Easy Beef Pad Thai Noodles with Crunchy Peanuts
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This less-than-30-minute recipe for Easy Beef Pad Thai with Crunchy Peanuts is a beautiful bowl of tender sirloin steak and silky rice noodles smothered in a rich, savory, and subtly sweet sauce and tossed with dry-roasted peanuts.
Pad Thai is probably the most popular stir-fried noodle dish served by street food vendors and restaurants across Thailand. With this quick and easy recipe, you can enjoy it at home on any busy weeknight!
Why you’ll love this easy Beef Pad Thai recipe!
Ingredient notes
- Rice noodles | Pad Thai rice noodles are soft and silky. Most local grocery stores sell a brand or two of these thick rice noodles.
- Rice wine vinegar | For an authentic flavor, use rice wine vinegar to add a sweet and tangy taste.
- Fish sauce | Introduce umami flavor with a splash of fish sauce, a staple in stir fry cooking. You don’t need much of this pungent sauce to bring earthy, savory notes to the Pad Thai sauce.
- Soy sauce | Mix the ingredients with dark soy sauce for a salty and rich taste.
- Brown sugar | Add some sweetness to compliment the peanuts and beef by including dark brown sugar.
- Sriracha sauce | Give the noodles a hint of heat with Sriracha sauce or Thai chili sauce.
- Oil | Use canola oil to saute the meat and veggies. If preferred, substitute this ingredient with vegetable oil.
- Beef | For protein, use your favorite cut of beef — use sirloin, flank steak, flat iron, or skirt steak cut into tender and thin slices.
- Garlic | Deepen the complex flavors of this recipe with fresh garlic cloves.
- Vegetables | For flavor and texture, include julienned or matchstick carrots and green onions.
- Bean sprouts | If desired, include a can of bean sprouts, drained.
- Eggs | Scrambled eggs are another staple for fried rice. However, you can leave them out if preferred.
- Peanuts | As a final touch, sprinkle in some dry-roasted peanuts for crunch.
- Lime | Then, serve the meal with juicy lime wedges.
How to make Beef Thai Stir-Fry with Easy Pad Thai Sauce
Make this simple noodle stir-fry for you — depending on your preference, the sauce can be mild or spicy, and you can easily omit or substitute other ingredients to match your taste!
STEP 1 | Mix the sauce
In a small bowl whisk together the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Thai chili sauce until the ingredients are well combined and silky smooth.
STEP 2 | Soften the rice noodles
Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water to cover them completely. Let stand for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking.
The noodles should be soft but firm. Then, drain them well.
STEP 3 | Scramble the eggs
Before you start the stir fry, scramble the eggs in a teaspoon of hot oil — you can use the same pan you use to cook the Pad Thai. Cook the beaten eggs for a couple of minutes until done, then remove them to a plate.
STEP 4 | Cook the beef
Next, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large wok (or a large skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the sliced steak and minced garlic. Then, cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes until the beef is no longer pink.
STEP 5 | Add the veggies, noodles, and eggs
Now, toss in the carrots and half of the green onions, cooking for 3 minutes.
Next, stir in the drained noodles and the sauce mixture. Cook and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed, taking about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the scrambled eggs.
STEP 6 | Add the peanuts and serve!
Finally, remove the dish from the heat and stir in the dry-roasted peanuts. Then, garnish with the reserved green onions and add extra crushed peanuts, serving with fresh lime wedges.
Enjoy the rich flavors of Thai-inspired food by making this easy Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice, silky Thai Sweet Potato Soup, or savory Thai Basil Shrimp.
tips
- Don’t be tempted to cook the rice noodles like regular pasta, or they’ll become mushy. If you can’t find rice noodles, substitute with linguine pasta.
- Cut across the grain of the meat by looking for long parallel lines or muscle fiber in the meat. Hold your knife perpendicular to those lines — the grain — and slice.
- Although stir-frying is best done in the wok, use a deep 12-inch skillet if you don’t have one handy.
- Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter to make a creamy Thai sauce.
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Variations and substitutions
- Chicken Pad Thai. Replace the protein with boneless chicken breasts or thighs to make a delicious chicken version.
- Ground Beef Pad Thai. Instead of cooking steak, brown a pound of lean ground beef in a tablespoon of oil for this recipe.
- Add More Veggies. Make this dish healthier by adding more fresh vegetables like green beans, bell peppers, snow peas, or Chinese broccoli.
- Use an equal amount of white wine vinegar, adding 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to replace the rice wine vinegar if needed.
- Adjust the spice level of this Thai noodle dish to suit your preferences.
- Oyster sauce is a good alternative for the fish sauce.
Storage and reheating tips
- Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, add a few tablespoons of water and microwave until warmed, then serve with a fresh squeeze of lime juice and extra peanuts.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. For most authentic recipes, Pad Thai includes peanuts. In most cases, they are finely crushed and used as a garnish for the final dish. But sometimes, they are also incorporated into the noodles themselves.
Many Thai dishes are prepared with various spicy hot chili peppers, but this Beef Pad Thai recipe is mild with a pleasant sweet and tangy flavor. Feel free to spice things up if you prefer!
The most common protein for Pad Thai is shrimp, but you can use chicken, tofu, pork, beef, or a combination of proteins.
These similar dishes share some of the same cooking methods and ingredients, but they are two entirely different dishes. Pad Thai is a Thai recipe that includes rice noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, onions, protein, and often a sprinkle of crushed peanuts.
In contrast, Lo Mein is a Chinese recipe using Chinese egg noodles made from wheat flour and eggs. Furthermore, the sauces of these two similar recipes are different– Lo Mein primarily uses sesame oil, and Pad Thai traditionally includes tamarind sauce.
Looking for more Easy Stir Fry Recipes?
I love making stir-fries for dinner, and a few of my favorites are this Sriracha Chicken Stir Fry with Brussels Sprouts, Easy Orange Chicken Stir Fry, and Korean Beef Stir Fry! Oh, and this Ground Pork Stir Fry is excellent, too!
Serving suggestions
Serve your delicious Beef and Peanut Pad Thai with a light and nutritious side salad, like this Kale Salad with Thai Peanut Vinaigrette or my Citrus Grilled Shrimp Salad. Or, try this Chopped Thai Salad with Spicy Dressing.
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Beef Pad Thai with Crunchy Peanuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Sirarcha sauce or Thai chili sauce
- 8 ounces thick rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon canola oil plus 1 teaspoon
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ pounds sirloin steak thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup matchstick carrots
- 3 green onions thinly sliced, white and green parts
- ½ cup dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Thai chili sauce until smooth.
- Place the noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water over to cover and let stand 6 for to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The noodles should be soft, but firm. Drain well.
- In a large skillet or a wok over medium-high heat, heat a teaspoon of the oil. Whisk the eggs, pour into the hot pan, and cook and stir until scrambled. Remove to a plate.
- Next, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot wok, swirling to coat the sides. Add the sliced steak and minced garlic, then cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the carrots and half the green onions and cook for 3 minutes.
- Gently stir in the drained noodles, scrambled eggs, and the sauce mixture. Cook and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the dry-roasted peanuts (if desired reserve half and crush for topping). To serve, garnish with the reserved green onions and crushed peanuts and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
-
- Don’t be tempted to cook the rice noodles like regular pasta, or they’ll become mushy. If you can’t find rice noodles, substitute with linguine pasta.
- Cut across the grain of the meat by looking for long parallel lines or muscle fiber in the meat. Hold your knife perpendicular to those lines — the grain — and slice.
- Although stir-frying is best done in the wok, use a deep 12-inch skillet if you don’t have one handy.
- Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter to make a creamy Thai sauce.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
MMM good! So simple and easy and the flavors were so delish!
So quick and easy to make. The sauce was the thing that made it taste great!