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Sharing an easy, weeknight style…Better Than Takeout Garlic Butter Shrimp Pad Thai. Quick-cooking rice noodles tossed with a Thai inspired sauce, vegetables, scrambled eggs, and garlicky shrimp that is pan-seared with a touch of butter. This Pad Thai is saucy, tangy, a touch salty, and just a little spicy. It’s heavy on the rice noodles and comes together in no time at all (about 30 minutes). Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something with a little more flavor, but still quick, healthy-ish, and DELICIOUS.
I thought we’d start off the Monday after the Super Bowl Sunday with something a little lighter and full of color. You know just in case you had a little too much fun yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, did anyone make the Cajun popcorn chicken? Or the buffalo chicken pull apart bread? Or what about the cowboy cookies?! I know many of you have been making the cookies, as I’ve seen them all over Instagram. They seem to be everyone’s favorite right now (my mom’s too). I made another batch on Friday night for my aunt, uncle, and cousins, they all loved them!
Anyway, I figured something bright and colorful for Monday would be good. Enter these better than takeout pad Thai noodles. This dish…it’s insanely quick, and insanely delicious. I’m so excited to finally be sharing a pad Thai recipe after so many of you requested one. Technically, this is not my first pad Thai. I shared a pad Thai recipe all the way back in 2013. And yes, there are horrible photos to accompany this pad Thai post. Thankfully, things have much improved since 2013 and I feel very confident in saying that today’s recipe is better…much better.
There’s garlic butter shrimp, more veggies, more herbs, and I do believe it’s better than any takeout!
Here is how you make pad Thai.
Start out by preparing the rice noodles according to package directions. I like these rice noodles best. They’re a wide-cut noodle and really hold up well to all the sauce.
While that’s happening, make the sauce. It’s a mix of soy sauce, fish sauce (my favorite ingredient right now), vinegar, and a touch of honey. This sauce isn’t the most traditional when it comes to pad Thai, but after trying out a few different versions I decided this was the sauce we love most. It’s a mix of salty, tangy, and sweet. Traditionally, brown sugar or granulated sugar is used to sweeten the sauce, but I prefer to use honey.
Once the sauce is mixed, the next step is cooking. It all starts with the shrimp…garlic butter shrimp…yeah, this is not your average pad Thai.
Pan sear the shrimp, add the butter, and then add all of that garlic. As the butter melts, the garlic caramelizes around the shrimp creating truly the most mouth-watering smell (and delicious sauce). This is that moment you know the recipe is going to be good…so good.
Don’t love shrimp? You can easily swap the shrimp for chicken. Or make this a vegetarian dish and use cauliflower. Either variation would be delicious.
At this point, add the noodles and sauce, toss with the shrimp, and then push everything to the side of the pan.
Next, scramble the eggs, then toss with the noodles. Add the veggies…green onions and a huge handful of Thai basil. Toss everything together and then immediately remove from the heat. DONE.
Tip: once you’ve added the basil, the noodles really need to be plated and served. There is a large amount of sauce, so as the noodles sit, they will soak it up. Still delicious, but just something to note. If you plan to eat the noodles as a leftover, you can add a touch of soy sauce to loosen the noodles back up. The noodles will be a little less saucy, but all the flavor is there!
Now, let’s talk about toppings.
You all know I love toppings, but pad Thai needs a few. Fresh basil, fresh green onions, plenty of roasted peanuts, a pinch of chili flakes, and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
The herbs add freshness while the salty peanuts add flavor and crunch. You can use the chili flakes to your taste, but I usually add a good pinch to each serving.
And you guys, that’s kind of it. This recipe is FAST, requires very little prep, and very little cooking. It’s beyond good, especially with the that garlicky, buttery shrimp. I know that’s a little odd, and certainly not traditional, but this is kind of like Italian meets Thai. A weird but delicious mash-up, that’s just a touch more flavorful, and all things good.
Added bonus…the quick cooking time…perfect for busy Monday nights!
If you make this better than takeout garlic butter shrimp pad Thai, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Takeout Garlic Butter Shrimp Pad Thai.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 699 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wide rice noodles
- 3-4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, using more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple
- 1/4-1 teaspoon chili flakes, plus more for serving
- 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2-3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups bean sprouts or chopped baby bok coy (or other greens)
- 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- Thai or regular basil and limes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook the rice noodles according to packaged directions.2. To make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, honey, and chili flakes. 3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shrimp and sear on both sides until pink, 2-3 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, a pinch of both chili flakes and black pepper. Continue to cook the shrimp in the butter until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn light golden brown, another 1-2 minutes. 4. Add the noodles and sauce, tossing to combine. Cook until the noodles are warmed through and begin soaking up the sauce, about 1 minute. Push the noodles to one side of the skillet and add the eggs to the other side. Let cook until the edges start to set, 1 minute. Roughly scramble the egg, then toss with the noodles. Remove from the heat. Add the bean sprouts and green onions, toss to combine. 5. Divide the noodles and shrimp between plates. Top with basil, green onions, peanuts, and chili flakes. Add a squeeze of lime juice.
Just made this last night and yet another winner! Unfortunately I didn’t have fish sauce, so I substituted with oyster sauce…also added some mushrooms. Excellent dish and will be making again!
Hey Erin,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Great dish! Straightforward and delicious.
Hey Christian,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
My husband and I LOVE Asian takeout if all types, but Thai is our favorite. Made this for dinner tonight and it was a 10/10 from both of us! Delicious + easy is the true recipe for a night of cooking at home. We’ll definitely be adding this to our regular rotation!
Hey Kelsey,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
I love this recipe! I often use half shrimp and half scallops. If I can’t find baby bok choy I use spinach. I like the idea to use chicken. I think I’ll try that next time.
Hey Kristi,
Happy Monday!! 💘 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Is anyone else having issues with the links to see the ingredient references going to Thrive? Whenever I click an ingredient with a Thrive referral, it just pulls up a login screen for a Thrive and then never links to the ingredient. Any thoughts? I love to see what you recommend.
Hey Vicki,
So sorry about that, we are trying to get that fixed and totally understand the frustration here! Is there a specific ingredient I can help you find? Let me know! xT
Delicious! The only thing I think I would do differently is take the shrimp off the heat after cooking them, and then do the noodles sauce and only add the shrimp back in once a lot of the sauce was soaked up. My shrimp got over cooked :/other than that, super easy and delish as usual!
Hey Nicole,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
This Pad Thai was so good!! I added in a few more veggies and it was so tasty. I even sent it along to my mom and sister to try out!
Hey Kaylee,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
Hi! I struggle with rice noodles. They always end up sticking together and cooking wrong. Can you help?
Hey Lisa,
It’s hard to say without knowing exactly how you are cooking them. I would suggest trying a different brand and following the box instructions. Let me know if that helps! xT
You must stir your rice noodles in the first five minutes to make sure they don’t stick!
love this! I made it with chicken instead of shrimp and added more lime and it was delightful!
Hi Rae,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
I have made this recipe a few times ,with different types of greens – whatever I have on hand. It’s a winner every time! Absolutely delicious and it is way better-than-take-out, no question! Love this recipe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hey Annemarie,
Happy Wednesday!!👻 I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:)
This might be my 6th time making this Pad Thai – it is sooo good! I love adding other veggies to it as well. It truly does taste like take-out but is healthier!
Hey Katelyn,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
Excellent and so easy!
Hi Jonelle,
Fantastic! I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was tasty for you! xT
Delicious! I definitely would make this Pad Thai again
Hey Lynn,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
So good and super easy!
Hey Nikki,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!!? xTieghan
when do you add in the bok choy?
Hi Amanda,
The bok choy should be used in step 4 if you are choosing to use that in place of the bean sprouts:) Let me know if you have any other questions! xx