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Vegetable Stir Fry

September 19, 2024

We love this easy veggie stir fry for its delicious homemade sauce and super customizable ingredient list. Make a pot of rice, and dinner is served!

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vegetable stir fry made with mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots on top of rice with chopsticks
Photography by Gayle McLeod

More great stir fry recipes:

An Easy Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe We Make All The Time

Vegetable stir fry is one of those low-effort meals we love around here. It’s a snap to make, packs a ton of veggies into one dish, and scratches the salty-crunching craving we often get. Our simple stir fry sauce and a pot of perfectly cooked white or brown rice are a simple and delicious meal. If you want to add some protein try our Chicken Stir Fry. Bookmark this recipe to add to your repertoire, along with orange chicken, hot and sour cabbage, cumin beef and Kung pao chicken.

mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots in prep bowls for vegetable stir fry

Ingredients For Stir Fry Vegetables

  • Neutral cooking oil- we use vegetable oil because it can be used at high cooking temperatures

  • Crimini mushrooms

  • Broccoli florets

  • Canned baby corn

  • Red bell pepper

  • Snap peas

  • Zucchini

  • Carrots

  • Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

  • Toasted sesame oil

  • Minced garlic

  • Fresh ginger

  • Brown sugar or honey

  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

  • Cornstarch or arrowroot starch

  • Green onions

mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots being cooked in vegetable oil in a wok
mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots being cooked in vegetable oil in a wok
soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and corn starch being mixed in a bowl
homemade sauce being poured on top of stir fry vegetables in a wok

How To Stir Fry Vegetables

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the veggies and give them a good toss to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are bright and just tender, 5-6 minutes.

  2. Make the stir fry sauce in a small bowl.

  3. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.

  4. To serve, divide among plates and top with a sprinkle of green onions.

vegetable stir fry in a wok made with mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots with homemade sauce
vegetable stir fry made with mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots with homemade sauce

How to Store Leftovers + Tips

  • The best vegetables for stir fry: We call for a mix of classic stirfry veggies, but any combo of your favorite veggies will do. In order to keep textures crisp and not mushy, make sure to layer your cooking times, adding quick cooking vegetables last.

  • What are the 3 rules of stir-frying? Be sure to cook veggies in a hot pan. If the oil isn’t glistening, it’s not ready! If you’re going rogue with your veggies, make sure to or to overcook softer veggies, adding them last. We’d also recommend that you only add the stir fry sauce after the veggies are cooked through. Don’t take a shortcut here, because your veggies won’t be as perfectly cooked!

  • Leftovers should be eaten within 3-4 days. You can freeze stir fry vegetables, and we suggest portioning into meal portions for easy lunch or dinner in the future.

vegetable stir fry made with mushrooms, broccoli, corn, pepper, snap peas, zucchini & carrots on top of rice with chopsticks

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Vegetable Stir Fry

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  15 min
  • Calories:  146

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 15-ounce can baby corn, drained (optional)
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 ounces snap peas
  • 1 cup sliced zucchini
  • 1 cup peeled and thinly sliced carrot rounds
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • ¼ cup brown sugar or honey
  • Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, bell pepper, snap peas, zucchini, and carrots; toss to coat. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are bright and just tender, 5-6 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and red pepper flakes, if using. In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch with ½ cup cold water. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce.

  3. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and vegetables are tender, about 5 more minutes.

  4. Divide among 6 plates and top with green onions to serve.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 146
  • Protein 5 g
  • Carbohydrates 21 g
  • Total Fat 1 g
  • Dietary Fiber 3 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 782 mg
  • Total Sugars 10 g

Vegetable Stir Fry

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Pary

    If you wanted to turn this into a meal with some meat (teenage boys in the family) what would your recommendation be?

    Chicken or stir fry beef would both be great!

  • Verda

    Made this for dinner and added chicken thighs, was wonderful!

    Thanks Verda, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Rosemary

    Beautiful photos. I think this is a good recipe but I have a few suggestions.

    All of these veggies don't (or shouldn't) be cooked at the same time. When I'm going to stir fry something with a mixture of veggies, I take a large bowl and put the tenderest prepped items in the bottom. While not called for here, I might add some cilantro leaves, possibly some green onions cut on the diagonal in 1/2" pieces.
    Then add a paper towel to cover. Or two. Then, working from the recipe, to the bowl I'd add the sliced snap peas (or snow peas), baby corn (cut in half), zucchini, and bell pepper. And another layer of paper towels. Then I'd add the sliced mushrooms. Cut the broccoli into ~1" flowerettes and leave on the cutting board. The carrots are tricky. Slice on the diagonal but when they get cooked depends on how thick the slices are. The thing w/stir fry is that all of the pieces should be ~1"; big enough you could pick up with chopsticks but not so big that you'd want to bite it in half before putting in in your mouth.

    I love uncooked brocolli on a veggie tray or finely chopped in a salad. Not wild about undercooked brocolli in a stir fry. So, in your wok, bring ~quart of water to a rolling boil over high heat, add some salt, and dump in the brocolli. And the carrots if they're thickly sliced. Bring it back to a boil, and the instant the brocolli goes bright green, dump the brocolli (& carrots0 into a strainer to quickly drain. Leave the strainer at the sink and return the wok to the stove. Lower the heat a bit and quickly saute the mushrooms in a bit of oil until they've lightly browned. Add a bit more oil, the drained brocolli (carrots) and stir fry. If I was going to add yellow (or red, ...) onion pieces, I'd add them here. When not-quit done, using the paper toweling, lift off the layer w/bell peppers, etc. and add to the stir fry. Add the sauce and cook until almost thickened and add the green onions & cilantro to effective garnish. The whole process only takes minutes which is why you need to have everything prepped and ready to go. The brocolli will still have some 'bite' to it.

    I keep a stack of clean bar towels in my kitchen and regularly use them instead of paper towels. Also, not being a vegetarian, I'd probably add a ~1-2 T of fish sauce.

  • Becca

    Let’s be real, aren’t all MP recipes delicious? If you don’t have the answer, I’ll give you a hint….YES! I decided to make stir fry for the first time ever, and like a moth to a flame I came to MP, like I always do, to find a recipe. This one is no exception, it is also amazing, so much recommend. So friggin yummy!!!

    Thanks so much Becca, that is SO KIND! We are so happy you love our recipes!

  • Becca

    Let’s be real, aren’t all MP recipes delicious? If you don’t have the answer, I’ll give you a hint…..YES!!! This one is no different. I’ve never made my own stir fry, so like a moth to a flame I came back to MP, like I always do, to find a recipe. It…is…SO GOOD! So much recommend

    (No moths were harmed in the making of this review….or food)

    HAHA! bless the moths. Thanks Becca, so glad you loved it!

  • Rosemary

    Great stir fry sauce. I have a couple of suggestions.

    1. Do all the prep ahead of time. Once you start cooking, it goes quickly.
    2. Different veggies cook at different rates. Take a large mixing bowl and put the veggies that cook the shortest time in the bottom. In this case, that would be: the sugar snap peas. If you're adding them, also green, onions. Put a couple of paper towels over them, and add the next layer. In this case, the thinly sliced carrots, baby corn, & bell pepper. You could also add water chestnuts. (Or fresh jicama which I regularly use instead of water chestnuts.) More paper towel, then the sliced mushrooms. Set the bowl aside and on the cutting board, prep your broccoli. If you're working with broccoli florets you need to have them the same, eatable size.
    If you're working with broccoli w/stems, cut off the florets and set them aside. If the broccoli stem is tough, you can peel a bit of the side w/a peeler. Or not. Take the stem, cut off a eatable-sized piece at a slant. Rotate the stem 90 degrees, cut and repeat, working your way down the stalk.

    Take you wok (or frying pan) put 3-4 C of water in it, bring to a boil, add salt and cook the broccoli stem until ~half cooked. To the water add the florets and cook until it all goes bright green. Dump the water broccoli into a strainer & leave in a strainer. Return the wok to your burner & heat.

    Heat half the oil and cook the mushrooms until they've released their moisture and taken on some cover. Add the rest of the oil and add the next layer of veggies (carrots, peppers, ...). Just lift the veggies w/the paper towel and dump into the wok. When they're almost ready, add the next layer (sugar snap peas), the drained broccoli, and the just-stirred sauce. Cook until the sauce is thickened and add the green onions, maybe some fresh cilantro

    Thanks for the youthful comment in response to the recipe. Glad you like it!