Okay, truth? I’ve never actually eaten Pad Thai. So, I feel like a bit of a phony, or at least a little unqualified, to title this recipe, Sweet Potato Pad Thai. BUT, like the straight-A student I always sought to be, I did do my research. And I think {fingers-crossed} that I have enough of the general ingredients needed to label this Pad Thai.
And at the very least, I’m hoping that once you make it, you’ll be so enchanted with the bursting flavors and delighted that it is Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Soy-Free, Dairy-Free, Meat-Free, all kinds of free, that you’ll forgive my ignorance!
The inspiration for this dish came as I looked for different ways to use my new Stainless Steel Vegetable Spiralizer. If you’ve followed along for even as much as a few weeks, you’re likely aware of my adoration for sweet potatoes. So naturally, they were my go-to when thinking of a tasty pasta dish to make. The difficulty came in deciding which flavors to pair together for the sauce.
Luckily I work in an office where several of my colleagues love Asian inspired food, thus Pad Thai, along with other spicy dishes have recently been the topic of discussion. And then I came across this Spicy Thai Salad from Running to the Kitchen and finally I knew what direction I wanted to take this sweet potato pasta.
So after a quick scan of the web, some thoughts on my favorite foods, and a consideration of colors, I came up with this Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Sriracha Sauce. Of course with all that planning, by the time I actually get in the kitchen and begin cooking {not to mention photographing in hopes of a successful outcome} I find myself practically holding my breath hoping it turns out as I imagine.
Thankfully… the stars aligned, and this dish was a total WIN! Back to my scrutiny of Josh’s reaction, discussed here, I was elated when he took a bite, looked up at me with wide eyes and said “Mmmm, this is really good!” The sweet potatoes had the perfect pasta texture, the bell peppers and onions added wonderful flavor while feeling like essentials to the dish and the edamame and peanuts added the perfect crunch along with a punch of color!
And then there’s the Sriracha peanut sauce, truly delightful. The spiciness of the Sriracha, combined with the creamy, nutty flavor of the peanut butter, then topped off with a touch of maple syrup and toasted sesame oil, what’s not to love?!
And the best part, once I got the hang of the spiralizer, everything else came together rather quickly. The veggies took very little time to soften up, the sauce was whisked together within a matter of minutes, and before I knew it, I had lunch ready!
Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Sriracha Sauce
Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- For the "Pasta":
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and spiralized
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin
- 1/2 small onion sliced thin
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1/3 cup organic edamame
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- hemp seeds for garnish
- salt and pepper as desired
Instructions
- Toss spiralized sweet potatoes and julienned carrots in large pan, add vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add red bell pepper and onions to pan and cook additional 5-7 minutes or until veggies are tender, similar to the texture of cooked pasta.
- Add edamame and peanuts to pan, stir to combine and cook 1 more minute then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, add all items for sauce to bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Pour Sriracha mixture over cooked veggies and toss to coat evenly.
- Divide pad Thai between two bowls, top with hemp seeds and cilantro, then serve!
Nutrition
Lauren says
I love Pad Thai! This looks really fresh and delicious – will have to give it a go!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thanks for stopping by Lauren! I hope you enjoy this healthy Pad Thai as much as we did! :)
meredith / miss-moody says
oh my goshhhhhh. YUM YUM YUM!!!! this sounds amazing! i’m sharing with paige who i know will be sweet enough to make it for me since i’m struggling in the cooking dept… and in the whole “free time” dept as well! yay! can’t wait to try!!!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you! Paige is pretty sweet, I bet she’ll make it for you, hope you both enjoy! :)
trisha says
sweet potato AND pad thai sounds like an epic combination. really rich and deliciious!! thanks for the recipe .
Kaylee Pauley says
Thanks for the comment Trisha, we loved it, I hope you do, too!
Ali @ Inspiralized says
I love everything about this bowl of pasta – especially that you’ve used sweet potato noodles. How awesome!!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you Ali, just visited inspiralized.com and LOVE it! Appreciate you stopping by and commenting! I’m going to keep browsing your site now :)
Angie (@angiesrecipess) says
I love the idea of using sweet potato in this Thai classic. It looks absolutely delicious!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you Angie! :)
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
I think you nailed it, Kaylee! I love Pad Thai and have made it a few times, but this is a fabulous idea. So nutritious! Just love the idea of the peanuts, maple syrup and edamame together. Very well done on this one!
Kaylee Pauley says
Thank you Helen, this was one of the ones that I must admit I was pretty proud of the outcome, which isn’t always the case! :)
Sandra says
Kaylee
Do you have another suggestion for spiralizing the sweet potatoes if one didn’t have a spiralizer?
Sandra
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Sandra, there are definitely ways to do it without a spiralizer! Check out the two links below!
Oh She Glows – How to spiralized Veggies
Inspiralized – while you wait on your spiralizer
Jake says
10/10
So easy..SOOO GOOD!
I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I made this recipe and couldn’t stop thinking about how good it was….so rude of you to interrupt my sleep – for shame!!
Emily says
this looks amazing!!! I am currently a graphic design student at University of Wisconsin Stout. Our current project is to make a magazine, I am doing a health food magazine focused on sweet potatoes. I would love to be able to include this recipe along with some of the photography please let me know if this would be okay with, and if so how you would like it cited. It will not be distributed simply printed for class.
Thank you so much
Emily Gawronski
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Emily, thank you for your kind words and for asking permission to use my recipe, I’ve sent you a response by email, let me know if you don’t get it!
Haley Smith says
Did you peel your sweet potatoes before spiralizing? So excited to try out this recipe tonight!
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Haley! I did peel them, sorry I didn’t list that, I’ll go in and make a little note to peel, then spiralize! I hope you enjoy the dish, excited you’re trying it! :)
Kay says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I used the angel hair blade for the sweet potato. Yum yum yum, thanks for the great recipe!
Kaylee Pauley says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish Kay, thank you for the feedback! :) Happy Easter!
Rose says
We totally butchered this recipe but followed about 80% of it. We were trying out my new spiralizer. I was very let down by the spiralizer so we julienned the sweet potato instead. Oh and we added 2 chicken breast to it. It turned out more like stir fry but it was a phenomenal first meal to cook in my boyfriend’s new apartment. Even if I had to bring everything from my kitchen to his. I added a tsp of peanut butter to my dish after ward, it was Delish! My bf was fond of the pb so he added honey to his instead. Overall the dish was a great combo. With the addition of chicken, it is enough for 4 hefty servings!
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Rose, I am so terribly sorry that I haven’t responded before now – life has been a bit crazy and I’m afraid I haven’t been able to stay as tuned into the blog as I’d like! I am hoping that changes in the upcoming months as I plan to really dive into things again, once our little baby arrives! :) I’m sorry to hear the spiralizer was a disappointment! :/ However, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the recipe and made some additions/alterations of your own, that’s the BEST part of cooking, there is no wrong or right answer and it’s so fun to be creative – Love it! Thank you for sharing! :)
Sandra says
This dish was incredible, especially for a couple of sweet potato addicts!
Kaylee Pauley says
Oh I’m so glad to hear that, thank you Sandra!!
Sierra says
I made this last night and loved it! I like the sweet potato noodles much better than when I use rice noodles for pad thai. Also I added some chicken, garlic and eggs to the dish and it was amazing! I will definitely be making this again. :)
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Sierra, I’m so glad to hear this, thank you for sharing! Eggs sound like a wonderful addition, I’ll have to try that next time! :)
colleen says
i made this the other day and it was fantastic. brought the leftovers to lunch and two people at work have since made it, too. wonderful recipe! (fwiw, i omitted the peppers and onions because i didnt have them and probably am going to use half the sriracha next time — it was SUPER spicy).
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Colleen, I’m so glad you gave this dish a try and enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing the recipe with others as well :)
Megan says
I agree! Great recipe but way too spicy for my taste. I’m going to cut the sirracha in half next time! Other than that…great recipe! Thank you!!!
Kaylee Pauley says
Sorry about the spiciness – I’m glad you were able to still enjoy it and can easily adjust it next time to be less spicy!! :) Thank you for taking the time to comment!!
Marianela says
Hi Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Kaylee Pauley says
So glad you enjoyed it! :)
Marla says
This was so good, it’s going into our regular dinner rotation. Thank you for the recipe:))
Kaylee Pauley says
I’m thrilled to hear that, thank you Marla!! :)
Sarah says
Sooooo good! Love the flavors, I forgot I was eating something healthy. I might have licked the plate:)
Kaylee Pauley says
Love hearing this! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Sarah! :)
Lisa says
Just made this tonight, and I really like it! I did make a double batch of the sauce and added sauted tempeh, which I think works well with the nutty flavors. I sauted the tempeh in tamari, maple, and some minced garlic. I don’t really feel like this is exactly a rice noodles alternative, but I really liked it anyway. I’ll definitely make it again, and I’m happy to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Kaylee Pauley says
Hi Lisa, so happy to hear you enjoyed it and found a way to make it your own! :)
Shanna says
This was delish! I made some mods due to allergies, and it was a little spicy for my preferences but still awesome base recipe that encouraged me to knock the dust off my spiralizer!
I swapped the edamame for Kale due to soy allergy. I used powdered peanut butter to take the fat content down a little, and I used coconut milk instead of almond milk which made it a little more “Thai” and it’s what I keep on hand.
Bravo!!
Kaylee Pauley says
I’m SO happy to hear you liked this! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and substitutions! I love Kale and will have to give that a try, I don’t tend to eat much in the way of soy as it is, and of course coconut milk sounds wonderful in it. I just tend to keep almond in the house :)