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RAW PAD THAI

Raw Pad Thai is a quick and easy, healthy recipe featuring kelp noodles, fresh veggies, and creamy peanut dressing. It’s a tasty raw vegan lunch, dinner, or make-ahead meal!

top down view of raw pad thai in a bowl with items surrouding.

I was given a package of kelp noodles and finally found the perfect dish to feature them. I absolutely love Thai food and thought a raw Pad Thai would be the perfect place to use them.

I searched far and wide for a recipe and came across Ani Phyo’s version using kelp noodles. That was it – inspiration hit!

After a few tweaks, I created this amazing oil-free, not-too-salty Pad Thai dressing that I know you will love!

It was well worth all the trials and errors of making the sauce. Now, we have a terrific recipe I’ve made countless times and never tire of.

This pad Thai with kelp noodles and other raw ingredients is gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and a special dish to enjoy often!

head on view of kelp noodles in a strainer.

What Are Kelp Noodles?

Kelp noodles are semi-transparent, have a neutral flavor, and have a firm, crunchy texture like a bean sprout. When handled, they are slightly stretchy.

Made of kelp, water, and sodium alginate, kelp noodles are rich in 70 essential minerals like iodine, potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium (read more at LiveStrong).

They are a healthy alternative to noodles and contain no gluten, wheat, or sugar. As an added benefit, they are low in carbohydrates and calories, with only 6 calories per serving.

Kelp noodles are considered a raw food and can be eaten warm or cold. They can be found online and at Asian grocery stores. Always rinse them well before preparing them.

You could easily make this without kelp noodles, but I encourage you to try them for a different experience – and a really good one at that! If you don’t, there are plenty of other vegetables in this dish that will fill you up. They all add vibrant color, texture, and flavor.

side by side photos showing the process of making raw pad thai.

How To Make Raw Pad Thai

Making raw pad Thai is as easy as can be!

Here is a quick look at the process with photos for reference (the full recipe card is below)…

Start by making the creamy peanut dressing first. Add almond butter, tahini, water, tamari, pure maple syrup, garlic, ginger, lime, and salt to a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside to let the flavors mingle.

top down view of healthy pad thai with kelp noodles in bowl before mixing.

Add the rinsed kelp noodles, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, scallions, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Pour dressing over the top and toss to combine.

And now you are ready to enjoy this creative and delicious raw pad Thai with your choice of garnishments: cashews, bean sprouts, more cilantro, and/or a squeeze of lime!

How To Store + Meal Prep

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in a covered container for up to 4 – 5 days.
  • Meal Prep: This raw salad can easily be made ahead and stored in serving portion sizes for to-go lunches.
side angle view of fresh raw pad thai in a bowl.

More Raw Recipes!

If you try this raw vegan recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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RAW PAD THAI

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 10 reviews

This raw pad Thai features kelp noodles, colorful vegetables, and a delicious creamy peanut sauce for a quick and easy lunch, dinner, or meal prep idea!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 15 min
  • Yield: Serves 2
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: mix
  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package (16 oz.) kelp noodles
  • 1 large carrot, julienned or 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 zucchini, julienned
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
  • raw cashews or peanuts, garnish
  • bean sprouts, garnish
  • lime wedges, garnish

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup raw almond butter (I used crunchy)
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water, + more as needed
  • 3 tablespoons tamari, coconut aminos or Nama Shoyu
  • 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • pinch of mineral salt
  • 1/2 lime, squeezed

Instructions

Sauce: In a small/medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and mix together until blended. Set aside for 30 min to let the flavors mingle. Add extra ingredients to suit your taste.

Prep: While sauce is setting, prepare your veggies and rinse the kelp noodles. You could cut your kelp noodles into smaller pieces or leave as is (I left mine as is).

Assemble: Place kelp noodles and other vegetables in a large bowl, pour the pad Thai sauce over top and toss until thoroughly coated.

Serve in individual bowls with a squeeze of lime and cashews over top. Enjoy to the fullest!

Serves 2 generously

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 – 4 days, in a covered container.

Notes

Use 1/2 cup almond butter if you prefer or don’t have tahini on hand.

A little orange juice is delicious in the sauce. If you have some on hand, add a couple of tablespoons.

If not using kelp noodles, add extra shredded/julienned carrots and zucchini or extra red bell pepper.

We love these kelp noodles from Sea Tangle on Amazon (<affiliate).

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17 Comments

  1. When you say that a recipe is raw, do you use a certain percentage of raw ingredients? Is that common? I’m asking bc maple syrup is not a raw food and I’ve seen it in a few raw recipes. I’m just curious as to what is common. Thanks!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Julia! No percentages are used, but I do consider pure maple syrup as raw even though it is extracted with heat. It is still pure, unprocessed, and contains valuable nutrients. It is the only liquid sweetener I recommend in a raw diet (although you may see agave listed as a sub, I do not really recommend agave). Hope that helps!

  2. Magdalena says:

    I tried kelp noodles twice already and they noever got soft, it was like eating rubberbands. I want so much to try your recipe, but please explain to me why my noodles never softened. The seconds time I soaked them for hours and nothing, they were still like rubberbands. Please, what am I doing wrong?






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Unfortunately, kelp noodles are not like noodles made of rice or flour, and do not soften. They remain a firm texture and are an acquired taste. You’re not doing anything wrong. :)

  3. I made this recipe tonight and absolutely LOVED it!! However, you have the wrong recipe for the nutrition information. It looks like you have listed on here naan bread pizza. I figured there was no way this could only have 5 grams of fat per serving given the almond butter and tahini. It was absolutely delicious, though!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great, so glad you loved it! Thanks for pointing out the nutrition info, I’ve fixed it! You’ll see there is 17 grams. ;)

  4. Perfectly delicious and easy, thank you!






  5. Made this for lunch today and it was amazing!






  6. I love your version SO much more! No offense to Ani (she’s amazing), but the recipe in her book was really overpowering with coconut oil. Thank you for sharing your masterpiece! :)






  7. Absolutely wonderful!!! Thank you very much for sharing this with us!!!






  8. Thanks! This was really lush. When I taste tested it, a big WOW escaped me :)






  9. Laurie Lay says:

    Question: if I want to avoid maple syrup/honey/sugar, or anything like that… what would I put in the sauce?
    For sweetening… I usually just use some type of fruit: apple, banana, blueberries… etc.

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      You could omit the sugar and it will still be delicious. I imagine you could try a little apple sauce and see if that works for you. It does sound a little different but it might turn out ok. Would love to know how it goes if you try the applesauce. Cheers :)

    2. Jacob Yelton says:

      You could make a date syrup. Water, dates, blend….

  10. Michelle W says:

    I just discovered your blog after searching for kelp noodle recipes! I just bought some the other day and will be making your recipe for my boyfriend and I to take for lunch this week! Looks great! I am always interested in trying different versions of home made Asian style sauces like this so I am excited! It makes any veggies so yummy! I just have to pick up some tamari! Thanks for the beautiful recipe :)






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