Vegan Pad Thai

I absolutely love pad thai, and making this vegan version at home always leaves me reminiscing about trips to Thailand.

This Vegan Pad Thai is a recipe I’m sharing from my upcoming debut cookbook, Vegan Asian

My cookbook is filled with all vegan Asian recipes, from Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino dishes!

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER MY COOKBOOK HERE. Here are some recipes you’ll find inside:

Now on to this Pad Thai recipe!

For this vegan pad thai, I made my own vegan fish sauce to use for this recipe and coat the noodles in a deliciously sweet and savoury sauce. I made this dish with tofu for protein, added crunch from bean sprouts and peanuts, tang from lime and an extra kick of spice from chili powder!

RICE NOODLES FOR THIS PAD THAI

Leave the noodles to soak for 6 to 7 minutes in a bowl with hot water until they are white (no longer translucent), pliable and still very chewy.

Drain the noodles and set aside.

OTHER INGREDIENTS FOR THE PAD THAI

Press the tofu for at least 10 minutes to drain any excess liquid. Afterward, slice into 1/2-inch (1.3-cm) cubes or any other shape of choice. I actually cut mine into strips and baked these beforehand.

VEGAN FISH SAUCE

I made my own vegan fish sauce to use for this recipe and coat the noodles in a deliciously sweet and savory sauce

SWEET AND SAVOURY PAD THAI SAUCE

This Pad Thai sauce is a mix of the following:

coconut sugar or palm sugar
vegan fish sauce (see homemade recipe here)
soy sauce, plus more to taste if needed
fresh lime juice
tamarind puree (see notes in the recipe card below for a sub!)

Note: you can easily adjust everything to your taste but Pad Thai is distinct for its sweet and savoury notes with that bit of tang from the lime juice! 🙂

COOKING THE PAD THAI

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu cubes. Pan-fry them, flipping about every 2 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
Move the tofu to the side of the pan and then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until cooked, about 1 minute. Add the rice noodles and then pour in the sauce.
Mix well, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through but still a little chewy. Lower the heat to medium, then mix in the bean sprouts and strips of scallion. Taste the noodles and feel free to add more soy sauce or vegan fish sauce, as desired. Cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat once the bean sprouts are tender.

SERVING AND ENJOYING YOUR PAD THAI

Serve the noodles in two bowls, each with a generous squeeze of lime juice, chili powder or red pepper flakes, scallions or chives, peanuts and bean sprouts, if desired. Mix and enjoy your pad thai while it’s still hot.

I absolutely love pad thai, and making this at home always leaves me reminiscing about trips to Thailand. I made my own vegan fish sauce to use for this recipe and coat the noodles in a deliciously sweet and savory sauce. I made this dish with tofu for protein, added crunch from bean sprouts and peanuts, tang from lime and an extra kick of spice from chili powder!

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

CourseMain Course

CuisineAsian, Southeast Asian, Thai

Servings

Calories284 kcal