Easy Spicy Vegan Pad Thai Recipe - Delish Knowledge (2024)

By Alexandra Caspero on March 14, 2016

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Spicy Vegan Pad Thai! Spicy pad thai with Sriracha tofu crumbles. Vegan withGluten Free option.

this Recipe

Once again it’s Monday morning and I’m here to talk to you about my love of all things NOODLES. I swear, I go through withdrawal symptoms when I haven’t had my daily fix of them. I talk a big game, pretending that I crave healthy food after healthy food, but really- I’m just here for the pasta. Guess it’s a good thing I have an Italian cookbook coming out this Fall. 😉

I forgot to share my weekly meal plan with you last week; I’m realizing that weeknight dinners are relatively easy to create when we are home on the weekends. Throw in travel or out-of-town guests, and I’m down for the count until at least Wednesday. After freezer leftovers and takeout for the first few nights, I finally got the motivationto head to the store and return to my weeknight dinner duty. It’s ironic isn’t it? You’d think that as an almost full-time recipe developer, I’d have more weeknight food than I know what to do with. Obviously, I’m missing something.

I finally settled on this one-pot bucatini puttanesca (minus the anchovies) for our Wednesday night dinner after a quick pinterest search- wow, so delicious. One pot is the answer to all my weeknight dinner dilemmas! After a giant bowl of that pasta, I wasn’t quite ready to be done with the noodle love, so I whipped up this Spicy Pad Thai the following night.

I’ve clearly been on an Asian influenced kick lately (see here, here,here,here,and here) Six dishes in a month? That’s a record- even for me. Maybe it’s my subconscious trying to subliminally convince BL that we need to take that trip to Thailand this year…

Ever since making this, I’ve been craving nothing but. Slurpy, salty noodles witha giant helping of vegetables, fresh herbs and crispy, spicy tofu. It’s texture on parade and seriously one of my favorite dishes as of late. (Though, I tend to say that about everything so I clearly cannot be trusted).

It’s a little more work than normal for a weeknight meal, but none of the steps are difficult. In keeping with my sweet mother-in-laws request, I’ve made sure that all of the ingredients can be found at a normal grocery store. While taking a trip to the International Market is like Christmas for me, I know not everyone feels the same way.

The sauce for the tofu and pad thai is fairly similar, so pull out all of the ingredients to whip them up at the same time. I rely on these glass cupsfor almost all of my sauces. I measure everything directly into the cups, give a quick whisk and then set aside while I prep the rest of the ingredients. When I’m ready to use them, I can easily pour them into the skillet.

The spicy tofu on top really brings the entire dish together, but if spicy food doesn’t agree with you, feel free to omit the Sriracha all together or reduce the amount.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge .I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!

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Spicy Vegan Pad Thai

Author: Alex Caspero
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: vegan, vegetarian, glutenfree, thai, healthy, dinner
Method: Stove top
Cuisine: Thai

Description

Spicy Vegan Pad Thai! Spicy pad thai with Sriracha tofu crumbles. Vegan and Gluten Free.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Spicy Tofu Crumbles

1 pound extra-firm tofu, sliced 1/2″ thick
1 tablespoon peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free version)
1–2 tablespoons Sriracha (or other hot sauce/paste)
2 tablespoons plain rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Pad Thai

8 ounces brown rice noodles (or rice noodles)
2 teaspoons oil, divided (I used coconut oil)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 Thai chili, finely chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Spicy Pad Thai Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free version)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Sriracha (or other spicy sauce, less if you don’t want as much heat)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 teaspoon garlic-chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced

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Instructions

Place the uncooked noodles in a bowl of cold water to soak.
Make the Tofu: Arrange slices in a single layer on a paper towel lined plate and cover with a few more paper towels. Press down firmly on tofu with your hands to get rid of any excess liquid.
Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add the tofu, in a single layer, and cook, turning once until lightly browned on each side, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove from oven and finely chop.
Whisk together the ingredients for the tofu crumbles: peanut butter, soy sauce, Sriracha, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and ginger. Pour over the tofu crumbles and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Make the Pad Thai:Whisk together the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and set aside.
Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add in the vegetables (red pepper, onion, carrots and chili) and cook until just tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Transfer to a dish and set aside.
Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the drained noodles (they should be soft by now) and stir fry for a minute, stirring often.
Add in the sauce and stir-fry for another minute or two until the sauce starts to thicken and stick to the noodles. Add the vegetables and stir together until just combined. Stir in the peanuts, cilantro and divide among 4 bowls.
Add the marinated tofu crumbles to the skillet and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes until tofu is crispy and sauce is absorbed into the tofu. Divide among the 4 bowls and serve immediately.

Notes

For gluten-free version, substitute Tamari for soy sauce

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Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Chef, and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.

(23 comments) leave a comment

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This has been a go-to recipe in my house for years now. No lie, I have turned tofu haters into tofu lovers with this dish. The heavier sauce on the tofu contrasts well with the light sauce of the noodles and veggies. Sorry it took so long to leave a review!
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Everyone loves this recipe! It has a kick without the loss of my taste buds. I half the Sriracha. Full of flavor! Yum !
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Thank you, Janine!
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I made this for a friend that was coming over for dinner. She’s vegan, I’m not, and I thought this might be something we’d both enjoy. Oh my goodness was it a hit! She loved it and I didn’t miss the meat at all!! I told my husband I’ll be making it for him too!
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So glad you liked it!
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I absolutely LOVE this recipe but everytime I make this the noodles get real sticky and bunch together when I’m adding the vegetables. What am I doing wrong? How do I prevent this from happening?
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Hi Amy- I hate when that happens! Make sure you’re not overcooking the noodles. Cooking them too long turns them gummy and they will get more clumped up. You can also try tossing the noodles in a little oil before adding to the skillet.
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Hi there- I am trying to reduce the amount of sugar my family and I eat and (for me) the amount of brown sugar added seems high. Is there a recommendation for subbing out the brown sugar with something else- I.e. agave, maple syrup or perhaps less sugar?
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Hi Kristina, absolutely! You can try using maple syrup instead OR cutting down on less sugar.
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Hummmm well I love pad Thai….and while the final outcome was ok…the recipe had a few shortcomings! The process of soaking noodles was not efficient….noodles were still hard by time it was time to stir fry them. To me, there was definitely not enough sauce…I would double even triple those amounts if I were to make this again. Also veggies should be very very thin so as not to take over the flavour…almost grated in my opinion! Worth trying again…
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Hi Sharon, thanks for your comments. I’m sorry that the soaking of noodles didn’t work well for you. What brand did you use? The brand I used recommended soaking the noodles for 10 minutes to soften, which was about the time it took to prepare the rest of the ingredients and get everything set up. Thanks for your comment on the sauce! I will retest this one and make any adjustments! Thanks, Alex
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Hi Sharon, thanks for your comments. I’m sorry that the soaking of noodles didn’t work well for you. What brand did you use? The brand I used recommended soaking the noodles for 10 minutes to soften, which was about the time it took to prepare the rest of the ingredients and get everything set up. Thanks for your comment on the sauce! I will retest this one and make any adjustments! Thanks, Alex
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Thanks Alex….together we all learn! The noodles were bought st bulk barn and I can’t recall the brand, I put them in boiling water and they were good to go….bit starchy so maybe that is why there wasn’t enough sauce. I love sauce so a question of personal taste! I made another batch of sauce to go with leftovers!
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Thanks Alex….together we all learn! The noodles were bought st bulk barn and I can’t recall the brand, I put them in boiling water and they were good to go….bit starchy so maybe that is why there wasn’t enough sauce. I love sauce so a question of personal taste! I made another batch of sauce to go with leftovers!
Reply

Hummmm well I love pad Thai….and while the final outcome was ok…the recipe had a few shortcomings! The process of soaking noodles was not efficient….noodles were still hard by time it was time to stir fry them. To me, there was definitely not enough sauce…I would double even triple those amounts if I were to make this again. Also veggies should be very very thin so as not to take over the flavour…almost grated in my opinion! Worth trying again…
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This is one beautiful bowl of noodles! It looks so packed with flavor! I’d love to sit down to this healthy pad thai!
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Thanks Kristine!
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Okay, so I tried doing some meal planning over the weekend, too, and I felt so overwhelmed! I usually only plan about a day or two ahead. Can we form some sort of meal planning club so that you can help me get my act together? Love this dish, Alex!
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HA! Yes- only if it will help me get mine together! I totally agree, it’s so much harder than I thought it would be! But, I also strongly believe that our weeknight dinners are so important for quality time and hate that I can cook all day but not get my act together for an actual dinner meal. I’m a work in progress 🙂
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Mmm LOVE pad Thai! It’s such a fresh bright meal!
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