Healthy Vegetarian Stir Fry Recipes

Mixed frozen vegetables make this healthy fried rice recipe quick, easy and economical. If you don't have leftover cooked rice on hand, be sure to thoroughly cool your rice before adding it to the wok--if it's too warm, it creates too much steam and sticks to the wok. To quickly cool warm rice, spread out on a large baking sheet and refrigerate while you prep the rest of your ingredients, about 15 minutes.

Napa--also known as Chinese cabbage--is the preferred cabbage in this healthy Asian stir-fry recipe because it's much sweeter and more tender than green cabbage. If napa cabbage isn't available at your grocery store, try Savoy cabbage or bok choy.

Cooling cooked rice is key here—it dries out the rice and firms it up so it doesn't stick together when it's fried, yielding fluffier results.

Nothing could be easier than this light version of fried rice. We've used instant brown rice, but if you have leftover cold rice or can pick some up at a Chinese restaurant on the way home, use that instead and skip Step 1.

The bold taste of black bean-garlic sauce mellows into a rich and warming glaze in this fast Asian-style dish.

At last--a sweet-and-sour dish with a fresh, not cloying, taste. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper, a splash of chile-garlic sauce or a dash of hot sauce to give it a little heat.

Broccoli and red bell pepper tossed with a spicy peanut sauce makes a delicious side or stir in some cooked chicken or tofu to make it a main dish.

This quick and easy side dish goes with anything on the dinner menu. Made with a simple sauce, it highlights the fresh vegetables as the stars of the show. When pea shoots aren't in season, try this same stir-fry with fresh watercress or spinach.

In this vegetarian grilling recipe, the hot grill gives tofu smokiness and some crispy edges. A BBQ sauce made with gochujang, the hot Korean chile paste, doubles as both a glaze and some sauce to slather on the tofu at the table. Serve with brown rice or farro.

A flavorful sauce and lots of crunchy vegetables make this seitan stir-fry a quick and healthy choice for dinner tonight!

Sichuan peppercorns add a touch of floral heat to this mushroom-and-cabbage-loaded riff on dan dan noodles. Look for protein-rich vegetarian seitan--processed wheat gluten with a meaty texture-- near refrigerated tofu in large supermarkets or natural-foods stores. The actual weight of the seitan in a package varies depending on whether water weight is included. Look for the undrained weight on the label.

This quick-and-easy vegetable stir-fry uses bottled minced ginger and garlic as well as purchased shredded carrots, so it will be ready to eat in just 15 minutes.

Our lightened-up vegan version of this takeout classic is every bit as delicious and satisfying as the fried version. Plus, it pleases vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Prep all the ingredients before you begin the celery stir-fry--once the skillet is hot, the dish cooks in minutes. Cut zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler before you juice it.

Tofu and lots of fresh vegetables are stir-fried in just a bit of oil in this traditional Chinese dish. In the Sichuan province of China where this dish originates, the tofu wouldn't be deep-fried like it is so often in America. Similarly, in our version of this takeout favorite we stir-fry the ingredients in only a little bit of oil.

This Chinese-restaurant standard is a simple dish to prepare at home. If you like, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or chile-garlic sauce to give the sauce a little heat.

Whip up this high-fiber, plant-based stir-fry for a quick and convenient dinner. Look for bottled teriyaki sauce labeled less sodium or reduced sodium to cut back on the salt without sacrificing flavor.

You can purchase ready-made peanut sauces at the grocery store, but nothing tastes better than one you make at home. This peanut sauce has honey for a little sweetness and ginger and crushed red pepper for a little spice and is served over a mixture of tofu, peppers and bok choy. Ready in just 30 minutes, this recipe a great choice for a quick weeknight dinner.

This is not the greasy Lo Mein of your favorite Chinese take-out, it tastes even better. Plus you get plenty of nutrients with the addition of edamame, a great vegetarian protein source. Make it a Meal: Fruit sorbet and sesame cookies are a perfect ending.

Pressing tofu helps extract liquid so it cooks up perfectly in this healthy Chinese tofu recipe. Look for plum sauce--a sweet-and-sour condiment--near other Chinese sauces in most supermarkets. Serve with steamed brown rice.

Because of the high moisture content of tofu, it can go from a stir-fry to a braise in seconds. We also recommend salting and drying the tofu in paper towels so oil doesn't splatter during frying.

Baby corn, pea pods and water chestnuts, along with a soy and ginger sauce add Asian flavor to this simple vegetable side dish.

In this healthy Asian stir-fry recipe, the wok is covered for 30 seconds after adding the sauce to keep the vegetables crisp but tender. If Chinese broccoli is available in your market, use this same method but cut the stalks and leaves into 2-inch pieces.

This fried rice recipe features a fall mixture of sliced Brussels sprouts and parsnips, but feel free to use whatever is fresh and in season. This recipe works best in a wok-- a skillet is too small for the volume of food and requires more oil to prevent sticking. Always use cold cooked rice otherwise the fried rice will be gummy and sticky.