Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp

In Sweet Potato Pad Thai with pan-fried shrimp, the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles perfectly complements the flavors and textures of traditional Pad Thai.

Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp is a pleasure for your senses, hitting all the taste points - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami; plus it's gluten-free (just use gluten free soy sauce or tamari), dairy-free, and naturally high in fiber. Bottom line though - it tastes amazing! 

Jump to:

• What Goes into this Easy Spiralizer Recipe
• How to Make this Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• More Shrimp Recipes
• Sweet Potato Pad Thai with Shrimp
• Food safety

What Goes into this Easy Spiralizer Recipe

This unique Sweet Potato Pad Thai recipe is a deliciously tasty dish that blends the natural sweetness and robust texture of spiralized sweet potato noodles with the traditional flavors and textures of Pad Thai.

• Shrimp: Use fresh or frozen medium shrimp (70-80 per pound), shelled and cleaned.
• Sweet Potatoes: Use large orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.
• Onion: Use a sweet or yellow onion, peeled & sliced thinly root to end.
• Sweet pepper: Use any combination of red, yellow, and orange peppers.
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic.
• Sweet chili sauce: We prefer using Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce, but you can use your favorite.
• Fish sauce: We recommend using Red Boat Fish Sauce.
  • I rarely recommend a particular brand unless I have strong feelings about it, or a similar product is so different that it could change a recipe's end result. In this case, both statements are true. I have used many different fish sauce brands over the years, and the one that works best for our tastes is Red Boat.
• Tamari: Tamari is a Japanese sauce made from fermented soybeans. It has a richer, less salty flavor than soy sauce.
• Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar.
• Cilantro
• Green onions (scallions): Use both the white and green parts of the scallions.
• Lime juice and zest: Use the zest and juice from one large or two small limes.
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Peanuts: Use roasted, unsalted peanuts.
• Peanut oil: Peanut oil has ahigh smoke point, making it perfect for stir-frying.
• Water

How to Make this Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe

Easy Pad Thai Sauce

Combine sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. (You can also make the sauce in a small beverage blender.)

Shrimp

Pour ⅓ cup sauce in a gallon-size resealable bag. Add cleaned shrimp to the bag and toss around a bit to combine.

Set the rest of the sauce aside. Allow the shrimp marinate in the sauce for 15-30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high. When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, drop the shrimp in a few at a time. (I do this in 2 batches.)

Let the shrimp stay where they are when they hit the hot pan so that they get a little bit browned on one side and then flip them over. (This will take just a couple of minutes - don't overcook them!) The shrimp are done when they are pinkish all the way through.

Immediately remove the cooked shrimp from pan with a spider or slotted spoon and set aside.

Sweet Potato Noodles

Use a spiralizer to cut sweet potato noodles.

In a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of peanut oil until translucent; about 3 minutes.

Add garlic and sliced bell pepper and saute about 4 more minutes; until the red pepper begins to soften.

Gently toss in the spiralized sweet potato noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, carefully folding up from the bottom of the pan a few times. Add ¼ cup water to the pan and cover immediately. Steam for 2 minutes.

Check the noodles for doneness, and then cover again and cook 2 more minutes. Repeat until they are tender but not mushy. (You are not making mashed potatoes!)

Add remaining sauce, cooked shrimp, and chopped cilantro and toss gently to combine.

Garnish & Serve

Garnish with additional cilantro, chopped peanuts, chopped green onions, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Serve warm. (HINT: It is delicious cold too!)

Substitutions

• Shrimp: You can substitute an equal weight of sliced chicken or pork for the shrimp. Be sure to cook any meat used thoroughly.
• Sweet Potatoes: You can sub in white sweet potatoes; or skip the spiralizing and use cooked pad Thai noodles.
• Sweet pepper: Use any combination of red, yellow, and orange peppers.
• Tamari: You can also use light soy sauce. If you must use full strength soy sauce, mix some water into it before measuring; 2:1 (sauce:water) .
• Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar.
• Cilantro: Omit the cilantro if you have that genetic cilantro=soap gene.
• Green onions (scallions): You can also use chives.
• Lime juice and zest: Sub in bottled lime juice.
• Peanuts: Substitute chopped roasted cashews.
• Peanut oil: Unrefined coconut oil will also work.

Equipment

We suggest using a spider strainer to remove the cooked shrimp from the pan.

A spider is a type of skimmer used in Asian and Dutch cooking. It is a wide shallow wire-mesh basket with a long handle, used for removing hot food from a liquid or skimming foam off when making broths. The name is derived from the wire pattern, which looks like a spider's web. (I use mine all the time!)

Storage

For the best flavor and texture, sweet potato pad Thai with shrimp should be eaten immediately. However, if you have leftovers, the USDA recommends that, properly stored and refrigerated, cooked shellfish leftovers are good for 3 to 4 days.

Top Tip

The Best Way to Spiralize

In case you've been living in a cave for the last decade, spiral vegetable cutters - spiralizers - are kitchen gadgets that cut fruits and vegetables into long noodles and ribbons that can be used in spiralizer recipes in place of traditional noodles. They can be as additions in pastas, salads, side dishes, and so on.

It took me some time to embrace the spiralizer movement. My reticence came from experience, because all of the hand-held and counter-top spiralizers I'd tested/used simply didn't deliver. They cracked under the strain of hard, dense vegetables; they hurt my hand and wrist to operate; and some models are a huge pain when it comes to clean up.

Then KitchenAid®  came to my rescue - with a carefully engineered, well-thought spiralizer attachment. (Please note: this is not a sponsored post. I just really love my spiralizer!)

Oh my gosh, I love those KitchenAid® people! They know how to do things right!! The KitchenAid Spiralizer lets your stand mixer motor do all the work. Once you figure out how to use the attachment, it's a breeze. (I found the included instructions a little sub-par)

Clean-up is super easy too. Waste is minimal, and what is made creates these cool little cores that can be sliced or used for garnishing.

For Lefties Only: Unlike almost every counter-top spiralizer out there, this one works equally well for lefties and non-lefties alike! (See, that's me looking out for you.)

FAQ

More Shrimp Recipes

We live near the Pacific Ocean, and shrimp is one of our favorite things! Our favorite shrimp recipes include Hawaiian Kahuku Garlic Shrimp, Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad, Classic Bay Shrimp Louie, and a unique and tasty Shrimp & Grits Pizza.

Food safety

• Never leave seafood or other perishable food out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40°F and 140°F).
• Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. (Shrimp: 120°F)
• Thaw frozen seafood gradually by placing it in the refrigerator overnight. If you have to thaw seafood quickly, either seal it in a plastic bag and immerse it in cold water, or - if the food will be cooked immediately thereafter - microwave it on the "defrost" setting and stop the defrost cycle while the fish is still icy but pliable.
• Keep hot seafood heated until time to serve or divide the seafood into smaller containers and keep them in a refrigerator until time to reheat and serve.
• Serve hot seafood under a heat source (e.g., hot lamp, crock pot, hot plate, etc.) if it is going to stay out longer than 2 hours or discard the seafood after 2 hours.
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat or seafood.
• Always wash hands after touching raw meat or seafood.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
• Store food in suitable, covered containers.

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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