Description
A vibrant and flavorful vegan Pad Thai recipe featuring wide rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and a tangy tamarind-based sauce. This gluten-free dish is quick to prepare, packed with colorful vegetables, and perfect for a healthy, plant-based meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Noodles and Sauces
- 200 g / 7 oz wide rice noodles
- 5 tbsp tamarind sauce
- 1 tbsp tamari / soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegan fish sauce or more tamari / soy sauce
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup, adjust to taste
Vegetables
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 hot red chilli, finely sliced
- 2 carrots, shaved into ribbons with a speed peeler
- A large handful of green beans, cut diagonally
- ½ small broccoli, divided into florets
- 1 red pepper, finely sliced
- ½ cup mung bean sprouts
Others
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or other high smoke point oil)
- ¼ cup roasted & unsalted peanuts, pounded in a pestle & mortar
- Fresh coriander, to garnish
Instructions
- Soak the Rice Noodles: Prepare rice noodles according to the packet instructions but undercook slightly. During soaking, lift the lid occasionally to stir and prevent sticking. Stir well halfway through soaking. Drain and set aside. Optionally toss with a little oil to prevent clumping.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, mix tamarind sauce, tamari/soy sauce, vegan fish sauce (or additional tamari), and maple syrup. Adjust maple syrup to taste to balance sourness from tamarind.
- Cook Aromatics: Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and heat until nearly smoking. Add sliced spring onions, garlic, and chilli. Stir-fry constantly until spring onions soften and garlic is fragrant. Transfer aromatics to a plate, leaving oil in the pan.
- Stir-Fry Vegetables: Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok. In order, add broccoli florets, green beans, red pepper, and carrot ribbons with 1-2 minutes between additions. Stir-fry vegetables until tender yet still crunchy. Transfer to a plate.
- Combine Noodles and Sauce: Pour the prepared sauce into the wok. Add the drained noodles and toss to coat, breaking apart any clumps with the heat and sauce.
- Reintroduce Aromatics and Vegetables: Return the cooked spring onions, garlic, chilli, and stir-fried vegetables to the wok with the noodles. Mix thoroughly and warm everything together for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Serve: Divide the vegan Pad Thai between plates. Garnish with mung bean sprouts, crushed roasted peanuts, and fresh coriander. Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over.
Notes
- Use tamarind paste or homemade tamarind block-based paste for best flavor; shop-bought tamarind puree can be more concentrated, so add cautiously.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free when using tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Maple syrup can be adjusted for sweetness based on tamarind sourness.
- To ensure noodles don’t stick, stir well during soaking and consider tossing with a bit of oil.
- Vegan fish sauce is a great umami substitute to keep the recipe authentically flavored but can be replaced with extra tamari if unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate (approx. 1/3 recipe)
- Calories: 534
- Sugar: 27.6 g
- Sodium: 1882 mg
- Fat: 15.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 88.8 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 10.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
