Easy Authentic Pad Thai Sauce Recipe
By Sho @ Hungry for Thai
on
Jan 19th 2025 
Pad Thai is a must-try dish when visiting Thailand, and now you can recreate it at home with this easy Pad Thai sauce recipe. Store it for up to a month and enjoy authentic Thai flavors anytime!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Hungry For Thai!
Table of Contents
What you'll need
- Shallots (sliced): Milder and sweeter than onions, shallots bring a subtle, aromatic touch to your Pad Thai sauce. Their delicate flavor makes them a favorite in Thai cooking.
- Palm Sugar: This natural sweetener, made from the sap of palm trees, adds a rich, caramel-like sweetness that perfectly balances the savory and tangy elements of the sauce.
- Tomato Sauce/Ketchup: It provides a tangy and mildly sweet base, contributing to the vibrant red color that makes Pad Thai visually appealing.
- Tamarind Paste: The secret to Pad Thai's signature tangy flavor, tamarind paste delivers a delightful balance of sourness and a hint of sweetness.
- Salt: Essential for enhancing all the flavors, salt ensures a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, and umami.
- Oil: Used for sautéing and frying, oil helps bring out the flavors of the ingredients while preventing the sauce from sticking to the pan.
FAQs
Yes, you can prepare Pad Thai Sauce in advance. Once cooked, let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The sauce can be stored for about 1 month.
Yes, this recipe is adapted to be vegan and vegetarian-friendly, making it easier to find ingredients abroad.
Absolutely! You can adjust the flavor to your preference. If you like it spicy, you can add chili powder in the final step. Typically, Pad Thai has a sour base followed by sweetness. You can also replace the tomato ketchup entirely with tamarind paste for a more authentic flavor.
If palm sugar is unavailable, you can substitute it with brown sugar or coconut sugar, though the flavor may vary slightly.
After preparing the sauce, let it cool to room temperature. Transfer it to a clean, airtight container and refrigerate. The sauce can be stored for about 1 month.
Yes! This recipe is vegan and skips the traditional fish sauce, but still delivers that classic, tangy flavor.
Absolutely! With only 15 minutes of prep time and simple ingredients, it's a quick and easy way to enjoy authentic flavors.
Authentic Pad Thai sauce often includes dried shrimp and fish sauce, but this recipe has been adapted to be vegetarian and vegan-friendly for ease of preparation anywhere.
Easy Authentic Pad Thai Sauce Recipe
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
30 minutes
Serves
10
Ingredients
Steps
-
How to Make Pad Thai Sauce:
-
Start by heating a pan and adding the oil. Use medium heat to fry the sliced shallots until they turn golden and fragrant. This step releases their sweet aroma, creating the perfect base for the sauce. Turn off the heat and set the shallots aside for later.
-
Next, add the palm sugar to the same pan and keep the heat on medium. If the sugar is in large chunks, stir in 2 tablespoons of water to help it melt smoothly. Let it simmer until the sugar becomes fragrant and its color deepens to a rich golden hue, then reduce the heat.
-
Add a pinch of salt and stir well to combine with the melted sugar. Continue cooking on medium heat for a perfectly balanced flavor.
-
Now, carefully stir in the tamarind paste and tomato sauce. Be cautious of the hot steam rising from the pan! Let the mixture simmer gently until everything blends together into a rich, smooth sauce. If it thickens too much, add a splash of water to adjust the consistency. Remember, the sauce will naturally thicken as it cools.
-
Finally, stir continuously to prevent the sauce from sticking or burning. Add the fried shallots from earlier and mix everything together for another 3 minutes, or until the sauce begins to boil again. Once done, let it cool and store in an airtight container. Your homemade Pad Thai sauce will stay fresh for up to a month!
-
Nutritional info
% of daily valueCalorie Breakdown
Protein
20 cal
Fat
365 cal
Carbs
832 cal
🔥Tips🔥
Customize your Pad Thai sauce to your taste! Add chili powder for extra spice or replace the tomato ketchup with tamarind paste for a more traditional twist. Sour and sweet are the key flavors here!
Leave A Comment
More recipes to try…
How to Make Gyoza Wrappers from Scratch!
6th March 2025
🥟 Ever wanted to make fresh, homemade gyoza? Well, it all starts with the perfect wrapper! With just three simple ingredients—flour, salt, and water—you can create soft, tender wrappers that will take your dumplings to the next level.
How to Make Easy Pork Bone Broth
27th March 2025
Making Pork Bone Broth Soup is simple enough to surprise you. It’s aromatic, easy, nutritious, and really good for your health and soul.
Easy Sticky Rice
25th January 2025
Sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice, is a type of rice that becomes sticky when cooked due to its high starch content. It’s a staple food in many Asian cuisines. In Thailand, it’s often paired with Isan food or grilled meat, making it an absolutely perfect meal.
1 comment
Jessie Clark
I just made this pad thai sauce tonight and am so glad that it made double what i needed for my pad thai dinner for two. I can look forward to making pad thai again next week!!
6th February, 2025 at 19:42
1 reply
Sho @ Hungry For Thai
Great to hear! Yes, this sauce can go a long way, and it keeps so well in the refrigerator that you can use it for many meals. How did you pad Thai turn out?
9th February, 2025 at 21:19
Leave A Comment
Leave A Comment