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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!
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!
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This is delicious!! Super easy to toss together. Going in the favorites list!
Hey Kirsten,
Awesome!! Love hearing that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a go! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
This dish was a success! My son and grandson loved it and said they’d love to have it again. That made my day… Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Kat,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was a winner!! xTieghan
Delicious! So easy and flavorful. Great weeknight dinner!
Hey Ashley,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
Quick and easy recipe that came out perfect! I didn’t have bean sprouts so I substituted with a thinly sliced red pepper and wilted some spinach.
Hey Valerie,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
Easy, quick and flavorful. Thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family. Your books are now on my ‘to buy’ list, all your recipes are a success.
Hey there,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
Delicious recipe Tieghan!! My whole family loved it!!
Hey Gurleen,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Delicious and easy! It is better than takeout!
Hey Karen,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Sounds very good . Have to try it.
I hope you love the recipe Mary!!
This recipe is nothing even close to what pad Thai is, anyone who knows this dish knows that the 3 main ingredients are tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Okay, maybe you can sub out regular sugar for palm sugar, but no tamarind at all? You should just call this a delicious noodle dish, not pad Thai, because it is not.
It’s a spin on pad Thai. She said that and why are you reviewing something you didn’t even try.
Absolutely loved this recipe. Super easy to make and had great flavor! I added this one to my recipe box and I am looking forward to making it again. Thanks Teighan
Hey Christina,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe is nothing even close to what pad Thai is, anyone who knows this dish knows that the 3 main ingredients are tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Okay, maybe you can sub out regular sugar for palm sugar, but no tamarind at all? You should just call this a delicious noodle dish, not pad Thai, because it is not.
Very quick and a nice weekday version that tastes Pad Thai-ish enough for just a little work. My kid who loves Pad Thai approves!
Hey Christina,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Wow, this came out amazing and it was so quick! Definitely will be a go-to weeknight recipe in the future 🙂
Hi Julie,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
Hi! Would you be able to prep this in arcane for dinner guest? Assuming just keep the sauce and shrimp separate till ready to eat?
Hi Meghan,
Sure that should work well for you. Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Made this recipe finally ~ absolutely delicious ! The flavors are amazing ! Everyone loved it so much ~ thank you for creating such amazing and fun recipes !
Hi Theresa,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Made this tonight and it was easy and great! My very picky husband even liked it so that’s always a win.
Hi Rachel,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan