This recipe for Pad Thai sauce is easy to make ahead with soy sauce, fish sauce, tamarind, and other kitchen and pantry staples. Refrigerate it to make Pad Thai at home anytime you want it!
Pad Thai Sauce Recipe
Are you looking to up your homemade Pad Thai game? You'll need a good Pad Thai Sauce, then. You found it!
This recipe is quick and easy to make with only 7 ingredients you likely have in your fridge and pantry. Just whisk them together for Pad Thai anytime you want it. No cooking needed for the sauce until you're ready to make Pad Thai.
This is a simple version you can pre-mix. Some variations include only palm sugar (or brown sugar), tamarind paste, and fish sauce. This has a few more flavor building ingredients that will excite your taste buds.
What is Pad Thai?
Authentic Pad Thai is a popular dish made with rice noodles and shrimp or chicken, scrambled eggs, and fresh vegetables, all stir fried in a tangy, salty sauce.
It was created in Thailand in the 1930s by Chinese immigrants making noodle dishes with more traditional Thai ingredients. Today, Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand, and has spread from the region because of its wonderful flavor.
It's definitely a favorite in the United States where it graces the menus of Thai restaurants everywhere.
Let's talk about how to make Pad Thai Sauce, shall we?
Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients
- Fish Sauce.
- Oyster Sauce.
- Soy Sauce.
- Tamarind Paste. Or use Tamarind concentrate.
- Chili-Garlic Sauce. Try my homemade chili-garlic sauce recipe, or use sriracha.
- Palm Sugar. Or use brown sugar.
- Rice Vinegar.
- Water. I use some hot water for thinning.
How to Make Pad Thai Sauce - the Recipe Method
Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Store and refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to use.
Boom! Done! Your pad thai sauce is ready to use. Easy enough to make, isn't it?
Grab some bean sprouts, green onions, lime wedges and all your favorite toppings. It's time to make Pad Thai! Here is my Pad Thai Recipe.
You can also toss this easy-to-make sauce with any Thai noodle dish or stir fry. Dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Don't Skip the Tamarind. Tamarind paste is a key ingredient in Pad Thai sauce and gives it a tangy and slightly sweet flavor. You can find tamarind paste at most Asian grocery stores, and it's worth seeking out for an authentic Pad Thai sauce.
- Balance the Sweet, Sour, and Salty Flavors. Pad Thai sauce should have a balance of sweet, sour, and salty flavors. Palm sugar or brown sugar add sweetness, rice vinegar or lime juice adds sourness, and fish sauce adds saltiness. Adjust each to your personal tastes.
- Adjust the Spice Level. For spicier Pad Thai sauce, use red pepper flakes or sliced fresh chili peppers. For a milder sauce, reduce the amount of spice or leave it out altogether. Start with a little and adjust as to your preference.
Storage
Pad Thai sauce will last up to 1 month or longer in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Simply use as desired.
You can also freeze it for 3 months. Freezing is a great way to extend the shelf life of the sauce and preserve its flavor.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this homemade pad thai sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how you enjoyed it and how you made it your own.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Pad Thai Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste or use 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce or use sriracha
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar or use brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Store and refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to use.
Nutrition Information
Dave Powley says
What do you recommend to substitute for the fish sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
It's best to use something with good umami, like soy sauce, anchovies, or shiitake mushrooms.
LIZ says
Made a double batch today, so I can have it on hand for all my Thai recipes. Very tasty. I added lots more heat to it. I love it hot.
Mike H. says
Love hearing it, Liz. Enjoy!
Brett says
How much tamarind concentrate should be used if I can't find the paste? Concentrate being concentrate, I imagine I shouldn't use the same amount as of the paste.
Mike Hultquist says
Brett, use 1 tablespoon.
Peter Dyck says
I made this today after adjusting for sodium levels to accommodate my CHF. I brought the sodium down to approx 700 mgs and the flavor is still great. My wife is happy as we will have her favorite Thai dish, Pad Thai this evening. Thank you for the ideas.
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Glad you both enjoyed it, Peter! Thanks for sharing this.
Rita says
I made this the other day for pad Thai, and have used it in two other dishes since. Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. This one is DELICIOUS and just what I need to have in the fridge for a quick meal for one. I didn't have oyster sauce so used Hoisin sauce instead, which I'm sure gives it a different flavor but it's wonderful to me.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Rita! YEs, I agree, GREAT for having at the ready for quick meals! We love it.
Alex says
I love these kinda sauces that allow you to make ahead and whip up a dish later on in no time. Especially since working from home is an accepted thing i do it a lot for lunches. With a thai holy basis stir fry as favorite which i can whip up in 10 minutes with all the prep done ahead. So thanks for another recipe to use this way!
I also have one request for the site, is it possible to make a section with all your cookbook recommendations? I have been skipping through a lot of you recipes to find them. But i could not find a place on the site where these are all gathered.
Love all your chilli recipes, thanks and keep up the good work!
Mike Hultquist says
I appreciate it, Alex. Yeah, I'll have to think about getting a Cookbook Recommendation page online for simplicity.
Eric Buchannan says
So my wife is deathly allergic to seafood so fish sauce and oyster sauce are out of the question, do you know of a substitute. We use Worcestershire sauce instead of fish sauce is there a substitute for oyster sauce? My wife can eat so much hotter food than I can!!! That started after our third child was born and she never looked back!
Mike Hultquist says
Eric, I have a page on that here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/ingredients/oyster-sauce-substitutes/. I typically recommend more soy sauce with a touch of brown sugar. You can also try hoisin sauce. I hope this helps!
Bo Wood says
Hi Mike, Love your info on hot stuff! Made my own habanero/Carolina Reaper hot sauce recently based off one of your recipes. Good stuff, and all for me as no one else will touch it! :>)
On the Pad Thai sauce, I'm assuming the nutrition info is per serving. It's showing "Sodium: 4727mg". Got to be a typo right? If not, it needs a warning label! If you ate 2 servings (which I probably would), that would be about 4 days of recommended sodium, or almost 7 days worth on a recommended low sodium diet for a male. Too rich for my blood!
Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Bo. It's the Fish Sauce, which is very high in sodium. Check your label, though, as these are only estimates. However, you can seek out a low sodium fish sauce, or use more soy sauce (low sodium, of course) as an alternative. Thanks!