Easy Chinese stir fry recipes full of flavors that your entire family will love. Perfect for busy weeknights, these stir fries can be made in under 30 minute from start to finish.
Stir fries are my go-to dishes when I am looking for something quick, nutritious, and tasty. Open the vegetable crisper and grab two or three veggies, pick a protein, and make a quick sauce with whatever is available in the pantry. It’s almost a no-fail dish that anyone can make at home – including those who claim they cannot cook!
There are a few important steps to follow in order to make a successful stir fry. Nothing complicated, just small tweaks here and there that will make a huge difference in the end.
Steps to Make a Good Stir Fry
- Heat up the wok or deep skillet before adding the ingredients. The ingredients should sizzle as soon as they hit the hot surface. Quickly searing the ingredients at a high temperature adds smokiness and depth of flavor.
- Vegetables should retain a crunch. Vegetables should not be stir fried for longer than 3 or 4 minutes at a high temperature. A big part of what makes a stir fry so delicious is in the texture of the vegetables – not too soft, with a nice crunchy exterior.
- Use condiments and sauces that balance each other. The main flavor is in the sauce so it’s crucial that the ingredients balance each other. Ideally, we are looking for the perfect combination of savory, umami, and sweet. Once the base of the sauce is right, spices, vinegars, and other condiments can be added to punch it up.
Moo Goo Gai Pan
A delicious chicken and vegetable stir fry served in a gooey sauce that’s both sour and savory. It’s delicious over rice or noodles and only takes 25 minutes to make from start to finish.
Sesame Chicken
A sesame chicken stir fry that’s tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The sauce is tangy, sweet, and nutty, making this colorful dish kid friendly! It can also be made using other proteins such as beef or firm tofu.
Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
I love making this chicken broccoli stir-fry whenever I am craving something with a strong soy sauce taste. Cooked with garlic and ginger, this stir fry tastes like a classic dish I would find at my local Chinese restaurant.
Black Pepper Chicken
Black pepper lovers are going to go crazy for this stir fry! Packed with spicy, floral, and earthy flavors from using plenty of black peppercorns, this chicken stir fry will make your sinuses tingle and tastebuds come alive.
Empress Chicken
Gooey, sweet, and vinegary, empress chicken is one of those dishes that has it all. The tangy sauce is so delicious that I like to pour it over rice and let each grain absorb its goodness, so I can enjoy every bite and make it last longer.
Kung Pao Chicken
Tender soy marinated chicken stir fried with colorful bell peppers, garlic, and chilies, dressed in a nutty, savory, and spicy sauce. The stir fry is then topped with crunchy peanuts and green onions. Delicious!
Chicken Chop Suey
Chicken chop suey is one of those classic American Chinese dishes most of us have grown up eating. It’s a simple chicken and vegetable stir fry tossed in a mild chicken broth based white sauce. Since I find the classic version a little bland, I’ve added oyster to make mine a little tastier.
Szechuan Chicken
While the classic Szechuan chicken recipe is know for being numb-your-tongue spicy, mine is a friendlier version of it. It’s still spicy but not so hot that you will need to chew on some rice after every bite. Other than heat, the flavors are classically Chinese – savory, a little pungent, deep in umami, and a little acidic.
Orange Chicken (Tangerine Chicken)
No deep frying is needed for this orange chicken recipe! This is the stir fried version of it with tender pieces of chicken that have been cooked in a tangy, citrusy, and fruity orange sauce, served on a bed of bean sprouts.
Hunan Chicken
Hunan chicken is another popular stir fry that’s on most Chinese restaurant menus across America. Tender and moist chicken stir fried with an abundance of vegetables and tossed in a thick, spicy, and savory sauce.
Beef Stir Fry with Spicy Hoisin Sauce
This is one beef stir fry recipe you don’t want to miss! Deep, savory, and smoky flavors, combined with nutty miso paste, and spicy Thai chilis. This dish will make you come back for more, bite after bite. It can also be made using a vegan meat substitute.
Hunan Beef With Cumin
This is a smoky hunan beef with and Indian flair. Cumin powder adds a warmth to the dish that’s similar to an Indian curry. It’s delicious over rice and it can be used as a filling for a sandwich.
Garlic Shrimp With Chili Crisp
Spicy chili crisp is one of my favorite condiments of all time. With its super pungent, salty, chili spicy, and sesame nutty taste, I can never get enough of it! This shrimp stir fry has all of those flavors plus the creaminess of mayonnaise and a hint of peppery sriracha sauce. This is one unique dish!
Cabbage Stir Fry with Shrimp and Dried Chiles
Savory, salty, smoky, and with just enough heat to warm the taste buds, this crunchy cabbage stir fry with shrimp and dried chilis packs a punch in the flavor department – and only takes about 20 minutes to make from start to finish.
Shrimp Stir Fry
I’m using the velveting technique for this recipe to give elevate the shrimp and make it the star of the dish. Paired with bok choy and water chesnuts, this shrimp stir fry is dressed in a simple savory sauce that goes great with a white bowl of rice.
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Just like the one we love at our local Chinese restaurant! Sweet, creamy, nutty, honey walnut shrimp doesn’t disappoint in the flavor department. Serve it on a bed of cabbage and watch it disappear!
Stir Fried Seitan with Vegetables
This seitan stir fry can hold its own next to any meat-based stir fry. It’s bold in flavor – spicy, savory, nutty – and texture wise, has a very satisfying chew. Plus, seitan’s texture has the ability to absorb flavor much better than any other meat on the menu. Bonus points for that!
Sweet and Sour Tofu
This is one of my favorite tofu recipes of all time. Crispy tofu tossed in a gooey sweet, tangy, and savory sauce, make this dish irresistible. This dish is proof that there is nothing boring about tofu!
Stir Fried Bean Sprouts with Tofu and Garlic Chives
Tofu cutlets replace the classic firm block of tofu for this recipe. Cooked with garlic chives and bean sprouts, and seasoned with garlic and soy sauce, it’s ready to serve in just 20 minutes!
Honey Ginger Tofu Stir Fry
I created this honey ginger tofu stir fry one night while I was craving American-Chinese food. I was looking for the classic sweet, vinegary, and savory flavor profile, and came up with this super simple tofu stir. The entire recipe take less than 20 minutes to make.
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Why not swap chicken for sweet cauliflower? That’s what I thought one day when I didn’t feel like eating meat but still wanted the classic flavor combination of kung pao chicken. Earthy, savory, umami rich, sprinkled with a hint of heat, the veggie version came out tasting so delicious that I had to share it on my blog.
Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
Eggplants are one of my favorite vegetables to use in stir fries. I love how they absorb the flavor of the sauce so well and almost melt in your mouth. This Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce has all those qualities, plus, a delicious vinegary, nutty, savory, and sweet sauce. No wonder why it’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog!
Stir Fried Napa Cabbage
Only 9 ingredients and 20 minutes needed to make this delicious napa cabbage stir fry! The tender cabbage leaves are paired with carrots and stir fried in a gooey sweet, savory, and nutty sauce.
Stir Fry Veggies with Garlic Sauce
If you are looking for something on the milder and mellower side, give this stir fry veggie recipe a try. The flavors are quite muted with subtle hints of garlic and soy sauce. This is a very simple vegetable stir fry that is more of a background player than the main event.
Quick Bok Choy Stir Fry
This flash fried baby bok choy recipe seasoned with garlic, shrimp paste, and sesame oil, takes me back to my days living in Singapore. The flavors are pungent, nutty, a little salty. Only 7 ingredients are needed and the recipe can be made in less than 15 minutes.
Bok Choy With Garlic and Oyster Sauce
This bok choy with garlic and oyster sauce recipe may be the fastest recipe in this stir fry compilation! Ready in just 10 minutes, the bok choy leaves are cooked in a tasty sweet, garlicky, and umami rich sauce.
Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry
Tomato egg stir fry is a very popular dish hailing from China, made with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and seasoned with shaoxing vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Typically served over a bowl of white rice, this is Chinese comfort food at its best.
Tofu Chow Fun With Watercress
This tofu chow fun recipe is your run-of-the-mill noodle stir fry seasoned with a simple soy sauce based seasoning. While most chow fun recipes use different types of meat, this one is vegan and uses tofu and watercress.
Singapore Chow Mei Fun
What makes Singapore chow mei fun so irresistible is in the use of curry powder, which adds a unique flavor to these noodles. The result is a noodle stir fry that has a curry-like taste, combined with umami and nuttiness. Hard to explain but extremely delicious!
Stir Fried Glass Noodles with Shrimp
If you like chewy noodles, give this recipe a try! These glass noodles are wok fried to impart an element of smokiness and seasoned with eggs, shrimp, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Shrimp Lo Mein
This shrimp lo mein tastes just like the one from my local Chinese takeout. Quick, easy, garlicky, and full of savory and umami flavors, this famous shrimp and egg noodle dish does not disappoint!
Cantonese Style Chow Fun
This is a meatless Cantonese style chow fun recipe packed with colorful vegetables and savory flavors. It’s one of those recipes that can easily be tweaked to satisfy your cravings.
Fried Noodles with Soy Sauce
It doesn’t get any easier than this recipe if you are looking for something super speedy with bold flavors. Similar to chow mein noodles – chewy, savory, nutty, and full of umami – I’m always surprised at how much depth of flavor can be achieved with only 8 ingredients!
Shrimp Chow Mein
I could eat this shrimp chow mein everyday! Perfectly cooked noodles topped with smoky shrimp, crisp bok choy, and refreshing bean sprouts, coated in a rich umami, earthy, nutty, and slightly sweet sauce, equals perfection on my plate.
Chicken Chow Mein
This is the chicken version of shrimp chow mein. While most of the ingredients and recipe steps are almost the same, what makes chicken chow mein stand out is in the chicken preparation. The chicken is marinated in liquid for about 30 minutes to lock in moisture and impart depth of flavor to make the protein stand out. The result is a noodle stir fry that packs a punch and comes with the most tender pieces of chicken.
