Appetizers: Start with some fresh rainbow rolls, tofu spring rolls, crispy wontons, and/or pickled veg like these pickled carrots and daikon radish.
- Protein: Serve alongside tempeh kabobs, crispy tofu, or this sweet coconut Thai tofu.
- Salad: Pairs well with a crunchy Thai peanut salad, spicy cucumber salad, or carrot cucumber salad.
- Veggies: Serve with your choice of roasted, steamed, or stir-fried bok choy, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus, etc.!
- Dessert: Finish it off with a sweetly delicious Thai mango sticky rice.
More Noodle Dishes to Try…
Vegan Dinners
Vegetable Yaki Udon (Udon Noodle Stir-Fry)
Vegan Dinners
Garlic Sesame Soba Noodles
Vegan Dinners
Noodle Salad [Cold Sesame Noodles]
![Completed Thai Peanut Noodle Salad [Glass Noodle Salad] plated in a white bowl.](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Glass-Noodle-Salad-15-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Dinners
Peanut Noodle Salad [Glass Noodle Salad]
If you tried this Vegan Vegetable Pad Thai recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
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Vegan Vegetable Pad Thai
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Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound / 454 g) package ¼-inch wide rice noodles
- 4 Tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce tamari, or coconut aminos
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) brown sugar or agave
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lime juice about 1 lime
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) ketchup or tamarind paste
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sesame, peanut, or grape seed oil
- 1 cup (160 g) shallot or yellow onion sliced
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 hot chili pepper, Thai or red chili de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 cup (104 g) mung bean sprouts or thinly sliced cabbage
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (8 g) fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ cup (12 g) fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup (73 g) peanuts roasted and unsalted, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado sliced
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
- Cook the rice noodles until just al dente.
- Drain and rinse the noodles, then toss them with a teaspoon of oil, if desired, so they don’t stick together. You can start the next steps while the noodles cook.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and ketchup. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat (or skip the oil, if you prefer).
- Add the shallot or onion, garlic, and chili pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Add the mung bean sprouts, green onions, and half of the sauce. Toss well and cook for 1 minute more.
- Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the cooked rice noodles to the same skillet with the remaining sauce, salt, cilantro, and basil, and mix well.
- Add the noodles to the bowl of vegetables and toss them together.
- Add the peanuts to the skillet and toast them over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden.
- Sprinkle the peanuts over the noodles, then top with sliced avocado and more basil and cilantro, if desired.
- Serve with extra lime juice or lime wedges.
Notes
- Use more or less chili pepper, depending on how spicy you like your vegan pad Thai.
- For tofu pad Thai, add marinated tofu or fried tofu at the end.
- Add more veggies, depending on what you have on hand or what’s in season. Broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms all work. Slice them thinly and sauté them when you add the bean sprouts.
- Swap the peanuts for toasted sesame seeds or toasted cashews.
- To make it oil-free, leave out the oil or sauté the veggies in vegetable broth instead.
Omg this was amazing and so easy. Thank you!
Tried this tonight and, I have to admit, I was skeptical at first because I have a pretty wicked Pad Thai recipe of my own.
This dish is superb! My tamarind was spoiled so I used ketchup & lime as a substitute (I was wary….ketchup?!?). The entire dish came together wonderfully! The avocado adds unexpected richness while the cilantro & basil compliment the rest of the ingredients perfectly. I added a leftover carrot and 1/2 a yellow pepper as well. Consider a few chow mein noodles for crunch and this dish will become a delicious addition to your repertoire. (It’s far easier to make than my other recipe, too!) Outstanding meal!! Thank you so much!!
So glad you gave this dish a go! It’s a yummy one!
What if you don’t eat soy? Is there a substitute?
You could look for a soy-free soy sauce or use coconut aminos. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
I’m getting hungry just looking at the recipe!!
You’re not alone haha!
Delicious! This recipe is much easier than I imagined it would be and the flavor is perfect. Yum 🙂
Gotta love that pad thai flavor! So good!
Can’t get enough of this pad thai! So flavorful and delicious!
I’m with you! It’s sooo authentically delicious!
This avocado pad thai is incredible! Perfect weeknight dinner recipe!
Yess! So easy to make and flavorful in every bite!
I love ordering pad thai when I go out, so I’m excited to try this version at home!
Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Yu had me at “made in under thirty minutes” hehe, this pad thai came out delicious and whipped up quickly!
I love it when they’re quick to make too! So good!
Full of flavour and quick to make too!
Gotta love the quick and easy recipes!
Love this avocado pad thai! Super creamy and flavorful!
Right?! Oh so delicious!
My family loves this recipe! I am making it a few times a month!
Love that! It’s a great dinner option!
We love Thai food, especially pad Thai, now we can make our own at home! And it’s looks so easy with so many great tips!
You’ll save a ton of money without missing out on the flavor!
Wonderfully flavorful and filling! A great weeknight dish.
Yess! Great for a quick meal to get on the table!
Love the flavor of this pad thai! So tasty!