Swap the rice noodles with sweet potato “noodles”, add some other superfoods like ginger, garlic, unsweetened peanut butter, lime juice and tamari and enjoy a healthier version of a classic dish we all love. My version of Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai is vegan and gluten-free for everyone to be able to enjoy.
I will be the first one to admit. I have been very late to get on the wagon for spiralized recipes. There are two reasons for that. First, I did not want to share recipes that require my readers to have a special equipment. Like it is in this Sweet Potato “Noodle” Pad Thai recipe, to make it, you need a hand operated machine called vegetable spiralizer. I did not want to make people have to go out and get a machine to make a recipe of mine. But then one day, while I was shopping at our local Whole Foods, I saw that they were selling already spiralized vegetables. At that point, I realized it was about time that I got on board, invest in a spiralizer, and start sharing recipes on the blog. This was back in October.
You may rightfully ask, October was almost 4 months ago, why did it take so long to share your first recipe?! The answer to this question is my second reason. In my first spiralizing attempt of turning a sweet potato into noodles using my new toy, I cut my finger with the ultra-sharp noodle blade so badly that I had to wait close to a month for it to heal. It was totally my fault as I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. As a result, a piece of my middle finger became a part of our sweet potato noodles. I apologize for the nasty visual. However, if you decide to purchase a spiralizer, I think it is important to warn you to be very careful when operating it, especially if it is your first time. This thing turns super hard vegetables into beautiful noodles because of its super sharp blades. I do not have kids, but if I did I would not allow them anywhere near this machine.
With all that being said, I have been playing with my spiralizer since the beginning of this year and I now know why it has been so popular. Being able to turn vegetables like zucchini, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. into noodles and use them like you would use spaghetti has been pretty awesome. Even my husband, who is not much into cooking, thought that the possibilities were endless. And guess what? It doesn’t end in there. Depending on your Spiralizer, most of them come with other attachments that turn vegetables into noodles similar to wide white pasta like pappardelle or super thin pasta like angel hair.
The moral of the story: This machine is awesome and you can do so much with it. However, if you do not want to purchase one and want to make dishes like this recipe, you can find already spiralized vegetables in supermarkets. If you do decide to invest in one, be very careful using it as its sharp blades are no joke.
For the record, the one I am using is Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer
About this Sweet Potato Noodle Pad Thai Recipe:
Now on to the recipe…
This dish is all about the dressing; a mixture of peanut butter, tamari, grated ginger, sesame oil, maple syrup, garlic, and freshly squeezed lime juice. The one ingredient in this list that you might not be familiar with is tamari. I know I wasn’t until I read it on Amy Chaplin’s At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
Since I wanted to this recipe to be both vegan and gluten-free, I used tamari instead of soy sauce. However, if you are not gluten sensitive and/or only have soy sauce on hand feel free to use that instead. Here I have to mention, in my experience tamari is less salty than soy sauce. Therefore, I recommend tasting the sauce before adding more salt to it. If you are wondering, I use this naturally fermented San J Tamari Soy Sauce
Making It Ahead:
As you will see in the recipe below, there are few ingredients to chop and get ready for the dressing. Plus, if you are not purchasing already spiralized noodles, you need to spiralize the sweet potatoes. Even though these two components of the recipe do not take too much time, I know some of you prefer a faster weeknight dinner. For that reason, you can prep both the sauce and your veggies a day or two in advance. As a matter of fact, I recommend doing that especially for the dressing as while it is sitting in the fridge in an airtight container, all of the flavors get a chance to develop making the end result truly delicious. In the same way, you can prep the sweet potato noodles a day in advance, place in a plastic bag, let the air out as much as you can, and keep in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Finally, if you have any leftovers, place them in an airtight container and place it in the fridge. They make the best lunch the next day.
Other Vegan & Gluten-Free Bowl Recipes You Might Like
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Lentil Stew
Mexican Burrito Bowl with Cashew Chipotle Cream Sauce
Spicy Chocolate Chili
Sweet Potato and Quinoa Power Bowl with Asian Tahini Dressing
Quinoa and Vegetable Stew
Sweet Potato “Noodle” Pad Thai
A healthier, vegan and gluten-free pad thai recipe made with sweet potato noodles.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Thai Cuisine
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened and smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons tamari*
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 tablespoons vegetable stock
- For the Pad Thai:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
- 2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and spiralized (as seen in the photos) – You should have 5-6 cups of “noodles”
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup edemame
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- As Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1-2 stalks of green onions, both white and green parts chopped
- 2 tablespoons lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Whisk together all the ingredients of the dressing in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet in medium heat. Add in the onion and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the sweet potato noodles and vegetable stock and cook, stirring frequently, for 6-7 minutes.
- Pour the dressing over the noodles and give it a large stir, making sure that the noodles are coated with the dressing. Cook 2-3 minutes until it is warm.
- Off the heat, stir in the edamame and chopped cilantro.
- To serve, divide the pad thai in 4 bowls and garnish each one with sesame seeds, green onions, and peanuts.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
* If you are not gluten-sensitive you can use soy sauce instead of tamari, but make sure to taste the dressing before adding more salt to it. For more information on this, please read the blog post.
* If you have any leftovers, place the pad thai in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge upto 2 days.
*Want to make it ahead? Give a read to the blog post to find out how to do so.
Emily - I bought a spiralizer last summer and have only used it once! Shame on me, right? You’ve inspired me to take it out again. They make such fun veggie noodles, and this sauce sounds SO good. Can I come for dinner? 😉
Aysegul Sanford - Nooooo! Don’t say that.. You will get to it. And once you do, you have a great recipe waiting for you right here my friend.
Yes, please come for dinner. Anytime <3
Belgian Foodie - Hi, this recipe looks so amazing yet simple. I also recently bought a spiralizer and found it a bit awkward the first time I used it. You make it look so easy. I’ll have to try this recipe soon!
Aysegul Sanford - Believe me, it was not that easy at the beginning :)) But now I feel like I am doing much better. I just love that the possibilities are endless with these vegetable noodles.
Thank you for stopping by Brad.
Karly - ALWAYS looking for new and delicious spiralizer recipes, and this one looks like a new potential favorite! So many delicious flavors in here!
Aysegul Sanford - YAY! These noodles are truly delicious. I hope you’ll get a chance to give it a try Karly.
Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!
Jenny // HelloMyDumpling.com - This looks absolutely delicious, Aysegul! I do not own a spiralizer mostly because I don’t want another appliance but this sure does make me think of all the possibilities.
Lauren - Goodness this is such a delicious recipe! Just made it for lunch and it’s perfect! First time using the spiralizer too!
Aysegul Sanford - It makes me so SO happy to hear that it worked for you. I have new spiralizer recipes coming up as soon as we move into our new place. Can’t wait to share them with you. We need to put your new toy to good use.:P
Lauren - Absolutely love this video!
Aysegul Sanford - Thank you my dear friend. Can’t wait to make many more of them with you. <3
Vanessa - This was delicious! I made the dressing in a mason jar and kept in fridge 3 days before I got around to making it. One sad thing- I used the narrow noodle setting on my spiralizer (same as the one you use) and I must’ve cooked the noodles a bit longer than I was supposed to. All was looking perfect and then I looked away for a minute and when I tossed, they just broke into a crumbly mess. I was super bummed, but it was still good. Had leftovers for 2 days and enjoyed cold!
Aysegul Sanford - Oh no!! Sorry about that. Still, I am glad it turned out well in the end.
Thanks so much for letting me know Vanessa.
Janet Fazio - I love veggie noodles. I have ventured past zucchini yet, but I’m looking forward to trying the sweet potato pad thai