Vegetarian Udon Stir Fry

This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associates and through other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a link – at no extra cost to you. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!

This easy to make vegetarian udon stir fry is a lifesaver when you’re looking for a healthy dinner and need to use whatever produce you have in the fridge.

A vegetarian stir fry.

A simple stir fry is one of our go-to comfort food dinners as it’s always easy to make, warm, cozy, and delicious. We also love that it’s highly customizable, and can be made with whatever produce or proteins you already have in your fridge or freezer. Whether it’s an old bag of frozen vegetables you want to use up or a pile of carrots you got at the farmer’s market, being able to customize your stir fry can help simplify dinner after a busy day.

And since we aren’t always the best at getting enough vegetables in our diets, a veggie heavy meal like this one goes a long way to help us out! Raise your hand if you feel the same.

What This Recipe Entails

Depending on what produce you go with, this recipe may require a decent amount of chopping, slicing, and dicing. (It still surprises us how long it takes to prepare peppers, onions, carrots, and everything else for stir fry!)

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes

If you’re looking to make this a quick and easy dinner, then we recommend using frozen veggies. Something like a stir fry veggie blend works really well when you’re short on time or don’t have it in you to prep all the produce. Just be sure to defrost anything frozen according to package directions before starting this recipe. Leftover produce that you already have prepped also works wonderfully!

Ingredients

Vegetarian udon stir fry is extremely easy to make, since you only really need 3 ingredients:

  • Udon noodles – Udon is perfect for stir fry because it’s thick and can stand up to all the veggies.
  • Stir fry veggies – Customize these to your liking, or based on what you already have on hand! Our go-to veggies are snap peas, scallions, bell pepper, onion, and baby bok choy.
  • Stir fry sauce – A homemade blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and chili garlic sauce adds simple, delicious flavor to this stir fry.

If you decide to customize the vegetables in your stir fry, we recommend sticking to about 5 or so vegetable types to keep the proportions balanced. For some ideas on what other vegetables work well for stir-fry, see the section below on Recipe Variations.

Stir fry noodles.

How To Make Vegetarian Udon Stir Fry

  1. Make the sauce. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until the brown sugar is dissolved.
  2. Cook the noodles. Boil or steam the udon according to the package directions.
  3. Stir fry the vegetables. Using a wok over medium high heat, start with the veggies that will take the longest to break down (snap peas, peppers, onions, etc) and add the leafy veggies later on so as not to overcook them.
  4. Combine and serve. Once the veggies are softened and the noodles are ready, add the noodles and sauce to the wok and toss to combine. Serve hot.

Recipe Variations

Like we mentioned, we love this stir fry because it can easily be customized based on what’s available in our fridge. All you need is a variety of vegetables – we recommend about 5 different types. Here are a few suggestions that work well:

  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Chili peppers
  • Ginger
  • Water chestnuts
  • Broccoli
  • Mushroom
  • Baby corn spears
  • Snow peas

Alternatively, if you want to always have ingredients for a recipe like this on hand, frozen vegetables work too. That way, no matter what your day or week brings, you know you can make an easy, comforting dinner with what you already have on hand.

You can also add a variety of proteins to this stir fry to make it extra nutritious and satisfying. Add tofu to keep it vegetarian, or if you eat meat we recommend adding chicken or pork. (Take a look at our pork lo mein recipe for inspiration!)

Serving Suggestions

  • Dinner for two – Serve stir fry with a side of dumplings, egg rolls, or wontons for a tasty dinner, and enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day.
  • Easy weeknight family dinner – This recipe makes about 4 servings, so it’s the perfect dinner for a family of 4 if you don’t want leftovers.
  • Family style buffet – Make other Asian dishes like our spicy Szechuan dumpling soup or garlic udon noodles for a family style feast.
A vegetable stir fry with udon noodles.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Honestly, the leftovers from this stir fry are almost better in our opinion. We love to make this dish for dinner and then enjoy it for lunch the next day!

Store leftover udon stir fry in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Or, reheat multiple servings at once in a wok over medium-high heat for just a few minutes until warmed through.

Expert Tips

  • Customize the veggies to your liking, but try to limit it to about 5 veggie types to keep the flavors and textures cohesive.
  • Stir fry the vegetables in stages, starting first with the tougher veggies that take longer to break down, then adding soft or leafy veggies later in the cooking process. This will ensure that each vegetable type is properly cooked.
  • If you like your food spicy, adjust the amount of chili garlic sauce to your liking. Or, serve your stir fry with chili crisp or chili oil for a spicy topping!

Next time you don’t know what to make for dinner (or what lunches are going to be for the week), make a batch of our vegetarian udon noodle stir fry to solve both problems at once! Let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below.


Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:

To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.

Like this recipe? Don’t forget to share it and follow us on Pinterest!

A vegetable stir fry with udon noodles.

Vegetarian Udon Stir Fry

Nicole and Alex
This easy to make vegetarian udon stir fry is a lifesaver when you’re looking for a healthy dinner and need to use whatever produce you have in the fridge.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 629 kcal

Equipment

  • Wok or large saute pan

Ingredients
 
 

Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
  • 5 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Stir Fry

  • 16 onces Japanese udon noodles dry
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 8 ounces snap peas washed and dried
  • 2 bundles scallions chopped, separate into white and green parts
  • 2 medium bell peppers cut into thin strips
  • 1 medium yellow onion cut into thin strips
  • 2 heads baby bok choy chopped, separate into leafy greens and stems

Instructions
 

Sauce

  • Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well until the brown sugar is dissolved. Then add chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Stir well to combine and set aside.

Stir Fry

  • Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions.
  • While the noodles are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the snap peas, stirring frequently until they start to soften, about 4 to 6 minutes.
  • Add the bell pepper, onion, white parts of scallions, and bok choy stalks to the wok. Cook until vegetables soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add the leafy green scallions and bok choy leaves to the wok. Stir frequently and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted.
  • Finally, add cooked udon noodles and sauce to the wok. Toss to combine and serve hot.

Notes

Stir fry veggies: Customize these to your liking, or based on what you already have on hand! Try to limit it to about 5 veggie types, with a variety of crunchy and soft veggies, to keep the flavors and textures cohesive. Check out our blog post above for suggestions.
Cooking tip: Stir fry the vegetables in stages, starting first with the tougher veggies that take longer to break down, then adding soft or leafy veggies later in the cooking process. This will ensure that each vegetable type is properly cooked.
Serving suggestions: Stir fry is a quick and easy weeknight dinner for two or the whole family. You can also make it with other takeout dishes for a family style feast! Check out our blog post for ideas.
Storing and reheating leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Or, reheat multiple servings at once in a wok over medium-high heat for just a few minutes until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 629kcalCarbohydrates: 107gProtein: 22gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.04gSodium: 2547mgPotassium: 406mgFiber: 11gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 5114IUVitamin C: 140mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Please consider leaving a review!
Want more?Sign up for our newsletter here and never miss a new recipe!
Share with us on IG!Mention @candidcooksblog or tag #thecandidcooks!
Follow us on PinterestVisit our profile @thecandidcooks and don’t forget to pin this recipe!
Keyword baby bok choy, bell pepper, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce, garlic, healthy, noodles, onion, rice vinegar, scallions, sesame oil, snap peas, soy sauce, stir fry, udon, vegetables, vegetarian

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

Looking for kitchen inspiration? Head over to our shop to see what we cook with every day, plus recommendations for foodie gifts and eco-friendly products.

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We enjoyed this last week, and are anxious to try it again, perhaps playing with the vegetable selection to ensure nice, fresh ingredients. I think next time I might cook things in batches and combine them back together at the end – the snap peas got in the way of cooking the onion, for example.

    Definitely a recipe we will go back to. Thanks for posting it!

    1. Yum – so glad you enjoyed our recipe! We’d love to hear how it goes next time and what vegetables you end up using 🙂