This flavorful tofu pad Thai is a vegan take on the street food classic! A satisfying weeknight dinner that is easy to throw together and ready in 30 minutes.
If you love noodle dishes as much as we do, check out our vegan japchae, vegan jajangmyeon, or peanut sauce rice noodles next!
We have been making this takeout-style vegan pad Thai on constant repeat for years now! Packed with colorful veggies and crispy tofu, this recipe is satisfying without being overly heavy.
While delicious on its own, I love pairing it with Asian sides including Thai spring rolls, Asian cucumber salad, or pad pak Thai for an extra fiber boost!
💚Why you will love tofu pad Thai
- Pad Thai sauce that is sweet, savory, lightly tangy, and uses authentic ingredients
- Ready in 30-minutes and requires minimal prep
- Healthier than takeout - lower fat and packed with colorful veggies!
- Customizable, so feel free to add other protein or veg
🥜What you will need
- Rice noodles - Aka pad thai noodles or rice sticks. Can be found in groceries, Asian markets, or purchased online.
- Tofu - I prefer super firm or extra firm, since you don't need to press it beforehand.
- Soy sauce/vegan fish sauce - The traditional recipe calls for fish sauce; if you can get vegan fish sauce, use it instead.
- Oyster sauce - Use a vegetarian oyster sauce, like this Lee Kum Kee's stir-fry sauce.
- Tamarind paste - A common Asian condiment that adds a distinctive tang. (It is also used in my vegan laksa, sambal goreng, and tofu Massaman curry!)
- Sugar - Traditional recipe calls for palm sugar, so use that if you have it on hand! Regular table sugar or brown sugar works too.
- Chili flakes (optional) - To add some heat.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📋Ingredient substitutions
- Tofu - Feel free to swap with other plant protein, including tempeh or seitan (like my vegan chicken breast or Instant Pot seitan).
- Vegetables - Feel free to add any other veggies you have on hand! Some that work include red pepper, edamame, cabbage, or red cabbage.
- Gluten-free - Use gluten-free soy sauce.
- Egg alternative - To mimic scrambled eggs in the authentic pad Thai recipe, use egg alternatives (like JustEgg). Or, top it with slices of my tofu omelette!
🔪How to make tofu pad Thai
Step 1: Soak noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, or until they are pliable. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Combine all ingredients needed for stir-fry sauce. Set aside.
Step 3: Combine tofu with cornstarch and salt. Pan-fry coated tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side, until most sides are golden.
Step 4: Heat up a pan and fry garlic until fragrant. Add carrot next and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 5: Once the carrot softened, add noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, and sauce. Fry until ingredients are hot.
Step 6: Remove from heat, then stir in green onion. Top vegan pad Thai with crushed peanuts and other toppings of your choice, and it is ready to serve!
✅Helpful tips
- Soak noodles (instead of boiling) - Boiling might cause them to soften too much, resulting in mushy, clumpy pad Thai.
- Rinse noodles after soaking - This stops the cooking process and prevents them from softening too much.
- Use a large wok - This ensures even cooking and prevents ingredients from leaping out of the pan when stirring.
- Serving tofu pad Thai - Top it off with lime wedges, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts (or cashews), cilantro, or any other toppings of choice!
- Storing leftovers - Leftover tofu pad Thai can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. You can either reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of water to loosen the noodles.
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❄️Storing and reheating suggestions
Storing - Leftover tofu pad Thai can be refrigerated for 2-3 days in an airtight container. This recipe is NOT suitable for freezing.
Reheating - You can reheat noodles on the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash of water to loosen noodles if needed.
🍱Meal prep tip
- Vegetables - Chop and keep them in airtight containers for up to a week.
- Noodles - Soak until softened. Then, drain well and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Sauce - Combine all ingredients. Sauce can be kept for 1-2 weeks.
- Tofu - Pan-fry tofu cubes in advance and keep them refrigerated for up to a week.
When ready to serve, simply stir-fry vegetables, then add noodles and tofu. Coat ingredients with pad Thai sauce, and it is ready to be served!
❔Commonly asked questions
Tamarind gives pad Thai the most authentic flavor. Substituting ketchup will yield sweeter noodles but still maintain the complexity of sweet and tangy flavors.
Rice vinegar and lemon (or lime) juice will work, but you will need to add more sugar to balance out their acidity.
Most store-bought pad Thai sauces are not vegan as they contain fish sauce. However, you can easily make a plant-based version at home by substituting fish sauce with soy sauce or vegan fish sauce.
Soak pad Thai noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, or until pliable but not mushy. Alternatively, soak the noodles in room-temperature water for an hour.
To make crispy tofu for pad Thai, first coat them in cornstarch and salt. Then pan-fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until most sides are golden.
Alternatively, spray the coated tofu with oil and bake at 200C/400F for 20 minutes, or air-fry at the same temperature for 10-15 minutes.
🍽️More vegan noodle recipes
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📖 Recipe
30 Minutes Tofu Pad Thai (vegan)
Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles or glass noodles/vermicelli (225g)
For tofu
- 1 block extra-firm tofu 14oz/400g (or super firm tofu)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Stir-fry sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce more to taste (or tamari/shoyu)
- 2 tablespoon tamarind paste or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
Other ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot julienned
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts (100g)
- 1 stalk green onion slice into 2 inch pieces
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Soak rice noodles in hot water for 3-4 minutes, or in room temperature water for an hour, until pliable. Drain noodles and set aside.
- Place tofu cubes, cornstarch, and salt into a container. Place the lid on and toss until tofu cubes are well coated.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick wok. Place tofu cubes in one layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until most sides are browned. Set aside.
- While tofu is cooking, combine all condiments needed to make the sauce.
- Heat up some oil in a non-stick wok, then add garlic and fry until fragrant.
- Add carrot next, cooking for 1-2 minutes before adding in noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, and the sauce. Fry until the ingredients are hot.
- Remove the wok from heat, them stir in green onion. Top your tofu pad Thai with crushed peanuts, chili flakes, and whatever you like before serving!
Notes
- Soak noodles (instead of boiling) - Boiling might cause them to soften too much, resulting in mushy, clumpy pad Thai.
- Rinse noodles after soaking - This stops the cooking process and prevents them from softening too much.
- Storing leftovers - Leftover tofu pad Thai can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. You can either reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding a splash of water to loosen the noodles.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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