Vegetarian Stir Fry Recipe
Turn whatever vegetables you have in your fridge into a healthy and colorful Veggie Stir Fry with an easy sweet-savory sauce in less than 30 minutes.
A Fabulous Meal Starts With This Veggie Stir Fry Recipe
Even though I went to a culinary school that primarily focused on classic French techniques and dishes, a few of the chef instructors were not afraid to break out the wok.
So, along with eggs Benedict, we also learned how to make breakfast fried rice. And along with braised short ribs, we learned how to make an excellent veggie stir fry.
Knowing how to properly stir fry vegetables is all about understanding the balance of heat, timing and ingredients. By learning the recipe below, you’re not just making dinner, you’re mastering a fundamental skill for any home chef.
Why You’ll Love Stir Fry Vegetables
- Stir-frying is one of the quickest cooking methods, so you can definitely have a meal on the table in under 30 minutes!
- The possibilities are endless. Mix and match vegetables based on what you have around.
- Stir-fry is a dish that everyone loves, so it’s a great option for family dinners or entertaining guests.
Veggie Stir Fry ingredients
- broccoli – a nice hearty “base” vegetable for any stir-fry.
- yellow onion – adds sweetness and depth of flavor as it caramelizes in the dish.
- bell pepper – any color works, but I like red bell peppers for their sweetness.
- carrots – the firm texture stands up well during stir-frying.
- snow pea pods – adds a fresh, crisp texture to this vegetarian stir fry recipe. Sugar snap peas are also great here.
- green onions – add more mild onion flavor and a hint of freshness since they aren’t cooked as long as the other veggies.
- vegetable broth – the liquid base for the sauce.
- soy sauce – adds big umami flavor to the sauce. Low sodium soy sauce is fine if you are watching your salt intake.
- honey – adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce to balance the salty soy sauce. Brown sugar can be substituted in a pinch.
- sesame oil – adds a rich, nutty taste.
- cornstarch – thickens the sauce.
- garlic – enhances the depth of flavor of the sauce.
- ginger – adds a warm, spicy note to this veggie stir fry recipe.
- chili garlic sauce – an optional addition to add heat to the sauce.
How to Stir Fry Vegetables
1. SAUCE. In a small bowl, stir together the broth, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chili garlic sauce, if using.
2. COOK. Heat a wok or large skillet and add a bit of oil. Add the broccoli, yellow onion, carrot and bell pepper and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pea pods and cook for 1 minute.
4. ADD. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, cooking until the sauce is thickened and coating the vegetables.
5. GREEN ONION. Stir in the green onion.
6. FINISH. Remove the pan from heat and garnish with sesame seeds and more green onion. Serve hot, with steamed rice.
Home Chef Tips
- High heat is key. Don’t be afraid to really crank the heat up under your wok.
- The fresher your vegetables, the better your stir fry will taste.
Vegetarian Stir Fry Recipe Variations
- DIFFERENT VEGETABLES – Other vegetables that are great to use for stir fry include zucchini, baby corn, asparagus, eggplant, celery, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
- PROTEIN BOOST – Add cubed tofu or tempeh for extra nutrition.
- SWITCH UP THE SAUCE – Experiment with different sauces (either bottled or homemade) like sweet and sour or spicy peanut sauce.
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How to Serve Veggie Stir Fry
Stir fry vegetables can be served many ways, including.
- As a main dish with a side of white rice, cauliflower rice, or brown rice.
- As a vegetable side dish paired with orange chicken or Korean meatballs.
- Tossed with noodles like ramen or lo mein.
Storing Vegetarian Stir Fry
If you have leftovers of this stir fry vegetables recipe, transfer them to a storage container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Stir Fry Vegetarian Recipe FAQs
The secret to perfect stir-fried vegetables is high heat and quick cooking. This is what helps seal in the vegetables’ natural flavors and nutrients while keeping them tender-crisp.
Start with the vegetables that take the longest to cook, such as broccoli, carrot and onions. Once these are softened, add the quicker-cooking vegetables like snow peas and mushrooms. This ensures that all the vegetables finish cooking at the same time.
Flavor is added to stir fry with aromatics like garlic and ginger, flavorful sauces, and finishing touches like sesame seeds.
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Stir Fry Vegetables Recipe
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (optional)
For the Stir Fry Vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 small carrots sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 large red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup snow pea pods
- 3 green onions sliced
For Serving:
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 2 green onions sliced
- Cooked white rice (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In small bowl, stir together garlic, broth, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, ginger, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce.
- Make the Stir Fry Vegetables: Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, then add carrots, bell pepper, onion and broccoli. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until tender-crisp (closer to 3 for crisper veggies, and closer to 5 for softer veggies), stirring occasionally.
- Add pea pods and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Pour sauce over vegetables. Heat to boiling and cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens and coats the vegetables.
- Remove from heat and stir in green onion.
- Serve garnished with sesame seeds and additional green onions, with rice, if desired.
It’s the “salty” kind 🙂 I just buy the regular Kikkoman kind (here in the U.S.)
I’m not good at cooking. When u say soy sauce, is it the salty or the sweet kind?
Such a beautiful combination of mouthwatering ingredients. Love the simplicity in this dish and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing…
-Shannon
Thanks for stopping by, Shannon!
I love those noodles in stir fry and sauteed tomato dishes. They don’t bake well and I wouldn’t try to fool an Italian, but this recipe looks delicious! My trick to working with them is to dump them in a strainer, add a sprinkle of Kosher salt and let drain for at least 1 hour. They soak up flavour better that way and don’t smell at all
Oh, that’s such a great tip, Sarah. Kind of treat them like eggplant, to get all the funkiness out 🙂
Ohmigoodness, this is so perfect and pretty! Won’t stop me from digging in like an animal, though.
Haha, don’t worry – I don’t judge 😉
Beautiful colors. I want a bowl right now! I’m very interested to try the tofu noodles. Also I wish my husband would do the dishes…
Hehehe, I guess I lucked out, Lane!
I’ve seen those noodles at Whole Foods and have been intrigued, but not enough to purchase them. How is the texture? Noodley?
I don’t make enough stir-fry dishes…need to change this because dinner would be on the table much quicker.
So, the texture is sort of akin to slightly overcooked noodles (because I generally like my noodles on the al dente side). But, I wouldn’t say they are mushy or anything – they definitely have a noodley texture!