Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes
Photo by Vanessa Rees
This vegan pad thai is sweet, sour, salty, and spicy with crispy tofu, broccoli, tons of fresh herbs, and a sauce built on miso, tamari, lime, and Sriracha. It’s ready in 30 minutes and works for date night, alone night, or a fun little soiree where you want to look like you put in the extra effort but haha you did not. If I didn’t think it would give me some sort of vitamin deficiency, I’d probably eat pad thai for every meal.
The secret weapon in this recipe is miso. A couple tablespoons of mellow white miso in the sauce adds a fermented depth that mimics traditional fish sauce without, you know, the fish. Combined with tamari, brown sugar, lime juice, Sriracha, and a little tomato paste for body, you get a sauce that hits all the right notes and comes together in the time it takes the noodles to soak.
This recipe is from Isa Does It, which means it’s designed to be simple. I have an earlier pad thai in Vegan with a Vengeance but this one is much, much easier. One pan, common ingredients, 30 minutes. The tofu gets browned first, then the broccoli goes in, then the sauce, noodles, and herbs all come together at the end.
Tips for Perfect Vegan Pad Thai
The noodles are the make-or-break moment. Literally. Rice noodles come packed in all different quantities and nothing seems to be consistent. About 8 ounces is just right. If your package has more, cook all the noodles and save the extras for a noodle salad the next day. Maybe with some red curry peanut sauce?
Most packages say to boil water, then turn the heat off and soak the noodles for about 8 minutes. That method works for pretty much every brand, regardless of what the specific directions say. Set a timer. Overcooked rice noodles disintegrate and there’s no coming back from that. Once they’re done, drain immediately and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Follow those steps and you’ll have perfect noodles every time.
I do this whole recipe in one pan. While the tofu browns, I prep everything else. Then I remove the tofu and cook the rest, throwing it back in at the end. You could use two pans to save time, but the one-pan method has served me well for years.
For perfectly browned tofu, preheat the pan over high heat, get it really hot before the oil goes in, and don’t touch the tofu too much. Let it sear. If it doesn’t sizzle immediately when it hits the pan, the pan isn’t hot enough.
EVERYDAY VEGAN PAD THAI FAQ
What does the miso do in the sauce? It adds a fermented, savory depth that mimics traditional fish sauce. Mellow white miso is best here. Brown or red miso works too but will be saltier and more intense, so you may want to use a little less. Chickpea miso is a good soy-free option.
Can I use tamarind instead of tomato paste? Yes. A tablespoon of tamarind paste will get you closer to a traditional pad thai flavor. The tomato paste is there for body and a little tang, so tamarind is a natural swap. Several readers have added tamarind on top of the tomato paste and loved it. You can cut down on the lime and add it to taste if using tamarind.
Can I reduce the sugar? You can cut it down a bit, but pad thai sauce needs that sweet-sour balance. If you cut the sugar too much it’ll taste flat and overly salty. Start with 4 tablespoons and taste from there.
Can I use a different noodle? Flat rice noodles (pad thai style) are the move. In a pinch, rice vermicelli works but it’s thinner and absorbs sauce differently.
Can I use something besides broccoli? Well of course. I love Brussels in pad thai. If you want to be basic, bell peppers, snap peas, shredded cabbage, or bok choy all work.
Can I skip the tofu? Sure. You could use baked tempeh, edamame, seitan (homemade or storebought) or just load up on more vegetables. The sauce is doing most of the flavor work anyway.
What if I don’t have Sriracha? Any chili garlic sauce works. Sambal oelek is a good swap. Or use a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, though you’ll lose some of the garlicky depth.
Can I make this gluten-free? Yes. Use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free. Check your miso label too, as some contain barley.
I hate cilantro. What should I use? First off, I feel bad for you. But. Extra scallions.
Can I make this ahead? It’s best fresh, but leftovers reheat okay in a hot pan with a splash of water and a squeeze of lime. The noodles will absorb sauce as they sit, so you may need to add a little extra tamari and lime when reheating.
My noodles turned to mush. What happened? They were overcooked. Did you follow my tips above? Boil the water, turn off the heat, soak for about 8 minutes (set a timer), then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Don’t let them sit in hot water.
Everyday Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 oz pad thai rice noodles cooked according to package directions, immediately rinsed with cold water and cooled (see note above)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 14 oz extra firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 4 cups brocolli florettes and thinly sliced stems
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups scallion chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup lightly packed cilantro chopped
- 4 oz mung bean sprouts
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce use gluten-free tamari to make this gluten-free
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons mellow white miso
- 1/4 cup water
To serve:
- 3/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- Extra lime wedges
Instructions
- First make the tofu. You’ll need a large cast iron pan, or something non-stick that can take very high heat. Preheat pan over high heat. Once pan is good and hot, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the cubed tofu and sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon salt. The tofu should immediately sizzle when it hits the hot the pan, otherwise, turn the heat up. Cook for about 7 minutes, tossing often, until it’s nicely browned.In the meantime, mix together all of the ingredients for the sauce and set aside. The miso may not completely dissolve, but that’s okay, just get it as smooth as possible.
- When tofu is browned, transfer it to a plate and cover gently with tin foil to keep warm. In the same pan, cook the broccoli in 2 teaspoons oil with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan in between stirring, to get it to cook faster. It should take about 5 minutes, and be lightly charred in some places. Transfer to the same plate as the tofu.
- Now we’ll cook the sauce. Lower heat to medium. Cook the garlic in the remaining oil very briefly, about 15 seconds. Add the scallion and cilantro and toss just to get it wilted. Now pour in about half the sauce and get it heated through.
- Add the noodles and toss to coat. Then add back the tofu and broccoli, the mung beans and the remaining sauce, and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately, topped with peanuts and lime wedges, plus extra cilantro if desired.
This was one of my favorites from testing! BTW: in the ingredients list right after tofu you have “1/2 teaspoon divided” which should say salt 🙂
Thanks, sweetie! I fixed it.
Oops! What’s the ingredient between tofu and broccoli?
Isa, can I hop on a plane to wherever you’re at to give you the biggest hug ever? Just from the mouthwatering pictures, I can tell I’ll be drooling over this dish!
<3
darn, already preordered elsewhere!
duh, I didn’t read the whole post 🙂
I only have brown miso and don’t think I can find anything else. What exactly is the difference, would brown work?
Yes, that’s fine!
Heyoh~ I’m not a huge tomato fan, do you think that peanut butter would be an okay sub for tomato paste?
Not really! It’s really for thickening and a little tang. Try a little tamarind instead?
I must be using different strengths of ingredients, 5 tablespoons of soy sauce in plus 2 tablespoon of white miso paste is way too much… I TSB of dark soy and 1/2 TBS of white miso is well enough for that quantity… we must also have very different tastes…
my email to them was returned as undeliverable
Ooh this looks good! My partner has a peanut allergy,.. Could anyone recommend a decent sub for the nut butter?
[…] excited about this book. Well, Isa just increased my excitement because now she is giving away a free tote bag with each book. Austin has a no-bag ordinance for grocery stores, so I have turned into a tote bag […]
@Ms Scarf, try sunflower seed butter, it’s delicious! Thanks for the great recipe, I am so excited about the new book!
I just made this and it was awesome! It really tastes like good pad Thai. For the commenter about the miso and soy sauce, I followed the directions exactly and it was perfect- it is not too much of either. Definitely adding to my repertoire!
That was fast, thank you!
So the grilled ramen was the best thing ever, but this looks like it could be very close to taking over as my favorite of your recipes. Totally gives me a good “home from work travel” meal idea for later this week. It will be quite a reward.
This is way easier than the ramen! So there’s that.
The pin feature is not working on my Mac..can you look into this? I am up to date and use safari.
I can’t wait for your new cookbook.
Thanks! Me neither 🙂
Wow I just made pad thai a few nights ago and I tried to make up my own recipe using chickpeas instead of tofu and shredded jicama instead of bean sprouts. My chickpeas didn’t get very crispy, the jicama wouldn’t shred, and I used too much sauce. I think I’ll stick to this recipe from now on. Also, I’m so excited for your new book. Whenever one gets delivered to my doorstep it’s always like Christmas.
[…] Meals Vegetarian Posole Sausage, Bean & Pasta Soup with Spinach Marinated Eggplant Wraps Amaranth Chard & Rice Bowls Baked Potatoes with Roasted Summer Veggies Everyday Pad Thai […]
Followed the recipe exactly (flavor-wise) and it tastes amazing! Thank you! Once I cooked everything, I just tossed it all in a large bowl and stirred it up, as it was too large for my skillet. I then heated all of the sauce in the pan, and poured it over the noodles and veggies. The only thing I’d change in the future is adding a tiny bit of corn starch to thicken the sauce before pouring it over the noodles and veggies.
So excited about the bag! I cancelled my kindle pre order, and ordered the hard cover instead after your description a while back of how awesome it’s going to be 🙂
Whoa I can’t WAIT to make this! So, I can’t do soy… While I’m thinking coconut aminos for the soy sauce, what might you recommend I sub in for the miso?
There are soy free misos! Chickpea miso would be great.
When I go out to Thai restaurants I usually go for curries and fried rice because I can never seem to make it quite like they do. But I tried this tonight and this was as good as any Pad Thai I’ve ever had. I did everything as instructed, except I like everything noodle+sauce to be really saucy so I made a little extra. I kinda winged the second sauce mixture so hopefully I didn’t throw off the balance of flavors too much, but I absolutely loved it. Perfect amount of sour, sweet and spicy (plus I LOVE cilantro so any excuse for me to use it I am in)
I haaaate cilantro… do you think some chopped fresh spinach might be a good sub?
No, I would just do extra scallion.
I was recently looking for a pad thai recipe that tastes amazing without needing to use eggs, and I think this one will do the trick! I really appreciate the time you put into developing your recipes for this blog and your cookbooks. I was a meat and three veg girl until I decided to go cold turkey vegan 5 years ago (pun intended) and of course I found out about you and Terry. Together you have helped me to learn how to cook (properly!). I have all of your books except the cupcake one (because it would just be too much of a temptation) and I just cannot wait for this new one to come out. Thanks!! =)
I love that this sauce is peanut free! I need to try it for sure.
[…] Everyday Pad Thai – must make pickled jalapenos to eat with this! […]
Isa! I could write you a lengthy, pages long love-esque letter about how much I adore you and your recipes and books. Instead I’ll make it shorter (and less stalker-ey seeming) and say that I’m so, so, SO excited for the new book. You are the best, congratulations on the book & all your hard work. Only a month left! Amazing.
Thank you so much!!!
This looks ah-mazing! Thank you for being so awesome. Vegan with a Vengeance was the last push that made me go vegan oh so many years ago. This new book comes at a perfect time in my life since I just gave birth a sweet little vegan baby and don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen. I already pre-ordered!!! Can’t wait!
Aw, how great to hear!
You are putting up a lot of awesome recipes lately.
I try 🙂
Oh my god, pad thai is fantastic. I can’t get the miso (well I can, but it would require an hour and a half drive or days worth of waiting at the mail box) but the rest I can either scrounge up or make at home (sriracha is on my to-make-from-scratch list!).
Ah, great, now I’m drooling a little just at the thought.
Made this yesterday for dinner and it was amazing. I also was wondering about the huge amount of soy sauce and lime juice. But i know from several of your recipes i cooked bevor, i can trust you. 🙂
So it was great! And today the leftovers make my day at lunch.
Greetings from a happy german girl!
fait
Hi Isa,
Would this recipe work without the sugar?
Hmm. Define “work.”
This was very good! I made it last night. I made it ALMOST to the recipe. I used chilli-garlic instead of sirracha, and I added some Tamarind concentrate.
It was very close to authentic. There was….something missing. I think that next time I will use MORE tamarind! I think it needed it. And maybe more lime. And possibly ginger or lemongrass with the garlic
Leftovers were great. People at work were asking me for the recipe and I directed them here 🙂
I really, really love this photo!
Made this last night and it was fantastic!
Can’t wait to try this recipe and I REALLY can’t wait for the new book! Just pre-ordered yesterday! I love your recipes and your unique writing style!
Great recipe! This will be one I’ll do again for sure! yum!
Loved this! Just made it!
Isa, I made this tonight and it was awesome!!! (Even though I left out the sriracha and didn’t have quite enough miso) We are now all pad Thai converts in our house- thanks 🙂 PS: I browned the tofu in the oven and we also had roasted kabocha as an accompaniment.
Love this noodles.. I am going to try with paneer instead of tofu..
[…] Everyday Pad Thai looks […]
Couple of things – can you say whether you used fresh or dried rice noodles! We had to get creative on the fly to adapt. Also we found it very sweet despite cutting down the sugar, although we used light soy sauce which may have unbalanced it.
Still super tasty though!
Had this last night. So delicious! Added a bit of tamarind to the sauce (because I happen to have some and I have no idea what else to do with the jar I bought). Seriously delicious! Thanks for all your delicious recipes and the work you do!
Hey there!
Can i ask why you chose to take of the tamarind paste?
10x and congratulations!!!
Just because this is supposed to be a pantry friendly version.
This was good! I followed advice of a Thai cook, who said do not ever blanch noodles, otherwise they come out gummy. I was doubtful, but she was right! This had a nice balance of sour and sweet.
Sorry, I should have added: rather than blanch rice noodles, soak them for about 30 minutes until they are pliable. Drain well.
Isa, I really appreciate how you are coming up with weeknight do-ables! Thanks.
Tried to pin it but there is no image? Love your books!
I made this last week and it was so delicious !!! I omitted mung bean sprouts and white miso but still the taste was amazing. My hubby loved it!! Keep up the good work dear 🙂
Wow, I’m excited to try this.
This is amazingly delicious but in manhattan, without going to Chinatown, bean sprouts are no longer readily available by the pound (also tofu which used to be 3 squares for $1) so gathering the ingredients is a bit of a hassle but oh so worth it. I regularly order vegan pad Thai from a local vegan Asian joint, but this has them beat by a mile.
And as I’ve been mooning over remembering that fantastic meal, my eggplant bacon almost burned up. Another winner.
Thank you again and again for publishing the most reliable recipes.