Savory, spicy ground meat is stir-fried with fragrant holy basil and served over rice with a crispy fried egg. This easy pad kra pao recipe is ready in just 15 minutes. It's a fast, satisfying meal with bold Thai-style flavors in every bite.
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Pad kra pao (also pad ka prao or pad gaprao) is a popular Thai stir-fry made with meat, chilies, garlic, and holy basil; pad means "stir-fry" and kra pao means "holy basil." It's commonly served at Thai street food stalls and restaurants, often over rice with a fried egg.
I still remember my first time trying it at a downtown Thai restaurant. The minced meat was so aromatic and flavorful but a bit too oily for my preference, so I wanted to recreate those savory restaurant-style flavors at home with less grease.
When testing this recipe, I found that extra-lean ground meat works best because it browns nicely without leaving excess grease in the pan.
Why It Works
- Better browning: Evaporating the meat's released liquid lets it brown instead of simmering, creating better flavor and texture.
- Briefly cooked aromatics: A short stir-fry releases the garlic, shallot, and chili flavors without giving the garlic time to burn.
- Last-minute holy basil: Minimal cooking preserves the basil's fresh aroma instead of dulling it with prolonged heat.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Exact ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Extra-Lean Ground Chicken: Ground pork or beef also work. If using a fattier meat, blot excess grease from the pan before adding the sauce.
- Holy Basil: This is the traditional basil for pad kra pao. Thai basil works well too, or use Italian basil if that's what you can find.
- Shallot: Yellow or white onion works too.
- Red Chilies: Use large red chilies for moderate heat or bird's eye chilies for a much spicier dish. For no heat, use ¼ cup finely diced red bell pepper instead.
- Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic works best here, but jarred minced garlic also works.
- Chicken Stock: Use low-sodium or unsalted stock to better control the saltiness of the sauce.
- Vegetable Oil: Use a neutral, high-smoke-point oil for stir-frying. Canola or refined avocado oil works too.
Pad Kra Pao Sauce
- Oyster Sauce: Vegetarian stir-fry sauce also works.
- Fish Sauce: Soy sauce works in a pinch, but the flavor will be different.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Light soy sauce also works. Use low-sodium soy sauce for a less salty sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Use Chinese dark soy sauce, which is darker and less salty than regular soy sauce. Mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce also works.
- White Granulated Sugar: Granulated cane sugar works too.
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or online.
Expert Tips
- Prep everything before cooking: Have all ingredients ready because this stir-fry cooks very quickly.
- Remove the chili seeds: Deseed the chilies before chopping to prevent loose seeds throughout the stir-fry.
- Use a carbon-steel wok if possible: It handles high heat well and can give the dish smoky wok hei.
- Keep the aromatics moving: Stir constantly over medium-high heat to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Maintain medium-high heat: Keep the pan hot so the meat browns properly.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make pad kra pao:
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Fry the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or carbon-steel wok over medium-high heat. Once hot, stir-fry the shallot, garlic, and chilies for 30 seconds until fragrant and slightly softened.
- Brown the meat: Add the ground meat and break it into small pieces. Cook until the meat is cooked through, the released liquid has completely evaporated, and the meat is slightly browned.
- Add the sauce and stock: Add the sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and stir-fry for another 30 seconds until most of it has been absorbed into the meat.
- Add the basil: Add the holy basil and stir-fry for about 15 seconds until slightly softened. Transfer to a large serving plate and cover to keep warm.
- Serve with rice and egg: Fry the eggs in a lightly oiled pan until the edges are crispy and the yolks reach your desired doneness. Serve the pad kra pao with steamed white rice and one fried egg per serving. Enjoy immediately.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftover pad kra pao in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the pad kra pao without the fried egg in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: Microwave until hot or reheat in a pan over medium heat until heated through, adding a splash of water if needed. Serve with a freshly fried egg.
Variations
- Add vegetables: Add 1 cup chopped green beans after the meat has browned and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until tender-crisp before adding the sauce.
- Gluten-free version: Replace the regular soy sauce with tamari or gluten-free soy sauce and use gluten-free dark soy sauce. Make sure the oyster sauce and fish sauce are also certified gluten-free.
Pairing Suggestions
Serve pad kra pao with:
- Steamed Jasmine Rice: Soaks up the savory sauce.
- Garlic Green Beans: Adds fresh crunch to the meal.
- Fresh Spring Rolls: Adds a light, refreshing contrast.
More Like This
Check out my other Thai recipes:
📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Pad Kra Pao
Savory, spicy ground meat is stir-fried with fragrant holy basil and served over rice with a crispy fried egg. This easy pad kra pao recipe is ready in just 15 minutes. It's a fast, satisfying meal with bold Thai-style flavors in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground chicken or ground pork / beef
- 1 cup Holy basil stems removed
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 2 large red chili de-seed & finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup chicken stock low-sodium
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 2 large eggs for serving
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice for serving
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or carbon-steel wok over medium-high heat. Once hot, stir-fry the shallot, garlic, and chilies for 30 seconds until fragrant and slightly softened.
- Add the ground meat and break it into small pieces. Cook until the meat is cooked through, the released liquid has completely evaporated, and the meat is slightly browned.
- Add the sauce and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and stir-fry for another 30 seconds until most of it has been absorbed into the meat.
- Add the holy basil and stir-fry for about 15 seconds until slightly softened. Transfer to a large serving plate and cover to keep warm.
- Fry the eggs in a lightly oiled pan until the edges are crispy and the yolks reach your desired doneness. Serve the pad kra pao with steamed white rice and one fried egg per serving. Enjoy immediately.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
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Nutrition
Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 360mg | Sodium: 1303mg | Potassium: 1620mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1311IU | Vitamin C: 70mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 4mg
Melissa
This was such a delicious meal! I used chicken chopped up finely, and I served it with sautéed cabbage, which I used the same pan that I cooked the meat and aromatics in. Oh and I left out any spicy peppers and didn’t have sweet peppers to add, but it still had amazing flavor! Thanks for sharing!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving a positive review, Melissa! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Donna
Simple and delicious recipe! I used rock sugar instead of white sugar and added the juice of half a lime to my sauce. I also added red bell peppers which I added my wok about 2 minutes before I added the ground meat. Will definitely make this recipe again. Thanks!!
Christie Lai
Thrilled to read that this worked out well for you and thank you for making my recipe, Donna! I loved that you used rock sugar and added some lime juice and red peppers. I hope you continue to enjoy it in the future 🙂
Erin Fleischman
Easy to make and delicious! Added snap peas from my garden right before adding the sauce and it was delicious!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Erin! So pleased to hear that you enjoyed it and found it delicious with the garden snap peas!
Caitlin Takata
Easy to make and came out delicious! I didn’t include the chilis because my daughter doesn’t like spicy but still came out with so much flavor! Made it twice in one week!
Christie Lai
Thank you for making my recipe twice in one week! Glad you and your daughter enjoyed it 🙂
Allison
How many chili peppers would I use to keep this mild for my kids? My kids think mild enchilada sauce from the store is spicy. I want it to taste authentic but don't want to waste my money and time if they won't be able to eat it. Thanks!
Christie Lai
I would recommend either omitting the red chili so it's not spicy at all or using 1 de-seeded large chili and avoid the small Thai bird's eye chili as they're very spicy. I don't recommend using mild enchilada sauce from the store as the flavors from the sauce will conflict. Hope this helps!
Jd
Will cook pad kra pao
Maria
This was so easy, delicious and satisfying! Thank you!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making it, Maria! Glad you enjoyed it!
Dan
Great stuff. Just needs more heat, adding thai peppers would be great but this has incredible taste. Thanks!
Kelly
This was delicious and so easy to make. I omitted the peppers in case it was going to be too spicy - but used siracha when eating. I bulked it up by adding sugar snap peas (blanched for 2 mins) with diced red peppers, and added lime juice using 1 lime. Will be adding this to my rotation.
Christie Lai
Thank you for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review, Kelly! Glad you enjoyed with the additions 🙂 Have a great day!