See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.

Skip the takeout and make this delicious Vegetable Stir Fry at home! Stir fry veggies and my best stir fry sauce are quick and easy to make for a healthy dinner.

Vegetable stir fry served over brown rice.

One of the benefits of cooking is that you can make your favorite restaurant dishes at home. This vegetable stir fry recipe was inspired by one of my favorite restaurant meals, Kung Pao Chicken.

In this easy stir fry recipe, I swapped the chicken for more veggies. This stir fry is especially tasty if you make it a little spicy, but you can keep the spice mild if you prefer. Top the saucy vegetables and rice with crunchy peanuts for a weeknight meal that’s packed with flavor.

This recipe uses my favorite stir fry sauce. It’s a simple combination of ingredients that will take your stir fry to the next level. Try it in my chicken stir fry next!

Stir fry veggies on a white rectangular serving plate.

How to Make Vegetable Stir Fry

There are three steps to making this stir fry: make the sauce, chop the vegetables, and then cook the stir fry. Find the full recipe in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the Stir Fry Sauce

To make the stir fry sauce, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to blend them together. Then set the sauce aside. You’ll add it to the stir fry at the end of the cooking process. Give it another quick stir to recombine the ingredients before pouring it into the pan.

How to Stir Fry Vegetables

  • Be sure to wash and chop all of the vegetables before you begin to stir fry. Once you start adding things to the hot pan, the process moves really quickly.
  • Cook the stir fry in a large wok or skillet. You want enough room in the pan so that you can stir easily.
  • Cook the vegetables in a hot pan, and preheat the pan. A hot pan will sear the outside of the vegetables and allow you to cook them quickly, so they don’t get mushy.
  • Softer vegetables, such as summer squash, cook faster than firm veggies, such as carrots. Instead of adding all the veggies to the pan at the same time, add the ones that take longer to soften first. For this recipe, you’ll cook the bell pepper and snap peas for a few minutes before adding the yellow squash to the pan.
  • Add the stir fry sauce to the skillet when the vegetables are almost crisp-tender. The sauce will only take 1 or 2 minutes to thicken.

Serve your vegetable stir fry with Instant Pot rice or Instant Pot brown rice, or learn my secret for how to cook brown rice on the stove.

Summer squash, snap peas and bell peppers stir fried and served over rice on a white plate.

Stir Fry Veggies

You can make this recipe with almost any vegetable that you enjoy. Just be sure to add quick-cooking veggies to the pan last. You might try:

  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Red or Yellow Onion
  • Mushrooms
  • Snow Peas
  • Green Beans
  • Baby Corn
  • Bell Pepper
  • Water Chestnuts
  • Snap Peas

Recipe Tips

  • Whenever you make a stir fry, prepare all of the recipe components before you start cooking. Once you begin to stir fry in the hot pan, the cooking process goes quickly.
  • Add texture to your vegetable stir fry with crunchy nuts. Peanuts are my favorite in this recipe, or try cashews or almonds.
  • Garnish with sesame seeds, chopped green onions or fresh cilantro for freshness and color.

Looking for more easy vegetarian meals? Check out my delicious vegetarian recipes.

Vegetable stir fry served over brown rice.

Spicy Vegetable Stir Fry

Servings: 4 servings
Prep Time: 24 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Skip the takeout and make this delicious Vegetable Stir Fry at home! Stir fry veggies and my best stir fry sauce are quick and easy to make for a healthy dinner. You can make this recipe spicy or not spicy.
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Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth
  • â…“ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha, to taste, for spicy sauce

For the Stir-Fry

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1-inch long strips
  • 8 ounces snap peas, (about 3 cups)
  • 2 medium/large yellow summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)

For Serving:

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and snap peas and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes. Add the yellow squash and continue to cook, stirring often, until vegetables are almost crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Pour the sauce into the pan with the vegetables and cook until thickened, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
  • Serve stir-fry over brown rice, topped with peanuts and green onions.
Serving: 1/4 of recipe, Calories: 277kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 838mg, Potassium: 641mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 1896IU, Vitamin C: 91mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Chinese
Course: Main Dish, Vegetarian
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