Vegetarian Pad Thai

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published April 23, 2025

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(470)
Comments
Read comments

When dining out or ordering in, a vegetarian pad Thai can be hard to come by, as fish sauce is often used to attain the signature salty, savory flavors of this popular dish. While the complex umami of fish sauce can be difficult to replicate, this combination of lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, miso and tamarind creates a comparable sauce that effectively delivers pad Thai’s balance of sour, sweet and salty notes. The seasoning sauce keeps well, too, so it can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Soaking the noodles in boiling water softens them quickly, just enough to make them pliable enough to stir-fry without overcooking and breaking apart. The broccoli and snow peas, sugar snap peas or green beans can easily be replaced with whatever vegetables you have on hand. To make this dish vegan, simply omit the eggs.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 12 ounces flat dried rice noodles (preferably pad Thai noodles)

  • Boiled water

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)

  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar 

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste or concentrate

  • 2 teaspoons white (shiro) miso paste

  • Vegetable oil or other neutral oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced

  • 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets 

  • 7 to 8 ounces store-bought baked or extra-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch strips or triangles 

  • 1 cup snow peas, sugar snap peas or green beans, trimmed

  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • Salt and pepper

  • 4 eggs, well beaten

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

  • 1 ½ cups bean sprouts

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

  • Roasted peanuts, for serving

  • 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

103 grams carbs; 160 milligrams cholesterol; 656 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1099 milligrams sodium; 24 grams protein; 17 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with just-boiled water and soak for 10 minutes. Using tongs, give the noodles a stir to separate the strands. They will soften, turn white and become pliable. Drain.

  2. Step 2

    While the noodles soak, make the seasoning sauce: Add the lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, tamarind and miso to a bowl and whisk to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a wok or large 12-inch skillet on medium-high for 2 minutes. When hot, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the onion and toss until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and toss until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tofu, snow peas and garlic; season with salt, then gently toss for 1 minute.

  4. Step 4

    Add the drained noodles, the sauce and 2 tablespoons of water; toss well until the noodles are well coated and have softened and absorbed the sauce, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste the noodles for doneness: If needed, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and keep tossing until the noodles are soft enough to eat.

  5. Step 5

    Push the noodles to one side, drizzle a little oil onto the surface of the pan, and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble the eggs, stirring and scraping until cooked through and just set, 1 to 2 minutes, then stir them into the noodles.

  6. Step 6

    Add the crushed red pepper, bean sprouts and scallions and toss until the scallions are just wilted, about 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper.

  7. Step 7

    To serve, top with peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
470 user ratings
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Comments

Sandy

I followed the recipe precisely except: 1) let the noodles sit in the boiling water closer to 15 minutes to soften--they were perfect--and 2) the noodles I bought were pad thai rice noodles in an 8 ounce package, so 2/3 of the recommended amount, and it was just right. I wonder if there would have been enough sauce to stretch further. There were two of us eating and there are plenty of left overs. It was delicious!

Chuck

If you don’t have any miso don’t worry about it, there are plenty of other exciting flavors to keep this from being bland. Capers would be completely out of place.

jmk

Yes it is. It is the "Unami" ingredient substituting for fish sauce. You would need to substitute some other fermented product, like capers, fermented tofu, veggie worchestire etc.

madzag

Very bland. Doesn’t have the usual pad Thai flavour. Needs more tamarind - probably triple it. I will go back to my usual pad Thai recipe written by someone who is Thai and simply omit the chicken and/or prawns.

CatK

I have attempted this twice now following the directions exactly as written and both times the noodles have come out a mushy mess. What am I doing wrong?

Susan Iseman

A good substitute for fish sauce is FYSH.

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