This quick and easy vegan beef and broccoli recipe has been on repeat in our house lately. The vegan “beef” gets cooked in a flavorful sauce with lots of ginger and garlic for a Chinese takeout inspired meal
If you’re looking for a flavor-packed meal inspired your favorite take-out, you are going to love this vegan beef and broccoli recipe. In just 20 minutes, you can have this dish hot and ready to serve – perfect for this busy toddler mom.
This recipe quickly became a staple in our weekday dinner routine. I love the flavors of the ginger and garlic on the vegan beef. Broccoli is our go-to veggie, but you can easily swap it out for other veggies if you have a few in the fridge that need to be used up.
Speaking of quick stir-fry meals, this vegan cashew “chicken” stir fry and this sticky tempeh bowl are also staples in our house!
Ingredients for Vegan Beef and Broccoli
- Vegan “Beef”: use any plant-based beef product that your family likes. We’ve made this with both the Beyond Meat ground and Gardein’s frozen plant based crumbles. You can also use vegan beef strips like Gardein be’f tips, Beyond Meat steak, or Trader Joe’s Korean beefless bulgogi.
- Broccoli: you’ll need one medium to large head of broccoli or about 5 cups of chopped broccoli. You can substitute with frozen broccoli, but fresh broccoli florets will have the best flavor and texture.
- Vegetable Broth (or Water): to add moisture to this vegan beef with broccoli dish and help steam everything, you’ll need some vegetable broth or water.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: adds tons of flavor and some saltiness to this dish. If you’re gluten free, use tamari instead.
- Sesame Oil: adds rich flavor to this dish and gives it that characteristic flavor of traditional Chinese dishes that you may get from your local take-out.
- Brown Sugar: just a bit of brown sugar (or sub with maple syrup or coconut sugar) adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the sauce.
- Garlic, Ginger, Green Onions: use fresh for all these rather than ginger powder or garlic powder for the best flavor. We like to store our fresh ginger root in the freezer so it lasts a lot longer. We just use a microplane to grate the ginger into the sauce.
- Rice: cook a few servings of rice for serving before firing up the stir fry. Both white rice and brown rice are good options.
Variations and Substitutions
- Try a Different Protein: this is a vegan beef and broccoli recipe, but you could swap for another plant-based protein like 1 package extra firm tofu, 1 (8 oz) package tempeh cut into strips, 1 (8 oz) package vegan chick’n chopped, or 1 cup rehydrated Butler soy curls.
- Add Edamame: we like to toss in some frozen edamame into the broccoli when it’s close to being done for some extra protein and fiber.
- Swap Out the Veggies: although we almost always make this with broccoli, you can really add any veggie that you have on hand. Here are a few suggestions: carrots, red bell peppers, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, or eggplant.
- Make it Low Carb: rather than serving over rice, serve this in a bowl with some cauliflower rice.
- Make it Gluten-Free: to make this recipe gluten free, swap the vegan beef for a gluten free option like tofu or soy curls. and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Serve it with Noodles: instead of rice, you can also serve this vegan beef and broccoli mixed with some noodles. We like to use udon noodles or ramen noodles for this. You’ll want to double the sauce mixture if using noodles. Then, just cook the noodles separately and then add to the skillet with the finished stir fry and toss together to serve.
How to Make Vegan Broccoli Stir Fry
Step One: start by cooking the rice according to package directions to serve with this stir fry.
Step Two: Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil (or olive oil) into a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 1-2 minutes then cover with the lid and allow to steam for 3-5 more minutes. Remove lid, stir fry another minute or two until crisp-tender. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step Three: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients (broth, low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger).
Step Four: Add the other 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the non-stick skillet you used for the broccoli. Add the beef and stir fry for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Stir in the vegan beef and broccoli sauce and sauté for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Divide the rice, broccoli, and faux meat between three bowls. Garnish the vegan beef and broccoli stir-fry with green onion and sesame seeds to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can easily make this vegan beef and broccoli gluten free by using a gluten free vegan beef (like Gardein) or substituting with tofu or soy curls. You’ll also need to swap the soy sauce with tamari.
Most beef and broccoli sauces call for oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce with something for sweetness like white sugar and cornstarch to thicken. In this vegan version, we omitted the oyster sauce.
I haven’t run into this issue, but if you feel like you need to thicken the sauce – mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with a little bit of water to made a slurry and stir that into the skillet. The corn starch should help thicken the sauce.
Storage
Fridge: leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: store the vegan beef broccoli in an airtight container in the freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to Reheat: reheat the vegetarian beef and broccoli for 2-3 minutes in a covered bowl in the microwave. You can also reheat in a skillet on the stovetop.
More Asian-Inspired Vegan Recipes
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Vegan Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
This quick and easy vegan beef and broccoli recipe has been on repeat in our house lately. The “beef” gets cooked in a flavorful sauce with lots of ginger and garlic for a flavorful meal.
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Instructions
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of the canola oil into a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 1 minute then cover with the lid and allow to steam for 3-5 more minutes. Remove lid, stir fry another minute or two until crisp-tender. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.
In the same non-stick skillet that you used for the broccoli, add the other 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and vegan beef. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes then add the sauce and sliced green onion. Cook for about 5 minutes or until vegan “beef” is cooked through.
To serve, add rice to a bowl and top with cooked broccoli and vegan “beef”. Garnish with more sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, and sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1060mg | Potassium: 699mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1304IU | Vitamin C: 181mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 3mg
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