Plant-Based Pad Thai is a gluten-free, oil-free, high-protein version of a traditional pad Thai recipe. Delicious sautéed veggies and optional tofu, covered in a creamy peanut sauce and tossed with noodles!
This plant-based pad Thai is one of my staple recipes. I make it like once a month and it never disappoints!
What really makes pad Thai is the peanut sauce. It's rich with peanut flavor. It's sweet, salty, umami. And so creamy!
But what makes this recipe so great as a staple is the nutrient content.
This dish is loaded with so many vegetables. And you can also pack quite a lot of protein in this dish by using a chickpea pasta, and adding some tofu and edamame to the dish.
It's one hearty meal that is packed with all the good stuff: fiber, protein, vegetables, and flavor.
It's also great for meal prep. This recipe makes quite a bit of pad Thai, so you'll have plenty of leftovers on hand for lunch or dinner all week!
Jump to:
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle dish that's commonly served in Thailand.
Usually pad Thai is made with rice noodles, shrimp or other protein, peanuts, scrambled egg, and bean sprouts. Often, other vegetable offerings are served as condiments on the side. And all the ingredients are fried in a wok.
This plant-based version of pad Thai is oil-free and gluten-free. So the ingredients aren't fried in a wok. Instead, they are tossed together at the end of the cooking process.
Pad Thai may or may not be naturally gluten free, depending on the soy sauce used. For this recipe, if you are gluten-free, be sure to use tamari or liquid aminos (my preference) instead of soy sauce.
Why I love this Oil-Free Pad Thai
- Dietary needs - this pad Thai recipe is vegan/plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and sugar-free.
- Veggie-full - there are so many vegetables in this recipe, and plenty of room to add even more veg
- Meal prep friendly - this recipe makes quite a lot of food and pad Thai reheats like a charm for a really delicious lunch for the week.
- High protein - with tofu, edamame, and chickpea pasta, this dish is packing protein to keep you full and satisfied
- Rich peanut flavor - the peanut sauce is SO flavorful. It turns basic veggies into a mouth watering meal
- Weeknight friendly - there is some prep work involved, but by cooking the veggies in order of cook time you can get the cooking started and continue chopping some of the quick-cooking veggies while the others are cooking
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Chickpea Linguine or Rice Noodles: Pad Thai is traditionally made with rice noodles, but I like to use chickpea pasta for more protein.
Tofu Ingredients
This is just a quick pan-cooked tofu for extra protein.
- Extra Firm Tofu: choose extra firm tofu for the best texture
- Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos, or Tamari: any of these sauces will work. If you are gluten sensitive, avoid using soy sauce. I typically use liquid aminos in this recipe.
Vegetables
I recommend this list of veggies, but feel free to add or subtract veggies to your liking. Try to pair vegetables with similar cook times together, like I did in the instructions.
- Red Onion
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Celery
- Bell Pepper
- Zucchini
- Edamame
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
- Powdered Peanut Butter: this is a higher protein powder made from peanuts. I like how it thickens the sauce and adds a boost of protein and peanut flavor.
- Chunky Peanut Butter: I like chunky peanut butter in this recipe for some texture, but feel free to use creamy. Either way, choose a peanut butter that only has peanuts and salt as the ingredients
- Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos, or Tamari: any of these sauces will work. If you are gluten sensitive, avoid using soy sauce. I typically use liquid aminos in this recipe.
- Maple Syrup: this sauce needs just a touch of sweetness. For a completely fruit sweetened sauce, use date syrup instead.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Water: you may need more or less water depending on how runny your peanut butter is
- Ground Ginger
- Cayenne: this sauce is moderately spicy. If you are sensitive to spice, start with a small amount of cayenne and go up from there
- Salt: since soy sauce/tamari/liquid aminos have a lot of sodium, the sauce may already be the right level of salty for you. Feel free to add a touch more though
Extra Toppings
Grab any or all of the following to use as a garnish.
- Bean Sprouts
- Fresh Cilantro
- Peanuts
- Scallions
- Lime Wedges
- Sesame Seeds
How to make Plant-Based Pad Thai
Step 1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Step 2. If desired, cook the optional tofu. Slice the block of tofu into cubes and cook in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, using a few tablespoons of soy sauce as cooking liquid. Set aside.
Step 3. Cook the vegetables. In a large skillet, cook the onions over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and broccoli and cook 4-6 minutes more, until the veggies are slightly softened. Add the mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, zucchini, and frozen edamame and cook another 4-6 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
Step 4. While the veggies and pasta are cooking, whisk all the peanut sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 5. Serve the noodles, vegetables, and tofu tossed with the peanut sauce. Garnish with bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, scallions, sesame seeds and a drizzle of lime juice, as desired. Enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
Don't want tofu? You can cook this oil-free pad Thai with tempeh in the exact same way.
You can also add some extra edamame.
Or leave out the extra protein entirely.
You can absolutely load pad Thai with veggies. It's one of my favorite things about this dish.
Feel free to throw in any vegetable you want!
Some suggestions:
- Pea Pods
- Water Chestnuts
- Green Beans
- Cabbage
- Bok Choy
I've found that almost every vegetable tastes good in pad Thai
You can totally make pad Thai with frozen vegetables and skip all the chopping!
To avoid a super watery dish, thaw the frozen vegetables at room temperature for several hours (ideally 8+ hours) and let them drain their liquid. Then you can cook them all at once instead of in phases as directed in the recipe.
Store any leftovers you have in an air-tight container in the fridge.
I tend to store the noodles, vegetables, and sauce in three separate containers. But you can also just toss everything together.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for giving us extra time in our days during this time to experiment with new foods. We are grateful for the gift of health and safety. Amen.
More Asian-Inspired Vegan Dinner Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Plant-Based Pad Thai (Oil-Free & Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Chickpea Linguine or Rice Noodles
Tofu (optional)
- 1 14- Ounce Block Extra Firm Tofu
- 2-4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos, or Tamari
Veggies
- 1 Small Red Onion chopped
- 3 Medium Carrots julienned (roughly)
- 1 Large Crown Broccoli chopped into small pieces
- 12 Ounces Mushrooms sliced
- 4 Medium Stalks Celery chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper thinly sliced
- 1 Large Zucchini sliced
- 2 Cups Frozen Edamame
- ¼-1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth for cooking
Peanut Sauce
- ½ Cup Powdered Peanut Butter
- ¼ Cup Chunky Peanut Butter
- ¼ Cup Soy Sauce, Liquid Aminos, or Tamari
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne
- Salt to taste
To Serve
- Bean Sprouts
- Fresh Cilantro
- Peanuts
- Scallions
- Lime Wedges
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- If desired, cook the optional tofu. Slice the block of tofu into cubes and cook in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, using a few tablespoons of soy sauce as cooking liquid. Set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. In a large skillet, cook the onions over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and broccoli and cook 4-6 minutes more, until the veggies are slightly softened. Add the mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, zucchini, and frozen edamame and cook another 4-6 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
- While the veggies and pasta are cooking, whisk all the peanut sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Serve the noodles, vegetables, and tofu tossed with the peanut sauce. Garnish with bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, scallions, sesame seeds and a drizzle of lime juice, as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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