This is one of the base recipes as seen in our Whole Life Meal Plan. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to add more color to your plate, then you’ve come to the right place! Packed with vibrant veggies and a flavorful sauce, this vegetable stir fry base recipe is a great way to add more veggies to your meal rotation!
Three Must-Know Cooking Skills
For recipe success, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for the Best Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
Slice or dice your veggies into similarly-sized pieces for even cooking.
For this recipe, don’t worry about being exactly precise with the veggie measurements. If you have 4 ½ cups of veggies, that’s okay! Just note that the more veggies you add, the less sauce you will get per bite.
Fire, fat, food! Heat your pan, heat your oil, then add your food! Follow these steps to ensure maximum flavor development.
Add veggies in order from hardest to softest to ensure even cooking and a crisp-tender texture.
To speed up the cooking process, consider steaming or blanching harder vegetables before stir-frying. Cook until just beginning to soften.
Use our easy healthy stir fry sauce to make this recipe 100% homemade!
The vegetable stir fry sauce in this recipe is just enough to coat the veggies, but if you want extra sauce for rice, quinoa, meat, or tofu, simply double the quantity.
What are the best vegetables for stir fry?
You can pretty much use any vegetables in stir fry, but keep in mind that some work better than others. Use this stir fry vegetables list to help you decide what to add to your recipe.
Hard Vegetables
Broccoli or cauliflower
Carrots
Celery
Green beans
Onion
Sweet potatoes
Medium Vegetables
Baby corn
Bell pepper
Bok choy stems
Eggplant
Mushrooms
Snow or sugar snap peas
Summer squash
Zucchini
Soft Vegetables
Bean sprouts
Bok choy
Frozen edamame, shelled, thawed
Leafy greens
Shredded cabbage
Water chestnuts
Ingredient Substitutions
- Canola Oil: substitute avocado or peanut oil.
- Vegetables: use any combination, noting whether they are hard, medium, or soft. Adjust cook time as appropriate.
- Stir Fry Sauce: use store-bought or homemade. Choose low-sodium options if available.
Recipe Variations
Remember that this is a base recipe, so the goal is for you to customize it to your taste! Change up this easy vegetable stir fry recipe by using different types of veggies, spices, or adding proteins! The combinations are nearly endless.
Have fun exploring different cuisines and their unique flavors! Change up the spices in the stir fry sauce to vary the cuisine. Chinese, Indian, and Thai vegetable stir fries are all delicious.
We love buying our spices from The Spice House. Click on the picture below to view & try out hundreds of flavorful spices and herbs!
Feel free to add a protein of your choice. Grass-fed or lean beef, shrimp, tofu, or chicken are all great additions to vegetable stir fry.
Equipment Recommendations
Use these kitchen tools for recipe success!
Is this a Healthy Vegetable Stir Fry?
We are always trying to encourage people to eat more veggies! This vegetable stir fry is packed with colorful veggies and topped with a lower-sodium sauce.
Colorful Vegetables
All vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. Aim to eat a variety of colors – each color provides a different benefit for our bodies. The more colors in your stir fry, the healthier it will be!
Low-Sodium Stir Fry Sauce
Did you know that regular soy sauce has almost 1000 mg of sodium per Tablespoon?! That’s more than half of your daily need! Choose products with reduced sodium to promote healthy blood flow. If following a gluten-free diet, choose low-sodium tamari.
Check out our ingredient guide to learn which ingredients are best!
Serving Suggestions
Build a balanced meal by serving veggie stir fry with some lean protein and a whole grain such as brown rice or quinoa. You can also serve veggie stir fry with noodles; we recommend soba noodles, made with whole grain buckwheat flour.
Top with green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and/or toasted cashews or peanuts for extra flavor, texture, and nutrition.
Storage Tips
Allow stir fry to cool, then place in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
You can also freeze leftover stir fry for up to 3 months. For an easy reheat-and-eat lunch, place individual servings of rice and veggies in freezer safe containers, allow to cool, then freeze.
Want more easy veggie recipes?
Try out these quick and healthy sides!
Vegetable Stir Fry Base Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 4 cups vegetables – hard, medium, and soft*
- ¼ cup stir fry sauce, homemade or store-bought
Optional Garnishes
- Sliced green onions
- Chopped roasted peanuts or cashews
- Sesame seeds
- Sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut vegetables into similarly-sized pieces.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add canola oil; use enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is shimmering, add vegetables, starting with harder varieties first, stirring continuously. As they soften, add medium vegetables, then soft vegetables, and continue to cook until all vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Add stir fry sauce to the skillet and toss to coat. If the sauce has cornstarch, bring to a boil until thickened, about 30 seconds – 1 minute.
- Garnish with sliced green onions, roasted nuts, sesame seeds, and/or a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve with brown rice or quinoa. Enjoy!
