We have been trying to get creative with meals for our daughter since she is both gluten and dairy free. She has been getting bored, especially at lunch. So my husband bought her a frozen pad Thai the other day and she loved it. I tasted it and thought, I can make this! Not only did I re-create that meal, but I did it in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes!
*Updated 8/18/19
I love the peanut sauce in this dish so much. It is full of those amazing Asian inspired flavors that I love. To keep this gluten free, I use Tamari which is a gluten free soy sauce. I try to find low sodium, so that I have more control over the saltiness of the dish.I have also used coconut aminos which is a soy free alternative to soy sauce. Both are equally delicious.
The fish sauce is what really adds that depth of flavor that you find in Pad Thai, but it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. The acid from the lime juice and rice wine vinegar help balance things out. Peanut butter and brown sugar make the sauce so rich and add just the slightest hint of sweetness.
The toppings are what really put it all together. I used fresh lime wedges, chopped cilantro, green onion and crushed salted peanuts. I love the texture that the peanuts add to the dish. It is perfect with the creamy sauce and noddles.
The sauce does have a little bit of heat from the pepper flakes but not much, so my husband and I love to add sriracha to ours to spice it up some more.
Does the chicken actually cook in such a short amount of time?
Yes! While you only set the timer for 7 minutes, it takes time for the pressure to build up and that time helps cook the chicken as well. It is also cubed, so it makes it even faster than cooking a large piece of meat.
What kind of noodles should I use?
When I was testing this recipe, I tried it with multiple different kinds of rice noodles. It came out well every time but there are a few things that I noticed. Brown rice noodles are a little more dense and they take just a little bit longer to get soft. I prefer plain white rice noodles that are thin and not too thick. My favorite brand is Annie Chun’s.
Tips
- You can soak your noodles in hot water before adding them to the sauce to speed things up even more
- Stir in mung bean sprouts for more veggies
- Scramble some eggs to stir in at the end
Why don’t you add any salt?
I don’t add any salt to the dish because there are many components that can be quite salty on their own. I prefer to taste it at the end and add salt if needed. I never have with this dish because the Tamari, fish sauce and broth all have salt and it ends up seasoned very well for my taste. I always use low sodium Tamari and low sodium broth for this reason.
Used in This Recipe:
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Instant Pot Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken Breasts cubed
- 1/4 cup Green Onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Tamari can also use soy sauce (low sodium) or coconut aminos
- 2 Tbls Fish Sauce Use less for lower sodium
- 2 Tbls Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbls Rice Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbls Peanut Butter natural, creamy
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Tbls Fresh Ginger minced (or 1 tsp powdered ginger)
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 Carrots cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup Chicken Broth low sodium (can also use water)
- 8 oz Rice Noodles I use Annie Chuns
- 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup Peanuts chopped
- 2 Limes one for juice, one cut into wedges
Instructions
- Add the cubed chicken, green onions and carrots into the Instant Pot
- In a small bowl, mix the tamari, fish sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, peanut butter, pepper flakes, juice of one lime, ginger and garlic until well combined and pour over the ingredients in the IP. Add the broth and stir well.
- Put the lid on and set manual or pressure button to 7 minutes. When time goes off, do a quick release and remove the lid
- Stir in the rice noodles and set the lid back on and leave it for 10 minutes. Stir together and check the doneness of the noodles. Put the lid back on if they need a little more time to soften
- Once done, serve with fresh lime wedges and top with cilantro, green onions, and chopped peanuts
Notes
-
Brown rice noodles are a little more dense and they take just a little bit longer to get soft. I prefer plain white rice noodles that are thin and not too thick. My favorite brand is Annie Chun's.
Tips
- You can soak your noodles in hot water before adding them to the sauce to speed things up even more
- Stir in mung bean sprouts for more veggies
- Scramble some eggs to stir in at the end
Made this great recipe this evening. Used cooked noodles and prawns which were added at the end and just sautéd for a couple of minutes to heat through. Added some baby corn with the carrots too. Next time will also add some chilli for a bit of heat. A great tasty sauce which I will be using frequently now. Thanks for adding to my instant pot repertoire!
I am so glad to hear this Jane, thank you for sharing!
This will be my first instant pot recipe and I can’t wait, thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight, and it was fantastic! Took quite a bit of self-control to follow the directions exactly (#freespirit), but so thankful I did. Delish!
And you can’t beat a one pot dish!
Thank you for sharing Rebecca! So glad to hear that you loved it.
Does this recipe freeze well? Maybe reheat using instant pot vide function?
Hi Paula, I would not recommend freezing and reheating this recipe. I don’t believe the texture would hold up well at all
This looks so good! Does the fish sauce come through strong on this?
The fish sauce is not overpowering at all, just adds more of that Asian flavor!
If I don’t have fish sauce, what could I substitute? Or would I need to substitute?
You can leave it out and maybe add some extra garlic and ginger for a boost of flavor.
If I don’t have fish sauce would I need to substitute?
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
It keeps well, my husband loves the leftover for lunch at work. It is not quite as saucy leftover because the noodles absorb some of it, but the flavor and texture are still great. Hope that helps!
When do you add the carrots? Four cut into matchsticks sounds like a lot…?
The carrots are in step one and you can add less if you prefer, hope that helps
Can I use Zucchini noodles instead of rice pasta?
You can, just stir them in at the end and serve right away 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe. Such great flavors! The first time I made it, before the changes, it turned out ok. The noodles were a bit stiff but I let it sit for a min or two in the hot pot and it turned out fine. The second time I decided to basically put all the ingredients in together at once (obviously not toppings) and then just cook it for 3 mins on high. This is from another recipe I often use and it always turns out perfectly. It did with this as well. 3 mins is enough to cook the chicken if they are cubes into small pieces. Perfect consistency!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoy the recipe, thank you for sharing 🙂
Great idea!
I bought taste of thai noodles and they were not anywhere near to be being cooked after several minutes–I think it would be wise to just cook the noodles and add to the pot. I reset the IP for one minute and still had some hard noodles, but great flavor. I will make this again and cook the noodles separately! 🙂
I used the same noodles but saw your post ahead of time, so I let them soak in hot water while IP was doing its thing!
Then added after quick release and waited the 2 minutes. Everything was scrumptious!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I apologize in advance for my crankiness but I just ruined my dinner :(. I would definitely recommend putting a note in the recipe to use the super thin cellophane type noodles, not the more typically used thicker pad Thai noodles which need to be boiled. I threw the noodles in, waited the 10 min, tried to steam everything for another 10, and now have a pot of mush + undercooked noodles. Hopefully better luck next time!!
I am sorry this happened Danielle, but I do have many instructions about the noodles both in the post and the note section of the recipe card for that very reason.
Sadly people don’t read, they scan. And then surprise surprise something does not work. 5 stars for your reply. You are a better person than me. 😎 I’m thinking I would have been a little more direct!
Totally a keeper! I added bean sprouts and snap peas (they needed to be used) at the end. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you for sharing Maureen, so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe looks amazing! How could I make this with a slow cooker/crockpot?
Unfortunately I have not tested that method, and I don’t want to give you wrong information.
So good!! We followed this almost as written, but based off another reviewer, we cooked our Taste of Thai rice noodles separately for just 4 minutes, and then put them into the IP with lid back on for another 2 minutes to finish cooking in the sauce. This was excellent and easy cleanup, will definitely make this again 🙂
Great recommendation! I tried just throwing the noodles in as the recipe stated, but they weren’t done after 15 minutes of being in the pot, so I threw everything in a pan, added a bit of water, and heated until dissolved. I think cooking the noodles separately is really smart.
Great recipe, I will definitely make it again! I love that all of the ingredients are pretty normal. I had most of them on hand (other than rice noodles). This was quick, easy, and delicious! I would definitely recommend it!
we loved the sauce in this version of IP Pad Thai. However, I would cook the chicken separate and then add in the vegetables next time (we did 2 colors of peppers, mushrooms and green onions) for an additional 2 minutes. They were mushy when we cooked them from the beginning and we reduced the pt butter to 1 tbsp. My hubby liked it a lot though and that’s a win!
CANNOT say enough about this recipe. Eating Thai food with a gluten allergy is nearly impossible & this recipe made me feel “normal” (AND ALSO FULL!) for the first time in a very long time. Added bonus: I had nearly everything on hand already, so all I needed to grab were the fresh ingredients & noodles. Incredibly easy. Will be making this again & again!
Quick, easy to make and besides fresh green onion I actually had all the ingredients on hand! It was a hit with kids and adult alike. Everyone is already asking to have it again!
I made this for dinner and it was a hit. My teenage son had it 2 nights in a row. I used brown rice noodles because its all I could find. I also threw some broccoli in just because I had it in the fridge. It’s definitely going on my make again list!
Fun to make and yummy. Please adjust the noodle directions. I tried your method for 15 minutes and they were still crunchy. No way can the noodles be done per recipe. For my taste and health goals I’ll add less soy sauce, sugar and a bit less pb next time.
There are many instructions and notes about the noodles in the post, because it can vary from person to person and can depend on the brand you use. Thank you for the feedback.
This looks great! Just so I understand, I’m a newbie, I need to cook the noodles first or I just throw them in?
Thank you and there are two options. You can cook the noodles first and then stir in at the end. Or you can follow the main directions and sir them in uncooked and put the lid back on and let steam to cook. Hope that helps!
This sounds yummy and easy to make. Can you make it without the fish sauce or with a substitute for the fish sauce?
The fish sauce definitely adds to the flavor, but it would still be delicious without!
First time making my own pad Thai and I am also a newbie instant pot user. I followed it exactly except for I used half as much sesame oil and fish sauce just for my personal preference. It was awesome! My husband and myself really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for lunch leftovers 😋
I am so glad that you liked it Jenni, thank you for sharing!
Great recipe! This was the first time I used my IP. I like my veggies to be a bit crunchy so I think I will leave some green onions to the side and add on top afterwards. My husband is impressed!
I am so glad you enjoyed it and that it was a successful first time with the IP!
Made this last night. Used 1.5 pounds of chicken breast tenderloins, a package of frozen Asian veggies from Trader Joe’s, and half a package of the recommended brand of rice noodles. It was so good! Couldn’t wait to enjoy the leftovers.
If the cubed chicken is frozen, should I thaw first or adjust cook time? Thanks – we have food allergies in our house and my oldest LOVES when we make Thai!
I would thaw it out, so you don’t overcook the veggies 🙂
I really wanted pad Thai as I love it. This recipe is decent if want total peanut butter flavor. I followed recipe exact except did not use as much peanut butter as i had a feeling would overwhelm the dish and was right. It was still edible and son liked it. But taste nothing like pad Thai. I might try it again but no peanut butter this time.
Is it possible to make this without peanuts and peanut butter? My son and husband are allergic.
You can omit or replace with almond or cashew butter if they are able to eat those. I hope that helps!
I am excited to try this! Is the calorie count for the whole dish or per serving? If so, how many servings is this recipe?
The calorie count is for one serving and there are 6 servings total. Hope you love it!
Has anyone added shrimp instead of chicken? If so, do you wait to add them? Mine are raw shrimp. Frozen.
If we add egg how many and when? I tried adding when I put in the noodles and it didn’t cook at all after ten minutes so I pressure cooked for one minute. Big mistake! Noodles came out mushy.
You just have to scramble them on the side and add them in when the dish is done, the amount is up to you. I would probably use 2-3 eggs.
Oh. My. Goodness!! My teenage son and I both have celiac disease and we absolutely loved this recipe. So happy I found it – it is definitely going to be added to our regular rotation. I might try it with an additional veggie sometime, and we’re planning to try tofu instead of chicken sometime, but it honestly is perfect just as it is. 🙂 I scrambled two eggs and added them at the end, but they kind of got lost in the flavor of the sauce so I will probably skip that step (and extra dirty pan!) next time. The sauce is slightly more reminiscent of the peanut sauce that comes with chicken satay than the sometimes overly sweet sauce that is on Pad Thai, but in our book that is a solid plus – it is crazy delicious. Thanks much!
Rebecca, you just made my day! I am so glad that you loved the recipe. It is a favorite in our home and it makes me so happy when others enjoy it as much as we do. Thank you for taking the time to share with me 🙂
Good morning Sara,
I cannot wait to try your Pad Thai insta pot recipe. Problem is, I cannot decide which insta pot to buy. We are a retired two person household and we love to cook. Could you offer some suggestions?
Judy
Can you double or triple the recipe for a larger family? Would that change the cook time? I am super new to using my instapot. Thanks
I’ve made this a few times now and have always had issues with the noodles not being cooked. I changed it up and added an extra cup of broth, and cooked everything all at once in the IP for 4 mins. It turned out perfectly. Just make sure the chicken is cut up very small.
Definitely at least partially cook the noodles.
I made the recipe as written. Two of us liked it in my family, and two of us didn’t. It took about 14 minutes for my noodles to soften, and I used the recommended brand.
For some reason our noodles didn’t cook all the way and I bought the Annie Chung one’s. It was also kind of pasty- just wondering what I did wrong?
We love this recipe so much! I have made it 3 times now for family and friends and it’s been a huge hit!
My only issue and maybe it’s not actually an issue is that it’s very sticky I tried adding more chicken broth and other liquids but it seemed to soak right in and stay sticky…..any ideas to help with this and give it more slip?
Can I use a jarred sauce in a pinch? What would that replace in this recipe? Thanks!
Can I make this on a crock pot?