30 Minute Vegan Pad Thai with rice noodles, tofu, veggies, peanuts and the most incredible, simple sauce. Talk about an easy dinner using everyday ingredients!Â
I’ve had Vegan Pad Thai on my list of recipes to create for probably a year now. It took me a couple of tries to get it just right, so we have had a lot of noodles to eat at my house the last few weeks! It was a bit of a challenge to get the sauce just right, since traditional Pad Thai recipes call for fish sauce. Vegan fish sauce apparently does exist, but I’ve never seen it.
Of course, this recipe isn’t traditional because it doesn’t contain fish sauce, oyster sauce or any meat.
I wanted this recipe to be as simple as possible, so I worked hard to get the ingredient list down and include only easy to find staples. I have broken down the instructions into easy to follow steps, and this Vegan Pad Thai really will be ready in under 30 minutes! I think you will love the result.
How to make 30 Minute Vegan Pad Thai
The first step is to gather and prep all the ingredients. Chop the carrots, green onions, cilantro and peanuts. Press your tofu, if needed (I like to buy the super firm variety for this recipe so no need to press it), and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Next, prepare the noodles by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. (I used these noodles.)
Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan, and fry the tofu on all sides until golden brown.
Next, add the noodles, sauce, carrots, green onions and some of the cilantro to the pan with the tofu. Stir well as it warms up.
Serve immediately, with lime wedges for squeezing, crushed peanuts, more cilantro, and mung bean sprouts. Enjoy!
I hope you love this Vegan Pad Thai as much as I do! It’s:
- Bursting with fresh flavor
- Sweet, savory and tangy
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- Full of protein
Is Vegan Pad Thai Gluten Free?
This Pad Thai can easily be made gluten free by simply substituting gluten free tamari for the soy sauce.
Want more Asian inspired vegan recipes?
30 Minute Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 7 ounces stir fry rice noodles
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 16 ounce block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
Vegetables
- 1 cup julienne sliced carrots, about 3 carrots
- 3 green onions, chopped
For serving
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup crushed or chopped peanuts
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts, optional
Instructions
- Prepare all of your ingredients before you begin. Slice the carrots, chop the green onions, cilantro and the peanuts. Press your tofu if needed (I like to get the vacuum packed extra-firm tofu so no need to press it), and then chop into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Make the sauce: Stir all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Fry the tofu: In a large pan (you can even use the same pot you boiled the noodles in), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, and fry it until all sides are golden brown.
- To the pan with the tofu, add the noodles, sauce, carrots, green onions and half of the cilantro. Stir as it warms up.
- Serve immediately, sprinkling peanuts and more cilantro on the top of each serving, with lime wedges and mung bean sprouts on the side. Squeeze lime juice to taste before eating. Yum!
Notes
- For Gluten Free, use gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce.
- If you want vegetable only pad thai, replace the tofu with various veggies, such as red pepper strips and broccoli florets. Stir fry these in place of the tofu until tender, before adding the noodles and sauce.Â
- For the carrots, I buy the bag of pre-cut carrots, julienne style so it reduces my chopping time.
So simple and delicious, will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
I’ve made this for my family several times now. It is fresh and delicious for sure. I usually make a little more sauce (1.5 times), but otherwise follow the recipe as listed above. So good!!!
Hi Padoola. I’m so glad you and your family are loving the Pad Thai! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Excellent and flexible plant based recipe to use veggies that you have on hand. The store was sold out of Sriracha so we used a Szechuan chili sauce we had instead. Â Served with a chopped cabbage salad drizzled with peanut sauce; a great pairing. Family loved it!
Hi Lisa. I’m thrilled that your family loved the Pad Thai! Thank you for sharing your great feedback and ideas!
I am have been vegan for over 6 years and I have never tried to make my own pad thai until now! I made this for my boyfriend and I  (who is vegetarian) and we both loved it. We are already planning on making this again for dinner this week. Nora cooks always has wonderful and easy recipes. Thank you for this delicious recipe. 🙂
Hi Maia. I’m so glad that you and your boyfriend loved the Pad Thai! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! I appreciate you using my recipes, and am glad that you find them delicious and easy! Happy cooking!
It was excellent and turned out exactly as you said! I precooked my carrots and mung beans a little before adding everything else due to some people need them a little softer. It was perfect! Thank you
You are welcome! I’m glad everything turned out perfect for you. Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!