Easy Pad Thai (vegan, gluten-free)

This Asian-inspired vegan and gluten-free Pad Thai is quick and easy to put together, and makes a colorful, healthy and satisfying dish.

What is a Pad Thai?

Pad Thai is a Thai noodle dish made of rice noodles, protein, and stir-fry vegetables all tossed in an amazing sweet and sour Pad Thai sauce! It is one of my favorite Asian-inspired dish ever and probably the one I order the most when I go for Thai food. I love everything about this dish: the sweet and tangy flavors, the stir-fried veggies (I’m crazy about vegetables… weird, right?), the crushed peanuts, and the rice noodles of course. Oh, and also I love the rainbow color effect: isn’t it a pretty dish?

An easy vegan Pad Thai

Traditionally a Pad Thai comes with either chicken or beef, sometimes with shrimps, and for a vegan version with tofu most of the time.

This easy Pad Thai version is ready in minutes and do not require any fancy ingredients. Instead, I went for vegetables exclusively. Then, it’s up to you to add some protein of your choice – or not. You can for instance stir-fry diced tofu together with the other vegetables (or if you want them crispy, stir-fry them separately, then add tofu to the sautéed veggies).

How to make this vegan Pad Thai?

Start with cooking noodle rice. Made out of rice flour and water, Pad Thai noodles (or rice noodles) are entirely gluten-free but also much more delicate and fragile than their wheat noodle counterparts. Because of this, you need to handle the cooking time with care in order to prevent the noodles to stick together. I recommend to give them a good stir right after you soak them in the boiling water, and another time halfway through. Once cooked and drained, you might need to give them another stir with oil before setting aside while you are stir-frying the veggies.

The choice of vegetables is pretty easy in a Pad Thai. Basically you could use any vegetable of your choice, or at least any of them you can easily stir-fry, making it easy for you to grab whatever you have in the fridge. My classic combo includes spring onions, broccoli florets and red pepper, with some alternatives from time to time depending on what’s in season.

An easy vegan Pad Thai sauce! Also, I kept the Pad Thai sauce as simple as possible. This means you won’t need any of these fancy ingredients such as fish sauce (that is by the way not vegan) or even tamarind (usually a substitute for the fish sauce to make a vegan version of the traditional Pad Thai). Here, I just use soy sauce and maple syrup to make it sweet and sour. It’s basic, simple, and it works beautifully for a quick yet delicious meal!

Other vegetable ideas for your Pad Thai:

• mushrooms
• green beans
• zucchini
• bok choy
• mung bean sprouts
• asparagus

The final touch is also one of my favorite one: a handful of crushed peanuts added on top of the Pad Thai together with fresh cilantro. It brings a lovely fresh and crunchy addition to the Pad Thai. Some also like a drizzle of fresh lime juice, just before serving. I let you decide the choice of the toppings but please don’t skip the peanuts, they are what makes the Pad Thai so unique. In the end, you get a lovely sweet and sour dish, rather healthy, and also very satisfying.

Other Asian-inspired recipes you should also try:

• Asian Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry
• Vegan Thai Peanut and Quinoa Salad
• Easy Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
• Easy Vegan Thai Green Curry
• Spicy Thai Coconut Pumpkin Curry
• Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry
• Mango Curry Tofu
• Thai Sweet Potato Soup
• Vegan Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup

And don’t forget about (vegan) dessert !

• Vegan Blueberry Muffins with Flaxseed
• Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 5-Ingredient Snickers Bliss Balls

Easy Pad Thai (vegan, gluten-free)

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Savory
• Cuisine: Vegan

This Asian-inspired vegan and gluten-free Pad Thai is quick and easy to put together, and makes a colorful, healthy and satisfying dish.

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Ingredients

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For the pad thai:

• 200 g (7 oz) wide rice noodles*
• 2 Tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1–2 garlic clove(s), finely sliced
• 1 hot red chilli, finely sliced
• ½ small broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 red pepper, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, shaved into ribbons with a speed peeler
• ¼ cup (30g) roasted & unsalted peanuts, crushed
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, to garnish
• 1 lime, to serve (optional)

For the sauce:

• 5 Tablespoons gluten-free** soy sauce
• 2–3 Tablespoons maple syrup, adjust to taste

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Instructions

1. Cook rice noodles according to the package instructions*, but do not cook them fully as you’ll give them another minute or two in the wok after. Drain, stir a little bit of oil through them to prevent them from sticking together, and set aside.
2. Heat one Tablespoon of oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Once hot add spring onions, garlic and chilli, stirring constantly until fragrant. Transfer to a separate dish.
3. Heat up another tablespoon of oil in the same wok / frying pan, and stir-fry broccoli, and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper and carrot ribbons, and stir-fry until cooked yet still crunchy. Transfer all vegetables to a separate dish.
4. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, and pour the sauce to the bottom of the wok / frying pan. Add in noodles and give them a good stir with the sauce. Add spring onions, chilli, garlic and stir-fried vegetables. Mix everything well and let it warm up, stirring the whole time, for a minute or two.
5. Serve in plates and add the crushed peanuts on top with fresh cilantro and lime if using.

Notes

* After you immerse them in soaking water, give the noodles a good stir to prevent them from clumping together and sticking to the bottom of the pot, and another stir half way through the soaking time.

** Note that regular soy sauce contain gluten, so make sure the one you purchase if gluten-free if you are following a gluten-free diet.

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