This teriyaki tofu and vegetable stir fry is just what you need for a quick, healthy meal. It's perfect for weeknights, or whenever you're feeling like a low-maintenance dinner.
Table of Contents
📖 About
We're both huge fans of easy, yet delicious meals. Nothing embodies this more than a classic teriyaki stir fry. How easy is it to whip up a stir fry vegan style? Easy peasy lemon squeezy! All you have to do is replace the usual chicken or beef with tofu!
This meal seriously comes together so quickly. It can definitely be made faster if you opt for store-bought sauce, but we love making our own with fresh ingredients.
Another reason we love stir fry is because you can jam-pack it full of vegetables, which are both nutritionally-dense and filling. It's the ultimate customizable meal to suit your needs or preferences.
You can easily swap out the tofu for tempeh, or rice for noodles. The options are endless. Plus, it's great for prepping ahead of time to have on hand as a quick and simple lunch. So, there's no time like the present to whip together this recipe!
🍲 Key ingredients
- Teriyaki sauce: the sauce is definitely important in any stir fry. And why would you need to purchase an expensive bottle of teriyaki sauce from the store when you can make your own! It's full of sweet and savory flavors, which helps jazz up the veggies (perfect for convincing your family to eat more broccoli).
- Veggies: the nice thing about stir fry is how many different vegetables you can throw in. We usually just use a combination of whatever we have on hand, but some of our favorites include broccoli or broccolini, green beans, mushrooms, snap peas, carrots, and bok choy. Each one creates a unique texture and taste that makes this stir fry recipe so delicious.
- Tofu: to add some extra protein, we always love tofu. Because it's a complete protein, tofu is the ideal replacement for animal-based proteins in this recipe. We prefer the extra-firm variety to create a crisp outside, yet chewy inside. As an added bonus, it's full of calcium to help keep your bones and muscles strong!
- Fresh chilis: to give this stir fry a little kick, we used some fresh chili peppers from our garden. They are the perfect way to spice things up, while also providing you with a healthy dose of capsaicin. Contrary to popular belief, capsaicin may actually improve your digestion and is even used to treat ulcers!
🔪 Instructions
For the tofu, you'll heat some oil in a pan over medium. Fry cubes of tofu until each side is golden brown and crispy. Then, season with salt and pepper and set aside while you cook the veggies.
For the vegetables, you'll heat sesame oil in the same large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the mushrooms and broccoli, and cook for a few minutes until they appear lightly browned.
Next, throw in some diced chili peppers, green beans, and sliced water chestnuts. Once the veggies are nice and tender, season everything with a touch more salt and pepper.
Then, add the cooked tofu and teriyaki sauce into the pan. Cook for a few more minutes to fully incorporate the sauce. Serve this stir fry immediately over rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onions, or your favorite hot sauce! Told ya this meal is easy.
🌡️ Storage
This recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, transfer stir fry mixture back into a pan and heat on low-medium for 5-6 minutes, or until warm. We do not recommend freezing this dish to maintain optimal freshness and taste.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Try replacing the tofu with chickpeas
- Serve this with white rice instead of brown rice
- Make your own teriyaki sauce instead of using store-bought
🍴 Tasting notes
We love making stir fry for an easy weeknight meal. We know you'll love this recipe too! It's:
- Crunchy
- Sweet
- Savoury
- Versatile
If you try this teriyaki bowl, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Teriyaki Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or rice cooker
- Tofu press
- Large frying pan
Ingredients
Grains
- 1 cup uncooked brown or white rice ($0.14)
- 1-2 cups water ($0.00)
Tofu
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil of choice ($0.12)
- 1 brick extra-firm tofu ($1.42)
Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil ($0.13)
- 1-2 fresh chili peppers, seeded and minced ($0.00)
- 4 large brown mushrooms, sliced ($0.24)
- 2 cups broccoli florets ($0.51)
- 2 cups green beans, chopped ($1.25)
- 1 can water chestnuts ($0.67)
- 1 recipe teriyaki sauce ($2.18)
- Sea salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
Garnishes optional
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Sliced green onions
- Sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
Grains
- Drain and press your brick of tofu between two hard surfaces with a heavy object over top. In the meantime, start cooking your rice according to package instructions. We use a pressure cooker, so the ratio is 1:1 for water to rice. But, you may need more water depending on the method of cooking.
Tofu
- For the tofu, heat 1-2 tablespoon any neutral oil (we used avocado oil) in a pan over medium. Cube the brick of tofu, and add it into the pan. Fry until each side is golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side. Season with salt & pepper and transfer to a plate while you cook the veggies.
Vegetables
- For the vegetables, heat sesame oil in the same large pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and broccoli, and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened and lightly browned.
- Next, add in the chili peppers, green beans, and sliced water chestnuts, cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Once veggies are tender, season with sea salt & pepper.
- Then, add the cooked tofu and teriyaki sauce into the pan. Cook for another 2-3 minutes to fully incorporate the sauce.
- Serve stir fry immediately over rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onions, or Sriracha hot sauce.
Notes
- Optional ingredients are not reflected in the price or calories of this recipe.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more Asian-inspired recipes, check out our:
- Baked sesame ginger tofu for a perfectly crispy sweet and sour tofu.
- Creamy ramen noodle bowl if you want to step up your ramen game.
- Sweet and sour cauliflower on rice if you're weird and don't like tofu.
- Cabbage slaw with a tangy sesame ginger dressing.
- Pan-fried tofu for a quick, easy, and ultra-crispy way to serve tofu.
- Vegan Spam for a plant-based alternative to processed Spam.
💬 FAQ
Yes, the teriyaki sauce can absolutely be made ahead of time and kept on hand in your fridge for up to 6-7 days.
Yes, this recipe is gluten-free if you use tamari in place of soy sauce.
If you don't have any tofu or don't like it, you can try using tempeh or faux meat instead. You can also enjoy this meal with just vegetables!
Brandy
This was so easy to throw together, I had most of the ingredients already in my pantry!! They weren't lying about the low sodium tamari sauce, I accidentally bought regular tamari and it was a tad salty but I would 100% make this recipe again and again and again.
Mitch and Justine
It really is so easy! Yes, the low sodium makes a huge difference!
YtheWait
I love this recipe so much!!!!!!
Mitch and Justine
Thank you! We're so glad you enjoyed it 🙂