Name: Stir-Fry Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 8 oz rice noodles (or gluten-free buckwheat noodles); 1 cup frozen edamame beans (optional); 2 tablespoons sesame seeds; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional); 1 red onion; 5 oz chopped broccolini (or broccoli florets); 2 large carrots; 1 red bell pepper; 8 oz brown mushrooms (or shiitake mushrooms); 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (of choice); ¼ cup tamari (or dark gluten-free soy sauce); ⅓ cup water (or vegetable broth); 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or brown sugar); 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (optional but makes it taste so much better); 1 tablespoon grated ginger (more to taste); 1 grated garlic clove (more to taste); 1 tablespoon corn starch

This warm stir-fry salad recipe is packed with vegetables and tossed in the most delicious homemade stir-fry sauce. It comes together in just 30 minutes (or less if you use a pack of wok vegetables), which makes it a great main dish for busy weeknights. My hack is to make this stir-fry at the end of the week to use up any leftover veggies I still have in the fridge.

Rice noodles and stir-fried vegetables in a white bowl topped with sesame seeds.

Try this quick dinner idea, either warm or cold, for a light meal with colorful ingredients. I love to serve it in a large salad bowl with a side of jasmine rice or simple rice noodles.

If you like Asian-inspired dishes, you may also like this soba noodle salad, sushi rice bowl, or these easy rice paper dumplings.

Jump to:

Best stir-fry vegetables
Key ingredients and substitutions
Elo’s tips
How to stir fry vegetables (step-by-step)
Meal Prepping tips
Storage tips
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The recipe

Best stir-fry vegetables

The list of veggies to use in your stir-fry salad is, honestly, endless. This is what they mean when they talk about “eating through the rainbow”:

Firm veggies (that need longer to cook)

Carrots
Broccoli or broccolini
Red cabbage or white cabbage
Red onion
Bell peppers (yellow, green, or red bell pepper)

Medium-firm veggies (to add a few minutes after the firm veggies)

Zucchini, during summer
Eggplants, during summer
Green beans and sweet peas
Baby bok choy (you can add the leaves towards the end)

Softer veggies (to add at the end)

Baby spinach (any dark leafy greens will do)
Sweet peas, snow peas or snap peas
Shiitake mushrooms or brown mushrooms
Soybean sprouts
Scallions/green onions
Baby corn, usually found in cans
Water chestnuts, usually found in cans

If you can’t get your hands on fresh ingredients, use frozen stir-fry vegetable mixes as an alternative.

I recommend looking out for Chinese, Japanese, or Thaï vegetable mixes, which all work really well in this veggie stir fry.

Key ingredients and substitutions

Ingredients for a stir-fry salad with descriptive labels.

White rice noodles: You can substitute these with brown rice or soba noodles. Just make sure soba noodles are made from 100% buckwheat flour if your diet is gluten-free.
Edamame beans: Fresh or frozen are both great. You can substitute them with another plant-based protein source such as tofu, or tempeh. You would just have to roast them for a few minutes before adding in the veggies.
Stir fry vegetables: Check out my list above for inspiration–the more colors, the better! I used red onion, carrots, broccolini, a red bell pepper, and mushrooms.
Neutral flavored oil: use vegetable oil or avocado oil to stir-fry the veggies.
Toppings: Sesame seeds or crunchy almond bits make a great topping. If you like it spicy, you can finish off the stir-fry salad with red pepper flakes.

Stir-fry sauce ingredients

Ingredients for a stir-fry sauce in small bowls with descriptive labels.

To make your own yummy sauce for stir-fry vegetables, you will need:

Tamari: Deliciously salty and, savory, tamari adds loads of umami-goodness. You could use a darker soy sauce in its place (but keep in mind that soy sauce contains gluten).
Water: You can swap it for vegetable broth for even more flavor.
Toasted sesame oil: Gives the sauce a cozy warmth and nutty taste. Toasted sesame oil is richer than regular sesame oil. You could try making this sauce with peanut oil, instead.
Maple syrup or brown sugar: For a darker, caramel-like sweetness.
Ginger and garlic: Fresh, bright ginger and garlic are key in this sauce. You can replace it with ground ginger and garlic powder but fresh is best.
Rice vinegar: Balances the stir fry sauce by adding acidity.
Corn starch: Thickens the sauce up. Note that corn starch is gluten-free.

Elo’s tips

Sauté firm vegetables first (e.g., carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes). This ensures the harder vegetables are perfectly cooked and prevents the softer ones from overcooking.
For a super quick stir fry, cook broccoli and carrots in water the day before.
Add leafy greens at the very last moment.
It’s a great recipe to empty the fridge at the end of the week. Just use whatever veggies you have left. Add a frozen wok vegetable mix if you don’t have enough.
Use a ready-made teriyaki sauce if you don't have all the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce.

How to stir fry vegetables (step-by-step)

Chopped broccolini, carrots, bell pepper, and red onion on a ceramic plate.

STEP 1: Chop the vegetables. Cut the onion first into quarters and then into slices. Don’t slice them too thinly or they will burn. Next, peel the carrots and cut them lengthwise in half. Core the pepper. Cut everything into bite-size pieces.

Broccolini, carrots, and bell pepper in a wok pan.

STEP 2: Sauté the onions and firm veggies. Heat a large skillet, wok, or frying pan with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccolini, carrots, bell pepper, and frozen edamame beans. Sauté the veggies together for about 10 minutes with a lid on. The steam will help the veggie cook quicker. In the meantime, you can slice the mushrooms.

Broccolini, carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms in a wok pan.

STEP 3: Add the softer veggies. After 10 minutes, add the sliced brown mushrooms and sauté them for another 5 minutes with a lid. Then, for another 5 minutes until tender.

Garlic and ginger stir-fry sauce in a small white ceramic bowl.

STEP 4: Make the sauce. Whisk together the tamari, water, sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, grated ginger, and cornstarch in a small bowl. This is also a good time to start boiling water for the rice noodles.

Sautéed vegetables tossed in a stir-fry sauce in a wok pan.

STEP 5: Add the sauce to the veggies. Remember to give the soy sauce mixture a quick mix to make sure it is well combined. Add it to the veggies. Stir the sauce and vegetables together over medium heat until the sauce thickens.

Rice noddles and stir-fried vegetables in a wok pan.

STEP 6: Toss with the cooked rice noodles. Make sure they are covered in sauce. Top with sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes (if using).

Meal Prepping tips

Meal prep: If you want to prepare this meal in advance, you can peel, slice, and dice all the vegetables, getting them ready for the pan. You can also make the stir-fry sauce ahead of time. Store everything in the fridge until ready to go.
The noodles need to be cooked right before serving as they don’t keep well in the fridge long-term.
Prep & freeze: If time allows, pre-cut double the amount stir fry vegetables, and freeze them in a zip bag for another time.

Storage tips

Storage: If you have any leftover stir-fry salad, put it in an airtight container once it has cooled to room temperature. Any extra salad will last 1 day in the refrigerator with noodles and 3 days without noodles.

Reheating: To reheat the dish, start by cooking a batch of fresh noodles. Reheat the stir-fried vegetables with a little water and add a splash of tamari to revive the flavors of the sauce. Stir in the noodles, toss everything, and serve.

Freezing: Technically you can freeze leftover stir-fried vegetables but not noodles (as the texture will not hold up well to freezing and thawing). Don't freeze them if you used frozen vegetables or frozen edamame beans.