This easy Pad Thai recipe with shrimp and tofu is done in less than 30 minutes! Fresh and crunchy vegetables over noodles are mixed with delicious sauce!
Original post: October 2018 | Updated: January 2021
I enjoy authentic Pad Thai. Over the years we have enjoyed take-out from an array of Asian restaurants. It is one of my all-time favorite dishes, filled with spice, noodles, and varying textures. I had been intimidated by the idea of making it myself. It seemed too complicated!
I’m happy to report that it is not a complicated recipe! Ingredients for this delicious savory dish are actually easy to find and the ingredient list is not a hundred miles long, as I’d envisioned. Skip heading out to your local Thai restaurant!
If you’ve been intimidated by the process and ingredients involved in making this recipe, it will be WAY easier than you think. Please give this recipe a try and come back and let me know how much you loved it!
HOW TO MAKE EASY RECIPE
STEP 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles to the hot water and immediately remove from heat. Let sit for 8 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.
STEP 2
While the noodles are cooking, heat the canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and tofu and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp and tofu to a dish (do not clean out skillet).
STEP 3
Reduce heat to medium and add the eggs to the skillet. Using the edge of a spatula, cut through the eggs as they cook to create small egg pieces.
Add the cooked noodles to the skillet, along with rice vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, shrimp and tofu. Stir mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it is heated through.
Serve immediately and top with bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, green onions and/or lime wedges, if desired.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS DISH
- Easy air fryer dumplings
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps (these are my FAVE!)
- Egg rolls, spring rolls
- Egg drop soup
- Crunchy Bok Choy Salad
RECIPE NOTES
- Make this dish healthier: Decrease the amount of rice noodles in the recipe and add more bean sprouts. Replace the soy sauce with a low-sodium version. Decrease the oil used in the recipe by half.
- If the sauce is too “fishy” for your taste, increase the amount of sugar used (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Served with lime wedges on the side and squeeze lime juice over the top before eating.
- Rice pepper flakes are perfect for spicing up your meal if you enjoy the heat.
FAQ FOR EASY PAD THAI
It can be! The serving sizes you find at restaurants are large, so consider that when eating out. Making Pad Thai at home will make it much healthier because you will be less likely to over eat.
Pad Thai sauce typically contains vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and spice.
Made entirely of rice flour and water, pad Thai noodles are 100% gluten free.
Pad Thai can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Most grocery stores have an Asian foods section that carry fish sauce and rice noodles. If not, visit an Asian foods store.
Easy Pad Thai Recipe with Shrimp and Tofu
Ingredients
- 14 oz rice noodles
- 3 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined; if using frozen, thaw before using
- 10 oz extra firm tofu cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, green onion slices and lime wedges for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and immediately remove from heat. Let sit for 8 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.
- While the noodles are cooking, heat the canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and tofu and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp and tofu to a dish (do not clean out skillet).
- Reduce heat to medium and add the eggs to the skillet. Using the edge of a spatula, cut through the eggs as they cook to create small egg pieces. Add the noodles to the skillet, along with rice vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, shrimp and tofu.
- Stir mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make this dish healthier: Decrease the amount of rice noodles in the recipe and add more bean sprouts. Replace the soy sauce with a low-sodium version. Decrease the oil used in the recipe by half.
- If the sauce is too “fishy” for your taste, increase the amount of sugar used (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Served with lime wedges on the side to squeeze over top before eating.
- Rice pepper flakes are perfect for spicing up your meal if you enjoy the heat.
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