Hands up if you love cauliflower! (All hands raise, over here.) This vegetable has star status among veggies these days: because there are endless creative ways to use it. Make it into tacos, use it as a plant based stand-in buffalo wings, or hide it in vegan alfredo sauce. Here’s our new favorite way to use these tasty florets: in a cauliflower stir fry! Fry it until lightly charred and tender, then add bell peppers and a punchy stir fry sauce. It’s the best way to make eating your veggies irresistible! Try it as a healthy side dish or an easy plant based dinner (with the protein adders below).
Ingredients in this cauliflower stir fry
This cauliflower stir fry is fast and easy to make! On its own it works as a side dish, but eat it with a plant based protein (see below) and it’s an easy dinner. The main thing to note is that cauliflower requires much more time to stir fry than other veggies, so you’ll need to add it to the pan first. Here are the basic ingredients you’ll need for this stir fry:
Cauliflower Bell peppers White onion Green onions Stir fry sauce: rice vinegar, soy sauce, miso, gochujang (optional), sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch
Nutrition note: This recipe uses 2 bell peppers along with the cauliflower. 1 medium red bell pepper provides 169% of your daily vitamin C, so using 2 knocks this vitamin off the charts (Source)!
Notes on the stir fry sauce
This cauliflower stir fry has an incredible stir fry sauce that brings in lots of savory, salty and sweet flavor! Use the recipe as printed, or another option is our Go To Stir Fry Sauce. It’s just as good and is an oil free option. Here are a few notes on the ingredients in the stir fry sauce:
Soy sauce: Use regular sodium to get the full seasoning. Tamari is a gluten free soy substitute, or use coconut aminos for a soy free gluten free substitute. You may need to add a pinch more salt in both cases. Cornstarch: Arrow root powder is an effective substitute for cornstarch in stir fry sauces! Miso: Miso is a Japanese fermented soybean paste that’s full of nutrients and savory flavor. It’s a must in this sauce and can’t be replicated. You can find miso in the international foods aisle near the Japanese ingredients. There are lots of types of miso: we used yellow or light miso here (use the rest for these 10 Easy Miso Recipes). Gochujang (optional): Want to add a little spicy funkiness to your sauce? This Korean chili paste steps it up a notch.
How to make a cauliflower stir fry: some tips!
The overall process for this cauliflower stir fry is easy: but there are a few things to note to make it come out perfectly. Here’s what to know:
Stir fry the cauliflower about 5 minutes before adding other veggies. Here’s the kicker: cauliflower takes much longer than other veggies to stir fry. If you add them all at once, it will come out too tough. Make sure to follow the instructions exactly. Use medium high heat. The point of a stir fry is to cook at high heat: quickly. This will get nice char marks onto your cauliflower. Don’t double the recipe. The biggest tip for a stir fry: you can’t crowd the pan! If there are too many veggies, they’ll steam instead of stir fry. If you want to increase quantities, cook the veggies in batches then re-warm everything together.
Add protein to make it a main dish!
Are you serving this cauliflower stir fry as a main dish? It’s a perfect healthy meal or fast and easy dinner idea. Just make sure to serve with a whole grain and consider adding protein to keep it filling. Here are some ideas:
Serve with Rice: Rice has protein (about 10% of your daily needs in 1 cup cooked) and fiber, which helps to make a filling meal. Try our White Rice, Brown Rice, or Instant Pot Rice. Cashews: Throw ¾ cup cashews into this stir fry when you add the cauliflower. This makes a main dish of about 2 to 3 servings. Edamame: Add 1 cup shelled, frozen edamame in the last 2 to 3 minutes of the cook time. Or eat edamame in the shell as a side: try Easy Edamame or Spicy Edamame. Tofu: Cook Marinated Tofu or Pan Fried Tofu, then add it once the stir fry is done. Shrimp: Make Garlic Shrimp but use sesame oil instead of butter and omit the lemon.
Or serve cauliflower stir fry as a side dish
You also can serve this cauliflower stir fry as a side dish instead! It would be fantastic with the following healthy whole food dinner recipes:
Salmon: It would be perfect with teriyaki salmon, pan seared salmon, or miso salmon. Fried Rice: Add alongside takeout-style fried rice or shrimp fried rice. Noodles: Serve with quick soba noodles or this soba noodle bowl. Tofu: Serve alongside your favorite tofu recipe.
Another great stir fry? Try Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry.
This cauliflower stir fry recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
More great cauliflower recipes
There are so many tasty cauliflower recipes to try if you love this healthy veggie! Here are a few of our favorites: 5 from 8 reviews **Adding cashews would serve about 2 to 3 as a vegetarian main; adding tofu can stretch it to 4.
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings They’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and tossed with spicy buffalo sauce. Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower No one can resist this roasted cauliflower with Parmesan! It’s as irresistible as French fries, baked in a hot oven until browned and crisp. Creamy Cauliflower Sauce Like a healthy alfredo sauce using cauliflower as a base! It has less calories and all the benefits of this healthy veggie.
