Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
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This spaghetti squash Pad Thai uses spaghetti squash strands instead of rice noodles for a veggie-packed dish that’s lower in carbs and super satisfying.
Pad Thai is probably one of the most well-known Thai dishes, but if you’re unfamiliar it’s traditionally a stir-fried noodle dish originating from Thailand. It’s typically made with rice noodles, but since I’m a spaghetti squash lover through and through, I had to try it with squash noodles instead.
Authentic Pad Thai is made with a sauce that consists of fish sauce, vinegar, tamarind paste and sugar. For this untraditional Pad Thai we’re using a sweet chili almond sauce that doesn’t use fish sauce, but still has a ton of flavor and makes this dish absolutely delicious.
While I never want to imply that spaghetti squash noodles are exact dupes for regular noodles, they are a really great substitute for this Pad Thai dish! I find that while the texture is super similar, spaghetti squash has a firmer texture than cooked noodles and of course, they are thinner than the traditional rice noodles used for Pad Thai. You will know you’re eating vegetables instead of rice noodles, but I love the extra texture in this dish!
Spaghetti squash has a hint of sweetness to it, but overall it’s pretty mild in taste so it takes on the flavors of the dish. In this case there are a lot of delicious flavors happening (especially from the almond sauce) so you don’t have to worry about it tasting bland.
Ingredients Needed:
There are two main components of this recipe: the sauce and everything else. I’m obsessed with the chili almond sauce, which is inspired by my chili almond dressing.
Chili Almond Sauce Ingredients:
- natural almond butter – look for one with just almonds or almonds + salt
- fresh lime juice
- low sodium tamari or coconut aminos – I love the sweetness coconut aminos add to this dish but either option works and in a pinch soy sauce works as well
- fresh ginger – you could certainly try ground ginger if you don’t have fresh, but fresh ginger gives this sauce so much flavor
- garlic cloves
- maple syrup
- sambal oelek or crushed red pepper
Pai Thai Ingredients:
- spaghetti squash – either one large one or two small
- olive or avocado oil – whichever you have in the pantry works
- chicken breast – you could swap this for tofu or shrimp if you don’t eat meat
- Sea salt and ground pepper
- chopped ginger
- chopped yellow onion
- red bell pepper
- matchstick carrots
- green onions, fresh cilantro and limes, for garnish
- salted almonds (optional)
How to Prep Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
There are a lot of methods you can use to cook spaghetti squash, but here’s how I like to cook spaghetti squash. Check out the blog post for the full details, but the cliff notes are this: you preheat your oven to 400º F and then cut your spaghetti squash into 1 1/2 inch thick rings. Gently scrape out the seeds in the middle of each ring, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 30-40 minutes, flipping about 15 minutes in. You’ll be left with perfectly cooked spaghetti squash strands that are long and not watery at all.
After you cook the spaghetti squash and whip up the sauce in your food processor or blender, this recipe is straight forward – just lots of sautéing! First you’ll cook the chicken, then the veggies and then you mix everything together for serving. And if your sauté pan isn’t large enough, you can do the mixing in a large bowl.
Once everything is combined, simply serve with green onions, cilantro, lime and chopped almonds for garnish!
Spaghetti Squash Recipes to Try:
- 20+ Spaghetti Squash Recipes
- Spaghetti Squash Tuna Noodle Casserole Boats
- Almond Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust
- Spaghetti Squash Taco Bake
- Vegan Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bowls
More Healthy Pad Thai Inspired Dishes:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash, approx. 5 cups after roasting
- 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- Sea salt and ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 ⁄2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 sliced red bell pepper
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- Green onions, fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish
- 2 Tablespoons chopped salted almonds, optional
Chili Almond Sauce
- ½ cup natural almond butter, no sugar added
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Cook your spaghetti squash. I like using the ring method outlined in the linked post.
- While squash is roasting, make the chili almond sauce by adding all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.
- Chop raw chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 Tablespoon oil. Add chicken to the skillet and liberally season with sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often until all sides are golden and chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the same skillet and sauté together ginger, onion, bell pepper and carrots. Cook until the veggies are starting to soften, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add chicken back to the skillet with the veggies. Then add the chili almond sauce and mix everything together thoroughly.
- Add spaghetti squash to the skillet and mix again. If your skillet isn’t large enough, you can put everything in a large bowl to mix instead.
- Serve the spaghetti squash pad Thai immediately with green onions, fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish. Top with chopped almonds.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Delicious! The “noodles” came out perfect. I usually put my spaghetti squash in the microwave, but this way led to much tastier, firmer noodles. The sauce is delicious. I’m not vegan, so I added some fish sauce and a little rice vinegar and topped with chopped peanuts. Definitely adding this to my rotation.
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit. And I’m pumped to hear that the spaghetti squash noodles turned out for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating, Leslie. I so appreciate it!
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s amazing!!!! I’m so impressed and so full! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay!! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it + for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Laci. <3
This was SO good. I didn’t have almond butter on hand, so I used regular peanut butter, cut out the maple syrup, and added additional sambal, coconut aminos, water (to thin it out and cut some of the sweetness with more heat). Topped with some honey roasted peanuts. Seriously SO good. Going to be a regular in our house!!
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear, Katie. I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating and share the subs you made. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe 🙌🏼🙌🏼 So easy to prep, absolutely delicious, and a family favorite! Seriously, the hardest part is cutting the spaghetti squash.
Woot woot! So pumped you’re loving this recipe, Carly. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it. 🙂
We made this last night and loved it! It was just what we were craving. We’re likely going to be putting that almond chili sauce on everything now 🙂 Thank you!
I have made lots of your recipes and always enjoy them. This one was my absolute favorite so far, and my husband also loved it!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Amber! So glad you guys are loving the recipes. 🙂 I really appreciate you coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me.
SO GOOD! I had sweetened almond butter, so I just omitted the maple syrup and added some vegetable stock to thin it a little. I don’t eat meat, but I scrambled 3 eggs and added that in and it was perfect! Definitely will be making this again!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Anna. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
This was sooooo good. I accidentally bought sugar added almond butter which I know I could have used but I wasn’t in to it and I had regular PB and then I used Tofu instead of chicken. This was sooooooo gooooooood. I’m making it for the 3rd time in a month tonight, haha.
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Joy! I’m so glad this recipe has been a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It’s super helpful for other readers, so I appreciate it. 🙂
Really tasty. Would certainly make again. I made it as directed (other than using tempeh in place of chicken, as we don’t eat meat). We added red chili flakes, as we love spice!! For the sauce proportions, we found it needed more lime to “cut” the almond butter; we would also reduce the amount of almond butter as we found it a bit too much. Rating this a 4, but really it is a 4.5. Definitely prefer it to a noodle version.
Made this for my family for dinner last night and everyone loved it! It was even dad approved who was hesitant as soon as he heard “spaghetti squash” lol.
Such a great recipe and healthier alternative to one of my favourite meals!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Heather. I’m so glad this dish was a hit with your family. 🙂 Thanks so much for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!