Vegan Pad Thai – Peanut Free + Gluten Free
This Vegan Pad Thai recipe is delicious and ready in less than 30 minutes! Featuring a simple spicy sauce and gluten-free noodles, this recipe is quick + easy.
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We love making this easy vegan pad thai. Check out this Walnut Bolognese or Lentil Marinara with Spaghetti Squash for more delicious and easy vegan dinner recipes. We also feature a ton of Healthy Vegan Recipes here so check them out!
IN THIS POST: Everything you need to make Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients for this recipe
- vermicelli noodles – Use regular or brown rice noodles – vermicelli is perfect for pad thai noodles
- coconut aminos – this gives you that umami flavor
- cloves garlic
- chili powder
- red pepper flakes
- maple syrup – honey is not considered vegan
- lime
- toasted sesame oil
- salt + pepper
- fresh cilantro
- green onions
- toasted almonds – instead of peanuts!
How to make Vegan Pad Thai
This recipe is so simple to throw together.
First, start with the vegan pad thai sauce. Generally speaking a good pad thai sauce is made up of a trio of flavors – sweet, sour, and salt.
Next, in a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup (the sweet), coconut aminos (the salt), and fresh lime juice (the sour).
To that, add a minced clove of garlic, some lovely toasted sesame oil (highly recommended!), and pantry spices like chili flakes, ground ginger, and chili powder.
Next, cook your noodles according to the package instructions. I love using rice vermicelli because it is gluten-free and cooks so quickly! Simply boil large pot of water and soak the noodles for a couple of minutes until they have reached your desired doneness.
Meanwhile, chop up some fresh cilantro, green onions, and a handful of roasted almonds.
Once the noodles are done, drain the water and pour the cooked noodles into a big bowl and toss in the sauce.
Next, top everything off with the chopped cilantro, onions, and almonds.
FAQ’S, Tips, + Substitutions
- Can vegans eat Pad Thai? Generally, a pad thai sauce contains fish or oyster sauces making it not a vegan-friendly dish. This sauce uses coconut aminos or this low sodium homemade soy-free soy sauce which tastes similar and makes it a great vegan option. Or source out a vegan fish sauce!
- Besides being a delicious meal it also does double duty. You can enjoy this as both a quick vegan dinner or stretch it out as a side dish by adding your choice of protein. Tofu is popular for vegans.
- Add in a ton of veggies! This recipe is a base and you can add more vegetables (and nutrition like fiber) like shredded carrots, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced bell pepper. Simply stir fry them in a pan over medium heat while the noodles are cooking.
- You can also add a tbsp of tamarind paste (if you can find it) to the sauce for another sweet and sour burst of flavor.
More healthy vegan recipes
- Coconut Bacon
- Banana “Nice” Cream
- Hemp Milk
- Vanilla Cashew Coffee Creamer
- Homemade Banana Chips
- Coconut Oil Peanut Butter Fudge
**This recipe was originally posted on September 27, 2013, and updated on April 21, 2020, and again on June 20, 2022, with recipe notes, writing, and new photos.**
If you’ve tried my easy pad thai recipe, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!
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Vegan Pad Thai – Peanut Free + Gluten Free Dinner Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package pad thai noodles (I use vermicelli noodles)
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup cup roasted chopped almonds
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and stir well with a fork. Or use a small mason jar!
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
- Drain the noodles and transfer them to a large bowl. Toss in the sauce and coat the noodles.
- Portion into bowls and top with chopped cilantro, green onions, and roasted almonds.
Video
Notes
- Can vegans eat Pad Thai? Generally, a pad thai sauce contains fish or oyster sauces making it not a vegan-friendly dish. This sauce uses coconut aminos or this low sodium homemade soy-free soy sauce which tastes similar and makes it a great vegan option. Or source out a vegan fish sauce!
- Besides being a delicious meal it also does double duty. You can enjoy this as both a quick vegan dinner or stretch it out as a side dish by adding your choice of protein. Tofu is popular for vegans.
- Add in a ton of veggies! This recipe is a base and you can add more vegetables (and nutrition like fiber) like shredded carrots, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced bell pepper. Simply stir fry them in a pan over medium heat while the noodles are cooking.
- You can also add a tbsp of tamarind paste (if you can find it) to the sauce for another sweet and sour burst of flavor.
Looking for a peanut-free and gluten-free and vegan pad thai has been exhaustive – until now! This recipe was incredibly delicious and so easy. Thank you!
Amazing Tara! I’m really glad you liked it. 🙂
I normally make pad thai with tamari, but had some coconut aminos as a gift recently and was keen to try it! Wow, it is absolutely wonderful in pad Thai sauce! The recipe is great! Will definitely make it again soon 🙂
Yum! SO happy you enjoyed Leva 🙂
Love pad thai and this vegan version looks so tasty! The topping sounds delicious.
Easy and quick and presentation awesome. Vegan sounds interesting too. Love the Nutty Almond topping and the flavorful sauce. Yum
My Pad-Thai came out sooo deliciously! Nothing to miss from the non-vegan traditional version.
Woot woot!! Thanks Tavo 🙂
Hello! Sadly I have a peanut AND almond allergy! Could I use chopped up cashews instead? Or will that taste off?
Bummer about the allergies … but cashews should totally work! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
I saw this recipe on My Fitness pal and was happy to see it was vegan.
However, upon reading the actual recipe it is absolutely not vegan.
Using your “foux soy sauce” made with chicken broth does not make this vegan, not even vegetarian.
Please correct the headline as it is misleading and incorrect.
Hey Emma! Thanks for the comment. You are totally right, the recipe that MyFitnessPal linked to was the wrong one. It’s been fixed and now links to the correct vegan version of the soy-less soy sauce. Thanks again for pointing it out! 🙂
Hi! I just made your recipe for family dinner tonight! I also threw in chopped onion, carrot, zucchini, and bean sprouts to add some veggies. I got praise for the dish but no leftovers. Next time I’ll need to make more to supply “seconds” for my family ?
Hey Melanie! So glad you enjoyed. I love the addition of all of the extra veggies. Smart! Thanks so much. 🙂
I am doing a presentation on Thailand and my partner and I are planning to cook something. this will be perfect since it has no peanut.
Peanut allergies are always an issue with Thai cooking. Good luck with the presentation! 🙂
Wow this looks delicious! This will be our dinner tonight…
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
I hope you love it! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I have to confess that I saw that it was a pad thai recipe and almost clicked away due to peanut issue! lol And then I saw peanut and gluten free and decided you were my hero! lol 😛
Ha! Well, I don’t know if it warrants hero status but this is a very tasty dish!
You’re so good at coming up with vegan and gluten-free eats! This one looks delicious and I love that you made it peanut-free. For some reason, the amount of people with peanut allergies is increasing every day so I’m sure this will be appreciated.
And I agree, if you eat out regularly then you are spending more than enough to afford a healthy, organic diet!
I consider myself lucky to be free of food allergies because you are so right! The amount of people who suffer from restrictions is so high …
Oh – this just looks so delicious (goooorgeous photos 😀 )! Definitely so much healthier than the restaurant version but every bit as wonderful and satisfying! Love it! Pinning ASAP!
Thanks, Shelley 🙂 It’s a keeper for sure!