Homemade Gluten Free Pad Thai

Name: Homemade Gluten Free Pad Thai
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: dinner
Ingredients: 2 blocks tofu, cubed (I like one firm, one extra firm; both pressed and drained) OR shrimp OR chicken; 1 quart mushrooms +/-, diced (I like baby Bellas); 1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil (or avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil); 10 Tbs. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar); 6 Tbs. peanut butter powder or peanut butter (seed butters or Tahini for nut-free option); 4 Tbs. coconut aminos or gluten free tamari; 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice; 3 Tbs. ume plum vinegar; 2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar; 1 Tbs. tomato paste; 3-4 Tbs. fresh ginger root, diced or grated; 2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional); up to 1 cup vegetable broth or water; 1 package gluten free rice noodles, prepared according to package directions; basil, parsley or cilantro leaves for garnish; crushed peanuts for garnish (optional); 1 handful soy or mung bean sprouts (optional)

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I have been making gluten free Pad Thai for years — it’s actually one of those staples in my house that we rotate through every week or two (like my mom used to make meatloaf. Only I daresay this recipe is much more exciting – sorry mom!).

Pad Thai (rice noodles with vegetables or cheap protein, bean sprouts, and usually egg) has become the fast food of Thailand and the dish by which all Thai restaurants around the world seem now to be judged. But there is no hard and fast list of ingredients that make it uniquely “Thai”. In fact, the dish most likely is of Chinese origins, but who’s counting?

You may have noticed that Pad Thai includes as its starch rice noodles — an already gluten free ingredient (bonus!), but when you start adding sauces (particularly store-bought or ready-made sauces) gluten often sneaks in. Which is why making homemade gluten free Pad Thai is such a smart and tasty idea.

For my homemade gluten free Pad Thai recipe, I also avoid garlic and onions which are often included in store-bought sauces. They don’t agree with me, so I don’t invite them to dinner. Feel free to throw in a clove of garlic if you like, but this sauce lacks nothing in flavor, so it’s certainly not essential.

If you’d rather use some store-bought Pad Thai sauces instead, I have a recipe for that with recommended brands — click here for the link. Otherwise, I invite you to use my recipe below as a guide and make your own tweaks to make this homemade gluten free Pad Thai recipe your own.

bialetti pot — This is the pasta pot I use to make the noodles. I love that it’s oval-shaped and has a built-in strainer so I don’t need a colander!

An oval pasta pot is just genius. It makes quick work of cooking noodles like these because you just dump them into the pot and THEY FIT!

I’ve linked to this pot below, along with the wok that I use because I think having these tools makes dishes like this gluten free Pad Thai so much easier to make on a regular basis, but if you already have a favorite pasta pot and wok or huge skillet, go for it!

I usually gather the ingredients for recipes like these at my local Asian grocer. If you don’t have one near you, I’ve added links to purchase these ingredients on-line, to make it handy, too.

The beauty of a dish like this is that you can taste as you go, so add more of this or that until it agrees with you. If you get to the point that the dish is too spicy, simply add canned coconut milk to calm the spice. It’s really easy once you dive in, so just do it!

No chopsticks needed! But if you have some on hand, it makes a beautiful presentation, don’t you think?

Homemade Gluten Free Pad Thai

Yield: serves 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Homemade gluten free Pad Thai is an easy go-to meal that's either vegetarian or meat-based and is easily tailor-able to other dietary restrictions like peanut allergies while still being full of delicious flavor!

Ingredients

2 blocks tofu, cubed (I like one firm, one extra firm; both pressed and drained) OR shrimp OR chicken
1 quart mushrooms +/-, diced (I like baby Bellas)
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil (or avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil)
10 Tbs. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
6 Tbs. peanut butter powder or peanut butter (seed butters or Tahini for nut-free option)
4 Tbs. coconut aminos or gluten free tamari
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
3 Tbs. ume plum vinegar
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. tomato paste
3-4 Tbs. fresh ginger root, diced or grated
2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
up to 1 cup vegetable broth or water
1 package gluten free rice noodles, prepared according to package directions
basil, parsley or cilantro leaves for garnish
crushed peanuts for garnish (optional)
1 handful soy or mung bean sprouts (optional)

Instructions

Press, train and cube tofu. Wash and slice mushrooms.
Prepare a large wok or saute pan by heating 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil over medium heat. Add tofu and coconut palm sugar, sprinkled on top. Toss with oil and cook, stirring occasionally until the tofu is caramelized around the edges and lightly browned. Add mushrooms and sprinkle peanut butter powder on top. Stir to combine.
Combine coconut aminos, lime juice, vinegars and tomato paste in a bowl, then add to wok.
Grate ginger root (without the skin) and add to the wok with chili flakes, if using.
Add 1 cup of vegetable stock to the wok and stir to combine, making sure there is enough liquid to keep the tofu and mushrooms from sticking. Add more water, coconut milk or stock as necessary to make the sauce as thin as you'd prefer for serving.
Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, rinse and add to wok. Stir to coat and combine noodles with sauce, tofu and mushrooms.
Serve warm with fresh herbs, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts as garnish, if desired.