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This delicious stir fry vegetables recipe is made with everyday vegetables sauteed with simple Chinese black bean sauce. The sweet, spicy, and savory flavors will make you want to eat ALL your vegetables!
Are you a confident home cook of Chinese food? If so, stay awesome! If not, grab this EASY stir fry vegetable recipe and discover the hidden Chinese cook in you! This recipe is loaded with fresh, everyday vegetables found in most grocery stores. The black bean Chinese pan sauce is as easy as whisking a few ingredients in a bowl and sauteing it with the vegetables.
Stir fry ingredients
- avocado oil - or other oil
- Chinese eggplant
- green onions
- fresh ginger
- fresh garlic
- zucchini
- red bell pepper
- bok choy
Black bean sauce ingredients
- packaged black bean garlic sauce
- rice cooking wine or dry sherry
- water
- brown sugar
- chili garlic sauce
What is Chinese black bean sauce
Black bean sauce is a Chinese sauce made with fermented black soybeans (not the black beans used in Mexican food). You can use this recipe for black bean sauce as a more authentic Chinese ingredient. However, I enjoy using packaged black bean and garlic sauce enhanced with other ingredients to make my own shortcut sauce, as you'll see in my recipe below.
How to make this recipe
- Chop the veggies and whisk together black bean sauce ingredients.
- Sauté the veggies in a large skillet or wok until slightly tender.
- Add black bean sauce to the veggies and heat a few minutes until it's thickened and warmed through.
- Serve stir fry veggies over rice, rice noodles, or zucchini noodles.
Do you need a wok to make stir fry vegetables?
No. You can use any skillet to make veggie stir fry. It doesn't even have to be nonstick! Just make sure it’s big enough to fit ALL the veggies.
What veggies are best for stir fry?
There are no limitations to the variety of vegetables you can use in a stir fry.
- mushrooms
- cabbage
- snow peas or snap peas
- broccoli or cauliflower
- leafy greens
- onions
- eggplant
- bell peppers
- zucchini
- green beans
Meal prep instructions
- Divide cooked stir fry vegetables and rice into meal prep containers (about 1 cup vegetables and ½ cup of rice)
- Add a side of Asian slaw with sliced fresh fruit.
- Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
- To reheat, microwave on a medium setting in 1-minute increments until warmed through, stirring as needed.
How long will stir fry veggies last?
Your stir fry leftovers are best enjoyed within 3 days if stored in airtight containers. I do not recommend freezing this entree because it softens the texture of the vegetables and makes them watery when thawed.
Serving ideas
Serve this vegetable stir fry with a side of Instant Pot rice, cooked rice noodles, Instant Pot quinoa, or spiral zucchini noodles.
Easy Asian recipes
- Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles
- Kale Sesame Noodles
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Turmeric Chickpea Buddha Bowl
- Vegetable Lo Mein Noodles
- Thai Coconut Soup
- Vegan Thai Lentil Chickpea Curry
📖 Recipe
Easy Stir Fry Vegetables (with black bean sauce)
Ingredients
Black Bean Sauce: (makes ¼ cup)
- 2 tablespoons Black Bean Garlic Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Cooking Wine or Dry Sherry
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Chili Garlic Sauce
Vegetables:
- 3 tablespoons Avocado Oil or any neutral flavored oil
- 1 large Chinese Eggplant chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 Green Onions sliced; green and white part separated
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger grated
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ large Red Bell Pepper thinly sliced
- 2 small Zucchini chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 bulbs Bok Choy leaves separated and bulb chopped
Equipment
- small mixing bowl
- 12 inch skillet or wok
Instructions
For the black bean sauce: (makes ¼ cup)
- In a small bowl, whisk together packaged BLACK BEAN SAUCE, RICE COOKING WINE, WATER, BROWN SUGAR, and CHILI GARLIC SAUCE; set aside.
For the stir fry vegetables:
- Preheat a large skillet or wok over med-high heat.
- Combine EGGPLANT and 1 TBSP OIL in mixing bowl. Toss to coat.
- Add EGGPLANT to preheated skillet. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, tossing as needed. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat remaining OIL. Add GREEN ONIONS (white part only), GINGER, and GARLIC. Sauté a few minutes until slightly tender, stirring as needed.
- Add BELL PEPPER, ZUCCHINI, and BOK CHOY; sauté under tender, stirring as needed.
- Add EGGPLANT back to vegetables; stir in BLACK BEAN SAUCE, reduce heat to low and simmer a few minutes until veggies are warmed through and sauce thickens.
- Serve warm over rice, Asian noodles, or zoodles. Garnish with sliced GREEN ONION tops.
- Store in airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Final step
Click stars to vote. Please visit 'Comments' below for reviews.
Laurie says
Really delicious and pretty easy. We both loved it snd I used up lots of veggies I had on hand. Will make again.
Traci says
Yay! So glad you're enjoying it. Thank you for taking the time to offer feedback. Happy New Year to you both 🙂
Benjamin says
Just made this and my family really loved it!
Thanks for sharing 🔥🔥
Traci says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. Cheers!
Claudia says
1st recipe for me to try from this website and it was outrageously delicious. Perfect balance between child garlic sauce & brown sugar, Rice cooking wine (I used Mirin) and black bean garlic sauce. This is going to be my go to recipe when I want to use up an assortment of veggies. So glad I stumbled upon this website & recipe!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay Claudia – I'm so glad you found your way to this recipe too! It's truly my fav vegetarian stir fry and I'm happy to hear you gave it a go and love it as much as I do 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know!
Jenny says
I fall into the category of "NOT a confident home cook of Chinese food" so I was happy to find this recipe. I'd never tried making black bean sauce before, but this recipe is easy and so flavorful.
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome Jenny! Yes, this stir fry recipe will help with the confidence part. And the black bean sauce ... it's halfway there with the packaged sauce I used. So glad you can enjoy this recipe...thanks!
Tara says
Such a delicious stir-fry! Sounds amazing with the black bean sauce. I love all that color.
The Kitchen Girl says
Thanks, Tara! Glad you can enjoy the black bean sauce ... it's so delicious!
Shashi at SavorySpin says
I could eat that black bean sauce with a spoon! This is such a tasty meal prep idea - but I'd wanna eat it all at once!
The Kitchen Girl says
Lol, I hear that, Shashi 🙂 I've nearly done it. Thanks for stopping by!
Chichi says
This is a healthy recipe. Love the black bean sauce. Thanks for sharing
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Chichi! Glad you think so...thanks! 🙂
Beth says
This looks so delicious and yummy! My husband is going to love this recipe!
The Kitchen Girl says
Glad to hear it, Beth! We love this recipe too 🙂 Thanks!
Shelley says
Oh Traci - this veggie stir fry looks absolutely fabulous! I don't do a lot of Chinese-inspired homecooking, so I really appreciated your little tips and hints for this recipe (and especially that it can be great for meal prep)! Oh - and I'm totally all in on the black bean sauce shortcut - I love easy shortcuts!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Shelley! So glad you're enjoying the tips and tricks 🙂 That black bean sauce is one of my favorite Asian condiments! Anyway, thanks for the kind words ❣️
JB says
I like really simple recipes with lots of flavor. These stir fry veggies do both AND they make meatless Monday totally NOT boring. Win-win! Love the super easy black bean sauce too! Thanks KG!
The Kitchen Girl says
So glad to hear it, JB! I couldn't agree more and veggie stir fry puts all that produce to good use
Amanda says
I really love a good stir fry. It's such a great way to get your veggies in, with so much flavor, and a short amount of time. I confess that I have to get better with my meal prep game. This looks like the perfect way to plan ahead for a healthy lunch during the week. That black bean sauce must take those gorgeous veggies right to the next level!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Amanda...yes, on all fronts 🙂 The meal prep game always pays back dividends. And that black bean sauce...it's umami heaven! xo
Trish Bozeman says
I am definitely NOT a confident cook when it comes to Chinese cuisine. It just never seems right when I make it lol! I'm loving this simple take on black bean sauce and I can't wait to give this one a try!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Trish! Can't wait for you to nail this one! 🙂