Zucchini Stir Fry
Why Is My Zucchini Stir Fry So Good!
- If you don’t like soggy/mushy zucchini in a stir fry, you won’t have it with this recipe! I’m sharing the right technique to prep zucchini, pair vegetables, and cooking it in a hot pan to ensure the zucchini is cooked just the way you like it.
- We also add the sauce at the very end as another measure against soggy vegetables.
- This recipe is effortless: the biggest efforts required for this recipe is to cut the vegetables and whisk the sauce.
- I combined these veggies with forethought: zucchini, onion, mushrooms, all cook at about the same rate, and broccoli can be cut smaller. So nothing turns mushy while I wait on the rest.
- It’s ready in about 20 minutes, which makes it one of my go-to weeknight dinners when I want something fast that still tastes BETTER than takeout.
- This stir fry is quite versatile, I made sure to include variations you can make below!
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients and Notes
- Zucchini: I use 1 to 1.5 lbs. and cut it into pieces that are about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Any thinner and it overcooks before the rest of the vegetables are done.
- Roasted red chili paste: This is a Thai ingredient and it’s fairly mild, so don’t mistake it for a hot sauce. If you can’t find it, a small dash of Sriracha or a finely chopped Thai chili or serrano will work, but start with less since fresh chilies bring more heat.
- Vegetable broth: if you have homemade vegetable broth, use it. Otherwise, I recommend low sodium or no salt added store-bought broths.
- Soy sauce: I use low sodium soy sauce so the dish doesn’t taste overly salty. Use a gluten-free soy sauce if you need this dish to be gluten-free. (Other 1:1 substitute options for soy sauce are tamari and coconut aminos.)
- Honey: use your favorite honey and if you need to substitute it, use 2-3 Tbsp of brown sugar (start small and taste the sauce before adding more).
- Ginger: use fresh ginger as it tastes completely different from ground ginger. It’s got a spicy kick and very aromatic compared to grated.
How To Make Zucchini Stir Fry
I whisk the stir fry sauce ingredients together first and set it aside, so it’s ready to go the second the vegetables are done and nothing overcooks while you’re measuring.
Cut zucchini, mushrooms to a similar size and onions and broccoli smaller. This will help the veggies cook to a similar doneness so that you can cook them all at the same time.
Preheat the pan until it’s actually hot. A wok or large skillet needs a couple of minutes over medium-high heat before adding oil. A hot pan sears the zucchini and other veggies fast, which is what keeps it from turning soggy and gives more flavor.
Let the vegetables sear for the first 30 to 40 seconds. Letting them sit undisturbed is what creates that golden sear on the edges, which adds flavor.
Stir often once they start to brown. After that first sear, stir every 20 to 30 seconds so everything cooks evenly without burning on the high heat.
Add the sauce once the vegetables are almost at your desired doneness. The sauce thickens fast, in under a minute, so pour it in and give it a minute or two for the vegetables to finish.
Variations You Can Try
- Keep it simple: If you’d rather not use several vegetables, this stir fry is just as good with only zucchini and onion. Just increase the zucchini to 2 to 2.5 lbs.
- Swap in other vegetables: This sauce pairs well with almost any stir fry vegetable, so use this recipe as a base. Bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, or baby corn are all great additions, or swap them in for the broccoli or mushrooms.
- Add meat: Turn this into a full meal by cooking sliced chicken, beef, or shrimp in the pan first, then set it aside while the vegetables cook. Stir it back in with the sauce at the end so it doesn’t overcook. If you love a stir fry with protein already built in, my shrimp stir fry uses a similar stir-fry sauce and comes together just as fast.
Ways to Serve Zucchini Stir Fry
This is one of those dishes that works equally well as a side or a full vegetarian dinner. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- Spoon it over a bowl of coconut rice or classic rice pilaf to soak up the sauce.
- Serve it alongside chicken teriyaki or bourbon chicken for a full takeout-style dinner at home.
- Turn dinner into a fried rice night and pair it with chicken fried rice or shrimp fried rice.
- Keep it low-carb and serve it over cauliflower fried rice instead.
Storing Zucchini and Vegetable Stir Fry
- Store leftovers in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.
- Reheat quickly in a preheated cooking pan, over medium heat, until just heated through. You can also use a microwave in 30-40 second increments to reheat it.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dish. Zucchini turns mushy once it’s thawed.
Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe FAQs
A few things cause this. Zucchini naturally has a high water content, so it releases moisture as it cooks no matter what. A pan that isn’t hot enough, zucchini sliced too thin, or too many vegetables piled into the pan at once all make it worse, since the vegetables end up steaming in their own liquid instead of searing. Try to keep the veggies in one layer in the pan or sear in batches, keep the heat high, and give the zucchini some thickness so it holds up.
Slice it into rounds or half-moons about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cutting it thinner than that makes it cook too fast and go limp before the rest of the vegetables are ready. Roll cutting is another good option: slice at an angle, give the zucchini a quarter turn, then slice again. It creates larger, angled pieces that hold their shape well in the pan. Or you can cut them into thicker sticks.
So this depends. Frozen vegetables will be softer so it’s easier to cook them too soft. If you don’t mind softer texture on your cooked veggies, then you can use frozen. Remember to thaw first and discard any liquids. I’d also pat them dry before searing.
A small dash of Sriracha or a finely minced Thai chili or serrano pepper works well. Start with less peppers than you think you need, since fresh chilies are spicier than the chili paste.
Yes. Cook diced chicken, shrimp, or thin-sliced beef in the pan first, set it aside, then add it back in with the sauce at the end so it doesn’t overcook.
Yes, whisk the sauce together and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just give it another whisk before adding it to the pan since the cornstarch will settle.
More Zucchini Recipes
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Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs zucchini
- 1 small yellow onion
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 1 head of broccoli about 1 lb.
- 2 Tbsp peanut oil or avocado, or canola oil
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce use gluten free if needed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 tsp roasted red chili paste
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
Topping:
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped green onion
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients for the stir fry sauce together and set aside.
- Clean, dry, and chop the vegetables. (Just don't cut the zucchini too thin or they will overcook fast.)
- Preheat a large cooking pan or a wok over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is preheated, spread oil in it and add the veggies. Toss the veggies and let them sear for 30-40 seconds or so, undisturbed, to start to get a golden sear.
- Once veggies start to brown, stir them again, every 20-30 seconds, until almost reached your desired doneness. (Since you're cooking on higher heat, frequent stirring prevents burning while you sauté the veggies evenly all around.)
- When veggies are almost as done as you like them, give the sauce a quick whisk and pour it over the veggies. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens, which should take only a minute or so.
- Top the veggies off with some green onion and sesame seed and take off heat. Serve them right away.
Notes
- Thai roasted red chili paste substitute: it’s hard to substitute it exactly but you can use a dash of Sriracha or chop up a Thai chili pepper or a serrano but be careful, it will be much spicier so start with less. Thai chili paste is mild in heat so be mindful of chili peppers.
- Vegetables options: you can always alter the vegetable used in this stir fry as you wish. You can keep it just zucchini and onion, just increase the amount of zucchini. Or add more veggies like carrots, bell peppers, baby corn, or snap peas.
- Store in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days.
- Reheat quickly in a preheated cooking pan, over medium heat, until just heated through.
Nutrition
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Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Asian Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
