Vegan Pad Thai

This delicious Vegan Pad Thai is bursting with lime, chili, cilantro, and coconut. This is one of our "Quick, it's 5:30 and the boys are already hungry" dinners. It doesn't take long to make and you can use any vegetables and protein sources you have handy. It's the sauce that holds it all together. 

Chopping your vegetables is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. If you're busy like we are, it can be helpful to have a big, efficient "chopping hour" before your week starts. You can even use a food processor to pre-chop veggies for the next few days. Store these in jars or bags in the refrigerator for quick use on those jam-packed evenings. 

You'll see in our photos that we choose to cut the vegetables extra small so that our boys get some of everything in each bite. This is one of our ninja parent tactics to convince their taste buds that they like everything while making it difficult to pick out any vegetables they don't like. When you prepare this dish, feel free to slice your vegetables in a more visually pleasing way. For more ideas on how to help your kids love all foods, get our 9 Ninja Parenting Tips For the Picky Child Who Won’t Eat Vegetables HERE!

The versatility of this Vegan Pad Thai continues with your choice of noodles or grains you serve it with.You can add to the protein-nutrient content with your choices. We like rice noodles or rice but also go for barley, sorghum, millet, or quinoa. 

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Vegan Pad Thai Recipe

Prep

• 30 minutes prep
• Serves 4
• Suggested equipment: wok or large sauté pan, one small pot, one large pot

Ingredients

Sauce

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 ½ tsp Tamarind Paste
• 3 TBSP coconut sugar
• 1 TBSP rice vinegar
• 3 TBSP Braggs Liquid Aminos or 2 TBSP Low-salt Soy Sauce (to taste)
• 2 TBSP Yondu Umami Sauce (optional)
• ½ tsp ground red chili pepper
• 3 TBSP lime juice

Stir Fry

• 2 TBSP sesame oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets and peeled stems
• ½ cup cauliflower florets
• 1 bok choi, chopped
• 1 carrot cut into thin rounds
• ½ cup green beans
• 1/3 cup purple cabbage
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ cup bell peppers
• 1 package baked or plain firm tofu
• 4 cups mung bean sprouts

Noodles

• 1 package Pad Thai Rice Noodles. Prepare as directed on package. 

Garnish

• 2 TBSP cilantro
• 2 cups mung bean sprouts
• 2 TBSP chopped peanuts
• lime wedges

Instructions

Sauce

1. Place all sauce ingredients except for lime juice in a small pot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and add the lime juice. Remove from heat and set aside.

 Noodles

1. I start the noodles while I’m cooking the vegetables so the noodles don’t need to sit for long. They can get gummy if they do.
2. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on the stove. Cook the rice noodles as directed.
3. When done, drain and rinse with hot water. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and toss. 

Stir Fry

1. Chop all vegetables and tofu into pleasing sizes and shapes. For kids, we recommend chopping them very small (1/4,” 3 mm) so they get some of everything in each bite and cannot pick items out of the Pad Thai.
2. Heat wok or large pan on medium-high. Add sesame oil.
3. Add broccoli stalk and fry 1 minute.
4. Add carrot and tofu. Sauté 2 minutes.
5. Add broccoli and cauliflower florets and green beans. Sauté until al dente.
6. Add cabbage, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until all is cooked, but still slightly crunchy. You don’t want soggy vegetables.

Putting It Together

1. Place noodles back in their pot and pour the sauce over them. Toss to coat.
2. Add the vegetable and tofu mixture, and bean sprouts. Toss to mix and heat to serving temperature.
3. Serve garnished with lime wedges, cilantro, and peanuts. Add sesame seeds or additional green sprouts, or anything you like.

Chef's Notes 

If you like extra spice, add 1/4-1/2 tsp more of ground red chili pepper. 

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Written by Your Vegan Family 

Stacy and Markus live an adventurous vegan lifestyle and write articles about their experiences cooking global vegan cuisine, creating businesses, raising vegan kids, and traveling through more than 65 countries. They earned degrees in molecular biology and acupuncture, consulted over decades for healthcare companies and individuals, created businesses in Asian medicine, eco-tourism, cultural immersion, and taught yoga in myriad venues.

We’ve learned a lot from eating a plant-based diet for 25 years and are eager to share more with you. Learn more on our About Us page.

Vegan Pad Thai Recipe Grocery List: 

• limes
• broccoli
• cauliflower florets
• bok choi
• carrot
• green beans
• purple cabbage
• garlic cloves
• bell pepper
• fresh cilantro
• mung bean sprouts
• baked or plain firm tofu
• tamarind paste
• coconut sugar
• rice vinegar
• sesame oil
• Braggs Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce
• Yondu Umami Sauce
• ground red chili pepper
• pad thai rice noodles
• peanuts

Vegan Pad Thai Recipe Nutritional Analysis

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutritional calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. When exact ingredients are not available in this database, the closest substitution is made. 

Percentages are based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet for an adult. 

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