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Vegetarian Pad Thai in black bowl with peanuts and chopsticks
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5 from 7 votes

Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe with Peanut Sauce

Vegetarian Pad Thai Recipe with Peanut Sauce is a super tasty and hearty dish. Packed with delicious Asian flavors, it's great for a crowd at a party or for a quiet family dinner.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: great for a crowd, best gluten-free noodle recipes, vegetarian comfort foods
Servings: 6
Calories: 536kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup crunchy, salted peanut butter room temperature
  • cup lime juice (about 3 large limes)
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Mirin (sweet rice wine)
  • ¼ cup low-sodium Tamari (see notes)
  • tablespoons granulated sugar
  • teaspoons chili paste (Sambal Oelek is perfect)
  • 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
  • cups yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and dried
  • cups red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces dry Pad Thai-Style rice noodles
  • 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, washed and dried, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup loosely packed mint, washed and dried, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup scallions, finely chopped (about 5 scallions)
  • ¾ cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Make the sauce. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the lime juice, Mirin, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste and 2 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil. Set aside.
  • Cook onion and garlic. Coat a large sauté pan or wok with the remaining tablespoon of grapeseed oil. Place the pan over low-medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes and slightly golden.
  • Add remaining vegetables and cook. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the carrots, bean sprouts, peppers and cabbage. Stirring occasionally, cook until the carrots are tender, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
  • Cook the noodles. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water just until tender but still firm to bite, about 6 minutes. Before draining, remove ½ cup of the noodle water and add it to the vegetable mixture. Then drain the noodles and add them, too.
  • Add fresh herbs, sauce and garnish to the noodles. Add the cilantro, mint, scallions, and pour the sauce over the entire mixture. Gently toss to evenly combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper (if necessary), and Garnish with the peanuts.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.
You can also use soy sauce, but if you'd like to keep this dish gluten-free, be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce. (Tamari is gluten-free.)

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal