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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.
Can you use cooked shrimp in this recipe?
Hi Devon,
Yes, that will work, jus add at the end so it doesn’t get overcooked. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
So good. I can’t stop making it!! ?
Hey Aly,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
This recipe is the best! I just made this Sunday and am already making it again (Wednesday). However, I found the noodles were a little mushy to my liking last time. Not sure what happened there but I think I just didn’t drain them enough. Regardless, it tasted *perfect* and I only had to buy two ingredients. So easy and tasty!
Hey Leah,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
What could you serve with this dish with?
Hi Kim,
I would serve this dish all on its own, you could do some egg rolls if you wanted. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Just made this recipe and it was AMAZING. The name is true – it’s absolutely better thank takeout!
Hey Lucy,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for making it! xTieghan
I’ve made a different pad thai before and the recipe included peanut butter. Would you include that in yours or leave it out?
Hey Bryan,
You could totally add some peanut butter if that is something you enjoy:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
this was the easiest recipe and tasted amazing!!!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
Love the recipe and the sauce!
Tips to stop the rice noodles from becoming congealed while cooking stirring?
Hey Lisa,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Make sure they aren’t over cooked! xxTieghan
Hi! I added 3 tablespoons of tamarindo paste to the sauce, and used sesame oil instead of the peanut oil.
It was AMAZING!
Hey Carolina,
Happy Friday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Made this recipe for my husband for Father’s Day yesterday! I cannot stand shrimp and was so proud of myself for working with them. This recipe made it easy! And he said it was delicious, too! Another HBH recipe for the win. Thanks!!
Hey Emily,
Wonderful! I am so glad this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! Have a lovely week:) xTieghan
Coming back to make this for the 5th time. It is so good and really easy to make at home. I’ve subbed chicken for shrimp before with success, but will be making it with shrimp tonight.
Hey Maggie,
Happy Saturday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was delicious! Made it for supper this evening. Had never made Pad Thai before as I thought it would be too complicated. This was a quick, easy and tasty recipe.
Hey Jenn,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xTieghan
Lives up to the name! I can’t believe how flavorful this is, especially given the limited prep/cook time involved. So, so worth it. Boyfriend doesn’t eat carbs often but I’m grateful I was able to convince him to try this – he flat-out called this dish “restaurant food”!!! Wild. This recipe and the gochujang steak recipe are enshrined in my all-time faves, although every one of your recipes is a winner. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kristen,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed!! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
This was absolutely incredible. Such fresh ingredients and SO good. Better than most of the Thai take out I’ve had and I have AMAZING Thai near me. Incredibly easy to cook and throw together too. Don’t skip out on the garnishes – they make it. I used bok choy instead of bran sprouts. So good. So delicious. So easy.
Hey MaryKate,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This was delicious and so easy to make! Thank you!
Hey Leyla,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan