Vegetarian Pad Thai (Instant Pot)

Skip the takeout and let the pressure cooker do the work! Vegetarian Pad Thai is a quick Instant Pot meal, that can easily be made into Vegan Pad Thai, too!

Real life lately has meant resorting to (what feels like) a lot of takeout. Which results in a bit of guilt on my part, feeling like I had failed in finding a creative meal to prepare quickly. On the other hand, I welcome the break from cooking, but deep down inside I make a pact with myself to cook more.

Does anyone else feel this way?

One part of cooking fatigue has to do with pleasing all the eaters in the family, but there is one thing that we can all agree on, and that is Pad Thai. It’s part of every order when we go to our favorite Thai restaurant, and I make a quick version at home when I feel like skipping takeout. – my kids love their pad Thai!

I was thumbing through my friend Jane’s and her co-writer Sara’s new cookbook, The Gluten-Free Instant Pot Cookbook: 100 Fast to Fix and Nourishing Recipes for All Kinds of Electric Pressure Cookers, when I saw that they have a recipe for Vegetable Pad Thai made in the Instant Pot in less time than placing a takeout order. Part of the genius of this recipe is that the noodles and sauce can cook all at once in the pressure cooker, mere minutes, and once it is out, you can easily toss in ingredients that make everyone happy.

You can make it totally vegetarian, or add cooked chicken or shrimp, or make it vegan by skipping the egg. With so many eaters now in my family, this is just what I need!

The whole cookbook is packed with recipes that will please the whole family, with the added benefit for those who have to observe a gluten-free diet, whatever the reason. From breakfast to dinner, and even dessert, there’s something for meat lovers and vegetarians, with suggestions on how to adapt recipes for your pressure cooker, no matter the brand.

MORE PRESSURE COOKER RECIPES TO TRY

Vegetarian Pad Thai (Instant Pot)

Skip the takeout and let your pressure cooker do the work! Vegetarian Pad Thai is not only a quick and easy Instant Pot meal, but it is also very adaptable. Make it a Vegan Pad Thai by simply omitting the egg. For the omnivores in your family, add precooked chicken, beef or pork. 

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3.34 from 3 votes

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 559kcal

Author Liren Baker

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/3 cup vegetarian fish sauce substitute or fish sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 large cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 10 ounces pad Thai rice noodles
• ▢ 12 ounces extra-firm tofu sliced
• ▢ 2 cups vegetable stock
• ▢ 2 tablespoons shredded sweetened radish
• ▢ 1 cup bean sprouts
• ▢ 1 medium carrot peeled and shaved into ribbons
• ▢ 2 large eggs (omit for vegans)
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
• ▢ 3 scallions trimmed and cut into 3-inch julienne strips
• ▢ 1 medium lime cut into 8 wedges

COOK MODEPrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the (vegetarian) fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, coconut aminos, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.
• Press Sauté on your electric pressure cooker. When the inner pot is hot, add the oil. Sauté the onion until just translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and additional 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Pour the fish sauce mixture over the onions and garlic. Add the rice noodles and tofu to the pot. Add the stock and radishes, but do not stir. Submerge the noodles as much as possible.
• Close and lock the lid, making sure the steam release handles is in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When the cook time is finished, use the quick release method by opening the release handle and venting all the steam. When the float pin drops, unlock the lid and open it carefully.
• Add the bean sprouts and carrots to the pot. Replace the lid and let the vegetables warm through, 5 minutes.
• While the vegetables are warming, whisk the eggs in a small bowl and scramble in a small frying pan. Stir the warm eggs into the pad Thai.
• Serve in big bowls garnished with the peanuts, scallions, and lime wedges.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted and reprinted with permission from Vegetable Pad Thai, The Gluten-Free Instant Pot Cookbook: 100 Fast to Fix and Nourishing Recipes for All Kinds of Electric Pressure Cookers by Jane Bonacci and Sara De Leeuw (Harvard Common Press, 2019).

After reader feedback regarding saltiness, I have reduced the amount of fish sauce in the recipe.

Note from the recipe authors: "It's important to do a quick release as soon as the cook time is finished or the noodles will overcook and turn to mush."

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 3040IU | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 3mg

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