This EASY Asian Vegetable Stir Fry is bursting with lots of fresh vegetables and coated with a spicy sauce flavored with garlic and ginger. Plus, it comes together in under 30 minutes!
I grew up with Italian roots. My nana and nanu lived right next door and pretty much had pasta with sauce going on the stove every day of the week. That’s definitely where my obsession with pasta came from.
Sadly, both my grandparents have passed. But I can confidently say that I’ve mastered their recipe for Sunday Gravy.
And while we ate a LOT of pasta, everyone needs a change now and then. So, sometimes we’d head out to the Chinese buffet and graze on all the dishes that we weren’t accustomed to at home – mongolian beef, crispy chicken, fried rice, and chow mein.
I think that most people have a certain fondness for Chinese food. And while what we eat here in the states is certainly an “Americanized” version, it’s tasty just the same.
Stir fry veggies often happen in our house on Mondays – when there are leftover vegetables in the crisper drawer that need to be used up, and of course, a veggie stir fry is perfect for Meatless Monday!
I’ll tend to throw in whatever we have on hand – peppers, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms. So, feel free to customize this veggie stir fry using whatever vegetables you have in your fridge at the moment, and whichever are your favorite.
I always add in some water chestnuts because I love their crispy texture.
What are the Best Vegetables to Stir Fry?
You can swap out any of the vegetables in this veggie stir fry recipe for the ones that you like best. In total, I used about 8 cups worth of vegetables for this recipe. Here are some great options:
- Sweet Peppers
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Onions (yellow, white or red)
- Pea pods
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Kale
How Do You Make Asian Vegetable Stir Fry Sauce?
To make this vegetable stir fry sauce, I used low-sodium soy sauce, brandy, brown sugar, cornstarch, sriracha (for added heat) and grated ginger.
Be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce as we’re using a lot of it in this recipe (1/2 cup). The regular variety will result in a stir fry that’s much too salty. If you only have regular soy sauce on hand, use 1/4 cup of it and use 1/4 cup of water.
🌟 Check out my full post on making the best homemade stir fry sauce. 🌟
If you don’t like ginger, or if you don’t have any on hand, you can definitely leave it out.
If you like your stir fry spicy, use 2 tablespoons of sriracha.
If you don’t like heat, you can leave it out entirely or cut back to 1 tablespoon of sriracha.
If you don’t have any sriracha on hand, you can add in some crushed red pepper flakes.
However you choose to customize your veggie stir fry, I think that you’ll love the end result.
The vegetables end up still just a bit crisp, the sauce thickens nicely (thanks to the cornstarch), and the whole pan just glistens at the end, ready to be dressed up with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Serve it up over a bed of instant pot rice, fried rice, or yakisoba noodles.
Or, just eat this veggie stir fry right outta the pan. Particularly tempting on busy weeknights, or when you’re the only one at home…
Wine Pairings for Asian Vegetable Stir Fry
- A Dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer will pair nicely with the spiciness of this dish. These are my go-to wines with spicy, asian dishes.
- Sauvignon Blanc is another great option – It’s grassy, herbal notes compliment all the fresh veggies in this stir fry.
Did You Make This Asian Vegetable Stir Fry?
If you loved this vegetable stir fry I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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More Stir Fry Recipes
More Healthy Dinner Recipes
- 30-Minute Zucchini Pizza Boats
- Vegetarian Sushi Rolls // Spicy “Tuna” Rolls
- Quinoa Taco Bowls with Guacamole
- Chicken Parmesan Skillet
- Chicken Thai Larb Gai Recipe
- Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Asian Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion (cut into large chunks)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into large chunks)
- 1 yellow bell pepper (cut into large chunks)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 zucchini (cut into large wedges)
- 1 Chinese eggplant (cut into 1/2″ slices)
- 1 5 oz. can water chestnuts (drained)
- 1 head broccoli (cut into florets)
- Yakisoba noodles or rice (for serving)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Add soy sauce, brandy, brown sugar, cornstarch, sriracha, and ginger to a small mason jar or tupperware. Seal and shake well to combine. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add the onion and peppers, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the zucchini and Chinese eggplant, and cook for 2-3 minutes longer. Add the water chestnuts and broccoli and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes longer. The veggies should still be fairly firm.
- Add in the sauce, stir, and allow to heat through for 1-2 minutes, until the veggies are coated and the sauce thickened. If the sauce gets too thick, add in an additional splash of water.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over noodles or rice, if desired.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2021 to add new photographs. Enjoy!
Nice! We made a ton of stir-frys when I was a kid and I like to make them now for a super easy dinner with tons of veggies. Now I love to add shrimp or other meat I have on hand for a balanced meal! I’ve never made the sauce separately like that before, though, I bet that would make it better!
Well, this was pretty delicious. The sauce was thick and savory. I used soy sauce with 50% sodium and skipped the brandy and used water for the sauce.
The veggies I used were onions, snap peas, broccoli, carrots, water chest nuts, and mushrooms. These were tasty, hearty, and filling together.
I served this with fried rice. The rice had corn, peas, spicy peppers, and some edamame. So this was a dish packed with plenty of flavor… plus veggies and plenty of protein.
I will definitely be making this again.
Just came across this recipe and used the stir-fry sauce for some veggies. Made it exactly as written and it brought so much flavor to my dish. Served it over brown rice that I had tossed with toasted nori, a little coconut oil, coconut flakes and sesame seeds. Also served sesame salmon with it. Probably my best Asian inspired dish to-date. Not a bite left over and my SO was looking for more after his second helping. Thanks for the share; the stir-fry sauce is a keeper!!
I’m so happy you liked it Vanessa!
You had me a Ginger, Erin. We are all about ginger and garlic at our house: if it’s vegetarian, even better! This sounds delicious!!
Thanks Renee!
It must be a typo when you said cook the garlic an additional 30 minutes. Don’t you mean three minutes?
You are correct Marj! Thank you for catching that – Yes, it should only be 30 seconds. The recipe has been revised to make that correction. 🙂
Do you have to add the sherry or brandy? I’m a recovering alcoholic and want to make sure it will still taste as good.
You can definitely leave it out Brittany!
I would substitute with Seasoned Rice Vinegar!
I found this way too salty. What would be the best way to dilute the soy sauce in the sauce. Otherwise, the flavor was good and the process simple.
Hi Beth – You could halve the amount of soy sauce in the recipe, and add in a tablespoon or so of water… Were you using low-sodium soy sauce?
I loved this and so did my family. I did change the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 and topped it off with pineapple juice, that cut the saltiness. Great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that Charlie!
We love a good stir-fry in our house! Such a great way to use up veggies before they go bad.
Totally agree Marlynn!
We make stir-fry at our house often, and ginger is almost always part of the mix. It always seems to bring out the best of all those lovely veggie flavors.
I agree Renee – Cheers!
So gorgeous! We’re also huge fans of stir frys around here. It’s amazing what a little sauce and seasonings can do to vegetables. My kids turn their nose at most veggies, BUT in a stir fry like this (or a Thai influenced recipe) they’ll eat every last bite! Saving this one to try for our next stir fry night. The flavors sound fantastic.
I hope they love it Mary!
This looks absolutely fantastic for a meatless Monday or as a side to some grilled chicken. Yum!
Thanks so much Jenni!
I love a good stir fry that’s loaded with veggies. And if there’s ginger in the mix, even better!
Stir fry is such a good quick and healthy meal with lots of flavor! This looks delicious.
This was so delicious. I did modify the sauce a little, by adding 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, removed the alcohol and used arrowroot powder instead of corn starch. Oh and added cashews and green onion at the end. Also substituted sugar snap peas for the eggplant. Definite keeper!
So happy you liked it Sharice! Thank you for sharing your substitutions.
IS there something I could use instead of the brandy? I don’t drink alcohol.
Hi Hayley – You can simply add water in place of the brandy. Hope that helps!
There are so amazing recipes in here! Thanks so much for including this recipe. I so much eat the vegetarian food at the moment for the same reason as you. The great idea is sharing this article blog.
This turned out amazing!! I made a few minor adjustments to cater to my pallet but would have never been able to pull off this delicious meal without this recipe. Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it Brianne!
This was delicious, I had to substitute many of the veggies, I basically cleaned out my fridge!! The sauce was amazing! Can’t wait to make it again!!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Janice – It’s a great way to clean out the fridge!
Tried the recipe and loved it! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear that Justin – Thanks!
Beautiful pictures and beautiful recipe looks so delicious and tasty and healthy as well very well instructions given on how to make good guide on ingredients will definitely try this recipe and will suggest others Thanks for sharing.
Hey there, I tried the recipe because I love the taste of Ginger and loved it so much! Your pictures were quite interesting so I checked your post. I will share this recipe with all my friends. Thanks a lot, dear for sharing. Much love and Regards.
I have cooked it for the first time and loved it. To be honest, I’m an interior designer and it is difficult for me to cook at home most of the time. I’ve cooked stir frys this Sunday for my husband and 10-years-old William and they loved it. Thank you for the recipes.
I loved this and so did my family. I did change the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 and topped it off with pineapple juice, that cut the saltiness. Great recipe!
Your pictures are so cool that I can’t stop myself to try this tonight.
This is By FAR, THE BEST STIR FRY RECIPE I have ever made! Plus the fact that you offer the added feature of choosing the “number of servings” option, is FANTASTIC! I CANNOT WAIT TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER RECIPE! Thank you, SO MUCH!
I’m so glad you liked it Sheila!!!
My bf love food. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipes.
Thank you so much again. Definitely I will try for him
Wow, I love cocking, and definitely, I will try this soon.
Thank You so much.
This looks absolutely fantastic for a meatless Monday or as a side to some grilled chicken.
Thank you!
I want to try this one, but I can’t find water chestnuts or Chinese eggplants where I live. Is there something else I could use as a replacement? I am thinking the chestnuts could maybe be replaced by radish or turnip.
Thanks! (I will share a pic when I make it)
Hi Stuart – You can really use any veggies you have on hand for this recipe. Water chestnuts are sold canned, and are usually in the Asian foods aisle. Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, I wanted to try something like this for a long time. Going to write back after trying