Pad Thai Wonderpot Recipe (One Pot Pad Thai)

This Pad Thai recipe cooks all in one pot and makes the most marvelous meal in less than 30 minutes! Our wonder pot pad Thai combines tender shrimp, fresh vegetables, and perfectly cooked noodles in a savory-sweet sauce. With minimal prep and cleanup, this easy pad Thai is perfect for busy weeknights when you crave Thai food.

I would venture a guess that 8 out of 10 times that we decide to Door Dash dinner, it’s Thai food. It’s one of my favorites, and some days I just can’t stop thinking about it! Those are the days that I talk myself out of cooking all together and let myself let someone else do the cooking that night. But when I am feeling like making Thai at home, this easy recipe is the one I reach for. 

Why You’ll Love This One-Pot Pad Thai Dish

This pad thai wonderpot recipe transforms a beloved street food into an effortless home-cooked meal. Traditional pad Thai can be intimidating with its multiple steps and ingredients, but this version simplifies everything while maintaining authentic flavors. The beauty of this one-pot meal is that everything cooks together, allowing the noodles to absorb all the delicious sauce while the vegetables and shrimp steam to perfection.

If you love this easy pad thai, you’ll also enjoy our Thai Chicken Noodle Soup, Thai Shrimp and Noodle Salad, Thai Chicken Bowls, or Ginger Basil Garlic Fried Rice.

What is Pad Thai?

Pad Thai is Thailand’s beloved noodle dish that perfectly balances sweet, sour, and savory flavors through its combination of rice noodles, proteins, bean sprouts, and a complex sauce made with tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar. While traditional pad Thai remains a street food favorite, getting authentic ingredients or finding time for multiple cooking steps can be challenging. That’s where this simplified wonder pot version shines – it captures the essence of pad Thai’s flavors while using easy-to-find ingredients and a streamlined one-pot cooking method that makes this classic accessible for any home cook.

Ingredients for Pad Thai Wonderpot

For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card.

• Shrimp– or swap shrimp for chicken breast, or tofu, or skip the protein for a vegan pad Thai.
• Peanuts and cilantro – for topping.
• Fresh vegetables – onions, bell peppers, shredded carrots, bean sprouts. Add broccoli spears or sweet potato for extra nutrition
• Green onions (scallions)

• Linguine pasta – or use rice noodles instead of linguine for a traditional version
• Chicken or vegetable stock
• Aromatics (garlic, ginger paste)
• Sauce ingredients – soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, lime juice, curry paste, honey. Add a little Sriracha for extra spice.

How to Make the Best Pad Thai Wonderpot

This delightful mix of textures and flavors comes together in a single pot, making it perfect for novice and experienced cooks. The secret lies in the pad Thai sauce, which combines soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, and lime juice for that perfect balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors that pad Thai is famous for.

Combine stock, pasta, and vegetables in a large pot.

Add sauce ingredients and bring to a boil

Add shrimp and bean sprouts near the end of cooking

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. While this dish is best enjoyed fresh, you can reheat it gently with a splash of water to restore moisture.

Love it? Pin it!

If you love this wonder pot recipe make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

FAQs about Pad Thai Wonderpot

• Can I make this ahead of time? Best served fresh, but can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Add some more stock to reheat.
• Is this spicy? The recipe is mild, but you can adjust the heat level easily by adding more red pepper flakes, or even some Sriracha.
• Can I use other noodles? Yes, any long pasta or rice noodles work well.
• How do I make this vegetarian? Simply omit the shrimp and use vegetable stock.

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t overcook the noodles – they should be al dente.
• Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Prep all ingredients before starting.
• Add bean sprouts at the end to maintain crunch.

More Recipes to Love

​If you love a good one pot meal, you are sure to love my Italian Wonderpot recipe (pictured above) too! I have many one pan meals here on my site, like Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes Au Gratin, Creamy One Pan Mushrooms and Bacon, Instant Pot Fettucini, this Sheet Pan Spatchcock Chicken and Vegetables, and more!

This pad Thai wonderpot recipe proves that creating authentic Thai flavors at home doesn’t have to be complicated. With just one pot and 30 minutes, you can enjoy a delicious meal that rivals your favorite Thai restaurant. Serve it topped with extra peanuts, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime for the perfect weeknight dinner.

LIKE THIS RECIPE?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and
leave a comment below the recipe!

4.73 from 11 votes

Print Recipe

Easy Pad Thai Wonderpot Recipe with Shrimp

This pad thai recipe cooks all in one pot and makes the most marvelous meal in less than 30 minutes! Pad Thai Wonderpot Recipe … You need to make it to believe just how easy and delicious it is!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: 30 minute meal, easy dinner, easy pad thai, one pot, Pad Thai, wonder pot, wonderpot

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) linguine pasta
• 1 (32 ounce) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 (medium-sized) onion sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 red bell pepper sliced (about 1- 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots
• 1 Tablespoon ginger paste or the same fresh grated
• 3 green onion tops (scallions) divided
• 1 1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts slightly chopped, divided
• 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 cup cilantro slightly chopped, divided
• 1/2- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes more if your prefer it spicier
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• Fresh lime sliced for serving

Instructions

• In a large pot, pour water and chicken stock.
• To this add the following: pasta, onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, 3/4 of both scallions and cilantro, (reserve some for serving) 1 cup of peanuts, (reserve rest for serving) soy sauce, peanut butter, red pepper flakes, honey, sesame oil, curry paste and lime juice.
• Place lid on pot and turn on high. Let it come to a boil, give it a stir, and reduce to a simmer.
• Cover and cook for about 6 minutes.
• (stir every couple minutes, so nothing sticks.)
• Dump in shrimp and bean sprouts, stir and cover, let it cook for about 6 minutes more, until shrimp are steamed, and pasta is cooked.
• There will be a small amount of sauce in the bottom.
• Serve topped with remaining scallions, cilantro and peanuts, with a lime slice to squeeze if desired.
  

Notes

If you are adding chicken, make sure it’s sliced nice and thin so it cooks quickly. Rice noodles will cook faster than linguine, so keep that in mine of you sub them.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. While this dish is best enjoyed fresh, you can reheat it gently with a splash of water to restore moisture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4846IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe was originally posted on March 5, 2014. It was updated to improve user experience and re-shared on January 22, 2025.