Home » Oil-Free Vegan Pad Thai (nut-free): Awakened Pad Thai
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Well, that title is a mouthful.
And this oil-free vegan pad thai is also a mouthful – of deliciousness!
This “Awakened Pad Thai” recipe comes from (yep) Dreena’s Kind Kitchen.
Some of you already know (and love) it. I have heard from you by email and on social, how much you are loving this recipe.
Even more, when I ran a recipe content recently, this recipe took the votes – hands down!
What makes this vegan pad thai recipe special?
First, it’s not just vegan – it’s also oil-free.
But, making it oil-free was the easy part. You can make a delicious pad thai with just peanut butter or even with other nut butter.
I have developed several nut-based sauces, and in creating this recipe for my latest (and) cookbook, it was important for me to make it nut-free as well. Why?
Well, I hear from so many of you in our PPF facebook group that have nut allergies in the fam. I never want to leave someone out of trying a recipe!
So, I decided to forge ahead with recipe development to create this nut-free pad thai.
As a side, I do have a lot of nut-free recipes in DKK. Some use seeds like sunflower or pumpkin, or seed butter like tahini. But sometimes a recipe needs something other than seeds, either because they are inherently too bitter/strong-tasting, or because of color (too dark). Most often, this is for desserts. So I turn to coconut products (but not coconut oil) for that substitution. Please understand why I use coconut in recipes, before turning to unnecessarily harsh amazon reviews about it. Thank you.
Oil-Free Vegan Pad Thai FAQ
Is pad thai vegan?
Traditionally, pad thai isn’t vegan, as it uses fish sauce and eggs (and sometimes dried shrimp). It is easy to make vegan, however, and there are many variations on the traditional recipe.
Does pad thai have dairy?
No, pad thai is dairy-free – at least traditionally, and it should be.
Is pad thai unhealthy?
Traditional pad thai recipes use a lot of oil, and not a lot of vegetables. So a serving of pad thai can have a lot of calories with little nutritional value. My healthy pad thai offers whole food plant-based ingredients with plenty of veg. It’s delicious, easy to make, and healthy!
Is pad thai made with nuts or peanuts?
Traditional pad thai is made with peanuts and peanut butter, however you can easily substitute nuts like cashews or almonds (peanuts are a legume, whereas almonds and cashews are tree nuts). My oil-free vegan pad thai is made nut-free with pumpkin seeds.
Do I have to use tofu in pad thai?
No! If you don’t care for tofu, you can enjoy the pad thai straight up with the veg and noodles.
And with that… let’s get cooking! Let me know how you enjoy the pad thai. x Dreena
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Awakened Pad Thai
This pad thai is so much better than takeout, with a nut- and peanut-free sauce and a fresher take on ingredients. It’s more delicious than you might expect!
Course Main Course, pasta
Cuisine thai
Keyword noodles, nut-free, oil-free
Servings 3
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/3 –1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (or 1 tablespoon ketchup plus 1 tablespoon rice vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar or date sugar
- 1 tablespoon peeled and roughly
- chopped fresh ginger
- 2-3 cloves garlic sliced or chopped
- Dash hot sauce see note
Pasta and Veggies
- 8 ounces dry rice noodles such as stick or vermicelli noodles
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks
- 4 green onions sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
- 1/2 cup very thinly sliced red bell pepper
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup cubed extra-firm tofu about half of a 12-ounce package
- 1 cup shredded or thinly sliced red cabbage or napa cabbage
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro plus more for serving
- 4 lime wedges
- Hot sauce for serving
Instructions
In a blender (I use Blendtec; use code: YAY-BLENDTEC for 20% off) combine all the sauce ingredients, starting with about half of the water. Blend until the seeds are fully processed and the sauce is smooth. Add the remaining water and puree again. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Once just tender or even before fully tender, drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Heat a large pot over high heat. Put in the carrots, white parts of the green onions, zucchini, red pepper, and salt. Toss for a minute in the hot pan to begin to sear. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the sauce and cooked noodles, and toss until the noodles are heated through and coated evenly with the sauce. Add the tofu, red cabbage, cilantro, and the green parts of the green onions. Toss just to heat through, then serve immediately with lime wedges, extra hot sauce, and extra cilantro if desired.
Notes
Hot Sauce Note: Even if you love hot sauce, start with a modest amount. There is a good kick in the sauce from the ginger and garlic, so it’s best to use just a dash of hot sauce and then adjust when finishing the dish. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away.
Serving Tip: Often when we serve a pasta dish it gets cold quickly—because our serving bowls are cold! Try warming your bowls in the oven or toaster oven on very low heat (175–200) for 5 minutes or more before serving up the pasta.
Disclosure
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