Shrimp Pad Thai
This easy pad thai recipe with shrimp features the perfect sweet and tangy tamarind sauce, tender noodles, plump shrimp, and peanuts. Learn how to make classic Thai street food at home.
Ingredients
The sauce is the most essential part of pad thai. Here is what you'll need:
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons of palm sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of tamarind concentrate or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha (optional)
For the Pad Thai:
- 8 ounces of dried rice noodles
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, divided
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup of bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Follow these simple steps to make restaurant-quality shrimp pad thai at home. The prep work is minimal, and it cooks up fast, just like street pad thai.
Gather all the ingredients.
- Gather all the sauce ingredients and prep the shrimp, garlic, shallots, chili, eggs, sprouts, peanuts, lime, and cilantro.
Boil and Rinse the Rice noodles.
- Boil the rice noodles per package directions until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Make the sauce.
- Whisk together the fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind, vinegar, and Sriracha in a small bowl. This savory-sweet pad thai sauce adds tons of flavor.
Stir-Fry the aromatics.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add the eggs and scramble briefly. Push the eggs to the side. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic, shallots, and chili. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the shrimp.
- Push aromatics to the side. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until pink. Remove the shrimp and set them aside.
Toss the Noodles and sauce.
- Add the noodles and sauce. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, tossing constantly, until noodles are evenly coated. They will soak up the sauce and become softer.
Add Protein and toppings.
- Return the shrimp to the noodles. Add sprouts, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir-fry 1 minute more until heated through.
Garnish and Serve
- Garnish with cilantro. Serve pad thai immediately while it's hot and enjoy!
Notes
- You can find tamarind paste or concentrate at Asian markets or well-stocked grocery stores. It gives the sauce an authentic, tangy flavor.
- If you can't find rice noodles, you can substitute vermicelli noodles or angel hair pasta in a pinch.
- To save time, you can purchase pre-cooked frozen shrimp and just thaw them before adding them to the stir-fry.
- Leftover cooked shrimp works great too. Just toss it in at the end to heat through.
- For a vegetarian option, substitute pressed extra-firm tofu for the shrimp.
- For more spice, add some sambal oelek or Sriracha to the sauce.
- If the finished dish seems dry, splash in a little water, fish sauce, or lime juice.
- For crunch, garnish with chopped roasted peanuts instead of plain.
- Fresh bean sprouts are ideal, but you can swap for blanched spinach or bok choy.
- Don't forget the lime wedges! The fresh citrus juice really brightens the flavors.