Easy High-Protein Spicy Shrimp Pad Thai

A good, fresh shrimp Pad Thai–and a simpler take on your traditional recipe! It’s easy, but also tastes like you’re at the restaurant. You can’t go wrong with this!

3 Reasons Why You Will Love This High Protein Spicy Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe

1. It’s loaded with veggies. A great recipe for increasing your vegetable intake and vitamins and minerals.
2. It’s high in protein. Eggs, rice noodles, and shrimp all contribute to the protein content of this dish!
3. It’s highly customizable. Add more veggies, a different protein, or skip something entirely that you don’t like or dont have!

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 10 oz stir-fry rice noodles (I use GF Thai Kitchen noodles)
• 1 12-oz Package shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail off (I use frozen; you can also use fresh, or even fully cooked if you want to skip the cooking process and just throw the shrimp in at the end)
• 6 Tbsp lime juice
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp Sriracha or other chili sauce
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (see guide below to add more if you like it spicy!)*
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 1 Tbsp minced garlic in water)
• 4 eggs, lightly whisked
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ⅓ c roasted peanuts, unsalted and very finely chopped or crushed
• 1 c bean sprouts (optional)
• Fresh lime wedges (optional)

*Cayenne Pepper Spice Level Guide:

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper = mild
• ½ tsp = medium
• ¾ = hot
• 1 tsp = very spicy!

Kitchen Tools Required

A wok or large deep skillet, tongs, knife for cutting vegetables, large pot, strainer, spoon, cutting board, measuring spoons, measuring cups, whisk, two small bowls

How to Make Easy High-Protein Spicy Shrimp Pad Thai

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook noodles until al dente, about 4-6 minutes. Strain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss lightly with a drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the Pad Thai sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
3. In a wok or a large deep skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add sliced pepper, mushrooms, onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant. 
4. Add the shrimp. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of cracked black pepper. Cook until pink, about 2 minutes per side. (Skip this step if using pre-cooked shrimp!)
5. Time to add the eggs! Push all contents of the pan to one side to make room to scramble the eggs. Pour in your whisked eggs. Scramble until just set, then mix with the shrimp and vegetable mixture.
6. Add cooked noodles and toss until combined. At this point, add pre-cooked shrimp
7. Pour in the sauce and mix until everything is evenly coated. Do a taste-test and add additional red pepper flakes at this point if you want to add more spice! Also add the (optional) bean sprouts at this step. Toss everything over very low heat to make sure it is heated through.
8. Garnish with green onions, lime wedges, and peanuts before serving. Enjoy!

Swaps or Alternatives

1. Swap the shrimp for chicken, or tofu for a vegetarian option. Adding a different protein completely changes the flavor of the dish. You can also add more than 1 protein!
2. If you don’t have fish sauce, use soy sauce or tamari (gluten free). You can also swap fish sauce with oyster sauce! Vegan fish sauce is available at some health food stores.
3. Not enough eggs? No problem! Flex the amount of eggs in this dish to add more or less protein.
4. Don’t have stir fry rice noodles? Use whole grain spaghetti in a pinch!
5. Use carrots instead of bell pepper.

Quick Tip(s)

1. Before you begin, chop all of your veggies so you’re all set to go! You can also do this the night before to be ready for a quick weeknight meal the next day.
2. Prepare your sauce and whisk your eggs before you begin cooking. This also saves time during the cooking process.

Macros & Nutrition Information

Easy High-Protein Spicy Shrimp Pad Thai

Meagan Maritato

An amazing, fresh shrimp Pad Thai, and a simpler take on your traditional recipe! It's easy to make and tastes delicious, plus it's packed with protein, which will keep you full!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Thai

Servings 10

Calories 332 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Wok
• 1 Large Skillet
• 1 Tongs
• 1 Knife for cutting vegetables
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Strainer
• 1 Spoon
• 1 Cutting Board
• measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• 1 whisk
• 2 small bowls

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 10 oz stir-fry rice noodles (I use Thai Kitchen; also GF)
• 1 12oz Package shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail off (I use frozen but you can also use fresh, or even fully cooked if you want to skip the cooking process and just throw the shrimp in at the end!)
• 6 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ½ tsp Sriracha or other chili sauce
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like it spicy!)*
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 Medium red onion thinly sliced
• 8 oz Sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 1 Tbsp minced garlic in water)
• 4 eggs, lightly whisked
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup roasted peanut, unsalted and very finely chopped/crushed

• 1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
• Fresh lime wedges (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook noodles until al dente. Strain and rinse under cold water. Toss lightly with a drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare the Pad Thai sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• In a wok over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add sliced pepper, mushrooms, onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
• Add the shrimp. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of cracked black pepper. Cook until pink, about 2 minutes per side.
• Push all contents of the pan to one side to make room. Pour in your whisked eggs. Scramble until just set, then mix in with the shrimp and vegetable mixture.
• Add cooked noodles and toss until combined. Pour in the sauce and mix until everything is evenly coated. Optional: add red pepper flakes at this point for more spice! Also add the (optional) bean sprouts at this step. Toss everything over very low heat to make sure it is heated through. Garnish with green onions, lime wedges, and peanuts before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

• Swap the shrimp for chicken, or tofu for a vegetarian option. You can also add more than 1 protein!
• If you don’t have fish sauce, use soy sauce or tamari (gluten free). You can also swap fish sauce with oyster sauce! Vegan fish sauce is available at some health food stores.
• Don’t have stir fry rice noodles? Use whole grain spaghetti in a pinch!
• You can also add sliced carrots or use instead of bell pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 17gFat: 10g

Keyword high protein, protein, shrimp, spicy

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