Easy Shrimp Pad Thai
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Shrimp Pad Thai is loaded with sweet, sour and spicy shrimp, rice noodles and vegetables. It’s so simple and easy to make. Try it once and you won’t want to go back to takeout! It comes together in only 20 minutes.
This Shrimp Pad Thai recipe is an easier version of our Pad Thai recipe with the restaurant-quality authentic flavors.
Pro Tips for Making Best Shrimp Pad Thai
- Thaw the shrimp properly so that they can be cooked evenly. Don’t overcook the shrimp. When they turn pink, it means that the shrimp are cooked.
- Soak noodles in hot water to get them ready faster. Soak them until they are tender but slightly undercooked. As they will be fried with vegetables and shrimp later in the skillet or wok.
- Drizzle oil to your softened noodles after they are drained. It will prevent them from sticking.
What is Pad Thai?
Pad Thai means “Thai-style stir-fried noodles”, and is one of the most popular dishes at Thai restaurants in Thailand and America.
Authentic Pad Thai calls for ingredients including rice noodles, eggs, garlic, green onions, vegetables, shrimp, chicken or Tofu, red chili, sugar, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and usually served with lime wedges, chopped peanuts and cilantro.
How To Make Shrimp Pad Thai
- Soak rice noodles until al dente.
- Make Pad Thai Sauce by mixing together brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce.
- Sauté garlic and green onions.
- Add carrots.
- Push the mixture to the edge of the pan and add beaten eggs to the center. Cook and scramble until eggs have cooked through.
- Add bean sprouts and shrimp. Cook until shrimp turns pink.
- Add rice noodles and pad thai sauce to the pan.
- Toss everything together and combine well.
What Kind of Noodles Should I Use?
Dried rice noodles work best for this recipe. Usually, they are labeled as pad Thai noodles at the store and try to avoid labels as “stir-fry” noodles. Pho noodles won’t work as well.
Thai Rice Noodles don’t need to be boiled, instead, you soak them in hot water.
First, bring a large pot of water to boil and then remove it from heat. Then add in rice noodles and check every 3 to 5 minutes until noodles are soft but still undercooked.
It usually takes anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes until they are softened but not completely cooked. Then drain the noodles, and drizzle one tablespoon oil to keep them from sticking. Set them aside.
What Does Pad Thai Taste Like?
It’s sweet, sour, salty and slightly spicy (from red pepper flakes) with nutty flavor(from crushed peanuts). It also has some funky flavor from fish sauce. The rice noodles are supposed to be chewy and a little sticky.
Is Shrimp Pad Thai Healthy?
Most shrimp pad thai you find at a restaurant are loaded with oil and sugar that are not healthy. This homemade version is much healthier. You can cut down sugar and add more vegetables for an even better dish!
What is Pad Thai Sauce Made of?
This shrimp pad thai sauce is made of fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar. You can use the sauce on chicken, beef, tofu and vegetables.
Fish sauce has the unappealing smell but amazing taste. They are available in most Asian grocery stores. If you cannot find it or you don’t like the smell, you can substitute it with an equivalent amount of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce.
Rice vinegar is added to substitute the traditional Tamarind paste in this recipe. If you cannot find Rice vinegar, you can substitute it with lime juice.
How to Reheat Shrimp Pad Thai?
Reheat in a microwave, stop and stir every 30 seconds until cooked through. Don’t reheat them more than once.
I’d Serve this Shrimp Pad Thai with:
Easy Shrimp Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 8 oz Thai rice noodles
- 1 lb uncooked shrimp, 21/25 or 26/30 size, peeled and deveined
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 green onions, chopped, divided
- 2 carrots , sliced into thin strips
- 2 cups bean sprouts
Topping ingredients
- 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
- 1 lime
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
- red pepper flakes , optional
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare rice noodles according to the instructions on the package, or as described in the recipe notes.
- Drain the noodles and add 1 tbsp oil to prevent it from sticking. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce. This is the Pad Thai sauce.
- Heat remaining 3 tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and half of the green onion and sauté 1 minute. (Optional: Add red flakes)
- Add carrots and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Push the mixture to the edge of the pan and add beaten eggs to the center. Cook and scramble until eggs have cooked through.
- Add in bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute.
- Add in shrimp and toss everything together and cook for about 3 minutes until shrimp turns pink.
- Add noodles and sauce mixture to the skillet. Toss everything together and combine well.
- Remove from heat. Squeeze fresh lime to taste along with peanuts, cilantro, more green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Thaw the shrimp before cooking so that they can be cooked evenly.
- Soak noodles in hot water to get them ready faster. Soak them until they are tender but slightly undercooked. As they will be fried with vegetables and shrimp later in the skillet or wok.
- Drizzle oil to your softened noodles after they are drained. It will prevent them from sticking.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. You need less than 2 minutes for each side. When they turn pink, it means that the shrimp are cooked.
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
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This post was originally published on January 15, 2018, and updated on July 25, 2019.
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