Pad Thai Recipe
Posted May 13, 2026
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This easy Pad Thai recipe is better than takeout! Learn how to make Pad Thai at home with a fresh, flavorful sauce, crispy tofu, and perfectly tender noodles for a dinner everyone will love.
I take creating recipes seriously — and this Pad Thai recipe is proof. I spent an entire year tweaking the sauce, adjusting the ingredients, and dialing in the cooking method to make sure this version is truly better than takeout. Because if I’m going to share a recipe with you, I want to make sure it’s perfect.
And this recipe for Pad Thai is so good. We’re talking a perfect sweet, savory, tangy sauce with lots of crispy tofu and noodles in every bite. There are peanuts for crunch, cilantro for flavor, and carrots for some veggie action! This easy Pad Thai recipe is so delicious you may never order takeout Thai food again!
Pad Thai Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
I have a lot to say about these ingredients – so let’s get into it!
- Noodles. If I’m being honest, true Pad Thai noodles are so hard to cook perfectly. Trust me, I tried (and failed) a few times. So, I find myself using udon noodles most of the time.
- Peanut oil. Canola or sesame oil are good substitutes.
- Carrots. I love to buy shredded carrots to save time chopping.
Pad Thai Sauce
I personally think the sauce is the most important part of Pad Thai. So, I tried to make a sauce that used accessible ingredients, and I have some suggestions for more authentic ones if you have access to them.
- Water. Use fish sauce in place of water for a more authentic flavor. I don’t keep fish sauce on hand and loved the dish with water.
- Tamarind paste. I ended up getting this from Whole Foods, however you can also order it on Amazon. I tried making this Pad Thai recipe without it and I just felt like it wasn’t as good. So I personally think this ingredient is a must – however, you can use extra lime juice if you’d like.
- Lime juice. Use fresh or bottled.
- Sweet chili sauce. Choose your level of spice here.
- Peanut butter. Creamy or crunchy both work well. I prefer unsweetened.
How to Make Pad Thai
We’ll walk through how to make this easy Pad Thai recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video for additional help!
Cook the Noodles
The first step is cooking the noodles according to the package instructions. Make sure to follow them closely. When you drain the noodles, don’t rinse them with water.
Make the Pad Thai Sauce Recipe
Ok – this sauce is so good. Like I mentioned above there are a few substitutions you can make, but I suggest making it as written first.
Begin by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl or in a 2-cup glass measuring cup (my preference because it’s easier to pour). If you’re using peanut butter that is solid at room temperature, you may need to gently warm the sauce until the peanut butter is easy to whisk.
Make the Pad Thai
Once the noodles are cooking and the sauce is prepped, it’s time to cook the tofu. I like flavorful, slightly crispy tofu which is exactly what you get with this recipe.
Begin by heating two tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan on high heat. Then, add the tofu and cook, stirring often, over medium high heat, until it is just starts to brown.
Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt, ginger evenly over the tofu and stir. Continue cooking until the tofu is golden-brown.
Once browned, add the carrots, onion, garlic, and an additional Tablespoon of oil. Cook on high heat until the carrots are soft – which takes about 5-10 minutes. Be sure to stir often!
Next, turn the heat to low, move the ingredients aside, and add additional oil and the beaten eggs.
Scramble and cook the eggs.
Then add the cooked noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, and sauce, and stir to combine.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often until the sauce has coated everything evenly.
Serve
Serve this Pad Thai recipe immediately with chopped cilantro, extra peanuts, and sliced green onions if you’d like! We love serving this with fresh spring rolls and homemade peanut sauce!
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Pad Thai Recipe FAQS
Honestly, real Pad Thai noodles are so hard to cook perfectly. Trust me, I tried (and failed) a few times. So, I find myself using udon noodles.
Do not overcook the noodles in the water or they will get mushy when you add them to the Pad Thai with sauce.
I took over a year perfecting this Pad Thai sauce recipe to be accessible and delicious. It includes:
– Soy Sauce
– Tamarind Paste (or lime juice)
– Lime Juice
– Brown Sugar
– Chili Sauce
– Peanut Butter
Yes, you can simply substitute equal amounts of lime juice for the tamarind paste.
You can add additional vegetables and cook them with the carrots. I suggest julienning the veggies you use. Some suggestions include red or green bell pepper and zucchini.
You can use a different protein like chicken, shrimp or beef if you’d like.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Easy Pad Thai Recipe
Video
Equipment
- chef's knife
Ingredients
Pad Thai Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons water (or fish sauce)
- 5 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste (or lime juice)
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon chili sauce
- 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
Pad Thai
- 8 ounces udon noodles (or Pad Thai Noodles – see notes)
- 14 ounces extra firm Tofu (cut into ½" cubes)
- 4 Tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup carrots (julienned)
- ¼ cup green onions (finely sliced)
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups bean sprouts (4.5 ounces)
- ¼ cup peanuts (crushed)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Cook the Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse.
Make the Pad Thai Sauce
- Whisk the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice, chili sauce and peanut butter in a small bowl until smooth. If necessary, gently warm the ingredients until the peanut butter is easy to whisk and combine with the other ingredients. Set aside.
Make the Pad Thai
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of peanut oil in a wok or fry pan over high heat.
- Add the tofu and cook, stirring often, over high heat, until it is just starts to brown.
- Then, evenly sprinkle the garlic powder, salt, and ginger over the tofu and stir until it's evenly distributed.
- Continue cooking until the tofu is lightly golden brown.
- Then, add the carrots, onion, garlic and 1 Tablespoon peanut oil, stir and cook over medium-high heat until carrots are soft. Be sure to stir often.
- Once the carrots are cooked, turn the heat to low.
- Move the ingredients aside, add 1 Tablespoon peanut oil and the beaten egg to the empty space int he fry pan or wok.
- Cook and scramble the egg over low heat until it's done.
- Then add the cooked noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro and sauce and stir to combine.
- Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often. Until sauce has coated everything evenly and beings to stick to the Pad Thai.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of extra crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro and sliced green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Peanut oil. canola or sesame oil are good substitutes.
- Carrots. I like to buy shredded carrots to save time cutting whole carrots!
- Extra firm tofu. Regular tofu works well too.
- Water. Fish sauce can be used in place of water for a more authentic flavor.
- Tamarind paste. I ended up getting this from whole foods, however you can also order it on Amazon. I tried making this Pad Thai recipe without it and I just felt like it wasn’t as good. So I personally think this ingredient is a must – however you can use extra lime juice if you’d like.
- Lime juice. use fresh or bottled.
- Sweet Chili sauce. choose your level of spice here.
- Peanut butter. creamy or crunchy both work well. I prefer unsweetened.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
