Whip up this low carb, paleo & keto pad Thai in just 15 minutes for true and incomparable traditional flavors! Make it with shrimp or chicken (or both!) for an ideal keto weeknight meal.
Paleo & Keto Pad Thai 🍜
Suuuper Easy & Quick!
Pad Thai needs no introduction. This much loved noodle, a staple of street Thai cuisine, has gained worldwide love; conquering taste bud after taste bud with it’s incomparable burst of flavors. But in case you didn’t know, it’s also one of the easiest and quickest dishes you can possibly whip up!
Traditionally made with rice noodles, this keto pad Thai uses shirataki instead. Making an entire bowl just 2g net carbs (!!). *VIP UPDATE!* I’ve since discovered this new brand of Shirataki noodles (with added oat fiber). They’re muuuch better in my opinion to the original version: less chewy (hurray!) and no fishy smell (like whoaaa!).
Plus, you can whip it up in just 15 minutes. So it’s definitely a permanent weeknight staple over here chez gnom-gnom!
The Shirataki Noodles
Shirataki noodles, composed mostly of water and konjac yam (a water-soluble dietary fiber), are a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine. They also go by other names: konjac noodles (from the plant they originate), miracle noodles (because of the most popular brand) or konnyaku noodles. What has them trending, however, is that they’re effectively zero calories and carbs.
What do they taste like? Shirataki noodles are actually taste-less and will take on the flavors of the dish. Texture-wise is where they vary, as they are more rubbery than your traditional noodles. And tbh, we’re not fans of using them outside the realms of Asian cuisine. But given that the rice noodles used in pad Thai are also on the chewy-side, shirataki noodles do work quite well here. And in our book, definitely worth a try.
*VIP UPDATE!* I’ve since discovered this new brand of Shirataki noodles (with added oat fiber). They’re muuuch better in my opinion to the original version: less chewy (hurray!) and no fishy smell (like whoaaa!).
Otherwise, for the traditional asian noodles, you can find them in different shapes and sizes. Think fettucini (i.e. pad thai), angel hair… and even ‘rice’. Just be sure to prepare them properly.
So in order to get them ready, we think best to follow manufacturer’s instructions (albeit rinse for a little longer until the konjac plant aroma goes away). So it’s easy peasy: drain the noodles, rinse well in cold water, place in boiling water for two minutes, then dry the noodles in a non-oiled pan over medium heat.
Paleo & Keto Pad Thai With Shirataki Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 package shirataki fettuccini noodles *
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons xylitol or erythritol
- 1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses optional**
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice to taste***
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic minced or ran through a press
- 200 g fresh shrimp or chicken
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 30 g bean sprouts
To serve:
- 3 green onions finely sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves torn
- 35 g unsalted peanuts lightly toasted & roughly chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
To prepare the shirataki noodles
- We think best to follow manufacturer’s instructions (albeit rinse for a little longer until the konjac plant aroma goes away). So it’s easy peasy: drain the noodles, rinse well in cold water, place in boiling water for two minutes, then dry the noodles in a non-oiled pan over medium heat. Set aside.
For the keto pad thai
- Whisk together thoroughly in a small bowl fish sauce, coconut aminos, sweetener and red pepper flakes or cayenne. Add lime juice to taste, starting at 2 tablespoons.
- Heat up oil in a skillet or pan over medium heat. Add in garlic and sautée briefly until it just starts to brown. Add in shrimp and cook for 2-5 minutes on each side (depending on their size), until just cooked through. Pile the shrimp on the edge of the pan.
- Pour in the lightly beaten eggs and continue to cook, stirring them to scramble, until solid but still moist and tender.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and mix briefly until the shrimp and scrambled eggs are evenly coated. Add in prepared noodles, tossing to coat in the sauce. Add soy sprouts and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with green onions, cilantro and peanuts. Serve immediately with fresh lime.
Notes
Nutrition
This tasted good, but keep in mind that coconut aminos have sugar, some brands more than others. The lowest sugar brand I found has one carb per tsp, which means about 4 carbs in this recipe. The Trader Joe’s version has even more sugar.
TRUE!! I am using Carb manager and it has 6 net carbs per serving… not bad but watch out
Hi! Just wanted to ask how you ended up with a carb count of 2 grams? I entered recipe into MyFitnessPal and it came out to be 25 grams! I even omitted the molasses. I didn’t check but I’m also pretty sure there wasn’t 23 grams of fiber. Can’t wait to try it though as Thai is one of my favorite cuisines!
Shut the fish sauce front door!!! I made it according to your recipe and it was absolutely amazing. Who knew Keto Pad Thai could be as good as my favorite Thai restaurant??!! Gnom-gnom did that’s who. It was so good it will be made weekly ( or more 🙂
😂!! So awesome to hear Tracy!
Oh no! I accidentally added the eggs last and the texture was curdled 🙁 Other than that, the taste was amazing! I am giving 5 stars because if I would have followed the directions I am sure it would have been perfect 🥰
I taught myself to cook and bake in university, literally, by making mistakes… and trying again! It’ll be way better next time you make it 🙂
Holy schnikes….
This was amaaaaaazing. I made chicken bc I couldn’t get fresh shrimp last night at the store. But I just added some extra stevia to the sauce and lime juice and it was perrrrrfect. Def will be remaking this! I also added some carrots and some cabbage for some crunch.
hi again! I just called the Miracle Noodle company and they said ‘no’ to freezing leftovers and said it would be good in the fridge for two days. Next time I won’t make so much! I really hate to waste it. 🙂
Oh Mikaelah thanks so much for checking this up and reporting back- super valuable info! xo!!
I made this for the second time tonight. It is SO good!!! I did not have any of the fettuccini noodles – but I did have the Miracle rice – so used that instead. Reminded me of awesome fried rice. Question: Do you know if leftovers can be frozen – wondering how the Miracle noodles hold up after being frozen. Thank you!!!
Have you tried left overs if this? I’m trying to meal prep and missing pad thai so much that I got excited for this! Just not sure how well the noodles do over a day or two in the fridge.
Awesome recepie .. Posted just in time when I restarted my keto after a month’s break .. have tried the shrimp version and yet to try the chicken version … Thank you ..
I’m in heaven and can’t believe this is low carb!! I’m not going to lie though – when I opened that pack of noodles and caught a whiff, I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out!! My fiancee walked in and wanted to know where the “dead fish” smell was coming from hahaha!!!
But this really is delicious!! Thank you!!
Oh lol Kim definite yes on the noodles the first time around, I was like whaaaaaat…..?! The rice version can be pretty awesome too! So happy you enjoyed the recipe though, and thanks for reporting back again! xo
I found this website looking for a pad thai recipe using konjac noodles. I made this recipe and it’s actually better than most pad thai I’ve eaten at thai restaurants. I added in some lemongrass and made mine with chicken, shrimp, and tofu. VERY good. I have since also tried another recipe from your blog – the super fudgey brownies and also my favorite brownie recipe! Thanks!
Oh wow that’s wonderful to Hera Milovat! And I LOVE your addition of lemongrass! Also awesome to hear about the brownies, those are def top 5 favorites of mine too 😉 xo!
The lemongrass addition sounds delish! Making this over the weekend, can’t wait!
OOPS…totally neglected to read your note with the almond sub!!! So sorry and should have realised you amazingly think of everything…and everyone’s particular eating lifestyle situations!
Oh lol! It’s actually all your questions and comments which make me a better recipe writer! 😉
Cannot WAIT to make this recipe…but…but…are peanuts paleo or keto compliant?! Not sure I can imagine Pad Thai without some kind of peanut…or at least some kind of crunchy nut factor!! Thank you for your endless ingenuity and creativity in devising all of this lusciousness.
Lol! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes Donna! Peanuts aren’t paleo because they’re a legume, but they’re lower in carbs than almonds so technically keto? There are different thoughts on this, I say go with what your own body says (for instance, they work great for me but cause immediate inflammation for my mom who has arthritis). Hope this helped xo!
Hi Paola! I love your recipes. I wanted to add (as someone that uses Miracle Rice a lot), you can microwave the noodles in order to dry them out and to greatly reduce their odor. I drain them in a sieve, then microwave them for 2 minutes. Drain the water released and then microwave for another minute or two. They’re usually pretty dry and have almost no odor. I know some people are against using the microwave and obviously, this method would not be for them. But for others, like myself, it is very fast, easy, and effective. *the length of time might vary on different noodles* Also, I have a 1000W microwave – as an FYI.
Kim this is an AWESOME tip thank you for sharing!! I actually don’t own a microwave (total hippy food blogger here lol!), but always SUPER helpful to readers 🙂 xo and have a lovely weekend!
Can this process be done in advance?
I made this tonight (with chicken and tofu-shirataki fettuccine noodles) and I could hardly even tell that it wasn’t the real thing. I can do keto forever with recipes like this.
Great recipe! Thought the sauce tasted gross on its own so I was concerned. But all mixed together, it totally worked and was delicious! Pretty darn close to the beloved carb-laden original. Will definitely make again.
Lol yeah the sauce on it’s own has a very distinctive taste! So happy you enjoyed Vanessa than you!
Thanks for this recipe! I made some tonight. Its Quite good.
Happy you enjoyed it Lolo! xo!
This was wonderful, I made this for my husband and I tonight and everything was magnífico! Thank you, your recipes are written so well and easy to follow for me. I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and already this is my 5th recipe of yours. Your photography is what got me here, but the amazing food keeps me coming back.
Made this last night for hubby and I. He got some regular pasta in his and I just got more bean sprouts. He was very satisfied with his meal and asked me to make it again. Mine was absolutely delish even without any noodles. I cant find the noodles in the recipe so just settled for without. Still absolutely fabulous and I was totally satisfied.
The noodles are hard to find….can I just use bean sprouts instead
Hi Jane! I honestly don’t think it would work without the noodles properly :-S
You can find them in Walmart and Costco.
Made this twice already, it’s amazing! I love the texture of shirataki noodles and the sauce is so flavourful, I didn’t notice their flavour. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy you enjoyed the pad Thai too Penny! And thanks so much for reporting back, appreciate it so very much! xo!
I just made this with chicken and it was absolutely amazing!!!! I can’t believe I’m eating a low carb dish. It tastes just like the real thing!!! You are a star!! 🙂
Hi Sidd! Lol so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for your comment xo!
Delicious recipe, but I ended up with a stomach ache and discomfort due to the miracle noodles. I looked at the reviews of miracle noodles, and it might have been that I ate too many or it just doesn’t agree with me. Might be good for others to start with smaller portions to see if it agrees with them.
Hi Rayan! Thank you so much about reporting back with this, I just did a quick google on the matter and it does say that if eaten in excess (and/or not chewed thoroughly or consumed with enough water) it can cause discomfort in some peeps. I’ll add a note to the post! xo! P
I started with a silly grin after the first bite and couldn’t help but smile until I was done eating the whole thing! THANK YOU for bringing Pad Thai back into my life!
Hi Dany! You made me crack up! So happy you enjoyed it so much! xo!
I’ve made this one a few times already with both chicken and shrimp and I must say that were it not for the shirataki it would taste EXACTLY like pad thai! Damn shirataki lol! But in all honesty thank you for this recipe, no longer crave takaway now!
This was outstanding. The noodles were unremarkable–just what I’m looking for in a dish like this–and the shrimp and flavors were perfect. Next time, I won’t forget the green onion at the store!
Genius!! This looks AMAZING- just as good as the takeout version, in fact! Definitely need to try!
Is it lemon or lime juice? I read lemon(at the grocery store) and now it says lime…
For Asian foods you generally want lime (the green one!). I’m pretty sure it’s always read lime?! Enjoy Kay! x
Ahhh, here is the confusion about Lime or lemon. It calls for lime in the ingredient list but in the directions it says to add lemon juice to taste.
Ooops! Thanks for the heads up 😉 xo!
I figured it out..the recipe uses both ha! I have made this twice now. Tastes better the second day. Thank you!
We’ve made this twice since you posted!! Fantastic recipe, tastes just like pad thai!!
Probably the best post I’ve seen all month! I just got my miracle noodles at Walmart and I’m making a quick chicken version tonight!
Nice!! Let us know how it worked out! xo Paola!
DELICIOUS!! Pad thai flavors were spot on! I also didn’t mind the shirataki noodles here, and I had hated them in carbonara! I guess pad thai noodles are on the chewy side anyways thnx!
OMG!! Pad Thai is my favorite take away!! If I like this it will solve my cravings thank you!
I lived off pad Thai at university so I get you! xo!