Easy Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry is a healthy, delicious vegetarian meal on the table in 30 minutes. Better than takeout! Vegan and gluten-free option.
Oh hello, best veggie stir fry! We must begin this recipe by praising the cashews. I simply cannot get over their nutty, buttery splendor. In this heaven-sent stir fry they almost taste like...chicken? It's kind of weird and kind of amazing.
But they take on this incredible chewy, juicy texture as they soaked up the homemade teriyaki sauce. It's emotional and riveting and another breed of fabulous. Who knew stir fry veggies could be this scrumptious?
Promise me you'll try my Instant Pot Pad Thai Stir Fry and Buddha Bowls with Peanut Sauce. The best part about this meal is that is has everything you need in one bowl and the leftovers taste even better the one day. Truly favorite kind of dish!
How to make teriyaki stir fry
This is super simple to make. And you don't have to waste precious brain power thinking about side dishes because this has protein, fat, whole grains and veggies! A meal in a bowl.
- Sauté onion until softened. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the veggies and cook until softened.
- Make the sauce by blending the sauce ingredients together.
- Stir in rice, cashews and edamame.
- Serve over rice and devour!
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Aromatics: We're starting with onion, garlic and ginger as the flavor base.
- Veggies: I love carrots, bell pepper, broccoli and snap peas to bulk up the stir fry but you can use whatever veggies you love--mushrooms, cauliflower, green beans, etc.
- Cashews: For crunchy texture and amazing flavor. You could also use peanuts!
- Pineapple: This helps naturally sweeten the teriyaki sauce and add brightness.
- Brown rice: For a hearty base. White rice or quinoa also work.
- Soy sauce: This is what most of our teriyaki sauce is, and the salty umami flavor is amazing! You can use tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free.
- Maple syrup: To add just a touch more sweetness.
- Chia seeds: This is how we thicken our sauce. I love chia seeds for a boost of healthy fats and fiber.
- Sriracha: To amp up the heat without too much spice. You can also use chili paste or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Tips for making healthy teriyaki sauce
Homemade teriyaki sauce is typically some combo of soy sauce, water, and sugar thickened with cornstarch or another thickener.
Developing a tasty teriyaki sauce that doesn't sending your blood sugar into outer space means using pineapple tidbits to cash in on the natural sweetness of pineapple.
- Use pineapple plus a splash of honey and maple syrup, then thickening it with chia seeds. It works like magic! This pineapple teriyaki sauce couldn’t be easier to make and it’s super flavorful.
- You have lots of options here, like using honey or agave instead of maple syrup or apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar. Taste and adjust as needed, but know that the flavor will be much more mellow once it’s combined with all the veggies and grains.
- If you love spice, increase the sriracha or add a pinch of red pepper flakes. If you love garlic, add a minced clove or two. Sometimes I'll add ginger, too!
Time-saving cooking hacks
The reason stir fry is amazing is because it's so darn customizable. And hard to mess up! You can use whatever produce you have on its last leg in the fridge or freezer and as long as the sauce is delish, you're golden.
- Pre-cooked grains: If you don't wasn't to wait for rice or quinoa to cook, go frozen or buy the pre-cooked packets! They're a bit pricier but time is often money, so no shame in prioritizing convenience sometimes. I like to cook my grains in the Instant Pot.
- Frozen veggies: You know those tempting bags of stir fry veggies in the freezer section? Those would work swell here! Sometimes you just don't want to chop---I feel you.
- Use leftovers: This recipe is super forgiving. Peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, green beans, zucchini, asparagus, slightly wilty greens...throw 'em into the mix. The more veg the merrier.
Is this stir fry gluten free?
So glad you asked! Indeed it is, as long as you use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, which contains wheat.
More 30-minute dinners
- Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Pesto Orzo
- Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers
- Quinoa Veggie Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
- Peanut Noodles with Broccoli
- Quinoa Fried Rice
Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Main Meal
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy Vegetable Teriyaki Stir Fry is a healthy, delicious vegetarian meal on the table in 30 minutes. Better than takeout! Vegan and gluten-free option.
Ingredients
For the veggie stir fry:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (I use this bottled one)
- 2 heaping cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup sliced bell pepper (I used frozen)
- 1 large head broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 ½ cups sugar snap peas
- 2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews
- 1 cup edamame
- Sliced green onions, optional for garnish
For the teriyaki sauce:
- 1 (8oz) can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice, not drained
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (sub tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional, for thickness)
- 2 tsp sriracha
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger to pan and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and snap peas and sauté for another 5-7 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Stir in cooked brown rice, cashews and edamame, stirring until heated through.
- While veggies are cooking, make the sauce by placing sauce ingredients in a blender (I used my Nutribullet). Blend until smooth and set aside. Pour sauce on top and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions and extra cashews.
Jane says
Do you have a diabetes friendly sauce for the veggies?
Alexis Joseph says
Hi there! This has far less sugar than traditional teriyaki sauce, but unfortunately I don’t have a sugar-free option if that’s what you’re asking for.
Lea says
This recipe was AMAZING 🤩
Alexis Joseph says
Thanks so much, Lea!
Jaci says
This was delicious! Thank you! I added more garlic to the sauce and when I make it again, I'm thinking about putting the ginger in the sauce, so the flavor is throughout the entire
dish 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Love that idea. Ginger is always a great plan! Thanks, Jaci.
Aliah says
Hi Alexa! Just made this stir fry and I can’t believe how EASY! I added mushrooms to give it some meat texture, so yummy. Great way to get your veggies in while preggos!
Thanks!
Alexis says
Heck yes, thanks Aliah!
Kary says
Made it and then made it again. It’s that good. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy thanks so much, Kary!!
Rachel H says
This stir fry was a big hit and easy prep - my husband already said we should put it in our regular rotation! We subbed green beans for the edamame and snap peas and they worked just as well. Excellent for leftovers, too 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy I'm so glad to hear it, Rachel!
Kay says
This is a staple around here! I just use Trader Joe’s teriyaki marinade in place of the homemade sauce! The cashews in stir fry are a game changer and I double the amount because it’s just so good!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm love that substitution. Thanks for taking the time to review this, Kay!
terry parker says
absolutely one of the most delicious meals ever
Alexis Joseph says
Wahoo!!
Alexis Joseph says
Terry again Peter! If you'd be so kind as to leave a star-rating, I'd really appreciate it! It's super helpful for other readers. Thanks again!
Jessica Hashman says
Loved this recipe! I omitted the oil and water sauteed the onion, garlic, and ginger. I used frozen stir fry veggies, added two cans of chickpeas. I doubled the recipe but used half of the liquid aminos (in lieu of soy sauce) and omitted the maple syrup altogether.
Alexis Joseph says
Fabulous! I love how you made the recipe your own. Thanks, Jessica!
Vanessa says
Made this for dinner. DELICIOUS
Alexis says
Yay! Thanks for telling me, Vanessa!
Josie says
A hit for these new vegans! Personally, I think the additional sweetener is not needed ( I used agave) and I thickened with cornstarch (no chia on hand). I also added a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. My husband could not stop eating this - I was hoping to save the leftovers for another dinner! Thank you !
Jo Peters says
Had this a few nights ago, it was loved by veggies and carnivores alike in the home! The only thing I would change for next time is to hold back the snap peas a little longer, mine were flimsy-floppy by the time the other veggies were crispy-cooked. The whole thing took no time at all, and cleanup was a breeze.
Alexis says
Good to hear, Jo! Good to know about the peas, too 🙂
Lydia says
How would I add tempeh instead of edamame?
Alexis says
Hi there! I would just finely chop a block of tempeh and sautee in a bit of olive oil until browned. Then stir it in at the end. Hope that helps!
Lydia says
I just saw this now. As a novice cook, I really value help. I'm going to make this tomorrow! Thanks for responding!
Rach's Recipes says
I had some tofu lying around and added that too. And I ended up using maple syrup as my sweetener. This recipe is a winner! Thank you!
Ashley | Free Wills Studio says
Oh my gosh, thank you for sharing this! It looks incredible. 🙂
Kelsy says
Made this for dinner last night and am currently sitting at my desk eating leftovers for lunch... I think it might actually get even better the next day! So, so good! And to make it even quicker, I used a frozen bag of mixed stir fry veggies. This will definitely become a regular in my rotation!!
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
You better believe I'd be diving right into this! Swooooon. I used to be the biggest fan of stir fries, but I haven't made one in for.ev.er. Can I come have dinner with you? 😀
Victoria says
This is GENIUS! I would have never thought to put the pineapple in it. Cannot wait to try this!
Kelly @ Eat the Gains says
Yes! Stir fries are so good for getting extra veggies into your meals. Haven't made one in awhile so I am going to have to give this one a go!
Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen} says
Clever girly capitalizing on the sweetness of those tidbits! I love stir fries for the middle of the week when I'm feeling uninspired. Yum!
Sarah | Well and Full says
This stir-fry looks great! I love the addition of cashews, I bet that adds such a nice crunch! 🙂
Dietitian Jess says
Love all the veggies here- and who doesn't love a one pot meal?! I'll have to try out Norbu... I'm not a huge stevia fan either.
Kate says
Whata creative way to use pineapple! Everyone knows pineapple is good with asian food, so why not just throw it in with the sauce?! Also, cashews can do no wrong.
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Stir fry is the BEST! You're right, this looks waaaay better than takeout!! Can't wait to give it a try! 🙂
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I will do just that and dive right into this! 😉 MMMM... gotta love a nice good filling stir fry! This looks AWESOME!