Keto Pad Thai
This Keto pad Thai uses Thai-style konjac noodles - and some creative ingredient substitutions - for a great low-carb version of the classic!
Recently I was craving Pad Thai.
We LOVE pad Thai, but it's incredibly carbby. Rice noodles, tamarind, honey - a single serving can easily go over 70 grams of carbs.
I love a challenge, though, so here we are!
Keto Chicken Pad Thai
Low carbbing my Pad Thai recipe was a TALL order. There were 3 main things I needed to deal with:
Pad Thai Noodles
The literal - and textural - base of the dish.
A few years ago, this would have been a lot harder to swap out, and I probably would have had to rely on zoodles - zucchini noodles - as the closest approximation.
These days, however, I’ve been LOVING the availability of konjac noodles.
It’s what’s helped me come up with REALLY good recipes for Keto Chicken Biryani, Keto Vietnamese Noodle Salad, and Keto Shanghai Noodles, after all.
My favourite brand of Konjac products - the Better Than... line - has Thai style noodles, in the yellow bag.
If you can't find those, though - or prefer a different brand - feel free to use any konjac noodles that are sold as "linguini style" or "fettucini style".
When using these noodles, you really want to follow my directions: drain them, rinse REALLY well - like for a couple of minutes - and then dry cook them for a while, until the surface moisture is all gone.
Konjac noodles are fabulous - when handled correctly. They do have an off-putting odor when the bag is opened, which is why you need to give them a serious rinsing.
As for the dry cooking: Konjac soaks up a TON of water, and - because it's stored in water - it's saturated when you receive it. By drying up some of that water, it allows it to absorb some of the sauce you'll be adding.
Honey
Like most (all?) Pad Thai recipes, my usual Pad Thai had a fair amount of honey.
I used a combination of water, a regular sugar substitute (I use Krisda, a stevia based one), and Swerve's Brown Sweetener.
If you haven't used this before, give it a try! It's a wildly convincing substitute for brown sugar, and I've been loving playing around with it. Just wait til you see some of the things I've got coming in the near future!
Anyway, for an even more accurate hit of honey flavour, you can add a couple drops of Lorann Honey Flavor Oil, if you happen to have some.
That was a stroke of genius I didn't have until AFTER shooting this batch, though. It was still fantastic without it, though!
Tamarind
Tamarind paste was the tallest order, when it came to substitutions. It provides the bulk of the distinct sweet/sour flavour of the dish, but HOLY CRAP, it’s basically pure sugar.
In the end, I went with a combo of Swerve's Brown Sweetener. and lime juice, which - in combination with everything else - made a pretty decent approximation.
Note: If you happen to have access to Pure Calamansi Juice - a type of Asian citrus fruit - I find that it tastes even better as a tamarind sub, than lime.
Then again, I’ll use calamansi in place of lemon OR lime juice any chance I get, LOL.
Anyway, with these substitutions, I was able to come up with a fantastic Pad Thai substitute. It's not *exactly* like the real thing, but it definitely scratches that itch!
Let's get to it...
How to Make Keto Chicken Pad Thai
Full recipe follows at the end of this post, but here's the pictorial overview:
Whisk together sauce ingredients, set aside.
Drain and rinse konjac noodles well - for at least 2 minutes. Drain.
In a large nonstick pan, cook konjac noodles until all visible moisture is gone. Transfer noodles to a dish, set aside.
Prepare the veggies - shred the cabbage, rinse the bean sprouts, chop the cilantro and green onion, slice the lime.
In the pan, cook the chicken and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil, until the chicken is cooked through. Push chicken to one side of the pan.
Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in the pan. Whisk eggs together with a little salt and pepper, pour into pan, and scramble.
Add sauce, noodles, chicken, cabbage, and bean sprouts to the pan. Stir well, allow to heat through.
Divide between two serving dishes, top with cilantro, peanuts, and green onion slices. Garnish with lime slices, serve immediately.
For a Thicker Sauce
If you'd like a thicker sauce for your Keto Pad Thai, you can whisk ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum into the sauce before adding it to the pan.
Also: Be sure to cook the noodles until all visible surface moisture has evaporated!
More International Keto Recipes
Looking to add some international flavour to your menu? Try some of these low-carb versions of my favourites!
Keto Cabbage Rolls
Keto Chicken Biryani
Low Carb Chicken Korma
Keto Doro Wat
Keto Gyoza [Potstickers]
Keto Manakish
Easy Keto Ramen Recipe
Keto Orange Chicken
Keto Perogies
Keto Sauerkraut Buns
Keto Sushi Rice
Keto Fried Cauliflower Rice
Low Carb Shanghai Noodles
Keto Sesame Chicken
Low Carb Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Paleo Stuffed Grape Leaves
Sugar Free Furikake Seasoning
Easy Keto Butter Chicken
... also, be sure to check out our International Keto Recipes for even more options!
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
Also, be sure to subscribe to my free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.
Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Keto Pad Thai
Ingredients
Pad Thai Sauce:
- 1 ½ tablespoon Fish sauce
- 3 tablespoon Brown Swerve
- 2 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sugar substitute
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed chilies
Pad Thai:
- 1 package Thai-style konjac noodles
- 2 tablespoon Olive or sesame oil divided
- 1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breast sliced
- 2 Garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
- 2 Large eggs beaten
- Salt Pepper
- 2 cups Shredded Napa cabbage
- ½ cup Bean sprouts
To Serve:
- ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
- ¼ cup Chopped Peanuts
- 1 Green onion thinly sliced
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Whisk together sauce ingredients, set aside.
- Drain and rinse konjac noodles well - for at least 2 minutes. Drain.
- In a large nonstick pan, cook konjac noodles until all visible moisture is gone. Transfer noodles to a dish, set aside.
- Prepare the veggies - shred the cabbage, rinse the bean sprouts, chop the cilantro and green onion, slice the lime.
- In the pan, cook the chicken and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil, until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to the dish with the noodles, set aside.
- Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in the pan. Whisk eggs together with a little salt and pepper, pour into pan, and scramble.
- Add sauce, noodles, chicken, cabbage, and bean sprouts to the pan. Stir well, allow to heat through.
- Divide between two serving dishes, top with cilantro, peanuts, and green onion slices. Garnish with lime slices, serve immediately.
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