This healthy vegetable stir-fry is a perfect speedy recipe for when you need to clean up the veggies in your fridge! Use any veggies you already have on hand and pair them with the simple savory and sweet Chinese stir-fry sauce for a delicious simple meal. Perfect quick recipe for weeknight dinners and naturally vegan, vegetarian and plant-based.
This vegetable stir fry has saved dinner more than I can count! We easily make it once a month, even more often, whenever I don't know and don't really want to cook much.
It definitely is one of the easiest and quickest recipes I make, plus it transforms my old veggies into a delicious meal before they turn bad.
And who doesn’t like a yummy veggie stir fry? Chow mein, garlic noodles, bok choy tofu stir-fry and this veggie-loaded classic stir-fry all are in a regular rotation in our house. We are obsessed with stir fries!
I have learned that including a sweet and savory sauce in my meals is a great way to have my kids eat more veggies too.
What's so great about this recipe is that you can really use any veggies you want! The sauce comes together so quickly using straightforward ingredients and will be ready by the time the veggies are done cooking. This recipe is done in under 20 minutes, making it such an amazing plant-based weeknight dinner!
Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️
What's to love about this recipe
- Easy, quick and ultra simple.
- Rich and silky stir fry flavorful sauce.
- Versatile: use any veggies you want!
- Healthy and loaded with good-for-you and high-fiber veggies.
- Makes for great leftovers.
- Great way to re-purpose older veggies.
- Kid-friendly and the perfect meatless dinner for the whole family.
- Amazing dinner for busy weeknights.
- Naturally vegan, dairy-free and vegetarian.
Ingredients you'll need
- Vegetables of your choice: I used onion, red peppers, broccoli, carrots and napa cabbage, but use your favorite ones! Check out below for more ideas.
- To serve: rice or noodles, such as soba, vermicelli or udon.
- Sesame seeds for serving, optional.
For the BEST stir fry sauce
- Soy sauce: makes for the base of the sauce. Choose low-sodium if you prefer.
- Rice vinegar: adds a nice tangy taste to the stir fry. Can be swapped for lime juice.
- Maple syrup: I love maple syrup for stir-fry sauces for its mild caramel-ish flavor, but agave nectar works too. I haven't tried, but brown sugar should work as well.
- Fresh ginger root: do not substitute for powdered ginger!
- Garlic: adds so much flavor, also do not swap for garlic powder. I used only 1 clove, but feel free to use more for an extra garlicky sauce.
- Cornstarch: helps thicken the sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil: optional, to cook the veggies but also add a nice nutty taste.
How to make this vegetable stir fry recipe
Whisk the simple sauce
I recommend you whisk the sauce first so it is ready to go whenever the veggies are done cooking. This can avoid over-cooking the veggies.
In a small bowl, combine the water with the cornstarch. Whisk well until there are no clumps anymore. Then, add the rest of the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and ginger) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Cook the veggies
Start by preparing all your veggies: peel, clean and chop in bite-size. You want to have everything ready to go!
Then, warm up a large wok (or large skillet) on medium-high heat and heat up a little bit of sesame oil (optional).
Add your sturdy veggies first and cook for a few minutes while stirring often. Then, add the tender veggies and keep stir frying until they are mostly done, but still crunchy.
Combine and serve
Pour the sauce mixture over the veggies while stirring and keep cooking until thickened or about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve over rice or noodles. Sprinkle your healthy vegan stir fry with green onions and sesame seeds.
Cooking tips
- If you don't use ginger on a regular basis, then I recommend you get a large root of fresh ginger, then peel it with a small spoon by scraping on it, pack it in a small container and keep it in the freezer. Then, when you want to use fresh ginger, simply grate it with a zester straight into the sauce - no need to thaw it first.
- Chop all the veggies about the same size. Also, prepare them all before starting to cook, you don't want to burn or overcook anything while preparing the next veggie to go in. Once you start cooking, it will go fast!
- You will have to add the veggies to the pan depending on how quickly they cook. For example, carrots, onions and peppers should go first, then goes the broccoli and cabbage.
- Be sure not to overcook your veggies! This meal is best when they are still crunchy.
Best vegetables for stir-fry
Most vegetables will work great for this recipe, but my favorite vegetables are sweet or yellow onion + carrot + broccoli florets + bell pepper + napa cabbage. Look for a blend of colorful veggies
Other good choices of fresh vegetables include:
- Cauliflower
- Green beans, snap peas or snow peas
- Mushrooms
- Baby corn
- Green cabbage or bok choy
- Water chestnuts
- Leafy greens, such as spinach or kale
- Bean sprouts
- Bamboo shoots
Fresh or Frozen?
Frozen veggies work great too! Just keep a bag of broccoli or mixed vegetables in your freezer and you can make this meal any time. Simply add the veggies still frozen to the pan and cook as you would with fresh veggies. They will cook quicker than when using fresh, so be ready with the sauce so you don't end up overcooking them.
I also find that frozen veggies turn softer after cooked, which is fine but just know that you probably won't have as much of a crunch as when using fresh veggies. Let them cook just until thawed and then add the sauce, so you don't end up with soggy veggies!
How to boost the protein content of this healthy vegetable stir-fry?
- Roasted tofu or tempeh (try combining them to this coconut-crusted tofu!)
- Canned chickpeas.
- Frozen shelled edamame.
- Nuts, like peanuts or cashews. You can roast them first, then add over the stir fry for best texture.
How to serve this stir-fry?
You can serve this simple vegetable stir fry in a few different ways, it is so versatile! But here are a few ideas:
- Asian-style noodles, such as rice noodles, udon, ramen or soba.
- Brown rice is a favorite for us, but white rice or cauliflower rice work too.
- Other whole grains like quinoa, farro or barley.
- Zucchini noodles ("zoodles").
Also, these stir-fried vegetables go well with homemade vegan egg rolls!
Storage tips
This recipe makes for great leftovers! Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can batch-prepare a few lunches to bring to work, simply reheat using the microwave.
Other Asian recipes you might like
- Sesame soy dressing
- Spicy garlic noodles
- Teriyaki Cauliflower
- Sticky tofu
- Orange cauliflower
- Sweet and sour tofu
- Broccoli curry ramen
- Teriyaki udon noodles
- Hoisin tofu
- Sticky tempeh
- Thai basil tofu stir fry
I hope you will love this easy vegetable stir-fry as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let us know how it was.
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Healthy Vegetable Stir-Fry - Saucy and Easy
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ cup soy sauce - choose low-in-sodium if possible
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup - or agave nectar or brown rice syrup
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 large clove of garlic - crushed
- 1 inch fresh ginger - grated
For the stir-fry:
- 1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil - optional, to cook the vegetables
- 8-9 packed cups vegetables (broccoli, carrot, onion, red pepper, bok choy, snap peas, green cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, etc) - chopped
- cooked brown rice or asian style noodles - for serving
- sesame seeds - for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the water with the cornstarch until there are no clumps anymore. Then, add the rest of the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and ginger) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Clean and chop the veggies all about the same size.
- Warm up the sesame oil in a wok or a large pan on medium-high heat. Then, add the vegetables and cook by stirring often until tender, but still crispy. Start by adding the tougher veggies such as carrot, and add the tender veggies later on.
- When the veggies are about done, pour the sauce over while stirring (whisk well the sauce in the bowl just before pouring in the pan to dissolve the corn starch as it tends to stick to the bottom).
- Keep cooking on medium-high heat until until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve over brown rice or noodles. Top with sesame seeds and green onions, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If your pan is too small for the amount of vegetables, then cook them in two batches. You should be able to return the first batch of cooked veggies to the pan after the second batch is cooked before adding the sauce since the veggies will cook down a lot.
- The leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Ensure not to overcook the veggies! This meal is best when they are crunchy.
This is by far the most delicious stir fry I have ever tasted!! I never cooked with rice vinegar or sesame oil before and I'm sure these ingredients added so much flavour to this dish. Thanks for another great recipe Jessica-- I will have this with some friends once I'm allowed to have people in the house again : )
I made this tonight and it is delicious. And surprisingly easy to make. Yummy!
On vient de manger ce stir fry! Tout le monde a adoré, délicieux.
Made a version of your stirfry, and we loved it!
Simplified Stir Fry Sauce - for 2 people
1 Tbsp reduced sodium tamari soy sauce
½ Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Because there’s no cornstarch, this variation of the sauce gets tossed right into the stir fry vegetable pan in the last two minutes of cooking, instead of heating up on its own in a separate pan. I reduced the sodium and sugar and omitted the water, garlic and ginger. Just make the sauce in a small bowl before starting the stir fry. If you're a fresh ginger lover, add it right in to the veggies, maybe halfway through the frying.
Used about 2 cups of fresh vegetables, including carrots, red cabbage, spinach and 2 shishito peppers. And either cashews on top or tofu for protein.
Served with sriracha and generous amount of cilantro. I would usually add scallion too, one scallion per person.
Served it with your coconut pineapple rice.
Have made the stirfry twice now, with different vegetables, with this simplified sauce. This will definitely go into my regular rotation for flavoring stirfries!