The Best Instant Pot Pad Thai (easy & healthy)

This is the best Instant Pot pad Thai recipe! It is so easy to make and has the most delicious homemade sauce that is slightly sweet, a little creamy, with just a hint of heat. This healthy meal is ready in less than 30 minutes!

Table of Contents

• Why you will love this recipe:
• Ingredients and substitutions:
• How to make (step-by-step): 
• Top Tips:
• Recipe variations and add ins:
• Serving ideas:
• How to store:
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other recipes you will love:
• Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

• The flavour! This Instant Pot chicken Pad Thai has the most delicious pad Thai sauce that is slightly sweet, a little creamy with just a hint of spice.
• Because it's made in the Instant Pot it's so quick and easy to make and only requires 6 minutes of cooking time! The whole meal is ready in under 30 minutes.
• This recipe makes great leftovers so it's great for meal prep.
• It's made with pantry staple ingredients like chicken breasts, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and peanut butter. It's not a traditional Pad Thai recipe because it's made without tamarind paste.
• It's healthy and dairy free and can easily be made gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian and paleo too!

Ingredients and substitutions:

You should be able to find all of these simple ingredients at your local grocery store. For the exact measurements refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Chicken - I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make this chicken Pad Thai recipe. I don't recommend swapping the chicken for beef or shrimp as the cooking time would need to be altered.
• Vegetable broth - to help add flavour and moisture to this recipe. You could also use chicken broth, beef broth or bone broth. 
• Sweet bell peppers - they add amazing flavour and color to this recipe plus a serving of veggies. You can use any colors of sweet bell peppers that you prefer.
• Carrots - carrots are another vegetable that helps make this Pad Thai high in vegetables and gives it even more gorgeous color.
• Garlic - fresh garlic cloves add even more flavour to this healthy meal.
• Green onions - to punch up the flavour in this healthier Pad Thai even more! You could swap this for white onion or yellow onion if you wish.
• Natural, smooth peanut butter - to help give the sauce the most amazing, creamy flavour and texture. Be sure to unsweetened peanut butter. I also don't recommend using chunky peanut butter. If you can't have peanut butter you can use smooth, unsweetened cashew butter instead. 
• Fish sauce - this adds a unique umami flavour to the sauce. If you are vegan or vegetarian you will need to omit this from the sauce. You can find fish sauce in the Asian isle of grocery store.
• Rice vinegar - my favourite vinegar for any asian inspired dish. You can use coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead. 
• Brown sugar - to give the sauce the perfect amount of sweetness. You can use coconut sugar instead. 
• Rice Noodles - Pad Thai is just not Pad Thai without rice noodles! I recommend using white rice noodles for this easy recipe.
• Spices and seasonings: ground ginger and chili flakes (also known as red pepper flakes) add the perfect amount of flavour to the sauce on this pad Thai. 

How to make (step-by-step): 

Step one:

First, in a large bowl or glass measuring cup, stir or whisk together the sauce ingredients until they are smooth.

Step two:

Next, add the chopped chicken, bell peppers, carrots and green onion to the bowl of your Instant Pot and pour the sauce over top. Seal the lid and pressure cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes.

Step three:

While the Instant Pot is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove and cook the rice noodles according to the package directions. Once they are done cooking, drain with a colander and set the noodles aside.

Step four:

Finally, when the Instant Pot has finished cooking, allow for 5 minutes of natural pressure release, then quick release any remaining pressure and once done, stir in the rice noodles so they are evenly coated in the sauce. Garnish the pad Thai as you wish and enjoy!

Recipe variations and add ins:

• To make this Pad Thai gluten-free: instead of soy sauce use either coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari.
• To make this recipe peanut free: use cashew butter instead of peanut butter.
• If you like more heat or spice: add a bit more chili flakes.
• To make this pad Thai paleo: use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, cashew butter instead of peanut butter, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and heart of palm noodles instead of rice noodles.
• Feel free to change the vegetables in this recipe if you are looking for a different flavour. Other great options include broccoli, cauliflower, spaghetti squash etc.
• You could add extra seasonings to the sauce including ground turmeric, onion powder or garlic powder for even more flavour.

Serving ideas:

This Pad Thai chicken is delicious served as is but you could also top it with freshly squeezed lime juice, crushed peanuts or cashews, chopped cilantro, or sliced avocado.

How to store:

Store any leftovers Pad Thai in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

I do not recommend trying to freeze this Pad Thai. The rice noodles get very soggy if you do.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Gluten Free Chicken Stir Fry
• Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry Sheet Pan Meal
• Gluten Free Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli
• Healthy Sloppy Joes
• Gluten Free Pad Thai

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