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Chinese cuisine has always known how to turn basic ingredients into something memorable crisp vegetables hit sizzlin' hot woks, sweet hits spicy in clever sauces, and textures from silky tofu to toothsome cabbage to springy noodles collide in each mouthful.
What's the best news for home cooks? All those nuances and contrasts work just as well with vegetables, and sometimes even better, because they require less reliance on meat for flavor. These top 10 vegetarian chinese recipes are perfect for any weeknight and good enough to serve on the most festive of occasions.
10 Easy Vegetarian Chinese Recipes to Try at Home
These easy vegetarian Chinese recipes combine fresh vegetables, tasty sauces, and simple cooking methods to create delicious meals at home. From crispy snacks to spicy noodles and flavourful rice dishes, there is something for every taste and occasion.
Vegetable fried rice
The grandie farce of leftovers Vegetable fried Rice Farrenheits best made with very cold, p.s. left over rice that fries rather than pushes. Heat a large bowl of oil in a very hot wok or frying pan over high heat, then season minced garlic and ginger and add them to the oil. Stir-fry chopped carrot, bean, and capsicum over high heat for a few minutes until they just start to soften.
Stir through the rice and soy sauce until the rice is hot and just smoky, then cool and add chopped spring onion and a dash of sesame oil.
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Crispy vegetable spring rolls
Chefs stir-fry shredded cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and bean sprouts quickly until just tender. They season them lightly with soy, salt, and pepper, spoon them into pastry wrappers, roll them up, and fry them until blistered and golden.
Diners enjoy them at their best eaten directly from the wok, when they call out to be dunked into sweet chilli sauce or a tasty black-vinegar dip.
Vegetarian mapo tofu
Originally sizzling and rich, this Sichuan perennial remains great without meat. Sizzle garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil, add chilli-bean paste and stock, then carefully add the cubed silken tofu and sliced mushrooms or minced veg.
Briefly cook until they absorb the sauce, then splash with chopped spring onions and chilli oil before serving bubbling hot with rice; the peppercorns will be infatuating, not painful.
Vegetable chow mein
Want some springy noodles? To make perhaps the quickest ever dinner, add cabbage, onions, and capsicum. Cook and drain the noodles; quickly fry the vegetables in the hottest wok you own with some oil and garlic, then re-incorporate the noodles with soy sauce and a dash of vinegar and cook for maybe 30 seconds more, tossing a lot, until they are shiny and crunchy and charred on the edges.
Hot and sour soup (vegetarian)
This is all about harmony. Bring the stock to the boil, add your sliced mushrooms, bamboo, and tofu, and season with soy, a splash of vinegar, and plenty of white pepper for that hot-sour hit. Lightly thicken it with a little of the cornflour mixed with water, stir in your beaten egg, scatter with spring onions, and a trickle of sesame oil; you'll be surprised how comforting and invigorating it is perfect for rainy days!
Chinese-style vegetable dumplings
These dumplings contain a fine dice of mushrooms, napa cabbage, garlic and ginger. The chef combines the filling with soy sauce and sesame oil, then nests it in a wrapper, seals it, and either fries it until the bottoms are crisp or steams it until translucent and tender. Serve with a splash of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a little chilli oil.
Kung pao tofu
Cube the tofu and fry until golden and crisp. Take it out of the wok, flash-fry the dried red chillis, peanuts, garlic, and scallions, and pour in a sauce of soy, vinegar, sugar, and a little stock. Drop in the tofu and stir to glaze it; it's an ode to what makes tofu so magical - that it absorbs flavor.
Vegetable Manchurian (Chinese-Indian favourite)
A thick paste of vegetable Manchurian, which is more Indo-Chinese than regionally Chinese, is always a favorite. Blend grated cabbage and carrot with flour, cornflour, garlic, and spices, form them into fritters, and deep-fry till crisp, drain them, and toss them through a hot sauce of garlic, chilli, soy, and vinegar, thickening it to coat without setting. Serve it dry as an appetizer or with fried rice.
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Schezwan noodles (vegetarian)
Fiery Noodles These fierce noodles derive their heat from a strong chilli-garlic paste. Cook and drain the noodles, stir-fry some veg in a super-hot wok with oil, then toss in the paste and soy sauce for a few seconds until shiny and bright red. Add bean sprouts or shredded lettuce at the end for a fresh crunch, then keep that flame going!
Schezwan noodles (vegetarian)
Good and spicy noodles To make the heat, these spicy noodles use a pungent paste of chilli and garlic. Cook the noodles, drain, then toss the vegetables in a really hot wok with a little oil. Fry the paste and soy sauce, then toss swiftly until glistening and red. Add bean sprouts or shredded lettuce for crispness.
Garlic broccoli stir-fry
Nothing beats a hot wok for ease and pleasure – I love to toss in quickly blistered broccoli. I splash in oil, fry sliced garlic until fragrant, add broccoli and stir fry like crazy, splash with vegetable stock to create steam, finishing with soy sauce and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. There you go.
FAQs
1. What are the best vegetarian Chinese recipes to make at home?
Vegetable fried rice, vegetable chow mein, crispy spring rolls, vegetarian mapo tofu, and garlic broccoli stir-fry are popular options to prepare at home.
2. Which vegetarian Chinese recipes are easy for beginners?
Vegetable fried rice, garlic broccoli stir-fry, and vegetable chow mein are easy choices because they use simple ingredients and require little preparation.
3. What ingredients are commonly used in vegetarian Chinese food?
Common ingredients include cabbage, carrots, capsicum, mushrooms, tofu, noodles, rice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
4. How can I make vegetarian Chinese recipes healthier?
Use fresh vegetables, limit excess oil and salt, and choose steaming or stir-frying instead of deep-frying. Add tofu for extra protein.
5. Can I make vegetarian Chinese recipes without a wok?
Yes. You can use a regular frying pan or a deep skillet. Keep the pan hot and cook the ingredients in small batches for better texture and flavour.