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Make delicious one-pan stir-fry vegetables with a moreish sweet and savory stir-fry sauce in just 20 minutes. A healthy, nutritious, versatile meal perfect for busy weeknights!
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Quick and Easy Stir Fry Vegetables
Stir-fries are an ideal low-fuss, high-nutrient, delicious, and super-satisfying family dinner. When smothered in a simple yet delicious, sweet and savory vegetable stir-fry sauce, these vibrant stir-fry vegetables become the perfect dish to encourage the entire family to eat more veggies.
Plus, there are practically endless possibilities for making a vegetable stir-fry bursting with flavor, texture, and nutrients. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand (it’s great for clearing out the fridge at the end of the week) and tweak the sauce flavor profiles to your liking.
Best of all, making stir-fried mixed vegetables at home is far healthier (and cheaper) than buying takeout, MSG-free (if that’s something you avoid). It’s also 100% gluten and dairy-free, and it’s even possible to meal prep, store, and reheat this vegetable stir fry well to enjoy over several days with fluffy rice, quinoa, or noodles.
Looking for more simple vegan stir-fry recipes? Check out spicy sesame tofu stir-fry, shiitake asparagus tofu stir-fry, veggie brown rice stir-fry, or udon edamame stir-fry.
The Ingredients
The Stir-Fry Vegetables
- Oil: You’ll need a combination of high-heat cooking oil plus a little toasted sesame oil for extra flavor.
- Aromatics: Ginger and garlic make a flavorful base for the veggie stir-fry recipe.
- Vegetables: We love combining textures and colors for a satisfying, healthy vegetable stir-fry. This time we’ve used:
- Broccoli (fresh or frozen florets)
- Bell pepper
- Mushrooms (button, brown, cremini, shiitake, etc.- any will work)
- Sugar snap peas
- Baby corn (optional)
- Water chestnuts: (optional) These add a tender crunch and can be found canned in the international section of most major grocery stores.
- To garnish: Green onions and sesame seeds (raw or toasted) are a flavorful garnish, perfect for adding more flavor to stir-fried vegetables.
The Vegan Stir Fry Sauce
- Sesame oil: This oil is super fragrant with a toasty, nutty flavor that adds heaps of depth to the stir-fried vegetables.
- Soy sauce: A combination of dark and light soy sauce provides the best flavor without becoming overly salty. However, use all light/reduced-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari/coconut aminos if preferred.
- Sweetener: Use agave, maple syrup, or brown sugar (or a sugar alternative) to balance the salty flavor for a delicious sweet and savory vegetable stir-fry sauce.
- Vegetable bouillon/stock: You can use vegetable bouillon combined with hot water or vegetable stock. Use a reduced sodium version if preferred.
- Cornstarch: Combine cornstarch and a little water to make a slurry to thicken the simple stir-fry sauce. Arrowroot flour would also work.
- Red pepper flakes: To add heat, to taste. Alternatively, add hot sauce.
What Else Could I Add to a Healthy Vegetable Stir-Fry?
- Protein: There are several options, including extra-firm tofu, tempeh, or even seitan, which will help create a heartier, well-balanced meal.
- Noodles: Use regular stir-fry noodles (but not egg noodles), rice noodles, brown rice noodles, etc. Cook them according to their package instructions.
- Pineapple juice: Replace some bouillon/broth with pineapple juice for natural sweetness and a slightly tropical flavor.
- Beans: Kidney beans, white beans, or chickpeas will add fiber and protein to create a heartier vegetable stir-fry.
- Nuts: We’ve always loved the soft crunch of cashews in stir fry veggies, though peanuts taste great, too.
- Lemon/lime wedges: To serve with the stir fry veggies for bright flavor.
The Other Best Vegetables For Stir-Fry:
- Bok choy
- Mini corn
- Cabbage
- Bean sprouts
- Edamame
- Zucchini
- Onion
- Asparagus
How to Stir-Fry Vegetables?
Only a few steps are needed to pull together a nutritious and delicious vegetable stir-fry.
- 1) First, rinse, dry, and chop all the vegetables, including chopping the broccoli florets and slicing the bell pepper, carrot, and mushrooms. Also, peel and mince the ginger and garlic.
- 2) Then, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water into a lump-free slurry and prepare the vegetable bouillon to mix into the cornstarch mixture along with the remaining stir-fry sauce ingredients.
- 3) Next, heat a large skillet/wok with oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant but not browned.
- 4) Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots, and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Then stir in the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes until they release their excess liquid.
- 5) Then stir in the sugar snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, and sesame oil, and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes before pouring in the stir-fry sauce, stirring well.
The cornstarch may have sunk to the bottom of the bowl, so make sure to scoop everything from the bottom of the bowl.
- Cook for just a few minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the stir-fry veggies. Add extra water or vegetable broth if it becomes too dry.
- Finally, remove the stir-fried vegetables from the heat and serve them sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
FAQs
There are a couple of ways you can meal prep this vegetable stir-fry, including chopping all the vegetables 1-2 days in advance, preparing the stir-fry sauce 2-3 days in advance, or even cooking the entire stir-fry to about 75% done so you can reheat it throughout the week without overcooking the vegetables.
Always cook the hardest/long-cooking vegetables first, like broccoli, carrot, and onion. Then add the vegetables incrementally based on how long they take to cook, with softer options like bell peppers coming next, ending with leafy greens in the last 30-60 seconds.
Absolutely, though the cooking times and textures will vary slightly. Generally, the vegetables will become softer, and the sauce may be thinner due to extra moisture in the vegetables.
Stir-frying is a fast cooking method that will allow you to make the most of the flavor and texture of vegetables while retaining more nutrients than longer cooking methods. Combined with a carb and protein, these easy stir-fried vegetables create a nutrient-dense, well-balanced meal.
Top Tips for the Best Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Prepare the ingredients first: Making a vegetable stir fry is an incredibly quick process, so make sure all the ingredients are prepared before heating the pan.
- Slice the veggies evenly: This ensures they cook evenly.
- Cook the vegetables incrementally: The aim is to have equally tender-crisp (or more tender if preferred) vegetables. However, as they cook at different rates, you’ll need to add them to the pan incrementally so none end up overcooked.
- Experiment with veggies: This veggie stir-fry recipe is as simple as combining the vegan stir-fry sauce with whatever vegetables you like.
- Time-saving hack: Combine just a couple of prepared veggies with a pre-prepared stir-fry vegetable mix to reduce prep time.
- Use a large skillet/wok: A wok is best, as it has a large surface area that retains heat well, but a hot skillet works, too. It’s best not to overcrowd the veggies too much; otherwise, they steam-cook rather than stir-fry.
How to Serve Stir-Fry Vegetables?
- Grains: Serve the healthy vegetable stir-fry over a bed of rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice (stir-fried), or quinoa.
- Noodles: You can either make a vegetable noodle stir-fry by mixing the noodles into the pan before adding the sauce OR serve the veggie stir-fry with noodles as a side. A low-carb version, like zucchini noodles, will also taste great.
- Protein: Like crispy or marinated tofu or tempeh.
- Appetizers: Turn these stir-fry veggies into more of a takeout-inspired feast with vegetable spring rolls (crispy or fresh), dumplings/wontons, crispy seaweed, etc.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Allow the stir-fried vegetables to cool, and store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze: This veggie stir-fry will freeze for up to a month, though the veggies become very soft upon thawing. Leave it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Reheat: Use either a microwave or the stovetop to reheat the vegetable stir-fry until warmed through.
More Vegan Asian Dinner Recipes
- Moo Shu vegetables
- Easy vegetable fried brown rice
- Spicy sugar snap peas with horseradish
- Garlic sesame soba noodles
- Veggie chow mein
- Maple soy stir-fried eggplant
- Pancit Bihon (Filipino rice noodles)
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Stir-Fry Vegetables
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons of corn starch
- 2 tablespoons of cold water
- 2 vegetable boullion cubes
- 1 cup of hot water
- ¼ cup of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of sugar or agave
- 2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (or olive)
- Red pepper flakes to taste
Stir Fry Veggies
- 1 tablespoon of high heat oil
- 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 1 green or red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 1 (8-ounce) package of sugar snap peas
- 1 cup of baby corn (optional)
- 1 can of water chestnuts, drained and rinsed (optional)
- 1 bundle of green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Rice or noodles (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water. Dissolve the boullion cubes in the hot water and add it to the bowl with the cornstarch mixture. Then add remaining ingredients and whisk until fully mixed and set aside.
- Add the oil to a large pan or wok and heat over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant, but not browning.
- Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes stearing regularly to prevent burning.
- Then add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes until they begin to release their juices.
- Add the sesame oil, snap peas, baby corn, and water chestnuts. Mix all the veggies and salte for 3-5 minutes. Then add the stir fry sauce. Mix well to coat all of the veggies with the sauce.
- Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry.
- Turn off the heat, add the green onions, mix, and optionally serve hot over rice or noddles of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Prepare the ingredients first: Making a vegetable stir fry is an incredibly quick process, so make sure all the ingredients are prepared before heating the pan.
- Slice the veggies evenly: This ensures they cook evenly.
- Cook the vegetables incrementally: The aim is to have equally tender-crisp (or more tender if preferred) vegetables. However, as they cook at different rates, you’ll need to add them to the pan incrementally so none end up overcooked.
- Experiment with veggies: This veggie stir-fry recipe is as simple as combining the vegan stir-fry sauce with whatever vegetables you like.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
every week I chop up a pile of veggies and spread out on sheet pans, grouping together veggies that will cook at about the same rate, I put them in the oven at 500 degrees farenheit and pull them out when they are just crisp-tender. Also a big pot of rice in my instant pot. The sauce I make up in a saucepan and store in the fridge in a mason jar. Then through the week a few minutes is all I need to make some stir fried veggies and fried rice. Saves me lots of time.
Gotta love stir fried veggies! Definitely a time saver!
Love the assortment of veggies!
Yum! Served over white rice and the family loved it!
I really love how easy this stir fry is to make! Perfect for busy nights!