Trader Joe’s Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle dish made with TJ’s Thai Wheat Noodles, red bell pepper, and onion, tossed in a six-ingredient peanut sauce. No rice noodle soaking, no par-boiling. The batch makes four servings in 30 minutes from prep to table.
This recipe comes from Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN at The Addy Bean.* She builds the sauce from scratch using peanut butter and hoisin, rather than a bottled pad thai sauce. That makes the sodium adjustable, because soy sauce and hoisin are both easy to swap for lower-sodium versions.
The peanut sauce goes into a small saucepan over low heat, not straight into the hot wok. Cold peanut butter added directly to a hot skillet seizes and stays clumpy. Making it separately at low heat lets everything emulsify, and adding water one tablespoon at a time controls how thick it turns out.
Trader Joe’s Pad Thai Recipe
Course: DinnerCuisine: Thai-InspiredDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes15
minutes524
kcalA shelf-stable pantry dinner that uses TJ’s pre-cooked noodles and a peanut sauce made in a single saucepan, with one skillet for the vegetables. Everything finishes in the same pan before serving, which keeps the washing up to just two pieces of equipment.
Ingredients
- Stir Fry
3 packages Trader Joe’s Thai Wheat Noodles
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 tablespoon avocado oil
- Peanut Sauce
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- Garnish
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup green onion, chopped
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions
- Make the peanut sauce: in a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together peanut butter, hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Add water one tablespoon at a time, stirring continuously, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Set aside.
- Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.
- Heat avocado oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the red pepper strips. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until tender-crisp.
- Add the cooked noodles to the skillet. Pour the peanut sauce over the top.
- Toss everything together until fully coated and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer to plates. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and lime wedges. Serve hot.
FAQs
Can I add protein to this pad thai?
Yes, and the recipe adapts easily. Diced chicken breast, peeled shrimp, or cubed firm tofu all work; cook the protein in the avocado oil first, before the onions, then follow the rest of the method. Shrimp takes 2 to 3 minutes per side; chicken takes 5 to 7 minutes until no pink remains.
Can I substitute a different noodle for TJ’s Thai Wheat Noodles?
Yes. Rice noodles are the most traditional choice for pad thai, and udon or soba also work without changing the sauce. The Thai Wheat Noodles are fully cooked and shelf-stable, so any substitute needs to be cooked or soaked first before going into the pan. Cook it separately and add it at the same step in the recipe.
How do I make the peanut sauce less salty?
Swap regular soy sauce for low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, which has the same depth with less salt. Hoisin also contributes a lot, so reduce it by half and add extra rice wine vinegar to keep the balance. Taste the sauce before adding it to the noodles, since adjusting early is far easier than fixing the whole pan.
What do you serve with Trader Joe’s Pad Thai?
It works as a complete dinner on its own, but a starter adds some texture contrast. A quick wonton starter from TJ’s frozen bag takes under 10 minutes with chili crunch and soy sauce. Lime wedges on the side are worth having, since the acidity brightens the peanut sauce considerably.
How long do the leftovers keep, and do they reheat well?
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, which makes this a workable meal prep option for a busy week. The noodles absorb the peanut sauce as they sit, so the dish comes out of the fridge thicker and drier than when fresh. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of water to restore the sauce.
Can I make this spicier?
Add sambal oelek, sriracha, or chili oil to the peanut sauce before it goes over the noodles, which is easier to control than adding heat at the end. A teaspoon of sambal is a good starting point, since it adds warmth without thinning the sauce. For a TJ’s dinner built on a completely different sauce, this Soyaki ground turkey is worth rotating in.
