Stir-Fried Thai Basil Vegan Beef (Pad Krapow)

This stir-fried vegan Thai basil beef recipe is packed with flavor and some heat, perfect for a low-effort mid-week meal. The entire dish uses just one pan and around 20 minutes and can be served alongside noodles or rice. Plus, this recipe is meat-free, high-protein, low-fat, and can be made 100% vegan and gluten-free!

I am all about the low-effort, high nutrition dishes at the moment. Going through a house move is no joke! Luckily, I have tons of fallback recipes for times just like this – quick and flavorful stir-fries being a great option for anyone low on time. Plus, the recipe only uses ONE pan too – meaning less time washing up! (Or loading the dishwasher – because that’s a bore too!)

I’m loving Thai flavors at the moment so this Thai basil recipe combines the flavorful herb with peppers and chili for a dish that packs heat and a lot of flavors! It’s actually based off of dishes called phat Kaphrao (or Pad krapow/Pad gra prow) – Pad translates to ‘stir-fried’ and Krapow is the Thai basil (traditionally holy basil, but I’m using plain ‘Thai basil’ here). It’s then given different titles depending on what protein you use. For this, I’ve used vegan soya mince for a high-protein, low-fat, meat-free option.

If you’re not keen on spice (or really keen), then feel free to adjust the amounts of certain ingredients and you’re good to go. If you want to add extra veggies, go for it. Want to make this dish fully vegan – either use a vegan fish sauce alternative or remove it entirely. You can even swap out the soya mince for crumbled tofu. Really there are tons of ways to adjust any simple stir-fry dish to your liking.

While this Thai beef dish is traditionally served alongside rice and sometimes even a fried egg, I’ve kept this dish simple, with just a few of my favorite vegetable additions. Check out my recipe notes section below for suggestions on ingredient alternatives/ additions.

Ingredients

Some ingredient Notes

• Vegetable stock – I use homemade
• Soy Sauce – Use tamari for gluten-free
• Fish Sauce – There are vegan store-bought options available. Alternatively, you can make a quick homemade alternative by blending a little light soy sauce with a sheet of nori.
• Soy Mince – You can use it from dry and rehydrate or use your favorite brand of similar vegan ‘mince’ (the cooking times will vary depending on what you use).
• Chili flakes – I use homemade.
• Brown sugar – Feel free to use an unrefined sugar in place of the brown sugar or even a sugar-free option like erythritol. Just note that the flavor will be affected and different sweeteners will be less sweet/much sweeter so start with a pinch and increase as needed.

Step By Step Instructions

First, chop the vegetables. I like to thinly slice the bell peppers and onion, slice the beans in half, then finely chop the chili and garlic.

Start by lightly sauteing the onion, garlic, and grated ginger over high heat with a little oil for a couple of minutes, until softened.

Add the soy mince and chili flakes, stir well and cook over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes.

Next, add the chopped vegetables and cook until softened – usually 5-7 minutes. Then add the remainder of the ingredients, stir and cook for a further minute or so.

Taste it and adjust the seasonings if necessary – add more spice, sweetener, saltiness, etc.

Serve with coconut or jasmine rice and optionally some lime juice.

How To Store

Keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, simply use a microwave or the stove-top and make sure it’s piping hot.

You can freeze cooked soya mince, though it isn’t something I do regularly.

Recipe Notes & Variations

• Feel free to swap out the vegan mince depending on what you feel like. This dish works really well with soy protein, tofu, pulled peas, chicken-style pieces, etc.
• You can mix up/add tons of different veggies to this dish depending on what’s in season (and in your fridge). Some more traditional options include baby corn, carrot, mushrooms, asparagus, kale, bamboo shoots, etc.
• Finding Thai ingredients like the Thai basil leaves and Thai chilies (also called birds eye chilies) shouldn’t be too hard depending on where you live – many supermarkets now stock them. Alternatively, you can try Asian supermarkets. If you’re unable to find them, then the flavor will vary but you can use general basil and serrano peppers in place of the chili. Just be aware you’ll need more serrano to get the same level of heat.
• For extra heat, you can use a little chili oil or add extra chili flakes.

Related Recipes

For other Thai vegan or plant-based dishes and similar recipes check the options below.

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• Creamy Tom Yum Soup (Thai Hot and Sour Soup)
• Creamy Vegan Thai Green Curry
• Easy Thai Red Curry (Vegetarian/Vegan Options)
• Thai Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam Thai)
• Healthy Thai Noodle Salad (In A Jar)
• Thai Inspired Vegan Green Pea Soup
• Fluffy Perfect Jasmine Rice (Stove-top method)
• Easy Coconut Rice Recipe
• Simple Healthy Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles
• Easy Egg Fried Rice (with Vegetables | Multiple Variations)
• and for dessert Thai Coconut Sweet Sticky Rice

Let me know in the comments what other Thai dishes you’d love to see made meat-free or veganized!

If you give this Vegan Thai basil beef (Pad Krapow) recipe a try, then let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.