This Homemade Pad Thai (Chicken and Shrimp) is the cure for your takeout cravings. You can use rice noodles, brown rice noodles, zucchini, or spaghetti squash. This recipe is gluten-free and has fewer calories, fat, and sugar than most versions. Feel free to load it up with your favorite veggies!
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also get our free digital cookbook with 30-Minute One-Pot Recipes and weekly recipes and tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.
This recipe is actually really easy to make, but it does require a nice amount of ingredients. This isn't a dish you want to shortcut and substitute (to death!). Not if you want something that tastes close to an authentic version.
What Makes the Dish Lightened Up
Here are some things that you may find in recipes that are prepared by others that you won't find in this version.
- MSG: It's a flavor enhancer short for monosodium glutamate. It's popular in Asian cooking and processed foods found in the West. Chemically, MSG is a white crystalline powder that resembles table salt or sugar. It combines sodium and glutamic acid, known as a sodium salt
- Increased Sodium: The Chicken Pad Thai from PF Changs has over 2,500 mg of sodium. This recipe has ¼ of that per serving.
- Excess Sugar: That same version of the recipe has 43 grams of sugar. This dish has 2 grams of sugar. Most of the carbs come from the rice noodles. If you're trying to cut the carbs, use veggie noodles.
When you make this dish at home, you are in control of the ingredients. It's also sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Key Ingredients for Pad Thai Sauce
This is the most important part of the dish. It honestly can make or break how good a recipe is! I've frequented plenty of Thai restaurants and only come back to 1 or 2. That's because their sauce is on point! Many places will add ketchup to their sauce or make it entirely too sweet. It really needs the right elements.
The sauce has elements of sweet, salty, and sour.
For the sweet element, I like to use golden monkfruit. This keeps the recipe sugar-free. You can also use organic maple syrup, honey, or regular sugar if you aren't concerned about lightening up the recipe.
For the salty component, I use fish sauce and soy sauce (you can substitute liquid aminos or coconut aminos). I use fish sauce in pretty much all of my Asian inspired recipes, including this Salmon Fried Rice. It does have a distinct smell, but tastes amazing in food. If you have ever dined in authentic Asian restaurants, then you have smelled fish sauce and you know they use it!
For the sour component, I use tamarind paste. Tamarind is a sour fruit. The paste combines the pulp of the fruit with water. You can find it in Asian markets or here on Amazon.
What Type of Sweetener to Use
The dish is traditionally made using palm sugar. Palm sugar is similar to coconut sugar, but they are different. Both come from Southeast Asia and are natural sweeteners that come from trees. You can use either of these in the recipe. You can use the same amount noted in the recipe.
I use golden monkfruit to eliminate the calories and carbs associated with the sweet element of the recipe.
You can used refined table sugar if you wish. You will use the same amount noted in the recipe.
If you use something like stevia, you will have to convert the serving using the standard conversion you follow for converting refined sugar.
You can use ¼ cup of organic maple syrup.
You can use ¼ cup of honey.
What Type of Noodles to Use
I use rice noodles and I look for noodles that don't have added sugar! Many do, so pay attention to that. I find my favorites at a local Asian market. I go for thin rice noodles (sometimes called rice sticks) and in size Medium if the size is noted.
You can also use brown rice noodles. These typically have similar macros to standard rice noodles, but our body processes brown rice differently than white rice.
See below for low carb noodle substitutions.
How to Make Lightened Up Pad Thai
- Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a pan. Cook until the sweetener melts.
- Cook the noodles in accordance with package instructions.
- Cook the shrimp and chicken in a skillet with oil. Remove.
- Saute onions and garlic. Add in the cooked noodles, Pad Thai sauce, bean sprouts, green onions, and crushed peanuts. Stir.
- Scramble eggs to the side in the pan and combine the mixture.
- Add in the cooked chicken and shrimp.
What is Fish Sauce? Can You Substitute?
Fish sauce is made from fermented fish, krill, or anchovies and is fermented for months up to 2 years. It has a salty, slightly sweet taste, and it does smell funky. It is widely used in Asian cuisine. If you dined in an Asian restaurant, you've likely consumed it. If you've visited one that is really authentic, I am sure you have smelled it.
What does fish sauce taste like? You only need a little bit of it when you use it. It's salty. Do not taste it straight. It's meant to be used in conjunction with food and other ingredients as an enhancement.
If you omit it in the recipe, the dish will have less flavor.
Once opened, I store it in the fridge.
What is Tamarind? Can You Substitute?
Tamarind comes from a tree grown in Africa and parts of Asia. The pulp produces a sour fruit. While cooking, it provides a sweet and spicy element and a little tartness. If you don't want to use it, you can use fresh squeezed lime and adjust to taste. The recipe doesn't taste as good! I've tried it.
It doesn't have any added sugar and just a small amount of natural sugar as it's a fruit.
Once opened, I store it in the fridge.
How to Make it Spicy
If you've ever dined out in a Thai restaurant you are familiar with the different levels of spice. Sometimes there's a zero to 5 scale. I love this guide from Connect2Local.
- 0-1 Mild: This is definitely for the people who like little to no spice. It's usually a comfortable level. You should start with ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper and build from there. Or omit completely if you aren't a fan.
- 2-3 Medium: This is actually where I fall (and I feel like I can handle a good amount of heat). A 2 is typically moderately spicy and 3 is what many may find "uncomfortable." To me, there is a big difference in even a 2 vs 3, and both are still considered medium. Start with 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Build from there to suit your tastes.
- 4-5 Hot and Thai Hot: This is very hot and often too spicy for even most adults. Add more crushed red pepper to taste and you can even add in spicy chilies or use to cayenne to create the flavor you are looking for.
What Type of Shrimp to Use
Shrimp can be found at the grocery store in a few different ways. There is raw, pre-cooked, raw and frozen, deveined, tails on, tails off, etc.
I never use pre-cooked shrimp. There is an obvious difference in taste due to the lack of quality. The shrimp is cooked and then frozen and you have to cook it/warm it up again. This usually overcooks the shrimp. Raw shrimp only takes minutes to make, just buy it raw.
Always look for deveined, that’s my preference. The black vein that runs along the back of the shrimp is the digestive intestinal tract. Is this shrimp poop, yes.
You can buy it with the vein and remove it using a sharp paring knife to make a slit along the back and lift out the vein with the tip of the knife.
Buy large shrimp. No one likes those baby shrimp and they are harder to cook with.
How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp
Place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl of cold water. The shrimp will thaw within minutes and will be ready to peel.
What Type of Chicken to Use
I use chicken breasts in this recipe, but you can use whatever you want, such as chicken thighs or chicken tenders. It won't require much an adjustment to the cook time. Just ensure the chicken is fully cooked through.
You can test the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer. Ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Additional Vegetables to Substitute and Add-in
- Tofu (Traditional recipes are made with tofu!)
- Dried Shrimp (Also found in traditional recipes)
- Snap Peas
- Peas
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Green Onions
- Bell Peppers
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Bok Choy
- Carrots
How to Reheat It/How Does it Taste The Next Day
I reheat using the microwave or air fryer and I get similar results using both methods. It takes like leftover take-out, which isn't a bad thing. Rice noodles absorb liquid and the sauce so it won't be saucy. If you are into saucy pad Thai, you will definitely need to make additional sauce and keep it on hand to add to leftovers.
I always refresh my leftovers with bean sprouts, more crushed pepper, more crushed peanuts, and lime. These will add that crunch I feel I need.
Can You Freeze It?
You can! I actually like the taste of the dish reheated after freezing MORE vs reheating from the fridge. Freezing the meal flashes the current texture and state of the dish. I freeze my leftovers immediately, instead of letting them sit in the fridge for a couple of days (which dries out the dish).
Freezing it immediately will allow it to taste more like it does the first day you make it. I recommend freezing it using these freezer molds from Amazon. I defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes and then reheat.
Pair This Dish With
Shrimp Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls
Jerk Shrimp Recipe
More Take Out Recipes
Keto Low Carb Orange Chicken
Seafood Shrimp Pho Soup
Keto Beef and Broccoli
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich
Red Lobster CopyCat Shrimp Scampi
Instant Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
Keto Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
Tuna Poke Bowls
Grilled Cedar Plank Shrimp
Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
Lightened Up Pad Thai (Chicken and Shrimp)
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also get our free digital cookbook with 30-Minute One-Pot Recipes and weekly recipes and tips.
Equipment
Ingredients
Pad Thai Sauce
- ⅓ cup brown sweetener See notes for substitutions.
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 ½ tablespoons tamarind paste See notes.
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce You can also use liquid aminos or coconut aminos.
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce See notes.
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (flakes) Add more or less to taste.
Pad Thai
- 8 oz rice noodles See notes for substitutions.
- ½ pound raw shrimp Peeled and deveined.
- ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts Cut into 1 inch cubes.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons peanut oil Divided, Olive oil and avocado oil work fine.
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 eggs Beaten
Garnish
- fresh lime wedges
- bean sprouts
- green onions
- crushed red pepper (flakes)
Instructions
Rice Noodles
- Cook the rice noodles in accordance with the instructions on the package. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from cooking, and set aside. Mine cooked for 3 minutes.
Pad Thai Sauce
- Place a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add all of the ingredients for the sauce. Stir for several minutes until the sweetener melts. The sauce won't become super thick. It will bubble some while the sweetener melts.
- If you want to make this recipe using one pan, you can by using a skillet. But if you are using monkfruit sweetener, the sweetener will cause the sauce to harden and crystallize as it stands (when removed from heat and set aside). I like to cook the sauce in a small saucepan and leave it heating on the stove on low while I perform the remaining steps of the recipe. You don't have to do this. You can set it aside and microwave it, when you're ready to add it to the pad Thai. Your choice.
Pad Thai
- Season the shrimp and chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon of peanut oil. Add in the shrimp. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping to cook both sides. When the shrimp has turned bright pink and fully cooked, remove it and set aside.
- Add the chicken cubes to the pan. If you need additional oil here, add it. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes, flipping to cook both sides and until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Add 1 teaspoon of peanut oil to the pan (if needed) and add in the onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the cooked noodles, Pad Thai Sauce, bean sprouts, green onions, and ½ of the chopped roasted peanuts to the pan. Stir to fully coat the noodles.
- Move the noodle mixture to the side to create room to scramble the eggs. Add the beaten eggs and scramble them to the side of the noodles. Once cooked, stir to incorporate the mixture.
- Add the chicken and shrimp back to the pan. Stir.
- Top with the additional peanuts and other garnish like bean sprouts and lime.
Video
Notes
- I love to serve my pad thai with extra crushed red pepper on top so I go a little easier during the recipe and start with 1 teaspoon.
- The sauce is the most important element of this recipe. Adjust to your taste. Make it sweeter, less sweet, spicier, etc by tasting as you go. You can always start with a small dose of the recommended ingredients and build from there if you wish.
- Peanut oil is used because it enhances the flavor of the dish. Feel free to substitute.
- You can use a large skillet or wok for this recipe. If using a wok, move quickly as food will cook much faster.
- I'm not a fan of super saucy pad Thai. If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce ingredients. (This impacts the macros, recalculate as necessary).
- I usually can only find bean sprouts at my local Asian market. Kudos if your grocer carries them!
- You can substitute monkfruit for palm sugar, coconut sugar, or regular refined table sugar and use the same amount noted in the recipe.
- You can sub monkfruit for ¼ cup of organic maple syrup.
- You can sub monkfruit for ¼ cup of honey.
- What does fish sauce taste like? It's salty. Do not taste it straight. It's meant to be used in conjunction with food and other ingredients as an enhancement. Some substitute Worcestershire sauce, but it's not the same in my opinion. If you omit the fish sauce the dish will lack flavor.
- You can substitute tamarind paste for lime juice. Use enough to suit your taste.
- Omit the eggs if you wish.
- Substitute the protein for whatever you wish. You can even use tofu.
- I like a lot of shrimp, feel free to use however much you want. Blame years of being upset for only receiving 2 shrimp while picking up take out lol.
- Chicken thighs can be subbed for chicken breasts.
- You can also use brown rice noodles. These typically have similar macros to standard rice noodles, but our body processes brown rice differently than white rice.
-
You can easily swap out the rice noodles for veggie noodles. Here are my favorites
- Hearts of Palm: You can find brands here on Amazon and Trader Joe's carries them as well. This is my FAVORITE pasta substitute. It’s a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees. And it tastes darn good when made into pasta!
- Zucchini Noodles – Use a spiralizer to create these.
- Spaghetti Squash
- Miracle Noodles – These are shirataki noodles. I have tried them once and they are ok. I’m not a huge fan. People swear by them!
- Here are the macros if you use Hearts of Palm Linguine (feel free to calculate your own macros using what you use in the recipe): Cals: 293 Fat: 10G Net Carbs: 12G Protein: 26G
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Kelly Smith says
This was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and it made big portions. I love your detailed instructions and explanations. I had tried making a thai dish at home a few years ago and it was an epic fail. I'm so happy to have now had success! I will be making it again in the future!
I used half brown sugar, half golden Monkfruit in my sauce. Only ingredient I omitted was the fish sauce.(My husband has a strong aversion to it.) It was still amazing, even without it.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Anne D says
This recipe is amazing! I was so excited to try this recipe after Brandi posted it. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was better than takeout! I couldn’t find tamarind locally, so I ordered it from Amazon. I liked that you can adjust the heat of the dish to your preference. Thanks, Brandi for a healthy version of one of my favorite take out meals! Will definitely make this again.
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm so glad the tips worked for you!
FELICIA says
This is so good! I was a bit hesitant with the chicken and shrimp, but this combo together is so good. I used less noodles and added some extra veggies since that is what I had on hand. It is the perfect lunch! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Christine Hogan says
I made this for our Valentine's dinner; man oh man, is it good!! My husband said it's as good as take out! I added lots of vegetables(zucchini and carrot cut into matchsticks) and I will definitely make more sauce next time,those noodles really soak up the sauce!
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad you both enjoyed it.
Amanda says
Great, easy pad thai recipe. Other recipes that I've tried have a huge list of ingredients and steps. This one tasted like it did, but was super simple. I used some sweet potato glass noodles that I found in the international section and they complimented it perfectly. A definite make again!
staysnatched says
I love to hear you will make it again.
Kirsty says
This was really good! Did the substitutions you suggested for the tamarind and monkfruit, still delicious. Will definitely be making this again.
staysnatched says
I'm glad the substitutions worked!
Shauna says
This was so good! I made it last week for lunch and it turned into dinner as well. The dish made a very large portion and I was able to give a friend some of it. Planning on making it again next week and will double the sauce. I grew up eating tamarind in Jamaica and was shocked it also came in paste form. I found mine which was a different brand at the local Asian store here in Milwaukee, WI.
staysnatched says
Yay! I'm glad you and the friend could enjoy it.
Ana says
The queen is at it again! When I saw Brandi post this recipe I couldn't wait to try it, and I am now 3 bites in and don't know what took me to long! I was worried I would mess this dish up, since every time I have tried to make pad Thai in the past has been a complete failure, but I shouldn't have been worried because Brandi's recipes & tips always set me up for success. Another hit! Thanks Brandi 🙂
staysnatched says
I'm so glad to hear that!
Erika says
This was by far the best homemade pad thai I've ever made. I have tried several other recipes in the past but they were either too sweet or felt like they were missing "something". As you've outlined, Tamarind and fish sauce make all the difference!
A couple of changes I made:
-I ended up doubling the sauce because I added a large red bell pepper (sliced into thin strips) and 2 carrots because my store does not sell bean sprouts. It was a little less traditional, but still delicious.
-One tip I will give if you make double the sauce: don't pour it all in right away because it makes scrambling the eggs difficult. The sauce kept spilling into the raw eggs and it was a mess. I ended up scooping out the raw egg/sauce mess, removing some of the extra sauce out, cracking two new eggs, and adding back in the extra sauce after I mixed the cooked eggs into the noodle mixture. This was totally on me and nothing to do with how Brandi formulated the recipe!
-I used brown sugar instead of the monkfruit sweetener because that is what I had and it turned out well
-I used brown rice noodles and did not taste much of any difference from the white rice noodles
This recipe is for sure going to be added to our go-to recipe list. Thank you, Brandi!
staysnatched says
Yay! Thank you for sharing all of this!
Ashley says
I made this for dinner and it was fantastic!!! I was craving it so bad but didn’t want to go out and buy some, so I remember Brandi had this recipe and I am so glad I tried it and made it!! Definitely going to make this every time I crave pad Thai! SO DELICIOUS
staysnatched says
Great for those cravings.
Jessica says
YUM! This does not disappoint. I love that Brandi added so much shrimp. There is no fighting over the 2 shrimp that come in the takeout container!! Major note: read the blog post and the WHOLE recipe before you begin. I always make a recipe the first time exactly how the author wrote it. I want to know how it is before I mess with it! I discovered after making this that I DO NOT like bean sprouts, so next time I’ll substitute with something Brandi suggested. Also, make sure you rinse your noodles after cooking! I got distracted and skipped this step... DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKE ... it’s in the recipe for a reason. Also freezes so well!!! Thanks for another great, better than take-out, recipe!
staysnatched says
Glad to hear it!
Lauren says
I made a modified version of this - reduced the peanut oil, didn't use shrimp, and subbed lime juice for tamarind paste. (Made a few other minor changes as well to fit it with my macros.) It was still good, but I think it would have been better if I'd made it as instructed. I also didn't cut the chicken into small enough pieces. That said, all the errors were mine, not the recipe's. Definitely worth a try!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! Yes, as written, the recipe is fantastic!
Laura Parrish says
SO delicious! Whole family LOVES this dish. I can’t wait to make it again.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear it.
Meridith Martin says
So good. I did mine with tofu which worked really well. The best part of making this recipe is that I tried monk fruit as a sweetener for the first time and really liked it. I’ve been meaning to make this for quite some time - so glad I did!
staysnatched says
I’m glad you got to try Monkfruit!
Cassandra says
So good! It had me wanting to lick my bowl clean!!
staysnatched says
Haha! I'm with you on that.
Skye says
I was craving pad thai so I went straight to your takeout section. This was awesome. I couldn’t find tamarind paste at the store and debated making without but because of your meticulous notes saw it wouldn’t taste as good. I wasn’t going to risk it so I pushed out and ordered online. So so worth it!
staysnatched says
Yes! It makes a huge difference. I can only find it online or in local Asian markets.
Cassandra H says
I live in an area where it is impossible to find Thai food (let alone good Thai food) and I've been craving it like a mad woman. YOU CAME THROUGH LIKE ALWAYS. Your website has been my go to so I always search here for recipes first. When I tell you you blew my pad thai craving out of the water. It was perfectly spiced and flavored and is my new favorite Pad Thai EVER. and the recipe was super easy to follow.
staysnatched says
I'm glad to hear the recipe was easy to follow!
Theresa says
Made this with all shrimp and the hearts of palm noodles! Delicious, healthy, and easy! Added in snap peas and carrots for some extra veggies and it was great. Thanks Brandi!
staysnatched says
You're welcome!