This quick and easy take on beef pad Thai gives you juicy beef sirloin, slippery pad Thai noodles, and an incredibly flavorful sauce tied together in a delicious, complete meal in less than 30 minutes.
What Makes This Beef Pad Thai So Good
- First things first, this easy beef pad Thai is based on westernized, Americanized pad Thai, so it’s not what you’d find if you were to eat authentic pad Thai in Thailand. For a truly authentic pad Thai recipe, I recommend checking out Hot Thai Kitchen or RecipeTin Eats.
- My favorite thing about cooking at home, from scratch, is that you are in 100% control over what goes into your meal and how strong (or mild) your flavors are. This beef pad Thai is no different! Feel free to play with the ingredients and quantities to perfect your pad Thai.
- It’s super easy to make, and comes together quick. All you need is 30 minutes to create a full meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Skip the drive-through and opt for this instead!
Key Ingredients for Beef Pad Thai
Pad Thai Noodles – These medium-ish flat noodles are an important component to pad Thai. If you’ve never had them before, don’t expect an Italian style pasta. Since these are rice flour noodles, they’re cooked differently than wheat flour noodles. They have a different texture once they’re cooked, too. On their own, their flavor is pretty neutral, but they absorb the sauce in the dish so every bite of noodles contains the perfect amount of pad Thai sauce.
Sirloin – Sirloin steak is a juicy, flavorful, lean cut of meat that’s perfect for recipes like this one where you’ll be pan-frying your meat. The cook time will vary a little depending on how thick you slice your sirloin, but only by a minute or two. When you’re slicing it, be sure to slice across the grain.
Chef’s Tips
- No coconut sugar on hand? You can use 3 packed tablespoons of light brown sugar instead.
- Obviously this recipe is for beef pad Thai, but you can use any protein you’d like if you’re not into beef. Chicken, shrimp, tofu, and pork would all be fantastic options!
- Traditional pad Thai sauce uses tamarind pulp or paste to give it its tang, but we weren’t able to find any tamarind paste locally. Instead, we substituted lime juice and rice vinegar. It’s not quite the same flavor, admittedly, but it’s delicious.
What Do We Mean By Healthy?
Our recipes focus on real ingredients and homemade elements. We try to avoid processed flour and sugar, like white flour or white sugar. Our recipes often swap less healthy options (like a commercial, deep-fried tostada) for an easy homemade version.
Our recipes are not necessarily low fat or low calorie, and we aren’t afraid of fat or carbs! Some of our recipes will be “skinny,” low carb, keto, paleo, dairy free, grain free, gluten free, Whole30, or vegan, and they will be labeled when they qualify for any of these diets. All our recipes are easy and family friendly!
Other Asian-Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
- Beef with Garlic Sauce
- Chicken Gyoza
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Chinese Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Sushi Rice
- Best Ever Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
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Beef Pad Thai
Equipment
- Small bowls (2)
- Large skillet
Ingredients
For the Pad Thai Sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
For the Pad Thai
- 8 ounces pad thai noodles
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red chili sliced
- 1 1-inch piece ginger grated
- 4 scallions sliced, white & green parts divided
- 1 pound sirloin thinly sliced
- 1 egg
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- salt & pepper to taste
- peanuts without shells, for garnish
Instructions
- In small bowl, mix together ingredients for sauce. Set aside.
- Cook noodles according to instructions on package. Drain and set aside.
- Heat avocado oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red chili, ginger, and white parts of scallions to pan. Sauté one minute, or until fragrant.
- Add sirloin to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.
- Once sirloin is cooked, push everything to edges of pan to create well in center. Break egg into well and scramble, then mix everything together.
- Add noodles to pan, followed by pad Thai sauce. Cook until noodles absorb sauce, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Once noodles absorb majority of pad Thai sauce, stir in bean sprouts. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Portion beef pad Thai onto plates. Garnish with peanuts and green parts of scallions. Serve hot.
This looks so good and it seems easy to make. Thank you. Alice