These stir fry vegetables are easy to prepare and super healthy with a variety of colourful veggies. The tasty peanut-hoisin sauce can be made ahead and kept in the fridge to add to a quick weeknight dinner.
Vegetable stir fry is an easy dinner idea and a great way to use up any leftover vegetables in your fridge.
Stir-fried vegetables are a key component in my ramen stir fry and my almond butter noodles recipes.
There are so many different vegan stir fry sauces you can use on veggies, but for this recipe I used a peanut stir fry sauce that I adapted from my hoisin peanut tofu bowls recipe.
The sauce is so versatile; not only is it good on stir-fried veggies and fried tofu, you can also toss noodles in it.
What are good stir fry vegetables?
You can use just about any vegetable in a stir fry. I like to select a variety of vegetables of differing textures as well as aromatics for flavour.
Good options are broccoli, carrot, bell pepper, mushrooms, snow peas and baby corn.
You could also use cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, water chestnut, zucchini, eggplant, cabbage, bean sprouts, and even leafy greens like spinach and kale.
What order to stir fry vegetables?
Start with some onion first. I used scallions so I started with the white and light green parts. You can also use any kind of onions finely diced.
Next I do the mushrooms to allow them to brown and release a lot of their liquid.
Then add hard vegetables like broccoli, carrots and peppers.
Next come the tender vegetables that cook the quickest like snow peas and baby corn.
Finally, since I often accidentally burn them, I make a space in the centre of my wok to fry the ginger and garlic last.
For garnish I sprinkle over the dark green stems of the scallions.
Tips for stir fry vegetables
- Chop and measure all the veggies before you start frying
- Cut the veggies more or less the same size so they cook evenly
- Dry the veggies off so they fry rather than steam. A salad spinner is good for this or just pat them with a towel.
- Get your wok or saute pan smoking hot before you start
- Add the oil after the pan is hot
- Use an oil with a high smoke point such as canola, vegetable or sunflower
- Keep everything moving in the pan and pay attention so it doesn’t burn
- Add the vegetables from hardest to softest as indicated above
- Finally add the sauce. This recipe doesn’t require heat to thicken the sauce so you can turn the heat off before adding the sauce so that it doesn’t burn
This peanut-hoisin sauce recipes makes enough for two stir fry’s. It’s also great over fried tofu, which you can add to a Buddha bowl. The sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.
Serve your stir fry vegetables over rice and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.
Stir Fry Vegetables with Peanut-Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
For the peanut-hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons natural or smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1.5 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
For the stir fry
- 2 tablespoons high-heat oil
- 2 scallions sliced and white/light green and dark green separated
- 10 button mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup (70 grams) broccoli florets
- 2 carrots sliced into coins
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 30 snow peas topped and tailed
- 8 baby corn halved from top to bottom
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- Salt to taste if necessary
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for your sauce in a bowl. This makes enough sauce for two stir fry’s. Keep leftover in the fridge for another day.
- Chop all your veggies more or less the same size. Dry them off either in a salad spinner or pat dry with a towel.
- Heat a wok or a large pan over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a large pan, I recommend stir frying the veggies in batches.
- Once your wok is smoking hot, add the oil and the white and light green parts of the scallions. Fry, stirring constantly, until tender.
- Add the mushrooms and fry until browned and the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the broccoli, carrots and red pepper. Stir fry until nearly tender all the way through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the snow peas and baby corn. Keep stir frying until all the veggies are crisp-tender - another 3 - 5 minutes.
- Push the veggies to the sides of the wok and add the ginger and garlic in the middle. If dry, add a tiny splash more of oil. Allow to fry for about a minute, or until aromatic, then mix everything all together.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add as much sauce as you like. I add about half and keep the rest to put over leftovers, another stir fry, or tofu.
- Taste and add salt if necessary. I usually add a pinch.
- Garnish with the dark green tops of the scallions and serve over rice.
Yogi says
So easy and tasty!!
Can't stop, I'm licking my bowl hee hee
Thank you for the recipe!
Beccy says
Why on earth did I ever buy ready-made stir fry sauce?! Delicious and simple. Perfect.
Thank you - this is going in the family faves recipe folder - a hit with all of us!
Sue says
Terrific sauce!