You’re just 30 minutes away from the best Vegetable stir-fry. I love a good Chinese stir fry for a quick meal, and this one is so versatile – cook whatever veggies you have on hand until they are crisp-tender, then add a quick stir-fry sauce to flavor every bite. It’s perfect as a meatless main course or a side dish.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Perfect exactly as created! My family loved it and fought over the leftovers.” – AJ ★★★★★
Easy Vegetable Stir Fry
A stir fry is a great option when you’re in the mood for Asian food but don’t want to order takeout, and I have found this to be an easy way to get my kids to eat more veggies! Whenever I have vegetables I need to use, I love to throw in whatever I have leftover for a filling and nutritious dish, served over steamy white rice.
This basic vegetable stir fry recipe is perfect on its own with an authentic stir fry sauce you’ll want to drizzle over everything on the plate. You can easily add protein, whether it’s leftover baked chicken breast, pork, pan-seared steak, shrimp, or even tofu–and have a complete dinner on the table. 30 Minutes, friends–that’s all it takes!
Ingredients for Vegetable Stir Fry
You can either stick to the vegetables I used or throw in whatever you have on hand (or see the variations below) to make this simple vegetarian stir-fry recipe.
- Vegetables – carrot, broccoli, baby corn, mushrooms, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Cut each veggie into equal-sized pieces so it all cooks at the same time. Note: I prefer using fresh veggies rather than frozen. Frozen vegetables tend to turn mushy and water down the sauce.
- Chicken Broth – Store-bought or Homemade chicken broth works here. It adds flavor to the sauce, but you can use water in a pinch. For a vegetarian stir fry, use vegetable stock.
- Cornstarch – this thickens the sauce. Make sure to add it to cool liquids so it incorporates properly without clumping.
- Low-sodium soy sauce – I prefer using low-sodium soy sauce so I can control the sodium level. For gluten-free, swap this 1-1 with a gluten-free Tamari. If using regular soy sauce, start with 2 Tbsp and add more to taste since it will be noticeably saltier.
- Honey – the sweetness of honey complements the savory flavors, but it’s not too sweet. It makes the perfect vegetable stir-fry sauce, but you can swap it with half the amount of brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Hot sauce – this is optional, but adds a nice kick of heat! Try a 1/4 tsp of Sriracha or Frank’s hot sauce
Variations and Substitutions
- Protein – Add cooked shredded chicken, shrimp, ground beef, ground pork, or tofu to the vegetables for a higher protein dish.
- Nuts – throw in unsalted peanuts, cashews, or almonds for added crunch and flavor
- Veggies – swap the veggies with whatever you like the best. Try onion, asparagus frozen corn, green beans, bean sprouts, water chesnuts, or even kale.
- Heat – add red pepper flakes or hot sauce for more kick
How to Make Vegetable Stir-Fry
A recipe doesn’t get much easier than this one. Don’t forget to get started on your side dish before beginning this recipe, since this vegetable stir fry comes together so quickly.
- Make stir fry sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside so it’s ready when you need it.
- Sauté the veggies – Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add cooking oil. Add veggies and sauté for 3 minutes until barely crisp tender (do not overcook).
- Add Aromatics – Reduce to medium heat and add the butter, garlic, and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- Add the stir-fry sauce – pour the sauce over the sautéed veggies and stir to coat. Cook on medium-low for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens. Serve immediately!
What to Serve with Vegetable Stir Fry
This vegetable stir fry is a filling and delicious meal, and because it’s versatile, it will fit right into your menu on weeknights or weekends. Here’s how I’ve served this stir-fry recipe:
- As a main dish with a side of White Rice, Quinoa, Bok Choy, egg noodles, or ramen noodles.
- Served inside lettuce as a lettuce wrap
- Paired with General Tso’s Chicken or Teriyaki Salmon.
- With added protein such as chicken, shrimp, or beef for a hearty meal. If adding protein, as we did with our Chicken Stir Fry, you’ll want to double the sauce and add it to taste.
This vegetable stir fry is so easy and good. The sweet and savory homemade stir fry sauce with ginger and garlic adds so much authentic flavor to the sautéed veggies. This recipe is an easy and fast 30-minute meal your whole family will love. Try this meatless meal today!
Make-Ahead
This vegetable stir fry can easily be prepped in advance, and then it will come together in 15 minutes when ready to serve. It tastes great as leftovers as well!
- Prep the veggies: Chop, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days until ready to use. Keep the mushrooms, garlic, and ginger separate since they can release moisture.
- Make sauce ahead: Mix the sauce (except the starch) up to 3 days ahead and store in a separate container. Add the cornstarch just before cooking to prevent settling or clumping.
- To Refrigerate: Cool leftovers completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: I prefer not to freeze since the vegetables can turn mushy.
- To Reheat: Reheat in a skillet over low heat until heated through. You can add a little more chicken stock or water if needed.
Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
- 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, (use Tamari for gluten-free), or 2 Tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp hot sauce, optional (Frank's or Sriracha work great)
Vegetable Stir Fry:
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 cups medium broccoli florets
- 8 oz can baby corn spears, drained
- 8 oz mushrooms (white or brown), sliced or quartered
- 1 whole pepper (red, yellow, or orange), seeded and sliced
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil , (extra light olive oil or canola)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 tsp ginger, minced
Instructions
- Make stir fry sauce – In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the stir fry sauce and stir to incorporate the corn starch, and set it aside until ready to use.
- Saute the veggies – Set a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat then add the oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the vegetables and stir-fry for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables are just crisp-tender – do not overcook them.
- Add Aromatics – reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, garlic, and ginger, and stir constantly for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the stir-fry sauce – If the sauce has separated, stir it and stir it into your vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium/low and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens and vegetables reach your desired tenderness.
Notes
- Protein – add cooked chicken, shrimp, ground beef, ground pork, or tofu
- Veggies – swap with whatever veggies you prefer, but avoid frozen vegetables since they tend to get mushy and can water down the sauce.
- Nuts – add nuts like peanuts or cashews, or seeds to your liking
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Popular Asian Dishes to Try Next:
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Asian Chopped Salad
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Mongolian Beef
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Honey Garlic Chicken
I made this today for my elderly parents. It was excellent and they loved it. I did add chicken, sweet onions along with water chestnuts and baby corn. I also doubled the sauce. Delicious !
Great to hear that it was a huge hit!
Natasha I’m really beginning to adore you! I use your chow mein recipe at least once a week and now this recipe is going to be on the rotation as well! I couldn’t figure out what to make for dinner and I didn’t want to go to the store so I just used whatever was on hand but I followed the sauce recipe to a T and it was a hit even with my super picky teenager! Thank you!
That’s awesome and great to hear! Thanks a lot for sharing and I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try.
Making this tonight – very excited! Wondering if I could add ground ginger to the sauce as I don’t have any fresh ginger.
Hi Tammy! Yes, that should be fine. You’ll have to experiment with the amount to use. Add it to taste.
I want to make this tonight but don’t have any honey can I substitute brown sugar?
Hi Melissa, I believe that should work.
Say’s that this is a side dish, but I would like to make it a main one and put it over pasta. Is there enough sauce to put over pasta or do I need to double or even triple the sauce recipe?
Hi John, I bet this would be delicious over pasta. I haven’t tried that myself to advise on the sauce, but it you like a lot of sauce I bet doubling it wouldn’t hurt! I hope you love it.
Made this recipe today. As you suggested I doubled the sauce to add pasta. It was just enough. We like it, so the next time we make it I’ll make some additions. Could have used the 1st zucchini of the year out in the garden. Also could have added some rotisery chicken that we’re working on or even sliced up some of those water chestnuts that have been sitting in the cabinet. Yes, we’ll use your recipe again. Thanks.
Hi John! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you liked the recipe and will be using it again.
This is a well deserved nutritious full course meal, we love it😛
So glad you love the recipe, Duncan! Thank you.
I didn’t have the corn so just added more of the other things. I also started with the “harder” vegetables before adding the mushrooms and pepper because I worry that they won’t be cooked through in the same time as the mushrooms. However, in the end, I think I erred on the side of caution and all my vegies were a bit overdone. Anyway, the sauce is very good.
Thank you for sharing your experience. 🙂
does anyone know how many cups of frozen mixed vegetables all this comes to?
Super tasty. I used different veggies ans kind of eyeballed the recipe, doubling the measurements since I had a good bit more veggies. It turned out great!! I will definitely make this one again. Paired it with fried rice!
Hello Kassie, this is perfect with fried rice. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Can I add rice noodles in the stir fry? I’m looking for a recipe that I can use the noodles. I bought them to experiment with, and couldn’t find a good recipe til I found yours.
Hi Linda! Yes, I think they would be a great addition to this recipe. Just follow the packet instructions on how to prepare the noodles.
We love this presentation for it’s beauty and health benefits, dig in😛
Thank you! 🙂
How many does this stir feed? Is it enough for 7 or do I need to make a double batch
Hi Carol, The serving size can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving.” This recipe serves 4. I hope that helps!
It was really good! I did change a few things with it to fit my family better but overall a great recipe that I will probably use again!
Sounds good and that’s totally fine. You can always make some minor changes to fit your personal preference.
This looks so yummy. I want to make and bring it a party. Would it be ok to keep it warm in a crockpot?
Hi Karen. I have not tested this but I think it could work. Also, the stir fry reheats well and can be made completely in advance, then just reheated over low heat.
Can I use the water from the young corn instead of chicken broth?
Hi Bles, I think that could work but I haven’t tested it to advise.
Very good. Perfect❤️Perfect amount of ginger. I will make this again for sure; thank you. ☺️
You’re very welcome, Angie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the review.
Hi there!
looking over the recipe and super excited to make it! quick question tho’ is there any other sauce I could use instead of ‘hot sauce’ ?
Hi Leilani, you can leave out the hot sauce.
I am thinking red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon, for heat, if you do not have hot sauce.
I am making the veggie stir fry tonight sounds great. Love your recipies Natasha.
I hope it becomes your new favorite!
I make a similar stir fry and we love it…I will start using a can of baby corn, great idea! I do have trouble with the mushrooms adding water as they cooks so I usually add them at the end…do you have a tip to keep it from getting watery from the mushrooms?
Oppsss…should be 5 stars!! I’m not sure how it got updated with 4 stars. All your recipes are 5 star! 🙂
Hi Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! The mushrooms will release water, especially in a crowded pan. If desired, you can cook them in a separate pan and then add them to the recipe.
Such a quick delicious stir fry!! I ended up using a mix of different mushrooms, frozen broccoli, shredded carrots and some frozen roasted corn. Soooo good! Thank you for this recipe!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Juniper! I’m happy you loved this recipe!
This was so easy and very delicious, I served it on top of boiled Basmati Rice, yummm !
Thanks for your good comments and feedback Leann.