13 Easy Thai Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

These easy Thai recipes deliver bold, spicy, sweet-savory flavors—ready in under 30 minutes.

By
Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson
Emily Johnson
Emily has worked as a food writer and editor for ten years, across publications such as Lucky Peach, Epicurious, Bon Appétit, and The New York Times Cooking.
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Published January 29, 2026
Side view of Pad Kee Mao

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

So you’re hungry for Thai flavors—nutty, coconutty curries; the tang of lime mixed with the umami punch of fish sauce; and plenty of fruit-forward chile heat—but don’t have a lot of time. Ordering from your local Thai spot might be tempting, but before you do, consider the 13 recipes below. Each one comes together in 30 minutes or less (okay, fine—two of them take 35), which is probably faster than takeout. And the nuanced flavors you’ll get from these home-cooked dishes just might beat what you’d bring home. Think: laab that bursts with a sweet-sour-savory balance and comes together in minutes; pad kee mao that actually delivers on heat; and a comforting bowl of rustic pork meatballs floating in a crystal-clear broth. All that—and more—below.

  • Winter Squash Panang Curry

    Squash Panang curry in a black bowl, with all the toppings added on a deep green tile surface.

    Serious Eats / Deli Studios

    This sweet, nutty curry is a staple in both Malaysian and Thai cuisines. Made from a peanut-based curry paste of the same name and rich coconut milk, it's milder than many of its Thai counterparts, with a thick sauce that clings to every bite. While panang curry traditionally features beef, here Perry Santanachote offers a vegetarian version, swapping the meat for winter squash. Cooking the squash directly in the sauce allows it to absorb the curry’s deeply aromatic, nutty flavors.

  • Laab Moo Isan (Thai Isan-Style Minced Pork Salad)

    Serving bowl of pork laab with a bowl of sticky rice in the background

    Vicky Wasik

    This minced meat salad is tossed with copious fresh herbs and dressed in a savory, spicy, sweet, and sour sauce—and it comes together in just minutes. Khao khua, or toasted rice powder, thickens the dressing and adds a subtle crunch. Here, you’re not aiming for browning: simmering the ground pork in a bit of water keeps it tender and juicy, avoiding the Maillard reaction altogether.

  • Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut and Galangal)

    Overhead view of Tom Kha Gai

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Derek Lucci set out to solve a common problem with many Western versions of tom kha gai: a lack of galangal flavor, which is traditionally central to the soup (the name tom kha literally means “boiled galangal”). To draw more from the citrusy, piney root, he borrowed a Chinese technique—pounding the galangal and infusing it into chicken stock to form the soup’s base. Layered aromatics and a light hand with coconut milk yield a broth that’s deeply flavorful, not blandly sweet and creamy.

  • Goong Pad Nam Prik Pao (Thai Stir-Fried Shrimp With Chile Jam)

    Shrimp Stir-Fry put on a yellow plate

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    In this stir fry, a simple combination of shrimp, oyster mushrooms, and long beans get blanketed with nam prik pao-infused sauce. Nam prik pao is a Thai chile jam that should be kicking around in your fridge if it isn’t already. It serves as the base for many quick-cooking Thai sit fries like this one, but it also is good on top of…basically anything that could benefit from a pop of heat and sweetness.

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  • Makheua Yao Pad Tao Jiao (Stir-Fried Eggplant With Minced Pork)

    Overhead view of eggplant stir-fry plated on a blue plate on a blue background

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Makheua yao pad tao jiao is a Chinese-Thai dish often found at the curry-and-rice stalls known as khao gaeng, but it’s also frequently made at home. Minced pork adds savory richness to eggplant that’s been treated with cornstarch, vinegar, and water to help it retain its purple color during cooking. The stir-fry is flavored with a simple but potent mix of tao jiao (fermented yellow bean sauce), garlic, fresh chiles, and Thai basil.

  • Pad Kee Mao (Thai Drunken Noodles) Recipe

    Side view of Pad Kee Mao

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Pad kee mau, or drunken noodles, is one of the most popular dishes at American Thai restaurants, but it’s often mistreated. Pad kee mau in Thailand has way more aromatic flavor and a significant amount of heat—after all, the dish is supposedly designed to sober a drunk person with the sheer power of its spice. This version corrects these wrongs by featuring a complex aromatic base of Thai chiles, garlic, makrut lime, and more. The ratio of noodle to vegetable and pork favors the latter more heavily, which helps you taste that complex spice profile without the starches dulling it.

  • Som Tam Thai (Central Thai-Style Green Papaya Salad)

    Overhead of a serving bowl of som tam Thai.

    Vicky Wasik

    Green papaya salad is the best-known example of a broader category of Thai dishes: pounded salads dressed with a sour, savory-sweet sauce. Julienned unripe papaya provides a crunchy, refreshing base for a dressing made with fish sauce, lime, and palm sugar. Toss in umami-rich dried shrimp and roasted peanuts for a dish that’s easy to prepare but hits every satisfying note across the flavor and texture spectrum.

  • Thai-Style Crab Fried Rice

    20160221-fried-rice-crab-thai-recipe-kenji-primary.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    This khao phat buu, or fried rice with crab, is made with jasmine rice made fragrant is punchy by garlic, scallions, and chiles. Scrambled egg, and the starring center ingredient, picked crab meat, lend protein and richness. Finishing with fish sauce adds savory depth, while cilantro and cucumber garnishes and freshness and welcome texture.

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  • Yam Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad With Shrimp)

    A serving bowl of yam woon sen with shrimp.

    Vicky Wasik

    This noodle salad features won sen, which are noodles made of mung bean starch. Look for a Thai brand that features mung bean starch as the only ingredient. These noodles have a pleasingly slippery texture, and perfectly absorb the salad’s dressing—that spicey-sweet-sour dressing characteristic of Thai salads, including fresh chiles, coriander, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Both shrimp and ground pork serve as proteins, adding their own savory flavors and richness.

  • Guaydtiaao Moo Nam Sai (Thai Clear Pork Noodle Soup With Meatballs)

    Overhead view of Guayd tiaao Moo Nam Sai

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Pork meatballs in clear broth are a common sight at street vendor stalls across Thailand. These meatballs differ slightly from other Thai versions: Instead of a bouncy texture, they’re more tender and simply seasoned with fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar. Forming them irregularly adds textural contrast, making this simple soup more compelling—and keeping it low-effort, so you can get comforting food on the table fast.

  • Tam Khao Pod Kai Kem (Thai Corn Salad With Salted Duck Egg)

    Overhead of a serving plate of corn salad with a bowl of sticky rice on the side.

    Vicky Wasil

    Corn naturally pairs with creamy coconut milk, and to offset all of the sweetness, you’ll make one of those now-familiar dressings consisting of fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar. For more fresh flavor and some textural contrast, you’ll add snappy long beans and bursting cherry tomatoes. Of course, Thai chiles are here to lend heat, and dried shrimp and salted duck egg create a powerful savory note. This salad is best made with end-of summer produce, but can be adapted out of season by using frozen corn.

  • Steamed Mussels With Thai-Style Coconut-Curry Broth

    20141026-mussels-how-to-food-lab-thai2.jpg
    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Mussels naturally cook quickly, so while they look fancy, they actually make a fantastic 30-minute meal. Their brineness is also versatile, as this recipe, which gives them a coconut curry treatment, proves. Since the central protein requires so little effort, you have time to make a curry paste from scratch—and the flavor is worth every ounce of effort pounding those aromatics in the mortar and pestle.

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  • Yam Khai Dao (Thai Fried Egg Salad) Recipe

    Overhead of yam khai dao on a serving plate.

    Here, fried eggs are combined with fruit-forward, spicy chiles and sharp raw shallots. Then, they’re coated in fresh herbs and a salty-sour-sweet dressing—you’ll love how the richness of the broken egg yolks mixes with the punchy dressing, providing contrast and creaminess. Lacy-edged eggs are non-negotiable for texture.

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