For today’s post, I’d like to share a raw Pad Thai recipe that my mom made for me when I last visited her in Ottawa.
She got the recipe from Chatelaine magazine, but it comes from Julie Daniluk’s Meals That Heal Inflammation cookbook. I love how fresh and healthy this dish tastes! In fact, I love it so much that I’ve already made it 3 or 4 times this month. It’s a total “keeper” for me and I hope it will be for you as well.
I haven’t found any raw almond butter yet, so I used this roasted almond and cashew blend instead. So in my case, this salad isn’t 100% raw. However, I did manage to find this huge bottle of raw organic agave nectar at Homesense for $12.99 though. Score!
You’ll need a spiralizer, mandoline or julienne vegetable peeler in order to make the veggie “noodles”. I’m normally not a big fan of kitchen gadgets, but I use these all the time and think they’re a good investment for any vegetarian/vegan, or anyone looking to eat more vegetables. Otherwise, check out my Raw Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Zucchini Noodles post to learn how to make wide Fettuccine noodles with a regular vegetable peeler. I used my julienne peeler for this recipe, and my mom gave me this special mandoline glove that prevents me from cutting myself when I use it.
Notes – Raw Pad Thai Recipe
- If you make the dressing first, and then toss the veggies on top, this is a one-pot meal.
- I’ve doubled the recipe, because I find that even doubled, it only makes 2-3 servings.
- The original recipe called for raw honey, but I’ve made it vegan by using raw agave or maple syrup.
- I didn’t find any fresh sprouts, but this was still delicious, so I’ve marked them as optional below.
- I also like serving this with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro, so I’ve added them as options too.
- As the directions indicate, it’s definitely better after a few hours in the fridge, however, if you leave it at room temperature for about 15 minutes, it should also help to soften-up the veggies and combine the flavors.
Updates – Raw Pad Thai Recipe
February 27, 2013 – I sometimes like to add tofu to this dish. I simply cut up 250g of organic tofu and lightly fry it in some sesame oil and tamari sauce. I tend to leave-out the cauliflower when I do this. It no longer makes the dish 100% raw, but I like the additional protein punch it delivers this way.
Also, once the sauce has had a chance to break-down the veggies a little bit, I’ve noticed that there’s quite a bit of it left over. I’ve therefore updated the recipe to use 3 carrots and zucchinis instead of 2. I’ve also increased the serving size to 3. Less waste + more servings = even better recipe 🙂
More 30 minute recipes you’ll love
- Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper & Chickpea Salad
- Fresh Tomato, Basil and Lemon Zucchini Pasta
- Black & White Bean Quinoa Salad
- See all my 30 minute vegan recipes
Raw Pad Thai
This easy vegan raw Pad Thai uses zucchini and carrots for the “noodles” / Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Main, Salad
- Cuisine: Raw, Vegan
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchinis
- 3 large carrots
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts or radish sprouts (spicy) (optional)
- 1/2 cup crushed peanuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
Sauce
Instructions
- Use a spiralizer (or mandolin or vegetable peeler) to create noodles from the carrot and zucchini. Place them in a large mixing bowl and top with the other vegetables.
- Whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl. The sauce will be thick, but will thin out after it’s mixed with the vegetables.
- Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss. Best after 1 day in the fridge.
Notes
Adapted from recipe in Julie Daniluk’s Meals That Heal Inflammation cookbook via Chatelaine magazine
Keywords: agave, asian, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, easy, ginger, gluten-free, julienne, low-carb, make-ahead, no-cook, nut butter, one-pot, raw, spiralizer, summer, tahini, thai, under 30 minutes, zucchini, vegan, salad
Thanks for another brilliant recipe. It tastes great and I feel so healthy and good whenever I eat it. Yum!
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One of my favorite recipes. I always get asked about it when I bring it to work for lunch!
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This was superb! Thank you
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Made this today and fell in love with the flavors! I used soy sauce as I didn’t have tamari, and used almond butter with maple already in it. Thank you for sharing. I hope to try more of your recipes and have the same success.
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I just found your site a few days ago and I decided to try this recipe. While I felt it took a long time to make it was well worth it and I will make it again. My husband really liked it to and said he would enjoy eating it again. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
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This was delicious! I used a box grater (don’t have a spiralizer) and was pleasantly surprised that the zucchini was so noodley. Though I wouldn’t really call it pad thai as it does not contain tamarind
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Wow was this good! I have really missed Pad Thai since I developed a peanut allergy. I used to buy a bottled gluten free sauce that I loved. This tasted almost the same using some peanut free cashew nut butter I found. 🙂 Thanks so much for the delicious recipe!
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Absolutely loved this recipe, big hit with my husband too. Delicious – thank you!
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Love the recipe. I don’t add the agave and I use a little less tamari. One nice addition is raw kelp noodles.
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That’s a great addition. Must try to find those here and try that. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I tried this last night and it was a great addition to a growing raw diet. I only julienne cat the zucchini only until I reached the seedy core. I added the cores to the sauce before blending. I also added a few Thai chili peppers to the sauce for some kick. I’ll definitely make this again very soon.
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Great use of the zucchini core. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
I’m eating this right now at my desk at work. This is my first fully raw meal thats not lettuce and tomatoes! It is SOOO GOOD!!!!! Yes I have sauce splashing all over my computer everytime i try to slurp up the noodles (it’s starting to get seriously messy actually), but its worth it!
Although I didnt expect it to melt down to so little when i opened it up just now. Last night when I made it, I wondered how I was going to get thru all these veggies, but now its a pretty perfect size. I feel bad about all this sauce thats going to get left back tho. What else can I throw it on next time?
Either way, thank you for this. Lunch today is great!
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You know, I made this again this week and I also noticed how much dressing was leftover. I’m going to update the recipe now by increasing the vegetables and servings. Thanks for writing!
This was excellent!! A++++++++++++++++++++
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Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
I made this as my first Raw Vegan dish today and it was amazing! So Thanks!
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Yay! Glad to hear it – thanks for letting me know 🙂
THIS RECIPE IS FANTASTIC!!!! It is soooo good. My favorite so far and I make it all the time now! Thanks for such tasty recipes!!
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Glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
So as there was an abundance of zucchini in my life recently, I googled vegan zucchini recipes and decided to
try this one out. I would like to say Bravo!!! So delicious and amazing and refreshing and how many other adjectives are there to describe how much I enjoyed this 🙂 Healthy and full of veggies, I do believe it will be a frequent rotation. Thanks so much for sharing your talents with everyone, if
It weren’t for you food bloggers my diet would be so boring and processed, instead it’s bright and delicious… I can cook but sadly cannot create, so I truly do thank you 🙂
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Hi Ashley! Thanks so much for your kind words! I agree that this recipe is fantastic. I wish I could take the credit for actually creating it! Again, thanks for the kind words and let me know if you make anything else from my site 🙂
Just tried this today… So tasty, the sauce is DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! 😀
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V-A…stumbled a upon yer site last nite when adds looking for vegan summer recipe saw. I jammed on your theme and created something INCREDIBLY delicious. Used some nice organic brown rice pad Thai noodles and basically merged it with an Asian slaw kind of thing: some lovely young fresh local cabbage green & red; a pepper, chives & jalapeño from the garden; peanuts we chopped up. Tossed it all with a not too sweet but spicy vinegrette: soy sauce; hot chili oil; lime juice; peanut oil; rice vinegar;. Then, riffing on a chicken Caesar, topped the pad Thai salad with some nicely panko crusted & pan fried tofu triangles. Poured an awesome peanut butter sauce: ginger (lots grated on our microplane); garlic; rice vinegar + some balsamic I think. You get the drift, I’m sure. Accompanied by a nice Harpoon UFO and verrrrrrry local massachusetts peaches for desert. We were sated beyond belief!!! . Can’t wait to hit the leftovers for lunch ;-))). BTW: we had a guest over who pitched in on the prep. 3 chefs brought the dish together quickly. Big fun activity to chit chat over.
I plan own making your apricot/coconut/oat bars soon, and really enjoy your site. Will be passing you on to my neighborhood veganistas. Thanks for the inspiration.
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I made this for my family and they absolutely LOVED it. There were no left overs and they wanted to slurp up the sauce off their plates.
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Yay! I’m so glad to hear that 🙂
I just tried this today, and that sauce is fantastic. I would eat it on cardboard. Thank you!
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Ha ha! Agreed, the sauce is amazing. Sometimes I just make it to have on-hand for salads and other things 🙂
This is really good! Just finished making a giant pot of it for my husband and I. I added some crushed red pepper and cayenne because we love hot food. So nice! Thank you!!!!
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Yum, those are great additions. Thanks for sharing!
Thank u so much for this wonderful recipe , it will be my favorite one from now on. Made a huge bowl and ate everything by myself:)
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I wish I could take the credit for it! I’m glad you like it – it’s one of my favorites too!
Bugger!! Wish I had thought of this when I was doing my raw vegan diet – what a great way to use those nut spreads!
You really must find yourself one of these spiralisers though – http://www.healthyfitgoddess.com/2013/02/new-vegetable-spiralizer.html
They are awesome!
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Hi Daina – I think you’ll love this recipe. Yes, a spiralizer is on my wish list! 🙂
Amazing recipe – nearly ate the whole lot…!
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Awesome! Glad to hear it. Thanks for commenting 🙂
This was my first attempt at a raw dish. It was a HUGE hit!!
Thanks so much!!
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You’re welcome – glad you liked it!
Recipe looks great! I’m in the market for a julienne peeler and would prefer not to buy online if possible (I’m in Toronto). The ones I’ve narrowed it down to are: Zyliss (can only find online so far), Titan, and the Kuhn Rikon. I wonder if you can tell me where your mom got the mandoline gloves from and which brand of julienne peeler you used?
Hi there! My Julienne peeler is from OXO. I think my mom picked it up for me at Homesense/Winners. The mandoline gloves were purchased at a kitchen supply store in Ottawa. You should be able to find some fairly easily in Toronto. Good luck!
thanks so much for the recipe! i made this for a dinner party and it was a big hit!
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That’s awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback 🙂
I loved this recipe. The flavors worked amazingly together, the veggie noodles were very fresh tasting. The sauce thinned out a little too much for me once everything was combined but a delicious dish overall.
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I agree that there’s some extra sauce leftover once it’s had the time to settle. I’ve been adding a few extra veggies to the mix…
I have made this twice now and it’s amazing! The second time, I put slightly less tamari and it was perfect. I’ve been sending the recipe to all my friends. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
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Yay! Isn’t it the best? Who needs noodles with veggies that satisfying and creamy?!
Hi Angela,
A quick note on chopsticks (the photo at the top of the page) in Japanese culture (maybe other Asian cultures too?) Chopsticks are only left in food if it is being offered to the dead-
I am sure I will get some slack for mentioning this- Nothing against your awesome recipes- just the photo
Thanks!
Oh my! Thanks so much for letting me know – I had no idea! I’ll go through my photos and try to replace it with something less offensive! Thanks again!
This looks just fantastic. I’m going to be trying it as soon as I can get to the store for some nut butter! So happy to have found another Toronto vegan <3
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve just added you to my “Toronto Vegans” RSS subscription folder so we can keep in touch. I see that you’re doing Vegan MoFo too, that’s awesome. I love this time of year! 🙂
Everyone seems to be making the raw pad thai lately. I love Julie Danyluks book, I’ve made many recipes from there and there is few that I like
Correction! Few that I DON’T like
I love this recipe – thanks for the feedback on the book though…
I’ve now made this twice. It was delicious! The only tweak I made was reducing the soy sauce a bit. The “noodles” stayed nice and crunchy and the fresh cilantro gave it a really fresh taste.
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Awesome! It’s been on repeat here as well. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Hi, I came across your blog for the first time today and loved your approach to food. I have included this raw pad thai in my July 2012 roundup of meatless meals. Thanks for the fresh approach and the inspiration!
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Thanks very much for the shout-outs and the kind words! 🙂
I’m so pleased we found your recipe. We had a giant patty pan from the garden and were about to make vegan zucchini bread when we ran across your creation. Made some mandolin noodles and whipped up the dressing in no time. Delicious! Thank you.
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Thanks for taking the time to write. So glad you liked it 🙂
I just put this together and it looks so good!! I can’t wait to eat it later. My sister and her husband recently went vegan and I am so inspired by their commitment to their health. My boyfriend and I have decided to also change our diets. I am also gluten free so that can make things a bit complicated. I was very happy to find this recipe and I am looking forward to finding more!
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Hi Christine – Thanks for trying the recipe. Hope everyone liked it!
I am about a year in to vegan eating and love Pad Thai, but this has to be the BEST Pad Thai I’ve had, EVER!!
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Hey! Thanks for trying it – and for being the first to provide feedback on it! Glad you liked it. It’s pretty much my new favorite thing as well 🙂
So glad that you’re back and that you had a wonderful trip! I had been intermittently checking for new posts and was so happy to see an overview from your trek across the world, both because the photos were beautiful and that that meant more delicious recipes were forthcoming. This Pad Thai is on my to-do dinner list for next week. I’m very excited to give it a try! This has sort of been a Vegangela week (perhaps in celebration of our return?) as I made the enchiladas, tangled salad dressing (both fantastic) and am going to give the spicy quinoa and bean salad a try. I have been eating a vegan diet for a year, and have never enjoyed food so much in my life as I do now (I just celebrated one year of a vegan diet in NYC eating some of the most incredible food I have ever tasted). Exploring interesting ingredients and preparing new recipes has become a real interest and passion of mine since changing the way that I eat, and your blog has been an integral part of the fun! Thanks for sharing such tasty, healthy and easy recipes!
This just totally made my day – THANK YOU! I’m so glad to hear that my recipes are of use! My life has changed so much lately and it’s hard to keep up, but I promise to get new recipes up as soon as I can 🙂
This looks fantastic! Love raw recipes and this is a keeper for sure! Thanks for sharing…excellent blog by the way. I love Toronto – Such a beautiful, clean city. Enjoy it and keep sharing…Stormy ( wickedlydeliciousfoods.blogspot.com & atwistoflife.blogspot.com )
Thank you and thank you 🙂
Yum! I love pad thai, definitely going to try this raw no noodle version.
Awesome. Let me know what you think 🙂
I feel kind of weird saying this, but I’ve never made a raw pad thai. I went to raw food school in California and we made all kinds of incredible, mind-blowing meals, but not Pad Thai, not even in my own curious home experiments. Totally adding this recipe to my excessive Pinterest collection! And I can’t wait to hear about some Toronto restaurants so I can drool over them a year before I move!
Hi Allysia! Yeah I’m kind of surprised that I’ve never made a raw pad thai before either. I’ve been on the veggie “noodles” kick for some time, and I love thai-style peanut-based sauces, so you’d think that I would have put two and two together at some point! Anyway, I love this recipe and just had to share it. You’re going to love Toronto. There are so many good vegan options here and I’ve only begun to scratch the surface!