Easy Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

If you're looking for an easy way to get more vegetables into your diet—or your protein needs a flavorful sidekick—this Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry is a great solution.

As you may have noticed, I love recipes that are quick and easy to make, and stir-fry is one of my favorite ways to put together a healthy meal fast. Once your vegetables are chopped and ready to go, this recipe takes only about 5 minutes to cook!

It's also incredibly versatile. You can change up the vegetables depending on what you have in your refrigerator, add your favorite protein to turn it into a complete meal, or keep it completely plant-based.

The cashews add a delicious crunch along with nutrients like magnesium, while fresh ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut aminos give the vegetables plenty of flavor without using traditional soy sauce.

This recipe is soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and absolutely delicious.

Why I Love Cooking Stir-Fry in a Wok

One of my favorite cooking tools for recipes like this is a wok.

The large cooking surface gives you plenty of room for all those vegetables without having them spill over the sides of your pan. It also allows you to cook everything quickly over higher heat, which is exactly what you want when making stir-fry.

And an added bonus? It's super easy to clean!

You don't absolutely need a wok to make this recipe, though. A large skillet will work if that's what you have.

Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 baby bok choy, chopped

• ½ small eggplant, chopped

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• 1 cup broccoli florets

• ½ red bell pepper, sliced into strips

• 6 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• ⅓ cup organic unsalted cashews

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger, fresh or jarred

• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos

• 3 tablespoons vegetable broth

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch

• 1 tablespoon organic sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Prepare your ingredients. You'll need two medium or large bowls and one small bowl. Having everything ready before you start cooking makes this stir-fry incredibly fast and easy.

2. Prepare Bowl #1. Add the water, red bell pepper, broccoli, garlic, and ginger.

3. Prepare Bowl #2. Add the shredded carrots, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and eggplant.

4. Make the stir-fry sauce. In Bowl #3, whisk together the coconut aminos, vegetable broth, and arrowroot starch until smooth.

5. Heat the wok. Place your wok over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil. Allow it to heat for approximately 1 minute.

6. Add Bowl #1. Add the bell pepper, broccoli, garlic, ginger, and water to the wok. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

7. Add Bowl #2. Stir in the carrots, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and eggplant. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

8. Add the sauce. Give the coconut amino mixture another quick whisk before pouring it into the wok. Stir everything together and cook for approximately 2 additional minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

9. Add the cashews. Stir in the unsalted cashews just before serving so they retain some of their crunch.

10. Serve and enjoy! Divide the stir-fry into bowls and serve immediately.

Make It a Complete Meal

As written, this recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish, but it's also incredibly easy to turn into a complete meal.

Try adding:

• Chicken

• Shrimp

• Ground turkey

• Thinly sliced beef

• Tofu, if you eat soy

• Extra cashews for a plant-based option

If you're adding meat or seafood, cook it completely before adding the vegetables, then remove it from the wok temporarily if needed. Add it back in with the sauce at the end.

Serve everything over jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, depending on your preferences.

Use Whatever Vegetables You Have

Don't feel like you have to follow the vegetable combination exactly every time.

Stir-fry is one of my favorite clean-out-the-refrigerator meals.

You could also try:

• Snow peas

• Green beans

• Zucchini

• Cabbage

• Mushrooms

• Asparagus

• Water chestnuts

• Baby corn

• Green onions

Just keep in mind that harder vegetables like broccoli and carrots generally need a little more cooking time than softer vegetables.

Why Coconut Aminos?

Traditional stir-fry recipes often use soy sauce, but I use coconut aminos in this recipe.

Coconut aminos give the sauce that salty-sweet, savory flavor while keeping the recipe soy-free and gluten-free.

If you're strictly gluten-free, always check the labels of your sauces and packaged ingredients to make sure they're appropriate for you.

Don't Overcook Your Vegetables

The beauty of a good stir-fry is that the vegetables should still have some texture.

You don't want to cook everything until it's completely soft and mushy.

That's another reason prepping everything before you turn on the wok is so important. Once you start cooking, this recipe moves quickly!

💡 Dr. Stephanie's Tip: Do all of your chopping and measuring before you start cooking.

This isn't one of those recipes where you can chop the next ingredient while the first one cooks. The entire stir-fry takes only about five minutes, so you'll want everything lined up and ready to go.

And don't be afraid to customize it. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand and add a protein to turn it into an easy weeknight dinner.

A 5-Minute Vegetable Side Dish to Keep on Repeat

Healthy food doesn't have to take hours to prepare.

This easy Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry gives you a colorful combination of bok choy, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, bell pepper, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and cashews in a simple coconut amino sauce.

It's quick, versatile, naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and an easy way to add more vegetables to just about any meal.

Looking for more healthy recipes? You’ll find 93 of my favorite gluten-free and dairy-free recipes in my cookbook, with simple meals the whole family can enjoy. Get your copy here.