The best Vegan Pad Thai with veggies, tofu, rice noodles, peanuts and the best ever sauce. Ready in 30 minutes and better than a restaurant!
One of my favorite things to order at a Thai restaurant (other than a Thai Red Curry) is vegan Pad Thai.
So I order a Pad Thai and Jaye orders a Thai red curry and I put a few spoonfuls of his red curry sauce over my Pad Thai. Just the best.
But THIS vegan Pad Thai is so good, there is no need to put any other sauce on it. It’s saucy and so flavorful.
It’s also SO easy to make at home and seriously rivals the best restaurant. It can also be ready in 30 minutes so it’s a quick and easy dinner that you can make any night of the week.
And if you like Thai food then also check out our vegan tom yum soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Thai red chilis – or any red chilis, are optional. If you prefer not to add any heat to your Pad Thai then feel free to leave these out.
- Tamarind paste – is the true heart and soul of a good Pad Thai sauce. You simply can’t get those authentic flavors of Pad Thai without it. So this is a crucial ingredient. The tamarind paste we use is like a purée. It may be labeled as a ‘paste’ or a ‘purée’. It has a spoonable/pourable consistency and comes in a jar. Do not use the type that comes in a block/solid form.
- Vegan oyster sauce – is another great component to a Pad Thai sauce. It’s usually pretty easy to get hold of an oyster sauce that is labeled vegan or vegetarian (but is vegan by ingredient). You can substitute hoisin sauce if that is easier.
- Extra firm tofu – use the firmest tofu you can get hold of. If you can get vacuum packed extra firm tofu then you can skip pressing it.
- Lime juice – should be freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
How To Make Vegan Pad Thai
Full instructions and measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a summary of the process to go with the process photos.
- Cut the tofu into cubes.
- Slice the chilis in half and scrape out the seeds. Leave the seeds intact if you want the dish to be very spicy.
- Place the rice noodles in a large bowl. Pour over boiling water until they’re entirely submerged and let them soak for 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse and then add a tablespoon of sesame oil and toss them gently.
- Add tamarind paste, coconut sugar, soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, lime juice and sriracha sauce to a measuring jug and whisk it together.
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add tofu cubes and cook until the tofu is lightly browned on either side.
- Add the chilis, cut side down, and crushed garlic and sauté for a minute or two until the garlic is toasted.
- Add rice noodles, carrots, green onions, bean sprouts, peanuts and sauce. Gently toss together and cook for a few minutes until everything is heated through and the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
- Your Pad Thai is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, bean sprouts, chopped green onion and crushed peanuts for a restaurant-worthy dish.
For a full Thai themed dinner serve tofu satay or Thai butternut squash soup for an appetizer.
Chef’s Tips
Make it spicier or milder. The red chilis are cut in half and the seeds scraped out. Then they are added to the skillet, cut side down and sautéed. Cooking the deseeded chilis cut side down releases the chili oil into the pan for a mild, even level of spice. To keep the dish mild, remove the chilis after a minute or two. Leave them in for a spicier result. For a super spicy result, leave the seeds intact.
Make it gluten free. For a gluten free Pad Thai you can switch the soy sauce for tamari or use a gluten free soy sauce. You’ll also need to use a gluten free oyster sauce.
Storing Instructions
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave or by tossing in a hot skillet with a little oil until heated through.
More Vegan Thai Recipes
- Vegan Thai Red Curry
- Vegan Thai Green Curry
- Vegan Massaman Curry
- Vegan Fried Rice
- Tofu Satay
- Thai Pumpkin Curry
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Rice Noodles (226g)
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
Pad Thai Sauce:
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Tamarind Paste
- 3 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- ⅓ cup Soy Sauce (80ml)
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Vegan Oyster Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce
Stir Fry:
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 16 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (450g) Pressed
- 2 Thai Red Chilis Sliced in half
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 2 Medium Carrots Julienned or Thick Grated
- ½ cup Green Onions Chopped
- 1 cup Bean Sprouts
- ⅓ cup Roasted Salted Peanuts Roughly Crushed
Serving:
- Lime Wedges
- Fresh Cilantro
- Bean Sprouts
- Green Onions Chopped
- Roasted Salted Peanuts Crushed
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into cubes.
- Slice the chilis in half and scrape out the seeds. Leave the seeds intact if you want the dish to be very spicy.
- Place the rice noodles in a large bowl. Pour over boiling water until they're entirely submerged and let them soak for 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse and then add a tablespoon of sesame oil and toss them gently.
- Add tamarind paste, coconut sugar, soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, lime juice and sriracha sauce to a measuring jug and whisk it together.
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add tofu cubes and cook until the tofu is lightly browned on either side.
- Add the chilis, cut side down, and crushed garlic and sauté for a minute or two until the garlic is toasted.
- Add rice noodles, carrots, green onions, bean sprouts, peanuts and sauce. Gently toss together and cook for a few minutes until everything is heated through and the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
- Serve with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, bean sprouts, chopped green onion and crushed peanuts.
Notes
- Tamarind paste – is the true heart and soul of a good Pad Thai sauce. You simply can’t get those authentic flavors of Pad Thai without it. So this is a crucial ingredient. The tamarind paste we use is like a purée. It may be labeled as a ‘paste’ or a ‘purée’. It has a spoonable/pourable consistency and comes in a jar. Do not use the type that comes in a block/solid form.
- Vegan oyster sauce – is another great component to a Pad Thai sauce. It’s usually pretty easy to get hold of an oyster sauce that is labeled vegan or vegetarian (but is vegan by ingredient). You can substitute hoisin sauce if that is easier.
- Extra firm tofu – use the firmest tofu you can get hold of. If you can get vacuum packed extra firm tofu then you can skip pressing it.
- Thai red chilis – or any red chilis, are optional. If you prefer not to add any heat to your Pad Thai then feel free to leave these out.
- Make it spicier or milder. The red chilis are cut in half and the seeds scraped out. Then they are added to the skillet, cut side down and sautéed. Cooking the deseeded chilis cut side down releases the chili oil into the pan for a mild, even level of spice. To keep the dish mild, remove the chilis after a minute or two. Leave them in for a spicier result. For a super spicy result, leave the seeds intact.
- Make it gluten free. For a gluten free Pad Thai you can switch the soy sauce for tamari or use a gluten free soy sauce. You’ll also need to use a gluten free oyster sauce.
- Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or by tossing in a hot skillet with a little oil until heated through.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in November 2017. It has been updated with new photos and an improved recipe.
EASY and DELICIOUS!
This is the third dish over three nights I have cooked. It worked wonderfully. This is awesome Dad! from my son. My wife thought it was spicy but she loved it anyway. Another winner. Need to try some of the sweet recipes too. Thank you so much for challenging our palettes and winning!!!
Love it! I make it at least once a week 🙂
Awesome! Thanks so much Evelien!
Super yummy!!
Thanks Nic!
I found this recipe really sharp from the tamarind, maybe I used too much but I thought I followed the recipe pretty closely.. any tips most welcome as I love pad Thai!
Hi Carly, you could definitely reduce the amount of tamarind if you would prefer it that way. All the best! 🙂
I had the same problem! I think it’s because the tamarind paste I found was much more solid/concentrated than the one I saw in the video for this recipe. I ended up salvaging the sauce by halving the result and adding more soy sauce/sugar/water to taste (the result was delicious!), but in the future I plan on using less than half the amount given by the recipe plus a little extra water.
Thanks for sharing this Mia, that’s super helpful! I will update my recipe with a note, I didn’t realize there was a much more concentrated version of this than what we used.
This is seriously the best and only vegan pad Thai recipe I use!!!
Oh wow, that is too awesome! Thanks so much Kam! 🙂
Awesome meal!
Thank you for this! It’s a simple to make recipe and another way for me to use Tamarind paste which I love!
You’re so welcome! I’m definitely going to be looking for more places to use tamarind paste too! It’s a great ingredient! 🙂