Easy Vegan Peanut Sauce Stir Fry Recipe with Noodles
- Updated on Aug 23, 2022
Fragrant ginger, tender veggies and a creamy peanut stir fry sauce come together to make this delicious vegan dish. If you’re craving a satay stir fry takeout but want to opt for a healthier option, this is sure to hit the spot.
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If you’ve been following us for a while now you might just remember this Peanut Butter Salad. It was one of our very first recipes, and we were very proud.
To date, it’s also the only video on our YouTube Channel that Hauke, Dave, Kat and even little Josh have all appeared in together.
The nutourious (aren’t I charming?) and easy peanut sauce is absolutely amazing and we’ve been looking for excuses to use it again ever since. During our quest, we stumbled upon this beautiful vegetable stir fry.
Not only is it beginner friendly, but this meal only takes 25 minutes, making it a great option for an easy dinner.
You can also decide to use your favourite veggies (the peanut stir fry sauce is the real star of the show), but we’ve highlighted some great choices for you below!
Ingredients
Vegetables
Pick whatever suits your taste. If you’re not a big fan of cauliflower, sugar snap peas or broccoli like we used, you can swap that out for some lettuce to bulk up the dish or even mushrooms if you’re feeling fungy (sorry, I’ll stop).
Noodles
If this dish was a building, the noodles would be the rebars, so it’s incredibly important you pick out the right one. Instead of glass noodles, you can opt for whole wheat pasta (they’re weight loss friendly!).
Spices & sauces
There’s ginger, garlic and we also picked out soy and sweet chilli as the sauce ingredients but stir fries are all about heat, so consider using some hot sauce mixed with some maple syrup as a substitute for the sweet chilli.
As for the soy, either dark or light would do just fine.
Peanuts
The Peanut butter and the fresh peanuts are groundbreaking additions to this meal. I mean, regular stir fries are cool and all, but when they’re thrown into a revolutionary creamy sauce, you’ve got yourself a new addiction. Either crunchy or smooth peanut butter would do just fine.
Health benefits
1 serving contains:
We like to know that what we eat is not only delicious but also good for us.
If you throw your favourite veggies in this meal then you’re going to get the benefits associated with this – and veggies are normally packed full of fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients that your body loves.
But peanut butter deserves a mention too. While there isn’t much nutritional information about it in terms of long-term health outcomes, we know peanut butter’s nutritional profile shows us the spread is full of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals which is great.
Speaking of protein, we’ve got tons of weight-loss-friendly inspo in our free 7-day high-protein meal plan, so be sure to check that out.
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
How to make the best peanut sauce stir fry
Preparation:
- Make sure you gather all your ingredients in one place and that your frozen veggies have thawed completely before proceeding.
- Cut all your vegetables into smaller pieces, dice your garlic and ginger too and set them aside in a small bowl.
- Cook your noodles so they’re handy when the stir fry’s ready. Drain noodles and don’t forget to rinse them under some chilly water lest they clump up.
For the sauce:
- Combine peanut butter, sweet chili sauce, water, maple syrup, lemon grass (optional) and soy sauce into a large bowl and stir into a creamy peanut butter mixture until your wet ingredients are well combined.
Frying:
- Pour a tablespoon of oil into a wok, large skillet or hot pan and heat until it’s nice and smoky.
- Throw in the garlic, onions, sugar snaps and baby corn. Wait for 40 seconds then add your thawed or fresh veggies.
- Stir for a bit then put it on low heat, but don’t turn it off just yet.
- It’s time for the spicy peanut sauce and noodles! After you add those, your dish should begin to boil.
- Make sure it’s super creamy and if not, add a little water. Add the peanuts too.
- Let it simmer for a few minutes (4-5 should do the trick) and after that, take out the lemon grass and sprinkle some sesame seeds (if you please) before serving.
Place your delicious dish in a bowl, admire your peanut noodle stir fry for a bit and proceed to chuck it all down. Don’t be shy, I know you want to.
Vegetable and peanut stir fry FAQs
I’ve covered some of the most common questions about our creamy peanut sauce stir fry, but if you can’t find an answer to your question just let me know in the comments.
What vegetable goes well with peanut butter?
Veggies can equally hold their own coated with peanut butter just as well as any slice of bread. Large carrots, all sorts of bell peppers, celery and even fruits can have PB slathered on them for a combo that’s tastier and healthier too.
How to store and reheat stir fry?
A stir fry isn’t a freezer meal, so don’t make more than you can eat. Although this peanut stir fry is best served fresh, you can keep this in the fridge for 1-2 days, and warm it up a bit on low heat when you’re in the mood for some creamy comfort food.
What kind of peanut butter should I use for the sauce?
We recommend natural peanut butter for these peanut butter noodles as some varieties of store-bought spread contain added salt, oil and sugar.
Either type should still result in a super tasty peanut sauce though!
The nutritional info below is using store-bought peanut butter, but you can make a much lower sugar (and cheaper!) version yourself in just a couple of minutes with our homemade peanut butter recipe, which includes instructions for making it smooth or crunchy peanut butter!
Which oil is best for stir-frying?
An oil with a high smoke point works best. Peanut oil is a great choice, and light/refined olive oil can do the trick too. You can use others in a pinch but you’ll get much better results this way.
How do you make stir-fry vegetables not soggy?
To ensure your veggies will stay firm and crunchy, use raw and dry veggies instead of canned ones.
Throw in the veggies in batches and take them out after they’ve been seared to perfection, add a dash of oil if need be then move on to the next.
This way, they don’t overlap and steam instead of sauteing. Toss everything together at the end and there you have it, crunchy, not soggy, veggies!
Variations and alternatives
The use of glass noodles here already makes this great recipe gluten-free, but you can also use rice noodles as a substitute.
Speaking of substitutes, you could equally try out this recipe but with almond butter instead!
It’s got a richer nutty flavor, there are loads of reasons why almond butter is slightly healthier than peanut butter and we’d love to know how it would turn out.
Additionally, you can eat this nutty and creamy stir fry sauce with rice if you’re not into pasta!
More peanut and saute recipes
- Pasta Salad with Peanut Butter Dressing
- 2-Ingredient Peanut Butter
- Anti Hangover Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
- Vegan Vegetable Lo Mein
- Dragon Noodles
- Bad Ass Nut Roast
What our readers are saying
I tried this recipe last night.. Wow! I’ll admit I was a little unsure how it would come out and thought the sauce might not be the right consistency but I was proven very wrong 🙂 loved it, definitely recommend and will be making this again. Thanks!
Jake ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect stir-fry! Simple yet deliciously tempting. Gotta make it!!!
Levan @ Crazy Vegan Kitchen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This peanut sauce is seriously, restaurant quality. I’m never getting a peanut satay-take away again!
Maz ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m nuts (sue me) about this super easy peanut stir fry sauce. It’s by far one of my favourite vegetable stir fry recipes and I hope you’ll like it too. Don’t forget to drop your questions and testimonies below, and make sure you follow this blog for more!
Ingredients
For the stir-fry
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (sunflower oil will do too.)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and diced)
- 1 piece ginger, fresh (thumb sized, peeled and grated)
- 1 onion (peeled and diced)
- 2-3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen (choose your favourite: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc.)
- 1 big handful snow peas (or sugar snap peas)
- 6-8 baby corns
- 3.5 oz noodles (I love glass noodles as they’re really quick to cook and taste great!)
- 1 handful peanuts
For the peanut sauce
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy would be nice)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (light or dark are both great)
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Optional
- 1 stick lemongrass
Instructions
Preparation:
- Get all ingredients ready and in one place. Thaw the frozen veggies (with a microwave or by taking them out of the freezer early enough).2-3 cups vegetables, fresh or frozen
- Chop the snow peas, baby corn and onion. Dice the garlic and ginger.1 clove garlic, 1 onion, 1 big handful snow peas, 6-8 baby corns, 1 piece ginger, fresh
- Cook the noodles so you have them at hand when the stir-fry comes together. When ready, drain and rinse under cold water (they’ll stick together less).3.5 oz noodles
For the sauce:
- Grab a large bowl and chuck in the peanut butter, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, water, syrup. Mix well with a spoon ‘til it’s a nice and creamy sauce. Optionally, throw in the lemon grass.2 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce, ¼ cup water, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 stick lemongrass
Now you’re ready to wok and roll:
- In a wok or large pan heat the oil until it starts smoking.1 tbsp peanut oil
- Add the garlic, ginger, onion, sugar snaps and baby corn.
- Around 40 seconds later add the thawed veggies. (If you just use fresh veg, throw in everything at once).
- Stir it well for about 4-5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat a little and add the sauce and noodles. It’ll quickly begin to boil.
- Make sure it’s all nice and creamy. Add a little more water, if not!
- Add some peanuts.1 handful peanuts
- Let it simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
- Fish out the lemon grass before serving (it’s only for the flavour, not for eating!!)
- Done!
NOTES
Nutrition
Hauke Fox
I’m always on the lookout for these damn smart recipes. You know, those that only take a few minutes to put together and taste delicious. Vegetarian Cooking at home is a way to take back control over what I eat. I don’t like what many companies do to animals and the environment with their products.
Comments
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66 comments
I was suspicious about the way this would taste, but it was incredible. I keep thinking about it even though I ate it a while ago. Can’t wait to try more recipes from this site.
Aww thanks Brandy! I’m happy we could surprise you!
I’m almost embarrassed to ask this minor point, but I’m curious as to how you do it: whole peanuts or crushed?
Hi Christine – just as they are – whole peanuts 🙂