Pad Thai sauce
The sweet, sour and salty tamarind sauce that makes pad thai taste right, made in 10 minutes and stored for weeks.
Make this once, then cook it into 10 different dishes.
- Time10 mins
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.17 a head
- Makesabout 300 ml, enough for 2 pad thais for 4 people with some spare
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Put the tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar and water in a small pan over a medium heat.
- 2
Heat gently, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved. Do not boil hard.
3 min 30 s - 3
Take off the heat and stir in the rice vinegar and chilli flakes.
- 4
Taste it. It should be strongly sweet, sour and salty. Add a splash more vinegar or a pinch more sugar to balance.
- 5
Cool completely, then pour into a clean jar. You should have about 300 ml. Keep in the fridge, or freeze in ice cube trays.
About pad thai sauce
Pad Thai sauce is a sweet, sour and salty sauce of tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar that gives stir fried rice noodles their classic flavour. Pad thai balances all three tastes with a little chilli, and the tamarind gives a fruity sourness that lime alone cannot match.
Most shop bought pad thai sauces are sweeter and contain thickeners and additives. This homemade sauce is just four main ingredients, simmered until the sugar dissolves, and it keeps well in the fridge so you can make pad thai on a weeknight in 15 minutes.
It is dairy, egg and nut free, and gluten free if your fish sauce and tamarind paste are. Choose tamarind paste or concentrate, not the block of pulp with seeds. Use about 120 ml for a pad thai for 4 people.
Tips
- Use tamarind paste or concentrate in a jar. The block of pulp needs soaking and sieving, which is more work.
- Palm sugar gives a rounder sweetness than white sugar. Use soft light brown sugar if you cannot find it.
- Taste the sauce before you cook. It should taste noticeably sweet, sour and salty on its own, as the noodles dilute it.
- For a vegan version, swap the fish sauce for gluten free tamari and add a pinch more salt.
- Add the sauce to the wok in two stages, tasting after each, so the noodles do not turn mushy.
Storing and freezing
Cool, then keep in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks because the sugar, salt and acid preserve it. Freeze in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. Give it a shake before use.
Dishes you can make with pad thai sauce
Pad Thai Gai (Chicken Pad Thai)
GFDFPad Thai Haw Khai (Pad Thai Wrapped in Omelette)
DFNFPad Thai Tao Hu (Tofu Pad Thai with Garlic Chives)
GFDFNFPad Thai Moo (Pork Pad Thai with Preserved Radish)
GFDFPad Thai Pork Lettuce Cups
GFDFEFSticky Pad Thai Chicken Wings
GFDFEFCold Pad Thai Noodle Salad with Chilli Prawns
GFDFEFPad Thai Style Stir Fried Cabbage with Egg
GFDFNFPad Thai Nuea (Beef Pad Thai with Spring Onions)
GFDFNFPad Thai Pla Muek (Squid Pad Thai)
GFDFNFQuestions
Is pad thai sauce gluten free?
Yes, if your fish sauce and tamarind paste are gluten free. Most fish sauces are, but some contain wheat, so check labels. Soy sauce is not used here.
What can I use instead of tamarind?
Tamarind is hard to replace. A mix of lime juice and a little extra sugar works in an emergency, but you lose the fruity, deep sourness.
Is pad thai sauce vegan?
Not with fish sauce. Replace the fish sauce with gluten free tamari and a pinch of salt to make it vegan.
How much sauce do I use?
About 120 ml for 250 g of dried rice noodles and 4 portions. Add a little at a time and taste.
How long does it keep?
Up to 3 weeks in a clean jar in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer in cubes.
More base recipes
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.