Vegetable Stir-Fry with Spicy Orange-Sesame Sauce

Dinner doesn't get more colorful than this Vegetable Stir-Fry with Spicy Orange-Sesame Sauce! Stir fried veggies and noodles get a boost of favor from a spicy orange-sesame sauce. It's far tastier than any take-out meal, and it's a great option for supper on busy weeknights. This easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

Colorful Vegetable Stir-Fry

I tell my health coaching clients to get at least four colors onto their plates at every meal, with green being the main color. Without getting too sciency about it, the nutrients in fruit and vegetables lie in their color, and therefore eating lots of colors ensures that we're getting lots of nutrients. Pretty simple, huh? Unfortunately, most of the plates across America of full of varying shades of beige and brown. It's not as difficult as it sounds to get lots of color into your meal.

Some days I find my meals have more than 4 colors (such as the stir-fry recipe below which actually has 7!). Choose red onions (which are actually purple) instead of white, throw some purple cabbage onto your salad, add some shredded carrot to your stir-fry. By the way, white and black count, so why not start your meal with some garlic and add some black olives to the finished dish? Get creative with it and have some fun!

How to Make a Vegetable Stir-Fry

This recipe is really easy to make!

• First you cook the noodles according to the package and set aside.
• Then you cook the onion in a large pan or wok for about 5 minutes.
• Next ups addd the mushrooms and peppers and cook for another 5 more minutes.
• While the veggies are are cooking, you whisk the sauce ingredients together in small bowl.
• Now you add the carrots, edamame, and bok choy, and cook for another 2 or 3 more minutes, until the bok choy leaves start to wilt.
• Next you add the sauce to the pan, and mix everything together to coat. You cook your stir-fry for a few more minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken, then add the noodles and toss everything to coat them well.
• Finally you remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle your st-fry with the sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

• If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure you use rice noodles or soba noodles, which are made with buckwheat. (Despite having "wheat" in its name, buckwheat is gluten-free.)
• Huy Fong Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce is my go-to for spicy stir-fries like this. If you can't find it, another type of garlic chili paste or sriracha.

How to Customize your Vegetable Stir-Fry

You can easily make this recipe your own!

• Instead of shredding your carrots, you can slice them.
• Any type of greens can be used in the place of bok choy. Try broccoli or napa cabbage.
• Tofu or tempeh can be used instead of edamame.
• You can serve your stir-fry with cooked brown rice instead of noodles.

Originally posted August 10, 2012. Updated March 20, 2022.

More Stir-Fry Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:

• Kung Pao Tofu with Broccoli
• Tofu Teriyaki Stir-Fry
• Spicy Soy Curl Stir-Fry Stir-Fry
• Tofu and Shirataki Noodle Stir-Fry

More Noodle Recipes Include:

• Pad See Ew from Plant-Powered Protein by Nava Atlas
• Curry Noodles from Vegan on a Budget also by Nava Atlas
• Coconut Curry Noodles with Butternut Squash from One-Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson
• Peanut Carrot Noodles from Vegan for Everyone by Laura Theodore