Shrimp Pad Thai is a healthy stir fry noodle bowl made with gluten free rice noodles, shrimp, and all the classic Thai flavors like ginger, garlic, lime, and cilantro ~ this meal beats take-out by a mile!
Don’t be afraid to make pad Thai at home!
Thai food can seem daunting if you’ve never attempted it in your own kitchen, but just like with so many ‘exotic’ cuisines, it’s mostly a matter of stocking your pantry with the right seasonings and condiments, the rest is pretty straightforward. Pad Thai is one of the simpler Thai recipes, so I recommend it as a starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking. For this Shrimp Pad Thai recipe there are really only 2 ingredients that are out of the ordinary:
- Rice noodles ~ rice noodles are traditional for pad Thai, you’ll find them in the Asian section of your market. Buy extra so you’ll have them on hand because trust me, you WILL be making this again! They cook up more quickly than pasta, and some of them need only a brief soak in hot water.
- Fish sauce ~ this is a fermented fish sauce that doesn’t taste great on its own, but adds an authentic touch to this dish. It’s right there along with the soy sauces in your store. The bottle will keep forever in your refrigerator.
TIP: I keep a section of my refrigerator door shelves dedicated to Asian condiments and sauces…that way I always know where they are, and I can access them easily. As your collection grows, so does your potential repertoire of authentic Asian dishes.
Prep all your ingredients ahead of time for pad Thai
I’ll cook the noodles, mix up the sauce, beat the eggs, and chop the veggies so all I have to do is orchestrate the stir frying. The shrimp goes in first, then the aromatics, the sauce, eggs, noodles, and toppings. Just make sure everything gets well tossed so all the noodles absorb those great flavors.
The nice thing about pad Thai is that you can eat it hot, warm, room temperature, or cold, and it’s wonderful all ways. The leftovers make a delicious packable lunch.
Shrimp is such a versatile base for quick and easy meals, check out all my shrimp recipes for lots of great inspiration. Some of my favorites are ~
- CHIMICHURRI SHRIMP ~ easy sauteed shrimp in a brilliant green herb sauce.
- SHRIMP SCAMPI FRA DIAVOLO ~ fiery shrimp with pasta based on an Italian classic.
- CREAMY SHRIMP BISQUE ~ this luxe soup is the prettiest pink color!
Shrimp Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small zucchini, shredded
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
garnish
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, rough chopped
- a handful of fresh beansprouts, any type you can find
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Cook your noodles according to the package instructions. Set aside.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large wok and saute the shrimp until it is cooked through. Remove the shrimp to a plate.
- Heat the rest of the oil in the wok and saute the garlic, ginger, and hot pepper for several minutes, stirring constantly. Add the zucchini and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Push the contents of the wok to one side to make room for the eggs. Add a touch more oil if necessary, and add the eggs. Scramble the eggs, stirring constantly, until they are just cooked through.
- Add the sauce to the pan, and heat it up, then add the noodles and shrimp to the pan and toss everything together thoroughly. When it's all icombined and hot, add in the cilantro and scallions and toss again.
- Serve topped with roasted peanuts, sprouts, and lime wedges.
Notes
- For a vegan version, see my VEGETARIAN PAD THAI RECIPE.
Nutrition
My family loves this dish and insists I make it regularly.
I first enjoyed this at a small restaurant in Thailand. It was much better than any I have had since in the USA because in Thailand there were more sprouts than rice noodles, so less carbs:-) The other thing I liked is that the restaurant lined the serving bowl with the egg that was beaten and cooked like a thin crepe.
Your recipe looks like it could easily and deliciously adapted to what I had in Thailand. Thank you for your recipe!
This dish was good the first night. However, not so much as leftovers. There are only 2 of us ,so next time I make this I will cut this recipe in half. I will make this again.
Thanks Im cooking this tonight ?Just re read recipe I too was wondering g when to sauté the shrimp !!! Thanks Sue ?
Check step 3 of the recipe Jean, you’ll sauté it and then set it aside while you cook the rest.
Hi Sue…..Had to mention that Fish Sauce, although introduced to my ingredient list via Asian cooking; is a wonderful “depth/umami flavor to many cuisines! I use it, (by the drop), to deepen quick Italian marinara, pressure cooker stews and others that escape me, at the moment! It is wonderful “instant umami”!
I love the idea of using it to LIGHTLY season other dishes, Joy, thanks for the tip 🙂
With Thai town so close to my Hollywood neighborhood I don’t attempt too much Thai, but I do have that Asian section in my fridge your reference so I guess I should try more Thai treats. GREG
Pad Thai is my go-to takeout meal but this looks too delicious not to try making at home 🙂
It’s always been my go-to take out Thai dish, but I have to say, I’ve never gotten it nearly as fresh from a restaurant, it’s definitely one of those recipes that benefits from cooking it at home.
Absolutely beautiful! Thai food is one of my favourites. Can’t beat it for fresh flavours. Can’t wait to try this 🙂
So yummy.. I love pad thai…
This is so sweeeeet. I had a Thai lunch out a couple days ago, which prompted m to ask a key question. Carol (that’s me), when are you going to FINALLY try some Thai food recipes. Because not only are they tasty, but not particularly heavy on the calories. Carol (that’s me again) looked shame faced. She had no excuse. Here pops up your recipe which I just printed. Here is the money spot—-I already have all the ingredients. YES!!!!!!!!!!!
:)))