Keto Pad Thai - A 15-Minute Plant-Based Vegan Recipe

This Easy Keto Pad Thai recipe is a simple 15-Minute Plant-Based Vegan Recipe that is hands-down one of the easiest, tastiest recipes on the blog. It’s a healthy recipe that combines Thai noodles made with simple ingredients. Naturally vegan, but you can always easily add some chicken or shrimp if you want! Quick and easy, this weeknight keto dinner recipe is healthy, nutritious, plant-based, low carb and jam-packed with flavour. What more could one want?!

Keto Pad Thai

Here’s an easy recipe for the best keto Pad Thai that contains very accessible ingredients and only takes about 15 minutes of actual cooking time, once the ingredients are prepped.  

This awesome Pad Thai Sauce is so flavorful and balanced- it is as close as it comes to the real deal without having to take a trip to Chinatown!

Believe me, when I tell you, I have tried many different keto Pad Thai recipes. Making the perfect pad thai is all about getting the right balance of flavour. I have been working on different Asian-inspired recipes like my Warm Thai Shrimp Salad as well as my Easy Whole30 Cashew Chicken, my Keto Chinese Spare Ribs as well as my Whole30 Kung Pao Chicken.

Practice makes perfect, right?!!

So yes, I may be biased but I think this tastes pretty darn amazing! Seriously! And the fact that it comes together with minimal effort, I think this is one of the best keto vegan recipes out there.

What I love about this Pad Thai recipe is how adaptable and customizable it is. Make this with chicken, or shrimp or tofu. Or leave it without any changes for a healthy Plant-Based Vegan Recipe that makes the most amazing weeknight keto dinner.

Balancing the Keto Pad Thai sauce ingredients

The secret to the best Keto Pad Thai is the sauce! It must be balanced - a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and sour!

For the salty - I used soy sauce but you could always replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos for a Paleo and Whole30 substitution.

For the sweet - I used Lakanto Golden (or any other brown sugar substitute), but you could also use liquid allulose or VitaFiber. For Paleo and Whole30, use date paste instead.

For the sour - I used Shaoxing wine which is a type of Chinese cooking wine. It is made from rice and is one of the most popular types of Chinese rice wines thanks to its complex and sweet flavour. If you don't have Shaoxing wine, you can use rice vinegar or tamarind paste instead.

Weeknight Keto Dinner Ingredients:

Soy Sauce - Soy sauce is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and different types of molds. It is considered to contain a strong umami flavour. My favourite soy sauce is Black Garlic Shoyu Soy Sauce. It does contain wheat so if you are gluten-intolerant, use Kikoman's gluten-free soy sauce. Again, for Paleo or Whole30 options, use Coconut Aminos instead.

Brown Sugar Substitute - I used Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener. You can use any brown sugar substitute and if you are in a bind, use a white sugar substitute. The sweetener is necessary as it helps to tone down the saltiness of the sauce. You can replace this sweetener with liquid allulose as well if it is all you have.

Shaoxing Vinegar: Shaoxing rice wine usually has a stronger taste and flavour than rice vinegar. It tastes a little bit spicy so not every dish is suitable for Shaoxing wine. If you don't have Shaoxing Vinegar, you can replace it with rice vinegar. Make sure that if you decide to substitute that you slowly add the vinegar a tablespoon at a time and taste the sauce as you add it to make sure that you get the desired acidity. You can also use tamarind paste instead.

Shirataki noodles - These are low-carb and gluten-free noodles. Keep reading for more detail with regards to these noodles. My favourite brands are either Vitacost or Thrive Market($1.90 per bag) or another more expensive (and slightly better!) brand that is sold on Amazon and is made by Well Lean.

Shredded Cabbage - I use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw to keep this recipe super easy. You can omit this and add peppers or any other type of vegetable but I personally like the added bulk the shredded cabbage adds to the recipe as well as the extra crunch.

Shallot - This type of garlicky-tasting onion is a "must". The shallot more than anything adds so much flavour to this dish, so I would NOT try substituting regular onion.

Ginger - To keep this as a quick and under 15-minute recipe, I used a ginger paste that is sold in a tube at my grocery store. You can use fresh ginger and mince it instead. The brand I use is Gourmet Garden.

Garlic - Just like the ginger paste, I used garlic paste to make this recipe uber easy.

Eggs - These are quickly whisked and then added into the hot wok for the necessary texture of Pad Thai. However, if you want to keep this recipe vegan, omit the egg.

Toasted Sesame Oil - This is by far my FAVOURITE oil on the market! I could literally drink this from the actual bottle, that's how much I love the flavour of toasted sesame oil. PLEASE do not omit this ingredient or substitute it with a different type of oil as it is really necessary for this recipe!

Easy 15-Minute Keto Pad Thai Instructions

1. Whisk together Pad Thai Sauce
2. Prep the vegetables
3. Rinse and drain the noodles
4. Whisk the eggs
5. Stir fry it all together!

Plant-Based Vegan Shirataki Noodles

To keep this dish gluten-free and low in carbs, I used Shirataki noodles.

Shirataki noodles, composed mostly of water and konjac yam (a water-soluble dietary fiber), are a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine. They also go by other names: konjac noodles (from the plant they originate from), miracle noodles (because of the most popular brand) or konnyaku noodles.

I don't know quite how they do it, but these noodles are effectively zero calories and carbs.

What do Shirataki noodles taste like?

Shirataki noodles are actually tasteless and will take on the flavours of the dish.

Texture-wise is where they vary, as they are more rubbery than your traditional noodles but so are most Asian noodles so, for this recipe, these noodles work REALLY well.

The only problem that I have with Shirataki noodles is the order they give off when you first open the bag. It is a weird smell but once you rinse them under cold water, drain them and add this delicious pad thai seasoning, you will be none the wiser to the initial scent!

Cooking tips for this Plant-Based Vegan Recipe

• make sure you use a shallot and not an onion
• feel free to replace the ginger and garlic paste with minced fresh ingredients instead
• do not add the shredded cabbage too early as it will lose its crunch
• feel free to add bean sprouts (I did in these pictures) - I always have a can of bean sprouts. There are only about 10 calories and 1 g of carbs in a 4 oz can
• drain and rinse the shirataki noodles properly
• use a bag of coleslaw instead of shredding your own cabbage
• make sure you drain your Shirataki noodles well so that the Pad Thai sauce does not get too watered down
• serve this dish immediately as the zoodles and cabbage will become limp and water down the sauce if you wait too long before eating.
• add some shelled edamame, sliced green onions or peanut for some crunch.

How to garnish Keto Pad Thai:

Pad Thai is typically garnished with fresh lime juice- so serve it up with lime wedges, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, scallions or Thai basil. You can also serve this keto vegan pad thai with a side of sriracha or garlic chili paste for extra heat.

Serve this Keto Pad Thai with the following Keto Vegan Dessert Recipes

• Keto Pumpkin Maple Coconut Clusters - Vegan and Plant-Based
• Healthy Keto Edible Cookie Dough - Plant-based, Vegan and Dairy-Free Recipe
• Keto Vegan Strawberry Layered Cheesecake
• Simple Vegan Chocolate Espresso Torte (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Keto, Nut-Free)

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