Transform broccoli into the star of the show with this broccoli stir-fry recipe. This quick and easy vegan broccoli stir-fry is the perfect side dish, or add crispy tofu to make it an entree. All in under 30 minutes! That’s my kind of dinner.
When I was a kid, my mom covered our broccoli in cheese sauce to eat it. Broccoli is like a sponge, soaking up the flavors of herbs and sauces you throw at it. This broccoli stir-fry recipe is so flavorful I couldn’t help but snag pieces of broccoli out of the wok while it was cooking. Of course, I could lie and say I was checking to see if the broccoli was cooked, or I can admit I couldn’t get enough of this tasty vegan broccoli stir fry.
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I love broccoli because it tastes fabulous roasted, steamed, stir-fried, microwaved, or sauteed in a pan. Or, eat broccoli raw for a completely different flavor profile. This superfood packs vitamins and nutrients in every delicious bite regardless of how you include broccoli.
Broccoli Nutritional Profile
One of broccoli’s most significant advantages is its nutrient content. It contains many vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other bioactive compounds.
One cup (91 grams) of raw broccoli packs:
- Carbs: 6 grams
- Protein: 2.6 gram
- Fat: 0.3 grams
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Vitamin C: 135% of the RDI; Vitamin A: 11% of the RDI; Vitamin K: 116% of the RDI; Vitamin B9 (Folate): 14% of the RDI
- Potassium: 8% of the RDI
- Phosphorus: 6% of the RDI
- Selenium: 3% of the RDI
Broccoli is a great source of antioxidants and may enhance your health by reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, boosting immunity, and promoting heart health.
Why Is Broccoli a Superfood? Fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. 27 calories per ½ cup.
Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredients
- White Onions: White onions are strong yet caramelize and sweeten when cooked in the wok.
- Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, but feel free to choose any mushrooms you prefer.
- Broccoli: High-quality broccoli has either a dark or bright green to purplish color with closed flower buds. Heads should be firm to hand pressure and compact. Stalks should be cleanly cut to the appropriate length for a particular grade standard or crowns or florets.
- Red Bell Peppers: Red bell peppers are sweet and vibrant flavorful.
- Snow Peas: Snow peas have a mild, sweet taste with a fresh and crunchy texture.
- Ginger: Ginger is added to the stir-fry and the stir-fry sauce.
- Marinated Tofu: I marinated the tofu in a simple combination of rice vinegar and soy sauce.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch is used to coat the tofu to make it crispy when cooked without using oil.
- Stir Fry Sauce: The stir fry sauce is a simple combination of rice vinegar, maple syrup, grated ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Brown Rice (Optional): I used brown rice as the base and starch for the broccoli stir-fry recipe. However, it tastes fabulous, plain or with noodles as well.
Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredient Substitutions
- Try yellow onion or green onions instead of white onions.
- Use any mushrooms, or skip them if you don’t care for them. A lot of people substitute eggplant for mushrooms in recipes.
- Cauliflower is a natural substitute for broccoli since it is also a cruciferous vegetable.
- Any bell pepper works well. I like baby bell peppers with various colors and a similar taste to red bell peppers.
- Sugar snap peas are similar to snow peas.
- Converting fresh ginger to ground ginger and vice versa is easy. You’ll need to use more because ground ginger is more concentrated. For every ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, use 1 tablespoon of fresh-grated ginger in recipes. This works in the opposite direction as well.
- Double the stir-fry sauce and marinate the tofu with half of the stir-fry sauce.
- Arrowroot powder often substitutes cornstarch in recipes.
- Choose a bottled stir-fry sauce of your choice.
- Instead of brown rice, choose jasmine rice or noodles, or eat the stir fry plain without starch.
How to Make Vegan Broccoli Stir-Fry
First, I suggest a large wok for cooking stir fry. It is the quickest, most effective way to make a stir fry with many vegetables, and I like a lot of vegetables in my broccoli stir fry.
Begin by cooking the onions, mushrooms, and half of the grated ginger.
Then, add the broccoli and cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, moving the broccoli around the pan.
Add a little water or vegetable broth if the onions and mushrooms stick to the bottom of the wok.
Next, add the red bell peppers and snow peas. Since these vegetables require the least amount of cooking time, they go last.
Cooking in stages, based on the density of the vegetables, ensures they are not under or overcooked.
For a twist, if you prefer the broccoli crispy, like the tofu, try air-fryer broccoli instead of adding it to the wok.
The key to the perfect broccoli stir-fry, or any stir-fry, for that matter, is to use very little sauce and add it right before serving. NEVER add the sauce to the vegetables cooking in the wok.
Although this broccoli stir-fry is ridiculously delicious, adding crispy tofu adds another element of yum. So, you choose to add tofu or skip it.
And then, decide to add brown rice, jasmine rice, rice noodles, or possibly quinoa or farro. I served broccoli stir-fry with brown rice and quinoa this time.
How to Make Crispy Tofu
Press the tofu in a tofu press, and marinate overnight for the best results. Once marinated, drain the extra marinade, and toss with cornstarch.
The cornstarch coats the outside of the tofu, so when it’s baked or air-fried, it gets crunchy on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place cut or uncut tofu on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and flip tofu over; cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and toss in the stir-fry sauce to coat.
Air-Frying
- Preheat the air fryer temperature to 375 degrees.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times throughout the cooking.
- When the tofu is cooked, transfer it to a bowl and toss in the stir-fry sauce to coat.
Add the tofu to the broccoli stir-fry recipe. Substitute chickpea tofu as an alternative to soybean tofu for those with allergies or an aversion to soy products.
Recipe FAQs
Cook, stirring constantly, until browned around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of water to steam the broccoli, and cook, stirring constantly, until about 2 minutes more tender. Push the broccoli to the edges of the pan, forming an empty well in the center.
Adding too many ingredients at once will overlap and steam rather than sauté, making them rubbery or soggy. Cook in stages, adding one vegetable to the wok at a time, based on density and cooking time.
Make sure your wok is super-hot! Stir fry gets its flavors from that high-heat.
Tips
- Heat the wok before beginning to cook the vegetables. A hot wok makes a happy stir fry.
- Cook vegetables in stages, according to their density and cook time.
- Cut the vegetables into similar sizes, so they cook at the same rate.
- Do not add sauce until after cooking all the vegetables; this prevents the vegetables from getting soggy.
- If adding tofu, reserve half the sauce to toss cooked crispy tofu in before adding to the stir fry.
- I suggest keeping the rice and veggies separate when storing leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Choose tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free option.
Take your broccoli to the next level in this broccoli stir fry recipe. Add some crispy tofu if you wish, or enjoy this vegan stir-fry on its own!
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📖 Recipe
Broccoli Stir Fry
Transform broccoli into the star of the show with this broccoli stir-fry recipe. This quick and easy vegan broccoli stir-fry is the perfect side dish, or add crispy tofu to make it an entree. All in under 30 minutes! That’s my kind of dinner.
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce (Double if making Crispy Tofu)
Instructions
Stir Fry
Heat the wok to medium high.
Add the garlic, half the ground ginger, and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are translucent.
Now, add the broccoli florets, and stir into the mushroom, onion, and ginger mixed.
Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add a small amount of water or vegetable broth.
Add the bell peppers and snow peas.
Remove from the heat and toss in half the sauce.
Stir Fry Sauce (Double if making the Crispy Tofu)
Crispy Tofu (optional)
Combine soy sauce and rice vinegar in a refrigerator-safe container.
Press tofu and cut it into equal bite-sized pieces.
Marinade overnight (or at least 2 hours) for the best flavor.
Drain the excess marinade, and toss tofu cubes with the cornstarch.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place cut or uncut tofu on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper
Cook for 15 minutes.Remove from oven and flip tofu over; cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and toss in the stir-fry sauce to coat.
Air-Frying
Preheat the air fryer temperature to 375 degrees.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket a few times throughout the cooking.
When the tofu is cooked, transfer it to a bowl and toss in the stir-fry sauce to coat.
Grain (Rice or Other Options)
Serving
Place cooked grain on a platter or in individual bowls.
Drizzle with a some stir fry sauce.
Add a generous helping of broccoli stir fry.
Top with tofu if desired.
Notes
- Heat the wok before beginning to cook the vegetables. A hot wok makes a happy stir fry.
- Cook vegetables in stages according to their density and cooking time.
- Cut the vegetables into similar sizes to cook at the same rate.
- Do not add sauce until after cooking all the vegetables; this prevents the vegetables from getting soggy.
- If adding tofu, reserve half the sauce to toss cooked crispy tofu in before adding to the stir fry.
- I suggest keeping the rice and veggies separate when storing leftovers in the refrigerator.
- Choose tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free option.
Nutrition
Serving: 6gCalories: 159kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 413mgPotassium: 558mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1530IUVitamin C: 138mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 2mg
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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