Easy Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe

This Vegetarian Pad Thai has a colorful combination of fresh cooked veggies and rice noodles all tossed in a quick homemade Pad Thai Sauce. It is much better than take out and comes together in under 30 minutes.

Vegetarian pad thai is the ultimate easy to make, better than take out recipe! It combines long tender cooked pad Thai noodles with vibrant crunchy bell peppers and edamame all tossed in a wonderful quick homemade pad Thai sauce!

Most pad thai recipes call for chicken or shrimp or even tofu but I wanted to create a Vegetarian Pad Thai recipe that you could make quickly and add in any extra proteins you like. It’s basically the best vegetarian noodle dish ever!

This Pad Thai recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes, has the most amazing soft noodles, perfectly sautéed veggies and an incredible sauce that is insane. I topped it with chopped parsley and cilantro and chopped peanuts. So Good and a perfect date night meal for two!

What is traditional Pad Thai?

Pad Thai is really just a simple rice noodle dish that has loads of veggies and chicken, shrimp or tofu mixed in with a luscious pad Thai sauce. It it usually topped with chopped nuts and cilantro or parsley.

Traditionally, Pad Thai has a lot of calories but not a lot of nutritional value since most restaurants add a lot of fat and sodium to the sauce for added flavor which packs on the calories. This is why it tastes so good! I was determined to create a lighter version that was lower in calories and fat but still high in flavor.

So get ready because it’s absolutely delicious!!!

Why you’ll love this homemade vegetarian pad Thai

• Easy to make with a few ingredients in about 30 minutes.
• Better than take -out and much better for you!
• It easily feeds 4 or more people since it makes a good amount.
• The homemade quick pad Thai sauce is everything mixed with the soft noodles and crunchy veggies. It is so good!

Veggie Pad Thai Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this easy pad Thai with veggies. Here is what you’ll need:

• Pad Thai Noodles – these are just soft rice noodles that are sometimes called pad Thai noodles that can be found in the Asian isle of most grocery stores.
• Veggies – we used a trio of colorful bell peppers, red onion, and edamame for a burst of color, crunch and nutrition.
• Spices – ground ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder
• Soy/tamari sauce – adds a nice umami flavor
• Sesame use – is used to cook the veggies.

Homemade Pad Thia Sauce Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the easy homemade pad Thai sauce. You can also buy pre-made pad Thai sauce at most grocery stores for a shortcut if you prefer.

• Soy sauce – any store-bought soy sauce or Tamari sauce is good.
• Worcestershire sauce – to add to that umami flavor.
• Vegetable stock – any stock will work, we used a vegetable stock to keep this recipe vegetarian.
• Maple syrup – for a little hint of sweetness.
• Rice wine vinegar – adds a nice crisp flavor to the sauce.
• Aromatics – chopped fresh ginger and garlic. You can use garlic and ginger paste as a shortcut if you prefer.
• Lime juice – for a nice hint of citrus which adds brightness to the sauce.

How to make this easy Vegetarian Pad Thai

Here is a summary of the steps for making this homemade vegetarian pad thai recipe with step-by-step photos. Get the complete list of recipe ingredients and instructions in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

• Boil the noodles in water per the package instructions. You can buy Pad Thai noodles right in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store. They are very inexpensive and so easy to make.
• Sauté the veggies – in a pan heated with oil toss and cook the veggies.
• Combine everything in the pan and toss and cook the eggs with the veggies and noodles.
• Make the sauce – combine and mix all of the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat it all in the yummy pad Thai sauce.
• Plate, top with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Isn’t that so easy? It was even better the next day!!! It stores great in the fridge all week long and is a perfect meal prep recipe.

Expert Tips For Making Pad Thai At Home

• Choose the right noodles – make sure to choose pad Thai noodles or thick rice noodles.
• Cook the veggies and noodles to al dente – traditional pad Thai has crunchy, firm veggies and al dente noodles so make sure not to cook the peppers and onion or noodles too much.
• Don’t forget the egg – the addition of the egg adds a lot of flavor and more protein to the dish.
• Use all of the sauce – you want a good amount of pad Thai sauce tossed with the noodles and veggies for a yummy, saucy noodle dish.

How To Store and Reheat pad Thai

This pad Thai stores and reheats beautifully. It actually tastes even better the next day! To store leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat portions in the microwave until fully heated through.

More healthy dinner ideas

• Rainbow Chicken Pad Thai
• Roasted Butternut Squash Noodles Bowl
• Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice
• Pesto Quinoa With Roasted Veggies

Check out all of my main dishes on PMG!

Did you try this vegetarian pad Thai recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!

Print