Can You Freeze Pad Thai?

4 minutes

Ask anyone who has ever been to Thailand to share their fondest memories of the country, and you will almost certainly hear them talk about the delicious food. And pad Thai is a dish that is bursting with spice and flavours and is simply delicious. But what’s the best way to keep it if you have some leftovers?

How to Freeze Pad Thai

Freezing pad Thai is remarkably straightforward. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve made it yourself or ordered it from your favourite oriental takeaway; pad Thai freezes really well.

Here are the steps you need to follow to preserve your pad Thai for months into the future: 

1. Cool
   Perhaps the most important step in the entire freezing process is allowing your pad Thai sufficient time to cool before bagging it up. If you put your pad Thai in the freezer while it’s still warm, you will ruin its texture.
   
   So, leave it sitting out at room temperature for at least an hour until you proceed to the next step. 
2. Portion
   If you’ve made a batch of pad Thai for your family to enjoy, it’s a good idea to split it into portion sizes before freezing it.
   
   If you don’t do this, you will end up having to thaw the pad Thai all in one go instead of the serving sizes that you actually desire, which may lead to wastage. 
3. Add to a Container
   Once you have your individual portions of pad Thai, it’s time to bag them up or place them in a container. You can simply add them to a freezer-safe bag and seal them.
   
   Or, you can use a Tupperware box or something similar. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and it depends on the available space you have in your freezer.
4. Label and Freeze
   The final step is to write today’s date and the use-by date on the front of the container or freezer-safe bag before adding it to the freezer. Remember, you can freeze pad Thai for around three months.

3 Tips for Freezing Pad Thai

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing pad Thai to have the best results:

Consider Portions Carefully
When you’re splitting the pad Thai into individual portions, make sure you split it evenly. You don’t want one portion exclusively with noodles and another with all the meat and veggies!

While it might seem like an obvious thing to say, it’s an important tip to remember if you’ve made a big batch of pad Thai. 

Freeze Both Homemade and Takeaway
Both homemade and takeaway pad Thai freeze really well. If you’re freezing takeaway pad Thai, make sure you get it in the freezer as soon as you can, as you don’t know how long it had been sitting out before you brought it home. 

Freeze Without Excess Sauce
When you’re preparing your pad Thai for the freezer, remove any excess sauce. If you freeze pad Thai that is submerged in sauce, it won’t freeze as well, and the ice crystals that form will affect its consistency. 

How Long Can You Freeze Pad Thai?

You can freeze pad Thai for around three months. You can also preserve your leftover pad Thai in the fridge for around three days after making it.

So, if you plan on using up your leftovers in the next few days, you don’t need to freeze them at all.

Just be mindful of the fact that you should freeze your pad Thai as soon as you can after preparing it, and it’s best not to leave it sitting in the fridge for too long.

You Can Freeze Pad Thai for up to 5 Months

How Do You Defrost Pad Thai?

When you’re ready to reheat and enjoy your frozen pad Thai, it’s best to defrost it first.

The easiest way to do this is to transfer it from the freezer to the fridge the night before, and your pad Thai will be ready to reheat the following day.

You should never thaw pad Thai at room temperature, but you can defrost it and then reheat it in the microwave if you want to speed things up a little. Just make sure you do so on the microwave’s lowest possible heat.

Can You Refreeze Pad Thai?

We don’t recommend freezing pad Thai more than once. This is because the ice crystals that form during the freezing process can affect the consistency of the noodles, and they won’t be as crunchy and delicious as you would hope for.

If you have a particularly large serving of pad Thai that you’re freezing, split it into smaller portion sizes so you can remove whatever you need at any given time.

This will reduce the need for refreezing pad Thai and will save wastage.

Does Pad Thai Freeze Well?

Generally, pad Thai freezes really well. Just make sure you allow it sufficient time to cool before freezing it, and you shouldn’t encounter any issues.

You can then rest assured that your frozen pad Thai will be good for around three months, giving you plenty of time to enjoy your leftovers of this delicious Thai dish.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing pad Thai or noodles in general, then these may help: