This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai is low-carb healthier version of the classic take-out dish! It’s so flavorful, full of veggies and a nice mix of textures! It’s a dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, keto and whole30 friendly option that is going to be a sure hit.
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
This Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai recipe is one everyone is going to love! It has such an amazing combination of flavors and textures. This healthier version of the classic take-out dish is lower carb thanks to the spaghetti squash swap. We included extra veggies here for some added nutrients, but you can feel free to omit or swap with what you have on hand.
This recipe is a breeze to make once you have the spaghetti squash, so if you’re planning to make this for a quick weeknight dinner you can roast the spaghetti squash ahead of time (or try it in the instant pot, instructions below) to have this healthy dinner on the table quick.
Want to make this vegetarian? We used chicken and shrimp in this recipe, but feel free to add in some extra veggies and omit the meat / seafood to make it vegetarian. If you tolerate soy, you can also add in tofu here.
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise.
- Scoop out seeds.
- Brush inside with oil.
- Place facedown on baking sheet and adding water to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until you can pierce with a fork.
- Simply scrape out “spaghetti” with a fork and Enjoy!
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Instant Pot
- Cut 3lb. spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
- Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot.
- Stack the spaghetti squash on top of each other (cut-side up).
- Close the lid and make sure the knob is turned to sealing.
- Set to manual high-pressure for 10 minutes (increase if your squash is larger than 3lb.)
- When the timer goes off, turn the vent on the top of the lid to venting to release the steam.
- Once the venting knob has dropped, open the lid and shred the spaghetti squash with two forks to turn squash into spaghetti-like noodles!
Want more spaghetti squash recipes? Try these hits:
- Spaghetti Squash Enchilada Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
- Spaghetti Squash Primavera
- Spaghetti Squash Italian Casserole Bake
If you like this healthier take-out recipe, check out these others:
- Paleo Mongolian Beef
- Paleo Chicken and Broccoli
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Crock-Pot Asian Beef
- Mini Deep Dish Pizza
- Ultimate Fried Chicken
Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash about 3-4 lbs
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 lb. chicken breasts about 2, diced
- 12 large shrimps cleaned and deveined
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 3 eggs scrambled
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar optional, omit for Whole30 or keto
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- chopped peanuts for garnish
- lime for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Roast spaghetti squash: Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Brush inside with oil. Place facedown on baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until you can pierce with a fork. Simply scrape out “spaghetti” with a fork.
- When the squash is about 15 minutes away from finishing in the oven, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add chicken, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove from pan.
- Add shrimp and sear until cooked through, about 1 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add another splash of oil to the now empty pan and then add garlic, onion, carrots and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add in bean sprouts, 1/2 of the scallions, 3 cups of the cooked spaghetti squash and the cooked chicken and shrimp. Stir to combine and then create a well in the center of your pan and add eggs. Let cook and mix well, so that the eggs are scrambled and incorporated.
- Low the heat and add coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, coconut sugar, red pepper and garlic and stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust spices as needed.
- Serve immediately and add the optional garnishes of lime, remaining scallions, and peanuts.
Ive been meaning to try a pad thai with spaghetti squash… Thanks to you Im going to try it tonight!
This recipe is on my to do list since may 2014!!! I finally did it tonight, and OH MY GOD, amazing flavor. Added sriracha sauce at the end to make it spicy, and my fiancé can get enough of it. Thank you for this recipe!!!!
I am SO happy you guys liked it!!!
Hey Lexi,
I loved the pad Thai! Didn’t need any modifications! Was just curious if you had the nutritional information.
This looks amazing, but isn’t Pad Thai’s main flavor component Tamarind paste (or some substitute peanut butter instead because it’s readily available)? It’s it the peanutty flavor that makes it Pas Thai? Regardless, this looks incredible and I plan to try it.
Hi Erin,
I’ve never ordered pad thai with peanut butter or sauce with peanut butter. I do have a chicken dish with a ‘paleo peanut sauce’ that you could add!
Hi, do you have the nutrition breakdown for this recipe?
I have the same question about the Nutritional Information for this recipe. I am going to try using this link on my own:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Hi! Looks awesome. Do you know the nutritional information for this recipe?
Can’t wait to try this! What can I use instead of seasoned rice vinegar? I have plain rice vinegar and all the recipes I find online say to add sugar and salt to it.
I don’t usually bother with comments but this was absolutely delicious! I tweaked the sauce to suit what I had in my pantry. I used low sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, 1.5 tbs of cider vinegar 1.5 tbs of water, I also added the juice of half a lime and a little bit of honey. I will definitely make this again! The family loved it!
What is the oyster sauce you use?
Just the right sort of flavour hit especially for a weekday! Yum. I’ve got a fabfusionfood challenge on my site that covers recipes just like this xx
I HAVE 1/2 A SQUASH LEFT. I AM TRYING THIS TOMORROW!
YES!
Lexi, this recipe is so brilliant! I was dying to try this but I had no shrimp, chicken, or eggs, so I decided to try boost the veggie-count (more of the veggies listed, plus chopped celery). Also, I used a GF teriyaki sauce (San-J brand) in place of making my own. The dish turned out to be SO delicious, thank you for the inspiration!
I am so glad you liked it Leandra! Veggie Pad Thai sounds good to me! 🙂
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! I hardly made any modifications, other than adding red peppers (I just love them!) and replacing the oyster sauce with a vegetarian oyster sauce. The sauce was to die for! Thank you the recipe. My fiancé asked me to add it to the rotation so it was definitely a hit in our home. Keep on posting! You’re the best!
I’m so happy you and your fiancé loved the dish!
Lexi, this is genius! I just posted a new spaghetti squash recipe on my site and talked about how I always forget about this superstar ingredient because I eat it the same way over and over – with tomato sauce and meatballs. I never thought about making a pad thai with it! This is definitely going onto my must-make list. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Just curious what coconut aminos could be substituted with?
Any type of soy sauce!
Hi Lexi, did you happen to list how many servings this is? Thanks!
Hi Shawna,
It serves 3-4 nicely!
🙂
After the spaghetti squash is cooked how much, in weight should I use? The size of the squash in my area differ greatly.
Great question Danielle, I just added that as others may be wondering the same. About 3 cups! If yours is more, you can use it all but you may want to adjust/add additional sauce at the end.
Hey Lexi-
What would be a good substitute for Oyster Sauce? Could I use Fish sauce? any recommendations?
Thanks!
Paige
Hey Paige! Fish sauce would be delicious, or any type of clean teriyaki sauce (if you have one you like) would work too!
This needs way more sauce. I doubled the sauce and then added more vinegar and aminos and garlic because it was bland. It also needs cilantro.