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This Pad Thai Sauce is super easy to make at home, naturally vegan, and gluten-free. You only need simple ingredients and have a sauce that tastes better than any store-bought version. Versatile for all easy meals like Pad Thai Noodles, rice noodles, or in a vegetable stir fry.
We all know that the one thing that makes a dish taste deliciously is typically the sauce. Or, if we are talking about salads, then it is the dressing. Anyway, it’s the same idea.
My regular readers know that homemade sauces are not new to this blog. Just think back to the Romesco Sauce or my Lemon Pasta Sauce. Where those come from, there are many more waiting for you. Simply use the search bar, type “sauce” and be sure you’ll find so many options that you will never go back to store-bought.
With this new Pad Thai Sauce recipe, I bring you the next addition to this list. Trust me when I tell you, it is a keeper in and out that the whole family loves, even the pickiest kids. It is fresh, homemade, versatile, super easy to make, perfectly seasoned, and all you need for noodle dishes or stir-fries.
What’s in this vegan pad Thai sauce
- Tamarind concentrate
- Rice vinegar
- Kecap manis
- Tamari
- Minced garlic
- Maple syrup
As you can see, you just need 6 simple ingredients for this best pad Thai sauce. As usual, I’m not counting salt and pepper that you can use to taste.
Does Pad Thai sauce have sugar in it?
When you check out other recipes for Pad Thai sauce or buy some from the store, you will see that they often have a lot of sugar in them.
The most commonly used sugars are palm sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
As you can see from the list of my homemade sauce ingredients, I use maple syrup instead, which I think makes a great substitute.
How to make Pad Thai sauce
In a small casserole or saucepan, add tamarind concentrate, tamari sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, kecap manis, maple syrup, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Now heat your casserole or saucepan and turn from medium to full heat. Always keep stirring with a wire whisk, and bring to a simmer.
Turn to low heat for two minutes, then let it cool for 5 minutes. Fill in a jar with a top lid. If you store it airtight in the fridge, the sauce will stay good for 2 weeks.
Note: If you need a larger batch for many dishes, just double or triple the ingredients and make a larger quantity to your own needs.
This easy and delicious Pad Thai sauce is such an amazing condiment. It works with any pasta dishes or rice bowls.
Stir fry veggies are really among all the delicious recipes to try for dinner, lunch, or meal prep.
Variations on ingredients and flavors
Pad Thai Sauce without tamarind: If you can’t find tamarind (sometimes also called tamarind puree) or don’t like it, I have an option for you.
There is an amazing substitute that makes it as easy as it can get.
Read this “TAMARIND PASTE SUBSTITUTE” post for more details.
Pad Thai peanut sauce: only recently I played around with this recipe and added 1 Tbsp peanut butter to it.
Tell you what, it turned out so amazing. This is something you should try, you won’t regret.
Of course, I find creamy peanut butter with a pinch of salt works best in the sauce. However, you can use what is in your cupboard.
If you give this Pad Thai Sauce a try tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
Can’t wait to see all your remakes and dishes with a snapped picture.
Enjoy, Florian.
Pad Thai Sauce
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This Pad Thai Sauce is super easy to make at home, naturally vegan, and gluten free. You only need simple ingredients and have a sauce that tastes better than any store bought version. Versatile for all easy meals like Pad Thai Noodles, rice noodles, or in a vegetable stir fry.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbs tamarind concentrate
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbs kecap manis (I used gluten free)
- 2 Tbs tamari
- 4 tsp maple syrup
- salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small casserole or sauce pan, add tamarind concentrate, tamari sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, ketzap manis, maple syrup, and season with a pinch salt and pepper.
- Now heat your casserole or sauce pan and turn from medium to full heat. Always keep stirring with a wire whisk, and bring to a simmer.
- Turn to low heat for two minutes, then let it cool for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1 Tbsp
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 29Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 83.7mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 5.7gProtein: 0.2g
FAQs
Pad Thai Sauce is made with fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and tamarind. Tamarind is the ingredient that is the heart and soul of Pad Thai sauce, giving the sauce the sour flavour that Pad Thai is known for. It's an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking, like this Malaysian Beef Rendang.
How to thicken up pad thai? ›
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth to make a slurry (see note). Whisk the slurry into the tamarind sauce and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. As the cornstarch cooks, it will thicken up the sauce.
How long does homemade thai sauce last? ›
Once you've got the pad thai sauce made, you can use it right away, and the rest needs to be kept in a sealed container in the fridge. It should last at least 3 months in the fridge. If you need to, you can also freeze the sauce, and I would recommend dividing it into portions before freezing for easy usage.
What makes Pad Thai taste so good? ›
The dish is mixed with a tamarind sauce and served with lime. The flavors of this dish are centered around a sweet-savory fusion. Salty, nutty, and with that slightly sweet sauce, it's a treat for tastebuds!
Why does Pad Thai taste so good? ›
There is a scientific reason why Pad Thai is so delicious. It follows a Thai culinary tradition of using all five tastes which are salty, sour, sweet, spicy and bitter. That is why the dish is so tantalizingly tasty!… It hits all five flavor profiles in the mouth!
Is pad thai healthy? ›
Pad thai is a nutrient-dense dish offering many nutrients and health benefits, primarily from: Flat rice noodles: They are rich in carbs, which serve as an energy source to fuel our bodies, and selenium, an essential mineral that supports the immune system.
What makes Thai food creamy? ›
Coconut is the most commonly used ingredient to get the creamy texture you love so much in Thai food. Coconut milk and coconut cream add the decadent creamy texture to your favorite Thai soups and curries.
Should pad thai be wet or dry? ›
Real pad thai should be:
Stir-fried in a hot wok, so the noodles come out dry with a little smokiness, not wet.
What are the 5 ingredients of soy sauce? ›
There are various ways to make soy sauce, but traditionally it's made using five main ingredients: soybeans, wheat, water, salt and yeast. And although there are many types, many of them share the same manufacturing process, which can take months, or in the case of very high-quality artisanal varieties, even years.
What can I use instead of soy sauce in pad thai? ›
But if you ever find yourself in need of a substitute, here are our recommendations.
- Tamari. Tamari is also a soy sauce, but with a darker color, slightly less salty flavor, and no gluten. ...
- Worcestershire Sauce. ...
- Coconut Aminos. ...
- Liquid Aminos. ...
- Fish Sauce. ...
- Maggi Seasoning Sauce.
In Thailand, “Seasoning Sauce” most often refers to Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce or the famous “green cap” sauce. In recipes, it can be used interchangably with Maggi seasoning although the taste between the two is significantly different.
What makes pad Thai spicy? ›
Meanwhile, ingredients like chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and peppercorn give Thai food the tingling spicy sensation that people love. Without these simple ingredients, Thai food would lack the fresh and interesting flavor profile that make it so popular.
What does pad Thai sauce taste like? ›
Combining chicken and prawns, this delicious noodle dish with its flavourful pad Thai sauce is jam-packed full of nutty, salty and sweet goodness, thanks to the addition of peanuts, brown sugar and fish sauce (the ultimate pad Thai sauce combination, in our humble opinions!).
Is pad thai supposed to be sweet? ›
A perfectly cooked pad Thai should have a balance of flavors — tangy, sweet, spicy and salty, Trang says. This comes from a blend of tamarind paste, palm sugar, crushed red chili peppers and fish sauce. Traditional pad Thai sauces follow a basic formula of a third each of palm sugar, tamarind paste and fish sauce.
Why is Pad Thai sauce orange? ›
When it's sold in restaurants outside Thailand, the noodles are sometimes bright orange – that's because sauces or spices, like paprika, have been used instead of tamarind. Authentic Pad Thai is a light reddish-brown colour.
What does Pad Thai paste taste like? ›
What does pad Thai taste like? The tamarind paste and lime give a touch of sourish as sugar sweetness; then there's the unmistakable savoriness of salty fish sauce lashing on to a bunch of ingredients such as shrimps, firm tofu, egg. To spice it up, ground dried chili pepper, minced garlic, ground pepper are added.
Does Pad Thai always have soy sauce? ›
It is usually a mixture of fish sauce (condiment made of fish), oyster sauce (made from oyster extract), brown sugar and tamarind (tree seed), but can also include shrimp, garlic, shallots or red chili pepper. Some establishments or chefs may use soy sauce, which is traditionally made by fermenting soybeans and wheat.
Is Pad Thai sauce spicy? ›
It isn't traditionally spicy, but I like to give my own spicy spin to the dish. The key to a good Pad Thai recipe, to me, is the fresh ingredients. You can buy a Pad Thai sauce from the grocery store, for example, but it's so much better when you make the sauce from scratch.
