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This recipe for vegan pad thai is quick, easy, and irresistibly delicious! It’s restaurant quality and ready to eat in roughly 30 minutes, made with rice noodles, tofu, and a tangy sauce. Meatless Mondays just got a whole lot tastier!
Notes from Cheryl
- Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. This recipe moves kind of quickly, so you won’t have time to chop veggies while other ingredients cook.
- Traditionally, pad thai sauce includes tamarind paste, but it can be a little tricky to track down in some places. Rice vinegar works as an alternative, giving the sauce the tartness it needs.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Cook the Rice Noodles
Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the rice noodles. Boil them for just 60 seconds, then immediately move the pot off the heat. Let the noodles soak in the hot water for 5 minutes, then pour them into a colander and rinse them under cold water.
While the noodles soak, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce.
Pan-Fry the Tofu
Heat avocado oil in a large skillet (or the same pot you used for the noodles), then add the cubed tofu. Flip the tofu cubes as needed until all sides are nice and golden, then transfer the fried tofu to a bowl and set them aside.
Sautรฉ the Vegetables
Throw the bell pepper slices, carrot sticks, and green onions (white parts only!) in the pot and sautรฉ them until soft, then mix in the minced garlic.
Bring It All Together
Toss the fried tofu and boiled noodles in with the veggies, then stir in the prepared sauce and cilantro. Stir everything together until the sauce is heated through.
Garnish and Serve
Portion the tofu pad thai into serving bowls and sprinkle chopped peanuts and cilantro onto each bowl. Serve with lime wedges (trust me, that juice has a huge impact!) and a side of bean sprouts. Enjoy!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Crisp pan-fried tofu. Tender rice noodles. The most amazing sauce. There’s no part of this recipe that isn’t unbelievably delicious. If you like deep, layered flavors and a perfect blend of textures, you will LOVE this recipe.
- This vegan pad thai is truly a restaurant-quality dish, but it’s SO easy to make in your very own kitchen. It comes together fast, too – faster than waiting for delivery or running out to grab a to-go order.
- A touch of sriracha adds just a liiiittle bit of heat to the sauce and oh, mama, it’s good.
Recipe Variations
- Veggie-Only Option: For pure vegetable pad thai, swap out the tofu with stir-fried broccoli florets, onion, more bell peppers, zucchini noodles, and any other vegetables you like.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Vegan Pad Thai Recipe
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp chef's knife
- Large pot
- stovetop
- colander
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
- Large wooden spoon
- Large plate or bowl
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- water to boil noodles
- 8 ounces flat rice noodles
For the Pad Thai Sauce
- ยผ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 5 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or sambal oelek; plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter optional
For the Vegan Pad Thai
- 3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil avocado oil, refined coconut oil, sesame oil, etc.
- 1 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu drained, pressed, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 medium red bell pepper approximately 6 ounces, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions cut diagonally into 1-inch-long pieces; green and white parts separated
- ยฝ cup carrot matchsticks approximately 1 medium carrot
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic approximately 3 large cloves
- ยผ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- ยฝ cup dry-roasted peanuts
- ยผ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- lime wedges from 2 medium limes
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
Instructions
- Fill large pot with water and place pot on stovetop over high heat. Bring water to rolling boil.
- When water begins to boil, add 8 ounces flat rice noodles to pot. Boil noodles 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, move pot to cool burner and let noodles soak in hot water 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, pour noodles and water into colander. Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well. Set aside.
- Add ยผ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 5 packed tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sriracha, and 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter to small mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until fully incorporated. Set aside.
- Return large pot to stovetop and set heat under pot to medium-high. Add 3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil to pot and heat oil until shimmery.
- When oil is hot, add 1 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu (cut into ยฝ-inch cubes) to pot. Fry tofu, flipping cubes occasionally, until golden-brown on all sides. Transfer fried tofu to large bowl or plate and set aside.
- Add 1 medium red bell pepper, white parts of 3 green onions, and ยฝ cup carrot matchsticks to pot. Stir to incorporate then sautรฉ ingredients until softened, approximately 4 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic and sautรฉ, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
- Return tofu and rice noodles to pot. Pour the prepared sauce into the pot, then add ยผ cup fresh cilantro and green parts of 3 green onions. Stir until ingredients are fully incorporated and sauce is heated through.
- Portion pad thai into serving bowls. Garnish with ยฝ cup dry-roasted peanuts and ยผ cup fresh cilantro if desired. Serve warm with lime wedges and 1 cup fresh bean sprouts.
- Prep all your ingredients before starting the recipe. It moves quickly!
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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