Vegan Quinoa and Vegetable Stir-Fry

An easy vegan quinoa and vegetable stir-fry recipe is a delicious 30-minute recipe of colorful veggies and flavorful spices. It’s a dish you can serve at a potluck, BBQ, or dinner party, which will fit any diet, and everyone will enjoy it!

Stir fry dishes are a convenient and healthy bowl meal that is good for a busy workday. I love its flexibility, as you can customize it based on your favorite veggies or whatever is available in the season.

You can prepare a cozy yet fresh and healthy recipe ahead of time, and it will stay good. It is also packed with essential nutrients, protein, and colorful veggies to liven up the dish. Try it now! 

Other Recipes

Vegan Kimchi Fried Quinoa

Eggplant Stir Fry

Health Benefits of Quinoa

Not only is quinoa fully packed with essential nutrients, but it can also offer health benefits. Quinoa has gained popularity over the past couple of decades as it’s easy to grow, gluten-free grain, and nutritious. It has protein, fiber, vitamins B6 and E, iron, copper, folate, zinc, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and carbohydrate.

Consuming flavonoid-rich food like quinoa promotes our overall health and protects against certain diseases because it contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant compounds.

Quinoa contains more fiber than any other grain, like brown rice. A cup of quinoa can fulfill your daily fiber needs and keeps you full longer, which helps to reduce weight.

Quinoa is a good source of protein because it has all nine effective amino acids that our body requires, and it can’t make them on its own.

Key Ingredients

• Quinoa: The base ingredient of this dish is packed with a whole lot of nutrients, has a nutty texture, and is quick to cook. It’s high in dietary fiber and protein that boosts our energy instantly.
• Vegetable broth: You can use low-sodium vegetable broth to enhance the flavors, as plain water can make it bland.
• Onion: It’s a base ingredient that enhances the savory flavors of the dish.
• Garlic: Live up the stir-fry dish with the punchy and enhance garlic’s savory flavor.
• Bell pepper: I used red, but you can use orange and yellow ones too.
• Carrots: I simply love carrots as they add beautiful color to any dish.
• Kale: It adds green color and boosts the nutrients to the dish.
• Soy sauce: Adds salty and umami flavor.
• Sesame oil: It’s a great thing to add to stir-fry dishes because it has a neutral flavor and adds a greater smoke point.
• Salt and pepper: To taste.

Substitutions and Add-ons

• Vegetables: If you want to add more veggies to enrich the fragrance, flavors, and deliciousness, try adding some tomato paste, mushrooms, olives, scallions, broccoli, bean sprouts, and more. You can add every veggie you find in the refrigerator.
• Oil: You can also use light refined olive oil, which will add smokiness to the dish.
• Crunchy nuts: Feel free to use roasted nuts like walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecan, and cashew nuts for crunch.
• Lime or lemon: Add a high of sourness at the end of the dish.
• Tamari: If you want to add tamari or coconut aminos, you can substitute it with soy sauce.
• Cayenne: I love to have a tiny bit of heat. 

Other Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa Upma

Easy Quinoa Biryani

Veggie Quinoa Bowl

Simple Quinoa Salad Recipe

Stir-Fried Burdock Root

How to Make Vegan Quinoa and Vegetable Stir-Fry?

As always, I recommend you follow my recipe step by step for better results. I love to have Asian cuisine sometimes because of the taste and how simple it is to make. You can also try my other stir fry recipes and explore your choices.

Start by cooking the quinoa according to the package instructions. If you can’t find instructions, you can follow my tips below. After you are done preparing the quinoa, prepare the stir-fried veggies.

In a large skillet, add vegetable broth, add onions and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Then stir in garlic, bell pepper, and carrots until tender. And cook for an additional minute.

After that, stir in cooked quinoa, kale, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Season it with simple salt and pepper to enhance the taste. Serve hot with your favorite toppings or side dish.

How to Cook Quinoa?

• Simply put the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and start running the water to rinse out all the dirt and bitter substances.
• Put the quinoa in a pot with double the amount of water and start boiling.
• Keep it at a high temperature; once it starts to boil, bring it to low heat and cover it. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or until it absorbs all the water and looks fluffy.

How to Prepare Vegan Quinoa and Vegetable Stir-Fry Ahead of Time?

You can also prepare this dish ahead of time by simply assembling and preparing the ingredients. To shorten the cooking time, cook the quinoa beforehand.

You can also chop the veggies and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer for later usage.

Put the quinoa and veggies in a sealed freezer-friendly bag or airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Cook them whenever you want, and it will be an easy meal for busy days.

Serving Suggestions

You can eat the vegan quinoa and vegetable stir-fry as it is or pair it with other healthy meals.

• Serve it beside some grilled or baked tofu or tempeh and asparagus.
• Try out our teriyaki tofu, baked tofu nuggets, mushrooms, and more.
• Pair it with miso noodle soup, teriyaki noodles, rice noodles, etc.
• You can have it with any starch, like legumes, rice, buckwheat, bread, roti, and more.
• Try it with your favorite salad, but try our vegan broccoli salad, green bean and tomato salad, vegan Greek salad, cucumber, tomato, and avocado salad.

How to Store Leftovers?

Leftover vegan quinoa and vegetable stir-fry will stay in the refrigerator for almost 4 to 5 days and must be stored in an airtight container.

If you want to store them for longer, you may need to put them in a sealed bag or freezer-friendly container for up to 2 to 3 months. To freeze, let the prepared dish cool down completely and store them in single portions so that you can get them easily.

To reheat, put them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or until warm. If you want to rewarm it stove-top, add some oil or tamari or soy sauce so that it doesn’t stick to the pan, do the stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes or until warm.

Chef’s Tips and Notes

• If you don’t have time to cook or save up some time to do other work, you can always find pre-cooked quinoa. It will save up additional 15 minutes of cooking. You can find it in any grocery store or nearest markets.
• As you know, time is money, you can also get chopped frozen veggies at Costco that I sometimes use to replace the fresh veggies, so I don’t need to chop anything.
• You can also use fridge leftover veggies! Throw the Peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, green beans, leafy green, cauliflower, and anything you prefer in the pan. The more veggies, the more it will taste good.
• If you don’t have fresh spices, don’t worry! You can go for powdered or dried ones.
• If you see the veggies sticking to the pan, add more vegetable broth or water to avoid vegetables from sticking or uneven cooking.
• Pre-cook the quinoa before you start the stir-frying. To get a better texture, you can prepare the quinoa a day before, leave it in the refrigerator and use it to stir-fry the next day.

FAQ

Is Quinoa More Nutritious than Rice?

A cup of quinoa contains twice much protein, fiber, and nutrients as rice. Quinoa is not only a healthier choice, but you can also control your diet. It even fills your tummy faster, allowing you to have smaller portions for a meal, and keeps you fuller and more energetic for longer.

How Do You Make Vegan Quinoa and Vegetable Stir-Fry Keto-friendly?

Quinoa will not be the best option if you want to stick with a lower-carb diet. Even though it’s high in protein, the carb level is also high. To make this recipe keto-friendly, you can swap it with cauliflower rice. You can also try lower-carb veggies like mushroom, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, etc. 

If you enjoyed this post about Vegan Quinoa and Vegetable Stir-Fry and would love to see more, join me on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter!

Get discounted copies of my cookbook here.

Fortunately, because of the Ads on our website, readers and subscribers of Healthier Steps are sponsoring many underprivileged families.