Quick and Flavorful Teriyaki Vegetable Stir-Fry

Why You’ll Love This Easy Stir Fry

This Teriyaki Stir Fry isn’t just a meal; it’s a culinary experience designed for convenience, health, and incredible taste. Here’s why this recipe will quickly become a staple in your meal rotation:

• Effortless Weeknight Solution: When the eternal question “What’s for dinner?” arises, this stir-fry offers a delightfully simple and quick answer. It’s perfect for those busy evenings when you need a delicious meal on the table without a lot of fuss.
• Flexible with Ingredients: This recipe embraces flexibility! You can utilize whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand or conveniently reach for a bag of frozen veggies. It’s an excellent way to reduce food waste and adapt to your schedule.
• Customizable to Your Taste: The beauty of stir-frying lies in its adaptability. This recipe works wonderfully with *your* favorite vegetables, allowing you to create a dish that perfectly suits your preferences and dietary needs.
• Incredibly Flavorful and Satisfying: Coated in our rich, homemade teriyaki sauce, these vegetables are far from bland. Each bite is savory, slightly sweet, and deeply satisfying, proving that healthy eating can be incredibly delicious.
• Blazing Fast Prep and Cook Time: From chopping to serving, this entire dish can be ready in under 30 minutes. This makes it an ideal choice for busy individuals and families who don’t want to compromise on taste or nutrition.
• Healthier Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: By making your own teriyaki sauce, you gain complete control over the ingredients, allowing you to avoid excessive sodium, sugar, and artificial additives often found in store-bought versions. This results in a fresher, healthier, and more vibrant flavor.
• Perfect for Meal Prep: This stir fry reheats beautifully, making it an excellent candidate for meal prepping. Enjoy wholesome, flavorful lunches or dinners throughout the week.
• Nutrient-Packed: Loaded with a variety of colorful vegetables, this stir-fry is a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, contributing to a balanced and healthy diet.

Are Fresh or Frozen Vegetables Better?

One of the true beauties of a stir-fry is its incredible versatility, particularly when it comes to choosing your vegetables. You can confidently use either fresh or frozen veggies, and both options offer distinct advantages depending on your needs and preferences.

Let’s debunk a common misconception: a bag of frozen vegetables, especially those that are “flash-frozen” at the peak of their ripeness, can often be just as, if not more, nutritious than fresh produce. This is because fresh vegetables sometimes lose nutrients during transit and storage, whereas frozen ones are typically picked and processed very quickly, locking in their vitamins and minerals. When selecting frozen vegetables, always check the ingredient list to ensure the only ingredient is the vegetable itself—avoid anything with added sauces, seasonings, or excessive sodium.

For those with unpredictable schedules, frozen vegetables are a lifesaver. You might not always have the time or opportunity to visit the grocery store mid-week to replenish your fresh produce supply. Keeping a well-stocked freezer with a variety of vegetable medleys ensures that a simple, healthy teriyaki stir-fry is always a possibility on your meal plan. They offer unparalleled convenience, allowing you to get a wholesome dinner on the table any night without extensive prep.

However, fresh vegetables also bring their own unique qualities. They offer a crisper texture and a more vibrant, immediate flavor that can be particularly appealing. When using fresh, you have the freedom to select exactly what looks best and to custom-cut them to your desired size and shape. Just remember to wash and chop them all before you start cooking for a seamless stir-frying experience.

Ultimately, the “better” choice depends on your priorities: convenience and nutrient retention often favor frozen, while texture and specific ripeness might lean towards fresh. Don’t hesitate to mix and match! A combination of fresh and frozen can offer the best of both worlds.

Vegetable Stir Fry Ingredients

This recipe calls for a vibrant medley of vegetables, aromatics, and a touch of oil to create a truly irresistible stir-fry. The beauty here is customization – feel free to swap or add based on what you love and what’s available.

• Vegetables: You’ll need a total of approximately 5 cups of chopped vegetables. Our suggested combination for fantastic flavor and texture includes broccoli florets and stems, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, crisp snow peas, vibrant red bell pepper, tender zucchini, hearty Brussels sprouts, and sweet carrots. Other excellent additions or substitutions include snap peas, green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, or even thinly sliced cabbage. The key is to use a balanced mix of harder vegetables (like carrots, broccoli stems, Brussels sprouts) that require a longer cooking time, and softer ones (like bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini) that cook quickly.
• Edamame: Shelled edamame beans are a fantastic addition, providing a boost of plant-based protein and a pleasant texture. They can be added directly from the freezer to the stir-fry towards the end of cooking.
• Scallions: Also known as green onions or spring onions, scallions add a mild oniony flavor and a fresh, bright garnish. If you don’t have scallions, thinly sliced red onion or leeks can provide a similar aromatic quality.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is indispensable for its pungent, aromatic flavor. If fresh garlic isn’t available, garlic powder can be used as a substitute, but be sure to use garlic powder, not garlic salt, to control the sodium content.
• Ginger: Nothing quite compares to the zesty, spicy, and fragrant punch of freshly grated ginger. It’s a cornerstone of Asian cuisine and truly elevates the stir-fry.
• Oil: Toasted sesame oil is highly recommended for its distinctive nutty aroma and flavor, which is characteristic of many Asian dishes. If you prefer a lighter taste, regular sesame oil, avocado oil, or even grapeseed oil can be used. A combination of toasted sesame oil for flavor and a neutral oil like avocado oil for high-heat cooking also works well. For an entirely oil-free stir-fry, you can sauté the vegetables in a splash of vegetable broth.
• Optional Garnishes and Additions: Elevate your finished teriyaki vegetable stir-fry with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds for crunch, additional thinly sliced scallions for freshness, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for an extra kick. For added freshness and texture, toss in some bean sprouts just before serving.

To prepare fresh ginger, use the edge of a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works perfectly) to easily scrape off the thin skin. Then, use a microplane grater to finely grate it into a bowl, or a sharp knife to peel and mince it very finely.

Peel your garlic cloves. For the best flavor distribution, finely grate them using a microplane, or alternatively, press them through a garlic press or mince them finely with a knife.

Chop each vegetable into uniform, bite-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. For broccoli, separate the florets from the stems, then cut the stems into thin discs and the florets into smaller, manageable pieces.

Arrange your prepped vegetables near the stove, organized by their cooking time. Harder vegetables that require longer to cook, such as carrots and broccoli stems, should be placed closest for easy access and added to the pan first.

Make the Teriyaki Sauce:

Begin by whisking the arrowroot powder with ½ cup of cold water in a small bowl until completely smooth to create a slurry. In a small saucepan, combine the tamari, maple syrup, and rice vinegar. Heat this mixture over medium heat. Once it begins to warm, whisk in the arrowroot slurry and the red pepper flakes. Continue to whisk constantly as the sauce comes to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Keep whisking until the sauce begins to visibly thicken, which should take about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. The sauce will develop a beautiful sheen and continue to thicken as it cools. Set it aside while you prepare your vegetables.

Heat a large wok or your largest frying pan over high heat until it’s very hot. Swirl in half of the toasted sesame oil. Add your harder vegetables first—this typically includes carrots, quartered Brussels sprouts, and broccoli stems. Cook, tossing constantly with tongs for about 2 minutes, allowing them to crisp slightly.

Reduce the heat to medium. Now, add the remaining vegetables: broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, bok choy, and snow peas. Continue to cook and toss for approximately 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp (al dente) and brightly colored.

It’s time for the aromatics! Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, thinly sliced scallions, and the remaining toasted sesame oil to the pan. This will infuse the stir-fry with incredible fragrance.

Stir and cook for about 1 minute until the aromatics are fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. Ensure they are evenly distributed among the vegetables.

Before serving, quickly reheat your prepared teriyaki sauce and give it a good whisk to ensure it’s smooth. Then, pour about half of the sauce generously over the finished vegetables in the pan.

Use your tongs to gently mix the sauce thoroughly into the vegetables, ensuring every piece is coated. Add more sauce as needed to achieve your desired level of flavor and coverage.

Expert Cooking Tips

• Optimizing Leftovers with Rice: If you’re serving this delicious stir-fry over rice and anticipate leftovers, here’s a pro tip: mix any remaining cooked rice directly with the stir-fried vegetables before storing them in an airtight container. This simple step prevents the rice from clumping and becoming hard in the fridge, making it significantly easier to reheat and ensuring a much better texture when you enjoy your meal the next day.
• Layering Vegetables for Even Cooking: The secret to perfectly cooked stir-fry vegetables is understanding their individual cooking times. Always add harder or thicker-cut vegetables (like carrots, broccoli stems, Brussels sprouts) to the hot pan first, as they require more time to tenderize. Follow with medium-cooking vegetables (like bell peppers, mushrooms), and finally, add quick-cooking or delicate greens (like bok choy, snow peas, or spinach). Don’t stress too much about exact timing – it’s more about a logical progression than an exact science. The goal is for all vegetables to be tender-crisp at the same time.
• Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: For a truly excellent stir-fry, it’s crucial not to overcrowd your pan or wok. If you add too many vegetables at once, the temperature of the pan will drop rapidly, causing the vegetables to steam instead of stir-fry. This results in soggy, rather than crisp-tender, veggies. If you’re making a larger batch, cook the vegetables in two separate batches to maintain high heat and achieve that perfect texture.
• High Heat is Key: Stir-frying is all about quick cooking over high heat. Ensure your wok or large frying pan is very hot before adding any oil or vegetables. This high heat is what creates that desirable slightly charred, caramelized exterior while keeping the interior tender.
• Continuous Stirring: As the name suggests, “stir-fry” means active cooking. Keep the vegetables moving constantly with tongs or a stir-fry spatula. This ensures even cooking, prevents burning, and helps achieve that signature stir-fry texture.
• Taste and Adjust the Sauce: While the sauce recipe is balanced, individual preferences vary. Always taste the teriyaki sauce before adding it to the vegetables and adjust as needed. You might prefer a little more sweetness (add maple syrup), more tang (add rice vinegar), or a bit more spice (add red pepper flakes or sriracha).

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 4

Calories: 204 kcal

Chopped Veggies:

• Fresh Vegetables: Cut into bite-sized pieces. Any combination of broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, carrots, snow peas, snap peas to equal approximately 5 cups works well.
• Frozen Vegetables: Choose your favorite medley. Ensure there isn’t any freezer burn or large clumps of ice. You can use them straight from the freezer to the pan.

Nutrition Information: Actual nutrition information will vary depending on the specific vegetables and ingredients you choose. The provided values are estimates.

Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds and more red pepper flakes for extra flavor and crunch, if desired.

Calories: 204 kcal

Carbohydrates: 22g

Protein: 9g

Fat: 10g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g

Monounsaturated Fat: 4g

Sodium: 1123mg

Potassium: 600mg

Fiber: 5g

Sugar: 9g

Vitamin A: 819IU

Vitamin C: 99mg

Calcium: 104mg

Iron: 2mg

The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.