Is Pad Thai Vegetarian or Vegan? (Fish Sauce, Explained)

Pad thai looks like a safe vegetarian order: rice noodles, vegetables, peanuts and lime. Then you find out what is in the sauce, and the answer changes. Here is what makes pad thai non-vegetarian, and how to order it vegan.

Key Takeaways

Traditional pad thai is not vegetarian: it contains fish sauce, dried shrimp and egg.

Fish sauce is fermented anchovies, and it is the main non-veg ingredient.

A “vegetable pad thai” usually still has fish sauce and egg, so it is not automatically safe.

Order it vegan by asking for no fish sauce, no dried shrimp and no egg.

TL;DR: Traditional pad thai is not vegetarian. It’s seasoned with fish sauce, often contains dried shrimp, and is scrambled with egg. A vegan version is easy to make or order: just ask for no fish sauce, no dried shrimp and no egg.

What’s actually in pad thai

Pad thai is a stir-fried rice-noodle dish. The classic recipe includes:

Rice noodles
Tamarind paste (the sour base)
Palm sugar (the sweet base)
Fish sauce (fermented anchovy: the main non-veg ingredient)
Dried shrimp
Egg
Tofu or chicken
Bean sprouts, chives, crushed peanuts, lime

Why it isn’t vegetarian by default

The “sauce” in pad thai is essentially fish sauce + tamarind + sugar. Fish sauce is made from fermented anchovies (HappyCow, retrieved 2026-08-25), so even a pad thai with no visible meat is not vegetarian.

Two common traps when ordering:

“Vegetable pad thai”: this usually just means “no meat”; the fish sauce and egg often remain.
Oyster sauce: some restaurants add oyster sauce, which is also not vegetarian or vegan.

How to order it vegan

Ask for these three substitutions:

No fish sauce: swap for soy sauce or extra tamarind + a pinch of salt.
No dried shrimp.
No egg: or request tofu only.

Vegan pad thai is common at Thai restaurants and just as good: the tangy-sweet flavor comes from tamarind and palm sugar, not the fish sauce.

The bottom line

Vegetarian? Only if made without fish sauce, dried shrimp and egg.
Vegan? Same substitutions, plus check for oyster sauce.

See our Pad Thai dish guide for the full ingredient breakdown.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.