Spice up your weeknight dinners with this Kung Pao Vegetables recipe, ready in 20 minutes! Bursting with delicious, authentic flavors, this stir-fry delivers the perfect balance of savory, tangy, and just the right amount of heat. The sauce is the star, so feel free to customize the veggies with whatever you have on hand.
It’s quick, easy, and endlessly adaptable! Serve it with 20-Minute Easy Vegan Miso Soup.
This stir-fry isn’t drenched in sauce like some others, but that’s the beauty of it.
The bold, sweet-tangy-savory sauce, with its signature numbing tingle from the Sichuan pepper, packs a punch in every bite. A little of the sauce goes a long way, especially when mixed with rice—it’s all about quality over quantity here.
And yes, just like my Thai Peanut Noodle Salad and Vegan Sushi Bake, this dish is packed with veggies, which I absolutely love. The best part? You can customize it with any vegetables you like—endless possibilities!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s as quick as my Vegan Egg Roll Bowl. Like, “dinner’s ready before anyone asks what’s for dinner” quick.
- Loads of veggies!
- Customizable. Got baby corn? Toss ’em in. Water chestnuts? Why not. Cleaning out the fridge? Perfect.
- It’s a better-than-takeout. And no delivery fees!
- Minimal cleanup. One wok, one bowl, great for a weeknight.
Ingredients
These create the star of the show - the ingredients for the sauce.
Here are the stir-fry ingredients.
- Sichuan (aka Szechuan) peppercorns are essential for the authentic numbing sensation that makes Sichuan cuisine unique. Numbing?! Yes—they create a tingling, “electric” effect on the tongue, balancing spicy chilies and enhancing flavors. They also add a citrusy, floral note that’s hard to replicate. I highly recommend picking some up at your local Asian grocery store! NOTE: Ground Sichuan peppercorns are available and deliver the same numbing, citrusy flavor, but freshly toasted and ground peppercorns provide a more vibrant and aromatic taste.
- Dried red chilies add a smoky, spicy kick to Kung Pao Vegetables. I like to leave them whole for a more subtle heat, as the seeds stay contained. If you’re craving extra spice, chop them up to release the seeds for a bolder, fiery flavor—or leave just a few seeds in for a balanced heat.
- Chinese Black Vinegar: This is tangy, slightly sweet vinegar with a rich, malty flavor that adds depth to stir-fries and sauces. If unavailable, balsamic vinegar is a good substitute.
- Chinese Cooking Wine: This is a staple in Chinese cooking. Dry sherry or mirin (with less sugar in the sauce) can be used as substitutes.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Substitute dark soy sauce with regular soy sauce mixed with a splash of molasses, brown sugar, or hoisin sauce to mimic its rich color and slightly sweet flavor.
Find the measurements in the printable recipe card below.
Variations
- Add crispy tofu cubes. Press and cube firm tofu, toss with cornstarch, and pan-fry until golden before adding to the end of cooking the dish.
- Stir in a cup of cooked or canned chickpeas for a hearty, protein-rich version.
- Swap the rice for cooked noodles (like soba, udon, or rice noodles). Toss the noodles into the skillet after the sauce thickens for a delicious noodle dish.
How To Make Kung Pao Vegetables
This is it! The process in pictures. See the recipe card for details.
Step 1: Whisk together cornstarch, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, cooking wine, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2: This is optional but optimal.
Toast whole Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 3: Grind them into a fine or coarse powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Step 4: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and dried chilies. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 5: Add onions, broccoli, green beans, carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms to the wok. Stir constantly for 5 minutes to keep the veggies crisp-tender and prevent steaming.
Step 6: Pour the prepared sauce into the wok and sprinkle in the ground Sichuan peppercorns. Stir well and let the sauce simmer for 1–2 minutes until it thickens and coats the vegetables.
Step 7: Remove the chili peppers. Toss in the roasted peanuts and garnish with green onions.
Step 8: Serve hot over steamed rice, noodles, or cauliflower rice. Enjoy!
Top Tips
- Kung Pao cooks fast, so have all your aromatics, veggies, sauce, and spices ready to go next to you before you start.
- While optional, toasting the whole Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok for 30 seconds releases their aromatic, citrusy flavor and gives your dish that authentic numbing spice kick. Highly recommended.
- Crank up the heat on your wok or skillet to get that smoky, restaurant-style stir-fry flavor.
- Stir or toss veggies continuously to ensure even cooking, prevent the veggies from steaming and becoming soggy, and maintain a crisp-tender texture.
- Don’t overcook—stir-fry the veggies until just tender for the perfect crunch in every bite.
How To Serve Kung Pao Vegetables
- Keep it classic with a bed of fluffy jasmine or basmati rice to soak up all that delicious sauce.
- Toss the Kung Pao Vegetables with your favorite noodles—think soba, udon, or rice noodles—for a hearty, slurpable meal.
- Pair it with Asian Spicy Cucumber Salad, Vegan Summer Rolls or as a side dish to Spicy Miso Butter Beans On Toast.
Equipment
Using a wok for Kung Pao Vegetables is ideal because its high, sloping sides and even heat distribution make stir-frying easy, allowing you to cook the vegetables quickly at high heat without overcrowding. The wok also helps create that coveted smoky “wok hei” flavor in restaurant dishes.
If you don’t have one—any large, heavy-bottomed skillet can work. Just make sure it’s big enough to allow the veggies to stir-fry rather than steam and crank up the heat for the best results.
Recipe FAQS
Yes. For a milder dish, use fewer dried chilies, leave them whole, or omit them entirely. You can also remove the chili seeds to tone down the spice. For extra heat, add more chilies or a splash of chili oil.
Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for the best texture or in the microwave for convenience. Freezing isn’t ideal because the veggies may become mushy after thawing, but you can freeze the sauce separately for up to 3 months.
The flavor of Kung Pao Vegetables is a combination of bold, spicy, savory, and slightly sweet elements, balanced by a tangy kick. The sauce, made with soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and a touch of sugar, creates a rich, umami-packed base that clings to the crisp-tender vegetables. Dried red chilies bring a smoky heat, while Sichuan peppercorns add a unique numbing, tingling sensation.
Got a minute? I'd love for you to comment and rate kung pao vegetables. Your feedback is invaluable—did you love it? Did you make any fun twists? Let me know how my directions worked for you so I can keep improving my recipes. Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for inspiration.
Kung Pao Vegetables
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Stir Fry
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns See Note 1
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or peanut oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
- 6-8 dried red chilies whole (See Note 2)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 cup petite broccoli florets frozen
- 1 cup sliced French-style green beans or snap peas; frozen or canned
- 1 cup carrots thinly sliced (~100 grams)
- 1 small red bell pepper chopped or sliced thick
- 1 small zucchini cut in half moons (~200 grams)
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup peanuts roasted unsalted
Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce: Prepare the sauce by whisking together the cornstarch and soy sauce until the cornstarch dissolves. Stir in the dark soy sauce, black vinegar, cooking wine, sugar, sesame oil, and water. Set aside.
- Prepare the Sichuan Peppercorns: If using whole Sichuan peppercorns, toast them in a dry skillet or wok over medium heat for about 1 minute until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Once toasted, grind them using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until they are a fine or coarse powder, depending on your preference. Set the ground peppercorns aside for later.
- Prepare Stir Fry Ingredients: Because we are cooking on high heat, everything comes together super fast. Have everything chopped and ready next to you before you begin.
- Cook Aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and dried chilies, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir Fry Vegetables: Add the onions, broccoli, green beans, carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms to the hot wok or skillet. Keep the vegetables moving constantly for 5-7 minutes to ensure they cook evenly and stay crisp-tender. Stirring continuously prevents the veggies from steaming and helps them maintain their vibrant color and crunch while developing a lightly charred, stir-fried flavor. Do not overcook - you're aiming for a crisp-tender texture.
- Add the Sauce: Pour the sauce mixture into the wok and add the ground Sichuan peppercorns. Stir everything well and continue stirring as the sauce thickens and coats the vegetables evenly. This only takes about 1–2 minutes.
- Finish and Serve: Remove the chili peppers. Toss in the roasted peanuts. Garnish with green onions. Serve immediately over steamed rice, noodles, or cauliflower rice for a lighter option.
Reg says
This Kung Pao Vegetables recipe is so good, it’ll have you skipping takeout for its spicy-sweet flavors and perfectly crisp-tender veggies every time! It's so good.