Thai Drunken Noodles, otherwise known as Pad Kee Mao, is a delicious stir fry dish made with rice noodles, your protein of choice, and a spicy savory sauce that you won’t be able to get enough of!
If you like this recipe, you’re going to go crazy for my Shrimp Pad Thai (or my Chicken Pad Thai!), Sweet and Spicy Thai Chicken, Thai Coconut Curry, and Baked Thai Pineapple Salmon!
Why This Recipe Works
Better than Take-Out: Thai drunken noodles is one of those dishes you will always see on the menu of your favorite Thai restaurant. And for a good reason, because this stir fry meal is absolutely delicious. I deem this recipe even better than take-out since I know exactly what’s in it. Plus, I can make it super easily right at home!
Easy to Make: While the ingredients list in this recipe might look long, I promise that this recipe is actually very easy to make. First, just sauté your protein and veggies. Then you will simply mix them with the noodles and sauce and cook until the sauce is the right consistency! Thai drunken noodles take only 30 minutes to make, and can be made vegetarian if you prefer!
Ingredients Needed
Don’t let the ingredients list on my Thai Drunken Noodles recipe intimidate you. These are easy to find ingredients that combine for flavor heaven! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Top Sirloin Steak: I used top sirloin steak as my protein here, but you can really use any protein you would like. You can try chicken, shrimp, or even tofu!
- Cornstarch: You will want to mix your protein up with some cornstarch in order to get the outsides nice and crispy when you fry them up.
- Soy Sauce: To season the protein, I combined some soy sauce with the cornstarch and let the protein marinate for a few minutes while I prepared the other ingredients.
- Wide Rice Noodles: Think Pad Thai noodles, or something similar. The sauce is great with a wide noodle to pick up all that sauce!
- Vegetables & Aromatics: Bell Peppers, Sugar Snap Peas, Banana Shallots, Minced Garlic, Green Onions and Thai Basil are used here as the veggies and aromatics. If you don’t have access to Thai basil, you can use fresh cilantro.
- Stir Fry Sauce: Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce, Water, Fish Sauce, Sriracha, Honey, Red Pepper Flakes, and Ground Ginger are whisked together to create the perfect savory and spicy sauce!
Here’s How to Make It
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Combine the sliced steak, cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1 tsp of canola oil in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, and whisk together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce. Prepare the rice noodles as per the package instructions. (photos 1-2)
- Sauté the Meat: Heat a large wok, skillet, or non-stick pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the remaining canola oil, and cook the stead until just cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. (photo 3)
- Sauté the Veg: If necessary, add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan before cooking the bell peppers and sugar snap peas until just tender. Add the sliced shallots and the garlic and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant. (photos 4-5)
- Add the Noodles & Sauce: Reduce the heat to medium. Return the steak to the pan and add the noodles. Add the green onions and stir fry sauce, and cook until the sauce has reduced enough so that it is just clinging to the noodles. (photos 6-7)
- Add Herbs & Enjoy: Remove from heat and stir in the Thai basil or cilantro prior to serving and enjoy! (photo 8)
Expert Tips
- Want more vegetables? You can add even more vegetables to Thai drunken noodles like carrots, zucchini or tomatoes!
- Don’t have oyster sauce on hand? Don’t worry! You can double the amount of fish sauce in the stir fry sauce and add a bit more soy sauce as well to substitute.
- Follow the recipe for the best flavor! I know that sometimes you want to wing it when you see a recipe, but the sauce to noodle ratio here is important. For best results, use the exact measurements in the recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
In general, Thai drunken noodles are spicy. In this recipe, the only spicy things are the sriracha and the red pepper flakes. So, if you are sensitive to spice, add a little bit less of each and taste the stir fry sauce before adding any more.
Drunken noodles got their name because in Thailand, they are commonly paired with a cold beer. But, these noodles can be enjoyed with any beverage, and do not actually contain any alcohol!
More Easy Noodle Recipes to Try
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Mongolian Beef & Broccoli with Noodles
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Kung Pao Noodles
- Pork Lo Mein
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo of your CDLC creation – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Thai Drunken Noodles
Ingredients
For the Noodles
- 12 oz top sirloin steak - thinly sliced (see note)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 12 oz wide rice noodles
- 2 tbsp canola oil - plus 1 tsp
- 2 bell peppers - thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar snap peas - halved
- 2 banana shallots - thinly sliced
- 4 tsp minced garlic
- 4 large green onions - sliced
- ½ cup Thai basil or fresh cilantro
- lime wedges - to serve
For the Stir Fry Sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce - see note
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 4 tsp runny honey
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Combine the sliced steak, cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1 tsp of canola oil in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, and whisk together the ingredients for the stir fry sauce. Prepare the rice noodles as per the packet instructions.
- Heat a large wok, skillet, or non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the remaining canola oil, and cook the steak until just cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- If necessary, add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan before cooking the bell peppers and sugar snap peas until just tender. Add the sliced shallots and the garlic and cook for another minute or two until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Return the steak to the pan and add the noodles. Add the green onion and stir fry sauce, and cook until the sauce has reduced enough that it is clinging to the noodles.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the Thai basil or the cilantro just before serving.
Notes
- For a meat-free version of these noodles, simple leave out the steak, cornstarch, 1 tsp of soy sauce and the additional 1 tsp of canola oil and proceed with the recipe.
- For an oyster sauce substitute, double the amount of fish sauce to 2 tbsp and up the soy sauce to 2 1/2-3 tbsp, to taste.
Drunken noodles is one of my favorite dishes and this recipe did not disappoint. It was better than what I order in a restaurant. I used pork instead of steak, didn’t add bell peppers or snap peas but other than that, I followed it as is. I did double the sauce (using about three teaspoons of red pepper flakes) as I used more noodles than the recipe called for and it came out perfectly. It was slightly on the spicy side but it wasn’t too much. It was very flavorful and will definitely be in rotation. My daughter and boyfriend also loved it.
This recipe is numero Uno. Super flavorful. Made as directed other than added sesame and added fresh red chili for added kick. Really good.
This is absolutely delicious. Added zucchini and used kimchi paste as I didn’t have sriracha, but otherwise, followed exactly. I love every recipe from this site because they all come out perfectly every time and they taste delicious.
I’ve been looking for a good drunken noodle recipe and am super excited to try this one! Can I substitute the beef for chicken? If so, does anything need to be adjusted?
You can absolutely sub chicken! No adjustment needed 🙂