This Instant Pot Pad Thai with tofu can also be made with chicken. It’s packed with veggies and a quick dinner recipe on the stove or in any electric pressure cooker.
This is one of our favorite vegetarian Instant Pot recipes! It’s so easy to pull together on a busy weeknight, and if you decide to prep your veggies ahead of time it’s even quicker to make.
This meal is a great alternative to takeout and barely requires a trip to the grocery store. I usually have everything on hand to whip up this healthy Vegetarian Pad Thai recipe in my Instant Pot.
Where’s the recipe?
Here at My Crazy Good Life, we have written recipes to be so easy that anyone can make them–no matter what your kitchen experience!
Each post has information about ingredients, detailed cooking instructions, and recipe tips as well as special diet information. If you’re looking for more straight to the point instructions, scroll right down to the easy to print recipe at the bottom.
Ingredients:
For ingredient amounts, please scroll down to the printable recipe.
- Sesame oil: Roasted is best, if you can find it–the flavor is so much better.
- Garlic: Fresh is best here!
- Fresh ginger: Fresh ginger has an authentic Asian flavor that will make this recipe amazing.
- Onion: Any color will do, but I’m a fan or red or white.
- Extra firm tofu: The extra firm part is important so it has more of a meat-like texture and doesn’t fall apart while cooking.
- Egg: If you’re vegan, leave this out. If you’d like, you can use an egg substitute like Just Egg or silken tofu.
- Rice vinegar: If you don’t have it, I’d just skip it entirely instead of using another vinegar.
- Coconut aminos: Or tamari, or soy sauce – whatever you have on hand works.
- Honey: If vegan, use a different sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Zucchini: See the note below about swapping out veggies if you don’t love the ones listed here!
- Carrots
- Bell peppers
- Rice noodles (brown rice if you can find them!)
- Low sodium vegetable stock: Or water if you don’t have any stock.
- Fresh basil
- Optional garnish:
- Crushed red pepper
- Peanuts
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges or lime juice
- Green onions
How to make this recipe vegan:
You can easily make this recipe vegan by replacing the honey with a vegan sweetener such as maple syrup or agave nectar. Other meat alternatives such as seitan can be used, or protein can be left out entirely.
Also, you’ll want to remove the eggs entirely or use a vegan egg substitute.
Instant Pot Tofu Pad Thai Instructions:
I love this easy recipe on nights when we are craving Thai food. It’s quick to pull together and tastes like authentic Pad Thai–only lighter!
- Set pot to sauté and add in sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, and onions. Sauté for about a minute, or until you begin to smell the spices.
- Add in your diced tofu and then push the contents of the pot to one side of the pot so you have room to scramble the eggs.
- If you’d like a spray of olive oil so your eggs don’t stick (eggs always stick to the bottom of the Instant Pot!), spray that now. Add the egg and scramble it with a spatula, keeping it on one side of the pot if possible.
- Once your eggs are cooked, mix together the tofu, onion, and eggs.
- Add in the rice vinegar, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), and honey. These make up your pad thai sauce. If you’d like to add peanut butter for flavor, I’d add a teaspoon to your sauce ingredients now.
- Add in the zucchini, bell peppers, and carrots and continue to sauté until they begin to soften.
- Place the rice noodles (the entire package) on top of the contents of the pot and then pour the vegetable stock (or water if you don’t have stock) over the noodles. The noodles will not be submersed–that’s ok.
- Close the lid of the pot and allow the noodles to cook using the steam in the pot for 1-2 minutes.
- If you feel that you’d like to cook the noodles for longer, or if you’re using thicker noodles, I recommend pressure cooking for 0 (yes, zero) minutes. This cooking time will allow the pot to come to pressure (it cooks while coming to pressure), and it will begin to release pressure afterwards. Immediately release the pressure valve (by carefully turning the valve from Sealing to Venting) after the pot comes to pressure so your noodles don’t overcook.
- Add the chopped basil and serve immediately garnished with red pepper flakes, cilantro, peanuts, and lime (if desired).
Recipe Tips:
- If there are any vegetables that you don’t like, you can swap them out for something else. Red peppers can be swapped out for other peppers or left out completely. Add diced mushrooms, bean sprouts, snap peas, snow peas, or your favorite veggies.
- If you’re looking for a Chicken Pad Thai recipe, I recommend sautéing the diced chicken first for 8-9 minutes and then follow the rest of the directions in this post.
- If after cooking your veggies, they look perfectly done, I recommend removing them from the pot before steaming your rice noodles so they don’t overcook.
Stovetop Directions:
The Instant Pot instructions can be used for the stovetop, since this recipe is primarily sautéing. The following notes should be followed:
- Use medium high heat for the sautéing.
- In step 7, do not add the broth/water. Cook your noodles on the side according to package directions.
Healthy Eating Plans:
Since we are skipping the brown sugar, fish sauce, and other heavy ingredients commonly used in this stir fry dish, it’s perfect for almost any healthy eating plan!
Weight Watchers: This Weight Watchers Pad Thai is 12 Blue Plan Points | 14 Green Plan Points | 12 Purple Plan Points per serving, not including optional garnish options.
The points for the new 2023 points plan is 7, using brown rice noodles and 2 tbsp of honey instead of 1/3 cup.
21 Day Fix: Per Serving (Recipe serves 6): 1/3 teaspoon, 1 1/2 green containers, 1/3 red container, 1 yellow container per serving.
2B Mindset: This recipe is a perfect lunch, with 50% veggies, 25% protein (tofu), and 25% FFC (noodles).
Looking for more Vegetarian Instant Pot recipes?
- Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal
- Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice
- Amish Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Greek yogurt Mac and Cheese
More Easy Instant Pot recipes?
- Southwest Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe
- Turkey Chorizo Breakfast Casserole
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
Instant Pot Vegetarian Pad Thai with Tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tsps sesame seed oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated and fresh, or 1/2 tsp dry ground ginger
- ½ onion sliced
- 1 pkg tofu extra firm, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 zucchini diced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut into sticks
- 2 bell peppers red and green, sliced
- 1 pkg rice noodles 16 oz
- 2 cups vegetable stock low sodium
- ¼ cup basil chopped
- ½ tsp red pepper crushed, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add in sesame oil. When the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, and onions. Sauté for about one minute, or until fragrant.
- Mix in the diced tofu and push all of the contents of the pot to one side of the pot.
- Spray olive oil in pot, and then add the egg and scramble with a spatula. It's ok if your eggs mix with your tofu and onion.
- Once cooked, mix the egg into the onions and tofu.
- Add in rice vinegar, coconut aminos or soy sauce, honey, zucchini, bell peppers, and carrots. Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the veggies become soft.
- Place the rice noodles (the entire package of them together) on top of the tofu mixture and pour the stock over the noodles.
- After adding the noodles and stock, close the lid to the pot and allow the noodles to steam for a minute or two. No need to add time to the pot or cook the noodles–they'll cook perfectly with the lid closed using the heat already in the pot. If you feel that the noodles need to cook for longer, or if you're using thicker noodles, go ahead and cook for 0 (zero) minutes.
- Add chopped basil after noodles are cooked. Serve with cilantro, peanuts, and lime wedges (if desired).
Stovetop:
- The Instant Pot instructions can be used for the stovetop, since this recipe is primarily sautéing. The following notes should be followed:
- Use medium high heat for the sautéing.
- In step 7, do not add the broth/water. Cook your noodles on the side according to package directions.
Notes
Healthy Eating Plans:
Since we are skipping the brown sugar, fish sauce, and other heavy ingredients commonly used in this stir fry dish, it’s perfect for almost any healthy eating plan! Weight Watchers: This Weight Watchers Pad Thai is 12 Blue Plan Points | 14 Green Plan Points | 12 Purple Plan Points per serving, not including optional garnish options. The points for the new 2023 points plan is 7, using brown rice noodles and 2 tbsp of honey instead of 1/3 cup. 21 Day Fix: 21 Day Fix Container Count Per Serving (Recipe serves 6): 1/3 tsp, 1.5 green containers, 1/3 red container, 1 yellow container per serving. 2B Mindset: This recipe is a perfect lunch, with 50% veggies, 25% protein (tofu), and 25% FFC (noodles).Recipe Tips:
- If there are any vegetables that you don’t like, you can swap them out for something else. Red peppers can be swapped out for other peppers or left out completely. Add diced mushrooms, bean sprouts, snap peas, snow peas, or your favorite veggies.
- If you’re looking for a Chicken Pad Thai recipe, I recommend sautéing the diced chicken first for 8-9 minutes and then follow the rest of the directions in this post.
- If after cooking your veggies, they look perfectly done, I recommend removing them from the pot before steaming your rice noodles so they don’t overcook.
Nutrition
Any idea what the cooking time would be if I wanted to use chicken instead of tofu? Thanks!
I’m not–let me look into this a little!
Looks great! I’m following the thread also, as I have the same question about using chicken instead of tofu. My husband won’t eat the tofu:-(
I cut raw chicken in thin strips and used the browning setting, then cooked it for 5 minutes (that’s my fish setting). But I’d recommend adding the noodles afterwards or placing on top and mixing them in after the pressure is released, stir and cover for a few minutes until the noodles are soft.
Thanks for this recipe is was good (and I cut the honey in half).
This is SO good! Seasonings are spot on. I leave the egg out and replace the honey to make it vegan. My kids prefer their noodles and vegetables softer than I do so I cook as directed and it’s perfect. Ours never comes out mushy (but I cut big pieces of vegetables, that helps to keep them firm). If I were making it just for myself I’d decease cooktime to 2 minutes. Possibly even 1.
Yay!! I’m so glad you all liked it :)
I am not clear about the time. Is the pot on saute the whole time if you do not choose to use 0 minute setting?
No need to saute while the noodles are steaming!
I made this tonight. How long do the noodles steam for?
Just a minute or two :)
Would this fit in a 3 quart? Or should I halve? Just doing veggies and noodles! Thanks!
I haven’t tried to fit this in a 3 qt, I’d halve it to be safe!
Do you need to press the tofu?
I feel like sautéing the tofu makes nit so you don’t have to press it. I also think it’s less likely to stick to the pot if you don’t press it :)
Great recipes, not to cause you any undue extra stress, an idea for you, when printing out the recipes, it prints out on multiple pages, ok so far, the idea, would it be possible to add the heading of the recipe on each page, I would also add your site name of ‘ https://mycrazygoodlife.com/‘ under each heading, I printed out a few recipes and dropped the print out, it was hard to figure out which page went with which recipe.
I have an instant pot, 3 qt, this unit has changed my life, I fix per the recipe, put on the lid, set to seal. set the time, walk away, come back to a hot meal, very cool.
Thanks for posting the recipes.
Jack
Jack, Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention–I don’t print my own recipes much so I didn’t realize this was an issue! I’ll be working on this today :)
Becca, YOU ROCK!!!!! This was the first recipe from your website that I tried. (I bought your book immediately, just based on detail plethora of information; I cannot begin to imagine how much work, time and effort you have done and continue to do for us.) For those who have not purchased
the book, the meal plans alone are worth TWICE the price!)
As for this recipe, it’s devine! At the time I made it, I was pretty new to the Instant Pot. I am just barely a so-so cook, and sometimes, not even that. I have always been intimidated by Pad Thai; perhaps because we have been to over 20 countries, and my husband orders Pad Thai if available, no matter where we are. I went ahead and made it and even Mr. Picky liked it!. I must also confess I am pescetarian, so I used homemade seitan in place of chicken. It was truly easy and delicious. I have made this and other recipes (which I promise to review) and they have all been FABULOUS. Becca, you have given me hope (and dare I say confidence), to try more healthy recipes! I can’t begin to thank you enough.😀
You’ve made my day with your kind words, thank you <3
FABULOUS recipe! One question: I see that crushed red pepper is optional, but if I were to add it, when should I put it in? Thank you Becca for another wonderful recipe. :)
Thanks Dixie!
I’d add it when you add the other spices or even right at the end, before serving!
Steamed my noodles for a couple minutes after adding them to the pot, and when I opened the pot the noodles were hard and all stuck together. Tried to save them, but they ended up slimy and sticky. Dinner was ruined and nobody would eat it.
Hi Jessica, I’m not sure why your noodles were hard? Overcooked if they were in too long, but hard is something I’ve never seen before.
Thank you for this recipe! I’m a little lost on the steaming of the rice noodles. Do I change the Instant Pot from Saute to Steam at that point? I ended up doing the pressure cooking trick you mentioned, but still had some noodles come out hard and clumped together. Thanks for your clarity!
Next time, just close the pot and allow the heat that is already in the pot to steam the noodles! No need to press any more buttons :)
made this recipe a bunch of times for my lunch for the week, first time making it for my non tofu eating family and they loved it! i find rinsing the noodles before hand keeps them from sticking!