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This easy vegetable stir fry recipe has tender-crisp vegetables coated in a tasty homemade sauce with pantry staples like garlic, ginger, and honey! It’s a 30-minute meal.
Try my Quick Thai Green Curry Soup or Ground Beef Lo Mein next.
Why you’ll love it
This basic veggie stir fry is one delicious way to get your vegetables in! I enjoy it on meatless days as a tasty Asian-inspired main with rice or noodles, and it also works equally well as a side dish. It’s cheaper than takeout, picky eater approved, and you don’t need a wok.
It’s also totally customizable to what vegetables you have in your fridge. There’s tons of flavor packed into the simple stir fry sauce, and it’ll go with pretty much any vegetable you can think of! I like peas, broccoli, bell peppers, and mushrooms, but use your faves.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for stir frying
- Onion – I like the flavor of sweet (Vidalia, Walla Walla, etc.) onions in my stir fries
- Vegetables – we’re using broccoli, red bell peppers, mushrooms (cremini, white button, etc.), and snow peas or sugar snap peas
- Sauce – it has honey, fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, vegetable/chicken broth, toasted sesame oil, and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. It’s so much tastier (and healthier) than anything from a bottle!
Helpful tips
- My top tip is to prep everything before you get started. Once the cooking gets going, it goes fast!
- Toasted sesame oil is different from regular sesame oil. You can find it in the Asian section of the grocery store next to the soy sauce. Sometimes it’s labelled as “pure sesame oil” and is darker than the regular variety.
- Try to cut everything to a similar size so that it all cooks at the same rate to avoid some veggies being too crunchy while others are overcooked.
How to make vegetable stir fry
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep the ingredients and rice/noodles if using. Whisk together the sauce ingredients. Heat up the oil in a skillet. Cook the vegetables, tossing often, to desired crispness. Pour the sauce in, and continue cooking until it’s thickened up. Serve, and top with scallions if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I’m a big fan of making stir fries in cast iron skillets. Here’s my go-to Le Creuset skillet, and I like this budget-conscious Lodge skillet as well.
- Cooking tongs make tossing the veggies simple.
- Cleaning up is so much easier with Dawn Power Wash.
Substitutions and variations
- You can definitely change up the veggies based on what you like/have on hand! Try julienned/thinly sliced carrots, water chestnuts, bok choy, green beans, a different color of bell pepper, baby corn, etc.
- The sauce is pretty basic, so feel free to jazz it up even more with additions like a splash of fish sauce. Sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes would be great for a kick!
- Love a really saucy stir fry? Feel free to double the sauce.
What to serve with vegetable stir fry
- Rice or noodles is the classic choice. I like jasmine rice best. Udon noodles or your favorite Chinese noodles work too. Or just serve as-is for a light option!
- You could serve it alongside my Teriyaki Chicken or Chili Garlic Noodles if you’re craving a few Asian-style dishes at once.
- This would pair great with simple proteins like my Pan Seared Salmon or Easy Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe if you’re not craving a starch.
Leftovers and storage
- This one is best fresh. I find that stir fried vegetables go a bit limp over time, but if you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container for a few days.
- Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat without overcooking the veggies.
- If you’ve frozen stir fries before, you could try with this one. The texture of the vegetables will likely soften, though.
More Asian-inspired recipes
If you made this vegetarian stir fry, please leave me a star rating and review below! Or tag me on Instagram so that I can see your delicious S&L creations.
Easy Vegetable Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion cut into fairly thin strips
- 2 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 5 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
- For serving: chopped scallions optional, to taste
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- If making rice or noodles to serve with this stir fry, get that started. Prep all stir fry ingredients ahead of time as the actual cooking part goes very quickly.
- Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes (oil should be shimmering).
- Add the onion, broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms, and snow peas, and cook for 4-5 minutes, tossing/stirring often (they will end up tender-crisp).
- Pour the sauce in. Stir/toss until coated and the sauce has thickened (about 1-2 minutes). Take the skillet off the heat and serve immediately over rice or noodles or as a side dish. Top with scallions if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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