Pad Thai
A crowd-pleasing Thai seafood built around rice noodles, fish sauce and tiger prawns — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's pescatarian — fish but no meat.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: contains fish or shellfish, no meat, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Fish Shellfish Peanut
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold running water.
- Put the lime juice, cayenne, sugar and fish sauce in a bowl and mix well. Have all the other ingredients ready by the cooker.
- Heat the oil and fry the prawns until warmed through.
- Add the spring onions and noodles and toss around.
- Tip in the lime juice mixture, then stir in the beansprouts and half the peanuts and coriander.
- Cook for 1 minute until everything is heated through.
- Pile into a large dish, scatter with the rest of the peanuts and coriander, and serve with lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Saucepan
Watch how it's made
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Ingredient substitutions
- Lime
- lemon
- Fish Sauce
- soy sauce + a pinch of salt
What to serve with Pad Thai
- Pad See Ew Chicken
- Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Massaman Beef curry Beef
- Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai) Chicken
Tips & common questions
How long does Pad Thai take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lime?
Try lemon. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Structured source recipe — not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Recipe data for Pad Thai via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.