Does pad thai contain peanuts?

Usually yes, as a crushed garnish and sometimes in the sauce. It also often contains egg, fish sauce and dried shrimp.

Is Thai curry safe for a shellfish allergy?

Often not, because many curry pastes contain shrimp paste. Check the paste's label.

Do vegetarian Thai dishes contain fish?

Many do, through fish sauce, unless the kitchen makes a genuine vegetarian version.

Does Thai food contain gluten?

Some dishes do, through soy sauce, oyster sauce and fried items. Rice noodles themselves are gluten-free.

Does Thai food contain milk?

Most savoury Thai dishes use coconut milk rather than dairy milk, but some desserts, drinks such as Thai iced tea, and restaurant versions of curries may contain dairy.

Are rice noodles gluten-free?

Rice noodles are gluten-free, but sauces such as soy and oyster sauce added to noodle dishes often contain wheat.

Is green papaya salad safe for a shellfish allergy?

Usually not, because som tam often contains dried shrimp and shrimp paste. Ask for a version without them, though cross-contact remains a risk.

Does Thai food contain sesame?

Sesame is less central than in Chinese or Japanese food, but some dishes and dipping sauces use it.

Thai Food Allergens: where allergens hide and how to order safely

By the Menulta editorial team · Facts checked 15 October 2026 · Updated 15 October 2026

The short answer

Thai food commonly contains fish (fish sauce in almost every dish), crustaceans (shrimp paste in curry pastes, dried shrimp), peanuts (pad thai, satay, som tam, massaman curry), soy and gluten (soy sauce, oyster sauce), egg (pad thai, fried rice) and molluscs (oyster sauce). Curry pastes are often bought in, so their labels matter.

Allergens in Thai cooking

Thai cooking balances salty, sour, sweet and spicy flavours, and the salty element usually comes from fish sauce (nam pla). That puts fish into most savoury dishes, including vegetable ones. Many red, green and yellow curry pastes contain shrimp paste (kapi), adding crustaceans even to vegetarian-looking curries.

Peanuts are used as a garnish and an ingredient: crushed over pad thai and som tam, ground into satay and massaman.

Common Thai dishes and their usual allergens

Recipes vary between kitchens, so treat this as a guide to where to look, not a substitute for each restaurant's own allergen record.

Typical allergens in common Thai dishes
Dish	Usual allergens	Watch for
Pad thai	Peanuts, egg, fish, crustaceans, soy	Dried shrimp, fish sauce
Green, red curry	Fish, crustaceans	Shrimp paste in curry paste, fish sauce
Massaman curry	Peanuts, fish, crustaceans	Peanuts and curry paste
Som tam (papaya salad)	Peanuts, fish, crustaceans	Dried shrimp, fish sauce
Satay	Peanuts, soy	Peanut sauce
Tom yum	Crustaceans, fish	Prawns, fish sauce, chilli paste
Thai fried rice	Egg, fish, soy, gluten	Soy sauce
Spring rolls	Gluten, soy	Shared fryer

Thai allergen hot spots

Fish sauce and shrimp paste make Thai food difficult for fish and crustacean allergies. Peanuts are garnished last and can scatter across the pass.

Bought-in curry pastes: check each brand for shrimp paste, fish and gluten.
Vegetarian dishes often still use fish sauce unless specifically adapted.
Crushed peanut garnishes near other dishes.
Shared woks for allergy orders.

Saying it in Thai

Allergy cards in Thai are widely used by travellers, but these phrases help:

'Phom / chan phae …' – I am allergic to… (phom for men, chan for women)
thua lisong (peanuts), ahan thale (seafood), kung (shrimp), pla (fish)
nam pla (fish sauce), kapi (shrimp paste), khai (egg), nom (milk)
'Mai sai …' – please don't put in…

Vegetarian Thai food

Thai vegetarian (jay or jeh) food, traditionally associated with the vegetarian festival, avoids meat, fish and fish sauce, and often onion and garlic too. In restaurants abroad, 'vegetarian' Thai dishes may simply replace meat with tofu while keeping fish sauce and shrimp paste. Ask specifically whether the curry paste and seasoning are vegetarian. Soy sauce or a mushroom-based sauce is usually used in genuine vegetarian versions, which adds soy and often gluten.

Coconut and Thai food

Coconut milk is central to Thai curries and desserts. Coconut is not one of the EU's 14 allergens, and most people with tree nut allergies tolerate it, but some guests are allergic to coconut itself. Restaurants should be ready to say which dishes contain coconut when asked.

For the kitchen

Record curry pastes and sauces as components with allergens taken from their labels. Offer genuine vegetarian versions using soy sauce or salt instead of fish sauce, and paste without shrimp, and update allergens accordingly. Keep peanut garnishes away from allergy orders.

Many Thai kitchens prepare curry pastes in-house. If you do, record each paste as a recipe with its own allergens, and make a separate, clearly labelled paste without shrimp for guests with crustacean allergy. Store it separately and use clean utensils.

For guests with allergies

Ask whether the curry paste contains shrimp, whether fish sauce is used, and whether peanuts are added as a garnish. Ask for dishes without peanut garnish if you have a peanut allergy, but also check the sauce and cross-contact risk.

Sources

This guide is general information, not medical or legal advice. Guests with an allergy should follow their doctor's advice. Operators should confirm their own setup with their food safety adviser or local authority.