Zucchini noodle pad thai is a low carb, veggie-packed meal that comes together in just 30 minutes. With shrimp, eggs, bell pepper and topped with a delicious pad Thai sauce!
Adding spiralized veggies to Thai food is a great way to sneak in some extra veggies; from spiralized veggie thai noodle bowls, to lemongrass Thai ground pork meal prep, and this zucchini noodle pad Thai!
This zucchini noodle Pad Thai is full of those familiar Thai flavors, but skips the rice noodles and uses veggie noodles instead! With a sweet, savory, sour sauce, this Pad Thai is pure bliss in a bowl.
The flavors are just like take-out, but it is lower in carbs and packed with veggies and simple pantry staples. Best of all, you can customize it with whatever veggies or protein options you have on hand!
reasons you'll love this recipe
- you get the familiar Pad Thai flavors, but with even more veggies
- it's ready in 30 minutes
- has a sauce made from easy pantry staples
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. Itโs so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
ingredient notes
- fish sauce - adds delicious, briny flavor! We use this brand.
- maple syrup - or honey; brown sugar, or palm sugar (for the most authentic sauce)
- soy sauce - we used reduced sodium, but you can swap for bragg's liquid soy seasoning for a gluten-free alternative
- zucchini noodles - are a great low-carb swap for rice noodles for pad thai. See how to cook and spiralize zucchini noodles here.
- ketchup - I know. I KNOW! see note*
Note - this Pad Thai sauce is more similar to a North American Pad Thai recipe, not a traditional Thai recipe, and that's for one reason alone: ketchup. I KNOW! I fought the ketchup thing so, so hard. I ordered $20 of tamarind paste from Amazon. I experimented with ratios. But nothing tasted quite like my tastebuds are used to, except for ketchup. *trust me, you can't taste the ketchup, but you can taste when it's not there*
Step by step directions
Sauce
Shake together pad thai sauce and set aside.
Cook Shrimp
Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the shrimp. Cook 2-4 minutes, flipping halfway until shrimp are cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a clean plate.
Scramble Eggs
Add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the beaten eggs. Cook, scrambling with a spatula until cooked through and scrambled. Transfer to the plate containing the shrimp. Clean the pan if necessary.
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Sautรฉe Veggies
Add the zucchini noodles and the bell pepper noodles, tossing with tongs and cooking for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened.
Make a space in the pan and add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute.
Combine
Add the shrimp, eggs, bean sprouts and pour the sauce over everything. Toss-up to coat.
Serve
Serve with cilantro leaves, peanuts, and lime wedges.
Variations
Veggie Options
This is where you can get creative with this recipe. Want to swap for sweet potato? I bet that would be great! Have some carrots to use up? Shred and throw them in! Here are some variations and swaps to try:
- zucchini - spiralized on the small โ inch blade
- bell pepper - spiralized on the ribbon blade
- sweet potato - spirazlied on the large ยผ inch blade
- carrots - sprialized on the small โ inch blade or shredded
- red onion - spralized on the ribbon blade
Do not skip the bean sprouts; there is just something about the flavor and crunch...pad thai is just not the same without them.
Protein Options
We used shrimp for this recipe, but you can pick your favorite protein and use it. Pad Thai is made with everything from shrimp to chicken to tofu. Here are some ideas:
- chicken - thighs or breast; cut into small pieces
- tofu - pressed and cut into small cubes. You can fry until crispy, then cook other ingredients.
- egg - we like adding egg to all pad thai recipes as it really absorbs the sauce and adds extra flavor
- crab - or other seafood
FAQ
Sure! You can swap for brown rice noodles, or sub half the zucchini noodles for whole wheat spaghetti noodles - following package directions to cook. The recipe will no longer be low carb with these swaps.
Yes - though you will need to swap the shrimp for tofu, and eliminate the fish sauce or a vegan fish sauce, and leave out the eggs.
This zucchini noodle pad thai does not store well after cooking, however, you can prep the ingredients ahead to make assembling easier! See instructions below.
Meal Prep
Unfortunately, after cooking, this recipe is best served immediately and does not store well. With that being said, you can prep components of this zucchini noodle pad thai ahead to make the cooking day even easier:
- shake together the sauce up to a week ahead
- spiralize zucchini noodles up 4 days ahead (store in a paper towel-lined container)
- spiralize bell pepper 1-2 days ahead (store in a paper towel-lined container)
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai
Ingredients
Pad Thai Sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup see note 1
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce see note 2
- 1 tablespoon ketchup see note 3
Pad Thai
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb shrimp
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 medium zucchinis spiralized
- 1 bell pepper spiralized
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups bean sprouts
To serve
- cilantro
- peanuts
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Sauce - Shake together pad thai sauce and set aside.
- Cook Shrimp - Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the shrimp. Cook 2-4 minutes, flipping halfway, until shrimp are cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Scramble eggs - Add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the beaten eggs. Cook, scrambling with a spatula, until cooked through and scrambled. Transfer to the plate containing the shrimp. Clean the pan if necessary.
- Sautรฉe Veggies - Add the zucchini noodles and the bell pepper noodles, tossing with tongs and cooking for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened. Make a space in the pan and add the garlic.
- Combine - Fry for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, eggs, bean sprouts and pour the sauce over everything. Toss up to coat.
- Serve - Serve with cilantro leaves, peanuts and lime wedges.
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We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Tips:
- use your favorite sweetener such as honey, brown sugar, or for the most authentic ingredient, palm sugar
- we use reduced sodium soy sauce as a general rule. For gluten-free, swap for tamari or coconut aminos.
- ketchup is not traditionally used in Pad Thai, but adds a lot of oomf to this particular recipe. For a more authentic recipe, swap for tamarind paste.
- shake together the sauce up to a week ahead
- spiralize zucchini noodles up 4 days ahead (store in a paper towel-lined container)
- spiralize bell pepper 1-2 days ahead (store in a paper towel-lined container)
Video
Nutrition Information
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