Pad Thai is traditionally made with flat rice noodles, often called “rice stick” noodles, about ¼‑inch wide.

Quick Scoop: What Noodles Are in Pad Thai?

  • The classic choice is dried flat rice noodles made specifically for stir‑frying.
  • Packages are often labeled “pad thai rice stick” or “thin/medium flat rice noodles.”
  • In authentic Thai recipes, wheat noodles (like lo mein or ramen) are not traditional for Pad Thai.
  • Fresh flat rice noodles can also be used if you can find them, but dried are more common outside Thailand.

Can You Substitute Other Noodles?

Some home cooks swap in pasta like fettuccine when they can’t find rice noodles, and it works in a pinch, but the texture and flavor are less authentic. If you want that classic chewy, slightly slippery Pad Thai bite, flat rice noodles are the way to go.

Forum‑Style Take

“If it’s not flat rice stick, it’s basically ‘Pad Thai‑inspired’—tasty, sure, but not the real deal.”

So if you’re shopping or ordering and wondering what noodles are in Pad Thai , look for flat rice stick noodles as the default answer.

TL;DR: Pad Thai is made with flat rice stick noodles (thin or medium width), usually dried, not wheat or egg noodles.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.