Making Shrimp Pad Thai at home is easier than you think and takes just 30 minutes. This delicious dish is made with shrimp, tofu, rice noodles and veggies all tossed in a sweet and tangy homemade sauce. It is easy, flavorful, and a fraction of the price of takeout!
Thai food has been one of my favorite cuisines since the day I first tried it. I absolutely love dining out at my favorite Thai restaurant any chance I get, but, as with most dishes, recreating them in my kitchen is one of my favorite things to do. Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Thai Sweet Chili Chicken are among those favorite recreated dishes. This Shrimp Pad Thai recipe is another.
The key to getting that authentic pad thai taste at home is in the tamarind paste used to make the sauce. If you have tried recipes that forgo this ingredient, you’ve probably been left feeling a bit disappointed. You can’t achieve that authentic pad thai flavor without tamarind – it’s essential.
You can find Tamarind sauce in Asian grocery stores, though you might have some luck finding it in the Asian aisle of larger grocery chains. The other ingredients needed for this recipe are more easily found in the Asian aisle of your local grocery store. If you often cook Asian recipes at home, you likely already have most of the ingredients you need for the sauce on hand.
I made this pad thai recipe with shrimp because it is my favorite way to order it but you can just as easily swap out the protein for chicken or beef or leave it out altogether to make it a vegetable pad thai.
Why we love this recipe
- It’s delicious! This dish is loaded with tasty shrimp, veggies, and tofu tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce. So much delicious flavor!
- The recipe comes together in just 30 minutes.
- You can easily change things up to suit your own tastes or ingredients you have on hand. You can add different veggies or swap out the shrimp for chicken or beef. The recipe can also easily be made vegetarian.
Ingredients in Shrimp Pad Thai
- Tamarind paste: This ingredient gives pad thai an authentic flavor. You can find it at Asian grocery stores or in the Asian aisle of some larger chain grocery stores.
- Other sauce ingredients: brown sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup.
- Rice noodles: 1 10oz or 285g package.
- Cooking oil: olive oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, or similar.
- Veggies: onion, shredded carrots, beansprouts.
- Shrimp: 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined.
- Eggs: whisked.
- Tofu: Firm tofu, diced.
- Garnish: chives, peanuts, lime wedges.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Shrimp Pad Thai
- Cook the noodles. Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions. Set aside.
- Make the sauce. In a bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Cook the shrimp and vegetables. Heat oil in a large wok or large skillet. Add the onion, carrots and shrimp and fry, stirring with a wooden spoon until shrimp is cooked.
- Scramble the eggs. Push everything to one side of the wok and place the whisked eggs on the other side. Use the wooden spoon to stir and scramble the eggs then stir everything together.
- Toss everything together. Add the tofu, bean sprouts, sauce and noodles to the wok and cook for another 2 minutes, tossing to coat everything in sauce.
- Garnish and serve. Sprinkle on the chives and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.
Variations and substitutions
- Swap a different protein. Use chicken or beef instead of shrimp for a different version of this classic Thai dish. You can also keep it meat-free by omiting the shrimp. Increase the tofu if desired, or keep as is. Note: The sauce for thai food includes fish sauce and oyster sauce so it will not be a truly vegetarian meal.
- Add more vegetables. While it may not be truly authentic, you can make a healthier pad thai by adding in lots of different vegetables to bulk up the dish. Green beans, peppers, etc.
Storing leftovers and reheating
Once cooled, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.
To reheat leftovers, add the pad thai to a saucepan with a little water. Heat it over medium heat until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat the pad thai in a microwave.
Are you a fan of Asian recipes? You may also like:
Shrimp Ramen Stir Fry
Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipe (Fry, Bake, or Air Fry)
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Asian Sesame Beef Skewers
Sweet Citrus Stir Fry
Baked Orange Chicken
Pork Pot Stickers
Did you love this recipe? Please consider leaving us a comment and a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below.
Don’t forget to keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Shrimp Pad Thai
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 4 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 tablespoons water
For the stir fry:
- 10 oz rice noodles (about 1 package) or 285g
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/4 onion sliced
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 eggs whisked
- 2 cups beansprouts
- 1/2 cup firm tofu diced
- 1/3 cup chives chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions. Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large wok or large skillet. Add the onion, carrots and shrimp and fry, stirring with a wooden spoon until shrimp is cooked.
- Push everything to one side of the wok and place the whisked eggs on the other side. Use the wooden spoon to stir and scramble the eggs then stir everything together.
- Add the tofu, bean sprouts, sauce and noodles to the wok and cook for another 2 minutes, tossing to coat everything in sauce.
- Sprinkle on the chives and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
