Who needs take out when you can whip up this Easy Shrimp Stir Fry with Pad Thai Sauce in less than 30 minutes! The tangy Pad Thai sauce is so good you'll want to use it for every stir fry you make!
With the addition of a variety of vegetables the nutritional value of this dish is leveled up. So not only are you saving money on take-out but you are also being kind to your body.
Can I use chicken instead of shrimp?
Yes and it is delicious! Substitute with 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 3-4 boneless skinless thighs. Cut into 1" pieces. Add chicken to fry pan or wok first and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, proceed with original instructions. Total cooking time for chicken should be 5-7 minutes.
Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?
Yes you can! For a vegetarian or vegan version substitute the shrimp for firm tofu cut into cubes. Marinate tofu in the Pad Thai sauce for 20 minutes. If you are vegan you will want to use a vegan "fish" sauce. Although not very widely available, you can find vegan "fish" sauces at your health food store, Amazon, or at specialty Asian stores (may be labeled "Mushroom Sauce or "Seaweed" Sauce). Or you can make your own by following this recipe.
how to make shrimp stir fry with pad thai sauce
- Mix together all the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce, chop peanuts and set aside separately.
- For instructions on how to make tamarind paste click HERE
- Or you can purchase tamarind paste already made in your local Asian supermarket or here - Tamarind Paste Concentrate
- Thaw and peel shrimp.
- Prepare the vegetables, garlic and cilantro
- Heat oil in a fry pan or wok over high heat.
- About 1-2 minutes apart, add shrimp, Bok Choy, and the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the sauce and peanuts and cook for 1-2 more minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque and sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve immediately garnished with fresh lime, extra peanuts, red pepper flakes and cilantro leaves.
What can I serve it with?
Serve over your favourie type of rice or noodles. Here I used black rice. I love black rice not only because it looks so good but also because it tastes delicious! It also has high nutritional value so it's my #1 go to. For instructions on how to cook black rice check out this recipe for Black Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables NOTE: 1 cup black rice yields approximately 3 cups cooked.
Can't find black rice where you live? You can order it here: Organic Black Cargo Rice 
Other recipes you may enjoy
- Tamarind Paste
- Grilled Shrimp With Coconut Creamed Corn
- Thai Meatballs in Red Curry Peanut Sauce
- Vietnamese Chicken Wings
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Shrimp Stir Fry With Pad Thai Sauce
Ingredients
Pad Thai Sauce
- 1/4 cup tamarind paste (or substitute with 2 tbsp fresh lime juice mixed with 1 tbsp brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp raw or brown sugar
- 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
Stir fry
- 1/4 cup avocado or coconut oil
- 24 large or jumbo raw, frozen, unpeeled shrimp, thawed and peeled
- 2-3 heads baby Bok Choy
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into 1" dice
- 2 cups snow peas, approximately
- 1 tbsp garlic, chopped
- 3-4 green onions
- 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes, or more to taste
For garnish
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed
- lime wedges
- dried chili flakes
- extra chopped peanuts
Instructions
For the pad thai sauce
- Mix together tamarind paste, water, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Set aside with peanuts.
For stir fry
- Thaw shrimp by removing from package and placing in a bowl. place under running cold water until thawed. This will only take a few minutes. Peel, leaving tails on if desired. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Clean and chop Bok Choy. Cut core off the bottom and cut in half lengthwise, then again into quarters. Chop into 1 inch pieces. Place in a bowl and cover with cool water. Agitate with your hand and let stand for 2 mins to let the sand/dirt sink to the bottom. scoop up Bok Choy and put into a strainer.
- Core and cut cut red pepper into 1" pieces. Chop garlic and cut green onions into 1-2 inch pieces, using both white and green parts. Rinse cilantro and pick off leaves.
- Heat oil, to medium high, in a large fry pan or wok. Add Bok Choy and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add shrimp and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add peppers, peas, green onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook another 1 minute. Add sauce and peanuts and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque and sauce has started to thicken slightly.
- Serve immediately garnished with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, extra peanuts and hot pepper flakes.
The flavours of this dish were fabulous but I did not like the smell of the fish sauce. Could you leave it out or substitute? Your recipes are great and really helpful with this program.
You can leave out the fish sauce and add some extra soy sauce. The fish sauce does give it the unique Thai flavour...if you can get past the smell...
I have cooked, peeled shrimp in my freezer. Is this OK? Just add a little later?
Yes that totally works 👌
Hi Andrea!
I made this tonight but the veggies created a lot of liquid and I wasn’t sure if I should have strained it off ?
Tasted amazing but I expected a thicker sauce mine was very liquid
The sauce isn't very thick but how coarse or fine the peanuts are chopped can affect the consistency. Also if the pan was really crowded then the vegetables can steam rather than quick fry. In the future you could also add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water to thicken the sauce at the end. I'm happy to hear you still enjoyed it!
Wow! Just discovered tamarind 😁. I’ve never seen this before. Made my own paste (although mine is more like a thin soup)...yum! If I refrigerate it or freeze it, should it be on its own or is it ok to add in the other ingredients for the sauce beforehand? Thanks Andrea!
I'm so happy you tried making your own tamarind paste! If it's super thin just add less water if the recipe calls for it in addition. You can freeze it on it's own or as part of a sauce. It also keeps in the fridge for a very long time. 😃
Hi Andrea,
Hoping to attempt this delish-sounding dish tomorrow with G and you. How long does the home made Pad Thai sauce last for in the fridge? Would it be best to make it immediately before use?
Thanks!
Sue
Yes you can make it ahead no problem!
Where do I buy tamarind paste? I can only find tamarind sauce in the grocery store.
Hi Eileen,
Specialty Asian and India shops will carry it and sometimes you can find it in higher end grocery stores. Otherwise I have gone back and included a link in the Shrimp Stir Fry post of one I recommend you can order online. Hope that helps!