For those nights when you want a super quick and healthy family dinner, this easy Vegetable Stir Fry should be on your must-make list. It comes together in about 20 minutes and it’s super easy to customize for your kids!
This vegetable stir fry is one of our favorite family dinners and here’s why: It’s so easy to prep the veggies ahead, you can pair it with any rice you want, and the easy teriyaki sauce pulls it all together with kid-friendly flavor.
We love to add tofu for protein and to let the kids decide if they want it with the components separated out or all mixed together. It’s versatile so you can use whichever vegetables your family likes. And you can easily substitute in chicken or shrimp for the tofu, if desired.
I love to pair this with a simple teriyaki style sauce made with just a few ingredients. It’s slightly sweet, yet plenty flavorful for the parents, and it’s super easy to stir it together in minutes.
(For more easy meals, you may also like Stir Fry Noodles, Rice Noodle Soup, and quick Teriyaki Shrimp.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make this easy vegetable stir fry, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.
- Veggies: You can use vegetables such as shredded carrots, broccoli florets, snow peas, sliced bell pepper, sliced zucchini or summer squash.
- Rice: I have it served with jasmine rice here, but any type of cooked rice works well.
- Tofu: I like to use extra-firm or super firm tofu because we prefer that more solid texture. And it cooks up nice and crisp.
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce: This lower sodium soy sauce is in an ingredient in the easy teriyaki sauce. To make this gluten-free, choose tamari.
- Maple syrup: This adds nice sweetness to the teriyaki sauce. You can also use honey for kids over age 1.
- Ginger: Fresh or frozen ginger works well here to add flavor.
- Garlic: You can use fresh garlic and mince it or grate it on a microplane or use jarred minced garlic.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: This oil adds a lot of flavor to the mix, so I recommend it here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this simple vegetable stir fry with tofu so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full information.
- Warm the oil and cook the veggies.
- Add the cooked tofu and sauce.
- Serve warm over rice.
TIP: You can cut the veggies and make the rice up to 3 days ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love incorporating tofu in our family dinners since it’s very easy for kids to chew, is easy to flavor, is very budget friendly, and goes with a wide variety of other foods. In this recipe, my Sesame Tofu is a perfect pair. (And you only need two ingredients to make it!)
You can serve with noodles, quinoa, or another grain as you prefer.
You can top your serving with fresh lime juice, hot sauce, crushed peanuts, cilantro, or toasted sesame seeds.
How to Store
Store leftover vegetable stir fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm through to serve.
Best Tips for Success
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat to serve.
- Try to chop veggies to be about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Use prechopped veggies like broccoli florets or cauliflower florets to streamline the prep time.
- Use whichever kind of rice your family prefers. We like Lundberg short grain brown rice or white basmati rice.
- Store fresh ginger in a zip top bag in the freezer and grate (with the peel on!) with a microplane.
- Sub in ½ teaspoon grated ginger in place of fresh if you don’t have any on hand.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please chime in below to share!
Easy Vegetable Stir Fry (with Rice and Tofu)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups short grain rice (brown or white)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 4 cups mixed veggies
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove (peeled and grated)
- 1 inch ginger (grated)
- 1 recipe Sesame Tofu
- peanuts, lime juice, and/or hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, warm the oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables and stir to coat.
- Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until veggies are soft when poked with a fork, yet still tender.
- Add the Sesame Tofu.
- Meanwhile, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Pour into the veggies and tofu.
- Server warm over rice with peanuts, lime juice, and/or hot sauce.
Equipment
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat to serve.
- Try to chop veggies to be about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Use prechopped veggies like broccoli florets or cauliflower florets to streamline the prep time.
- Use whichever kind of rice your family prefers. We like Lundberg short grain brown rice or white basmati rice.
- Store fresh ginger in a zip top bag in the freezer and grate (with the peel on!) with a microplane.
- Sub in ½ teaspoon grated ginger in place of fresh if you don’t have any on hand.
Nutrition
This post was first published January 2020.
I really enjoyed this recipe and it did come together very quickly. Easily adaptable to the veg we had in the fridge. The teriyaki sauce is really yummy!
Sadly neither of my children even deigned to try it. But I will be offering it again soon as I definitely would like to eat this again!