Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai rice noodles is a stir fry dish that is very tasty and simple. The sweet, salty flavors combined with the light crispy taste of bean sprouts and green onions make this recipe an instant crowd favorite! Ready to eat in 20 minutes!
If you love Thai stir-fried noodles, try the Pad Mee Korat, a spicy and sassy version of this Pad Mee recipe. Then head over to check out Pad See Ew Recipe and Drunken Noodles. These tasty Thai rice noodles recipes are iconic, simple, and delicious!
Jump to:
- What Is Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles?
- Pad Mee, Pad Ba Mee or Ba Mee
- Why This Recipe Works
- What Goes Into Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
- How To Make Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
- Helpful Kitchen notes for making Pad Mee
- Variations on Making Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
- Storing Pad Mee as leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Thai recipes you'll love
- Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles
What Is Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles?
Pad Mee is a stir-fried dish with sweet and salty flavors using thin vermicelli rice noodles. It's a popular street food served in Isaan (Northeast Thailand) and Laos. The angel hair-like noodles are stir-fried on medium-high heat with a sauce mixture made with seasoning sauce, sweet soy sauce, and white sugar, then topped off with spring onions and bean sprouts.
Pad Mee, Pad Ba Mee or Ba Mee
In Thailand and Laos, you will regularly see this dish served on banana leaves wrapped neatly in a square or rectangular shape with toothpicks holding the wraps together. Some other names this recipe is known for are Pad Ba Mee and Ba Mee. It’s a popular, delicious street food I often eat outside our home-cooked meals at festivals, markets, and large events like funerals and weddings.
Why This Recipe Works
- If Thai food cooking seems intimidating, I recommend starting with this dish. It's so simple and easy to put together. You will be addicted to this dish in no time.
- The simple ingredient list makes this Thai recipe one of the fastest dishes to put together! Perfect for a quick dinner night!
- It’s an excellent dish for a potluck, BBQ, or dinner party as it is light, easy to make, and keeps well at room temperature. It will be a crowd instant favorite!
- It is an excellent dish for making large quantities for a party, to share with new moms, or for a family needing a delicious meal!
- The recipe is very adaptable. You can make it vegetarian or add meat or protein of choice to customize it to your taste bud. Shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, duck, or tofu are a great addition to the dish.
What Goes Into Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
- Vermicelli rice noodles. Look for dried angel hair-like rice noodles like the Wai Wai brand in your local Asian market.
- Green onions. Cut the spring onions into 2-inch pieces.
- Bean sprouts. Don't skip out on the bean sprouts. It adds a unique and crispy taste to the Pad Mee.
- Sweet dark soy sauce. The sauce taste gives a sweet, smoky taste and gives the noodles their golden caramelized color.
- Golden Mountain Seasoning sauce. This secret sauce has become more popular in Thai cuisine over the last several years.
- Light soy sauce. Also called thin soy sauce. You can use any soy sauce you have. Different brands have different saltiness levels. Adjust at the end for more flavors.
- White sugar. Palm sugar or monk fruit sugar works great as substitutes.
- Oil. Use vegetable oil, coconut, avocado, or any high-smoking point oil.
Important Ingredients Notes for making Authentic Pad Mee
Angel Hair Rice Noodles for Pad Mee recipe
Angel hair rice noodles are used for the recipe and are the main ingredient for making Pad Mee. To be sure you grab the right noodles, read this helpful blog post about rice noodles used in Thai cooking. Or you can purchase the noodle on Amazon here.
The Secret Sauce for Making Pad Mee!
The secret sauce for this recipe is the Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. The sauce is made from fermented soybeans with added sugar and salt to give the sauce a delicious but not overpowering taste. See the image below and use it when going to the Asian market to grab your ingredients.
A few of my Thai friends and family have told me they use the sauce in many of their stir-fry dishes to add something to their dish. I agree. It has a unique flavor differs from all the other sauces I've used. Read about different Sauces for Thai cooking in this blog post. I highly recommend you try out this sauce, too. 
How To Make Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
Are you ready to try this delicious and easy Pad Mee recipe? Let’s do it! (:
STEP 1. Soak the vermicelli rice noodles in warm water in a large bowl for 10 minutes. Or cold water for 15- 20 minutes. (Not boiling water, as it will make the thin noodles too mushy.)
STEP 2. Drain and cut the noodles into 6-8 inches long and let sit until it's time to cook. Leave the noodles long for more fun and full texture. My kids love slurping them like spaghetti noodles with longer pieces.
STEP 3. In a small bowl, combine thin soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar, and golden mountain seasoning.
STEP 4. Place the drain noodles in a large bowl, then pour the sauce mixture over the rice noodles.
STEP 5. Use your hands (gloved if preferred) to mix the sauce into the noodles. Knead very lightly to get the sauce to marinate with the noodles. Let sit to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes and stir quickly before cooking, breaking up any large clumps of noodles. 
STEP 6. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet on medium heat. Add the noodles and stir with a wooden spatula for 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add some water if the noodles are sticking to your pan. Turn the heat down slightly if your wok or pan gets hot too. An extra teaspoon of oil also helps to loosen up the noodles in the pan.
STEP 7. Add the green onions and bean sprouts and stir together lightly. Turn the heat off, remove the pan from the stovetop, and serve your Pad Mee! Garnish with a lime wedge, chili powder, and or fish sauce or sugar.
That's it! Garnish your Pad Mee with more crushed peanuts, lime wedges, bean sprouts, chili flakes, and sliced green onions. Enjoy!
Helpful Kitchen notes for making Pad Mee
- If adding heavier protein like chicken, pork, or beef, cook the meat separately in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil until completely cooked. Then add the meat to the stir fry at the last step in the cooking instructions. Before cooking, slice the raw meat into thin pieces and season with oyster, fish, or soy sauce.
- Roasted chicken, duck, pork, or any leftover roast meat is excellent for adding extra protein to the recipe. Add the roasted meat last at the end of the stir-frying process.
- Using kitchen scissors to cut the noodles into shorter strands. Be careful not to cut it too short; the noodles will turn mush when cooked. Aim for 6-8 inches long, at least.
- You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container until ready to use.
- My favorite part of Pad Mee noodles is the crispy, burned noodles at the bottom of the pan. Scrap this out and taste the charred flavors of the clumpy noodles. You'll likely see adults and children fight over this local secret part! (:
Variations on Making Pad Mee Vermicelli Thai rice noodles
- Add eggs for added protein. Add the eggs after cooking the noodles after step 6. Push the noodles to one side of a pan, add a few drops of oil, then scramble 2 eggs on an empty side until done, then move on to the next step.
- You can also add shredded vegetables like carrots, cabbage, snow pea pods, and red onion for extra vegetables.
- If you cannot find vermicelli noodles, the following options are pad Thai, glass, or egg noodles. Make sure to cut the thicker noodles into small pieces so they don't clump together when stir-frying.
Storing Pad Mee as leftovers
Pad Mee keeps well as leftovers. Store the noodles in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for a minute or until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pad mee is a much simpler dish than the world-famous Pad Thai. There are fewer ingredients used than in Pad Thai sauce. Pad Thai calls for tamarind paste, but this Pad Mee recipe uses Golden Mountain seasoning, a popular Thai stir-fry sauce in Thailand.
The taste of Pad Mee is a perfect balance of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors. The soft angel hair noodles stir-fried in Thai sauces and vegetables create an umami blend of Thai flavors that satisfy the taste buds.
Pad mee uses angel hair rice vermicelli noodles and only a few ingredients for a quick yet tasty stir fry. It's well-enjoyed street food in Isaan and Laos. Pad Mee Korat uses wider rice noodles with spicy, salty, and sweet flavors popular in Northeast Thailand. Pad Thai is sweet, salty, sour, and umami and popular in Central Thailand.
More Thai recipes you'll love
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Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai Rice Noodles
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Pad Mee, Vermicelli Thai rice noodles is a stir fry dish that is very tasty and simple. The sweet, salty flavors combined with the light, crispy taste of bean sprouts and green onions make this recipe an instant crowd favorite! Ready to eat in 20!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable, peanut, coconut, grapeseed, or soybean oil
- 8 ounces dried angel hair vermicelli rice noodles. Wai Wai brand is my go-to.
- 2 cup bean sprouts, wash and let sit
- 1 cup green onion chopped 1 ½ inch long
- 4 tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons seasoning sauce
- 3 tablespoons thin soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Soak the vermicelli rice noodles in warm water in a large bowl for 10 minutes. Or cold water for 15- 20 minutes.
- Drain and cut the noodles into 6-8 inches long and let sit until it's time to cook. Leave the noodles long for more fun and full texture. My kids love slurping them like spaghetti noodles with longer pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine all the sauces in a small saucepan using thin soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar and golden mountain seasoning.
- Place the drain noodles in a large bowl, then pour the sauce mixture over the rice noodles.
-
Use your hands (gloved if preferred) to mix the sauce into the noodles. Knead very lightly to get the sauce to marinate with the noodles. Let sit to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes and stir quickly before cooking, breaking up any large clumps of noodles.
-
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet on medium heat. Add the noodles and stir with a wooden spatula for 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add some water if the noodles are sticking to your pan. Turn the heat down slightly if your wok or pan gets hot too. An extra teaspoon of oil also helps to loosen up the noodles in the pan.
-
Add the green onions and bean sprouts and stir together lightly. Turn the heat off, remove the pan from the stovetop, and serve your Pad Mee! Garnish with a lime wedge, chili powder, and or fish sauce or sugar.
Notes
- If adding heavier protein like chicken, pork, or beef, cook the meat separately in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil until completely cooked. Then add the meat to the stir fry at the last step in the cooking instructions. Before cooking, slice the raw meat into thin pieces and season with oyster, fish, or soy sauce.
- Roasted chicken, duck, pork, or any leftover roast meat is excellent for adding extra protein to the recipe. Add the roasted meat last at the end of the stir-frying process.
- Using kitchen scissors to cut the noodles into shorter strands. Be careful not to cut it too short; the noodles will turn mush when cooked. Aim for 6-8 inches long, at least.
- You can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in an air-tight container until ready to use.
- My favorite part of Pad Mee noodles is the crispy, burned noodles at the bottom of the pan. Scrap this out and taste the charred flavors of the clumpy noodles. You'll likely see adults and children fight over this local secret part! (:
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stir Frying
- Cuisine: Thai
Clifford
Hi,
Recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of sugar. But the directions don’t ever say where to put it in? Does it go in the sauce? Is it a condiment at the end? I’m guessing it goes in the sauce sure would like to know cause I’m making this tonight lol!
Thank you
Brindha
Was looking for a vegan and gluten free recepie and this was perfect. Easy to make and delicious ! I like a little spice so made some sambal on the side to accompany ! DELISH !
Mariusz
Love this dish all times of the year. Normally prefer wide noodle dishes but the lightness of these noodles are a refreshing delight! Will be adding this to my rotation!
Suwanee
Hi Lauren,
It's the Golden Mountain seasoning sauce. It's this one right here https://amzn.to/3qT58fB
You can substitute Maggi seasoning sauce instead if Golden Mountain is not available. https://amzn.to/3Xeb2UG
Lauren
What is "Seasoning Sauce"?
Erin Schneider
Can’t believe how easy this Pad Mee recipe is! Perfect for a beginner like me. Thank you for the step by step photos-super helpful.
Vera
Wow, so much flavors with such minimal ingredients! I added crispy tofu to this Pad Mee recipe and it was perfect! This will be my weekly meal! 🥰
Thanks for the recipe!
Heather Anderson
I could eat this Pad Mee everyday. A delicious recipe that turns out perfect every time for me! Thanks for sharing such a tasty authentic recipe Suwanee!
A happy camper!
Oh my goodness, this is so good. Rave reviews all around!
Suwanee
Hi Ann,
I'm sorry the recipe didn't work out for you—a couple of things.
What type of noodles did you use? The thin angel hair rice vermicelli noodles will expand and soak up all that sauce while marinating in the bowl for 30 minutes. Kneading the noodles will also help absorbs the sauce (as specified in the recipe). That is also why I called for 1/4 cup of oil to fry the noodles, as there shouldn't be much of the sauce left. The recipe has no chicken, but I did mention in the note that chicken can be used as added protein, assuming readers would know how to cook or flavor it before adding to the noodles. I'll clarify and fix that in the recipe card. I hope you try it again and reach out if you have further questions. My email is [email protected]
Ann
After making this recipe and wondering as I was preparing it what to do with the extra sauce, we decided it should not have been added to the wok along with the noodles. Way too much soy sauce! I’m guessing you just lift the noodles out of the soaking bowl, stir fry the noodles and throw away the extra sauce? Also, there were no directions for the chicken. I sliced then parboiled it, then added it after cooking the egg. It was fine, but didn’t add much to the dish. Any suggestions on how I could’ve done this recipe better? Thanks!
Suwanee
Wonderful, so happy to hear you loved it! (:
Michelle
This recipe is a keeper! Delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing it!
Tina
Simply Delicious!
Suwanee
HI Maria,
Sometimes if I let the noodles sit too long after soaking them, they get clumpy. Try a little quick dip of the noodles in the water, but drain it well before cooking. Or, try adding just a couple drops of oil to the noodles before cooking to see that if that will help. Glad to hear you love the flavors!
Maria
I loved the flavors of this dish, but my noodles clumped up as soon as I put them in the wok. Not sure what I did wrong.
Angela
This is so tasty!! I love Thai food, but can be nervous to make it! This wasn’t hard at all!
Cassie
Oh my gosh the vermicelli noodles in this are delicious!! It’s pretty easy to make and tasted so fresh. Love this!