This easy vegetable stir fry recipe is feel good food! It’s healthy, delicious, and packed with ALL the veggies.
Stir fries are quick by definition—cooking at high heat keeps meat tender and veggies crisp, and it also gets dinner on the table a whole lot faster! And that makes this vegetable stir fry perfect for a busy weeknight. You can switch things up with your family’s favorite vegetables, what’s in season, or the odds and ends in your crisper drawer. Just don’t skip the savory, garlicky sauce!
Why This Vegetable Stir Fry Is a Weeknight Win
Here are all the reasons I have this veggie stir fry on frequent repeat:
- Quick and easy. You only need a few minutes of cooking for this stir fry—you’ll spend more time prepping the veggies! (And I have some tips to shave time off of that too.)
- Nutritious. Different colored veggies pack in different nutrients, so the rainbow of vegetables in this stir fry means you’re covering more bases in terms of vitamins and antioxidants.
- Versatile. Use this vegetable stir fry as a meatless main dish or serve it as a side with Honey Garlic Grilled Shrimp or Teriyaki Salmon.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Olive oil – Or a neutral cooking oil like avocado or vegetable oil.
- Vegetables – Carrots, red and yellow pepper, snap peas, broccoli, baby portobello mushrooms, water chestnuts, baby corn, and zucchini.
- Garlic and ginger – Fresh is best, with a much punchier flavor!
- Tamari sauce – A gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, but regular soy sauce works just as well.
- Chicken stock – Vegetable stock is a great substitute for a vegetarian vegetable stir fry.
- Red pepper flakes – Adjust the amount for more or less heat, or omit entirely if you prefer a milder dish.
- Dry mustard – This adds some depth to the sauce.
- Sugar – I love a little sweetness in a stir fry sauce, but not so much that the sauce becomes cloying. If you’d like, you can use honey instead.
- Sesame oil – Use toasted sesame oil for nutty flavor.
- Rice wine vinegar – This adds a tangy element to balance the umami and sweetness.
- Cornstarch – Or arrowroot powder. This thickens the sauce and makes it sticky so it clings to the veggies.
- Green onions – A fresh garnish for flavor and texture.
- Sesame seeds – You can use white, black, or a combination.
How to Make Vegetable Stir Fry
The complete recipe is at the bottom of the page, but here’s a quick overview of the steps for making this vegetable stir fry.
- Cook the harder veggies. Add the oil to a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the carrots and bell peppers; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the softer veggies. Stir in the snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, baby corn and zucchini. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, or until they’re beginning to get tender.
- Make the sauce. Whisk the garlic, ginger, tamari sauce, chicken stock, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Add the sauce. Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir to coat. Cook for a minute or two, until the sauce thickens and coats all the vegetables.
- Serve. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, then serve.
Tips and Variations
Follow these additional pointers for a perfect vegetable stir fry.
- Hit up your grocery store salad bar. To minimize your prep time, buy pre-cut vegetables from your grocery store’s salad bar.
- Or get a head start. Alternatively, you can cut all the vegetables a day or two ahead of time and have them ready to go when you’re about to start cooking.
- Add some crunch. Top your stir fry with chopped roasted peanuts or cashews for added texture.
- Use what you have on hand. Or what’s in season! This stir fry is easy to tweak. Try yellow squash, Japanese eggplant, sliced red onions, etc.
Serving Suggestions
To make this vegetable stir fry a meal, serve it with cooked quinoa, brown rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, or rice noodles. If you’re serving it as a side dish, it would pair beautifully with Easy Crockpot Asian Meatballs, Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs, or Honey Glazed Salmon.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
Store leftover vegetable stir fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, warm the stir fry in a skillet over medium heat to keep the vegetables crisp, or use the microwave—but keep in mind that it won’t be as crisp that way.
More Easy Stir Fry Recipes
Vegetable Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
This vegetable stir fry is feel good food! It’s tasty, easy and packed with ALL the veggies. You’ll love the sweet, savory, garlicky sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup of carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 yellow pepper, julienned
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped (use just florets)
- 8 oz. of baby portobello mushrooms, slliced
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts
- 1 cup baby corn
- 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1/3 cup tamari sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 green onions, chopped
- garnish: sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat wok or large skillet to medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, carrots, red pepper, and yellow pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, waterchestnuts, baby corn and zucchini. Saute for 4-6 minutes, until veggies are just starting to get tender.
- In a small bowl, mix together garlic, ginger, tamari sauce, chicken stock, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and cornstarch. Whisk until combined. Add to stirfry sauce to the wok with all your vegetables, stir to coat everything and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens up.
- Remove from heat and green onions.
- Serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups (no rice)
- Calories: 146
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1907 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
14 comments on “Vegetable Stir Fry”
Hello,
Thanks for posting and this does look good but just so you know, it isn’t vegetarian. Chicken stalk is from a chicken.
Thanks so much Marissa for pointing that out, with all those ingredients I totally overlooked the chicken stock. I will make the change asap. Thanks girl! 🙂
I love that you used quinoa rather than rice in your stirfry! What a great idea. Thanks so much for sharing at Marvelous Mondays, Krista. Have a wonderful weekend!
Julie @ This Gal Cooks
Thanks Julie, thanks for throwing such an awesome party for me to share at. 🙂
This sounds so yummy! I love all of the bright colors, and I am obsessed with quinoa.
Thanks Jeni, it is yummy, and sooo easy to make. I am a newbie when it comes to quinoa but I might just become obsessed with it as well. So easy, good for you, and delicious! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I’m with you, I hate cleaning my house!!! Thats why I get my kids to do it! I always have vegetables to use up by the end of the week. I like this recipe, especially with the quinoa!
Can’t wait till the day when my kids are old enough to clean the house for me! You are one lucky girl! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Tanya, I hope you like the dish.
Hey Krista, so I have tried quinoa yet and have keep saying I’m going to, now with this recipe, there’s absolutely no excuse! I love stir-fry! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
I was in the same boat as you a little while back. You will love it.. both the quinoa and the stir-fry! 🙂 Enjoy!
I am a quinoa addict and not ashamed to say so. 🙂 Great recipe. Bet its delicious too
haha… Well I might turn into one after this. So we can be addicts together! (but the good kind :))
I love quinoa! Seriously, I could eat the stuff for almost every meal! This stir fry sounds delicious and will definitely be making its way to my table soon 🙂
haha. I know, and its so stinking easy to make. Thanks for stopping by Shannah, I hope you like it. 🙂