15-Minute Pad Thai

15-Minute Pad Thai

Pad Thai from scratch sounds intimidating until you realize it’s basically stir-fried noodles with a sweet-sour-salty sauce. Rice noodles, shrimp, egg, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts — tossed in a tamarind-based sauce that hits every flavor note. Street food speed, home kitchen comfort.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Rice noodles soak in 5 minutes — no boiling needed
  • The sauce is 5 pantry ingredients whisked together
  • Authentic Thai flavors without the Thai cooking class
  • Impressive dinner party dish that’s secretly easy

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15-Minute Pad Thai

Prep: 5 mins Cook: 10 mins Total: 15 mins Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 6 oz rice noodles (pad Thai width)
  • 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
  • Lime wedges and cilantro
  • Sauce: 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp sriracha

Instructions

  1. Soak rice noodles in hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain.
  2. Whisk sauce ingredients together.
  3. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Cook shrimp 2 minutes per side. Remove.
  4. Push to the side, add beaten eggs, scramble quickly.
  5. Add drained noodles and sauce. Toss 2-3 minutes until noodles absorb the sauce. Return shrimp, add bean sprouts. Serve with peanuts, green onions, lime, and cilantro.

Recipe Tips

  • Don’t over-soak the noodles — they should still be slightly firm going into the wok.
  • Tamarind paste is in the Asian aisle. No substitute matches the authentic flavor.
  • High heat and constant tossing prevent the noodles from sticking.
  • Use tofu or chicken instead of shrimp.

Calories: 460 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 58g

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Nutritional information is estimated and may vary.