Shrimp Pad Thai is a tasty and delicious meal that you will want to come back to again and again! With fresh ingredients and a little prep, you will have a flavorful dinner that you can’t get enough of!
Why you will love this recipe:
It’s perfect for beginners. Yes, there are a number of ingredients but I’ve tested this so many times and really tried to break each part of the recipe down to make it a success every time.
Equipment needed for this recipe:
Wok or Large Fry Pan- I used my cast iron wok that deBuyer sent me and it is a dream to use. Easy to clean, keeps heat consistently, and overall, a high-quality pan (I use it to fry food too!). If you don’t have a wok then a large fry pan will work too.
Medium Fry Pan- I use this to cook the shrimp and then reduce the sauce in.
Medium Sauce Pan- I use this to cook the noodles in. I did use my super nice sauce pan from deBuyer for this (same one I used for the banana pudding recipe), but any that you have will work.
What’s Up with the Honey Garlic Shrimp?
Normally I use chicken for pad thai and so when testing out different shrimp versions I always wanted a little something more. Making a delicious honey garlic sauce to toss the shrimp in was the perfect addition of sweetness and flavor that made this the perfect recipe for me!
Ingredients Needed
Honey Garlic Shrimp
Honey, Soy Sauce, Garlic Powder, Ginger Powder, Vegetable Oil, Shrimp
Pad Thai Sauce
Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Tamarind Sauce, Sugar, Black Soy Sauce, Water
Additional Ingredients
Rice Noodles, Carrot (shredded), Green Onions (diced), Shallot (chopped), Eggs, Vegetable Oil, Red Pepper Flakes for Garnish
Do you have to make your own Pad Thai Sauce? Can you use a store-bought version?
If you have a store-bought version that you love, feel free to use it, just make sure you get enough for the dish. If you are able to get the ingredients to make my version you won’t regret it though! (amazon affiliate link)
It’s really easy to make and super flavorful. My friend came back from Thailand with this sauce recipe and it is so delicious!
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How to make Shrimp Pad Thai?
- Start with making the honey garlic shrimp. Combine the honey garlic sauce ingredients, then pour ⅓ of the sauce over the raw shrimp, setting the remain sauce to the side.
- Let shrimp marinate for 15 minutes, then heat the oil in the sauce pan and cook the shrimp.
- Once cooked, remove from the pan and add remaining honey garlic sauce. Allow sauce to thicken, then toss shrimp in the sauce.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Next mix up the Pad Thai Sauce and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the wok. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes. Then add the eggs and scramble.
- Then add the cooked noodles, Pad Thai sauce, cooked shrimp, green onion, shredded carrot, and stir.
- Garnish with additional green onion, cilantro, and red pepper flakes.
Substitutions
- Fish Sauce- Use soy sauce instead.
- Pad Thai Sauce- Use a store bought, premade sauce.
- Meat- Leave out a vegetarian option or use chicken.
- Veggies- Add mushrooms or bean sprouts for more volume.
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my fried rice, gyoza sauce, air fried egg rolls, and beef with garlic sauce recipes. They are sure to make a great addition!
Shrimp Pad Thai
Ingredients
Honey Garlic Shrimp
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder (½ teaspoon fresh grated)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
Pad Thai Sauce
- 2 tbs fish sauce use soy sauce as substitute
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ¼ cup tamarind paste
- 2 tbs sugar
- 2 teaspoon black soy sauce optional*
- ½ cup water
Additional Ingredients
- 7 oz grams rice noodles
- 4 tbs shallot finely chopped
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large carrot shredded
- ½ cup green onions diced
- Garnish with red pepper flakes, green onion, and cilantro
Instructions
Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Mix together honey, soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder, and red pepper flakes.¼ cup honey, 3 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ginger powder (½ teaspoon fresh grated), ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Pour ⅓ of sauce over shrimp, toss, and let sit to marinate for 15 minutes.1 lb raw shrimp
- Heat oil in medium fry pan until shimmering, then add shrimp to pan, discarding any leftover juice/marinade the shrimp was sitting in.1 tbs vegetable oil
- Cook shrimp until just starting to get pink, 1-2 minutes each side. Remove shrimp from pan.
- Pour remaining sauce into pan and heat over medium low until thickened, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
- Once thickened pour over shrimp and toss.
Pad Thai Sauce
- In a small bowl combine fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind sauce, sugar, black soy sauce, and water. Whisk until combined, set aside.2 tbs fish sauce, 2 tbs soy sauce, ¼ cup oyster sauce, ¼ cup tamarind paste, 2 tbs sugar, 2 teaspoon black soy sauce, ½ cup water
Pad Thai
- In a medium sized sauce pot, cook noodles according to package instructions. *7 oz grams rice noodles
- Heat vegetable oil in wok over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, tilt the pan to move the oil, carefully coating the sides.½ cup vegetable oil
- Add the shallot to the hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.4 tbs shallot
- Push shallot to the side, add the eggs and scramble.4 eggs
- Add cooked rice noodles, Pad Thai sauce, and cooked shrimp. Stir together.
- Once mixed add in the green onion, carrot, chopped cilantro and red pepper flakes.1 large carrot, ½ cup green onions, Garnish with red pepper flakes, green onion, and cilantro
Notes
- *Black Soy Sauce is less salty and a little richer than regular soy sauce. If you can find it I recommend using it.
- *Traditional Pad Thai cooks the noodles and meat in the wok with all the other ingredients. I find the noodles cook inconsistently when I try this, often taking too long and overcooking the rest of the ingredients, so I opt to cook them and the shrimp separately. Maybe someday I’ll get the hang of it but until then I will just cook them separately.
Lisa says
This shrimp pad thai is so delicious! Great flavor!