A quick and easy green bean stir fry seasoned with a simple savory sauce and made with minced tempeh instead of meat.

Recipe Highlights

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3
Difficulty: easy, beginner
Equipment: wok, stovetop
Nutrition: 5g fiber, 10g protein per serving
Diet: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Below is a brief look into the main ingredients and why they work in this recipe, plus any possible substitutions. See the recipe card at the bottom for the full ingredients list and quantities.

Green Beans ⟶ Thin green beans like French green beans/haricot verts are preferred since they will cook much faster. If you can only find thick green beans, blanch them first before stir frying.
Tempeh ⟶ Minced tempeh mimics the ground meat found in the classic Chinese green bean stir fry. The flavorful, savory sauce hides the natural bitterness of tempeh.
- Substitutions: Crumbled extra firm or super firm tempeh would make a good substitute, though the texture is more bouncy and less sturdy. You can also try a vegan ground meat like Beyond or Impossible.
Vegan Oyster Sauce ⟶ This is essential for that deep umami flavor. I use my homemade vegan oyster sauce, but you can also buy it at most East Asian grocers.
Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake ⟶ This trio is a staple in Japanese seasonings, so I always have them stocked in my pantry. Soy sauce adds salty, umami flavor; mirin adds a subtle sweetness to balance out the saltiness; sake adds umami and helps mask any bitterness from the tempeh.

Serving Suggestions

For a hearty meal, serve this green bean stir fry with a protein-rich main (like vegan hambagu, sesame tofu, vegan meatloaf, or sweet and sour meatballs) and steamed rice. For a lighter meal, you can just serve the green beans over steamed rice. Rice is a great vehicle for soaking up the savory sauce!

Storage & Meal Prep

These green beans taste best immediately after stir frying. To save time, you can prep these steps in advance: mix the sauce, chop the veggies, mince the tempeh, and blanch the green beans if necessary.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Note that the sauce may thin over time, but it will still be tasty!

Green Bean Stir Fry FAQ

Vegan oyster sauce is usually made from mushrooms to replicate the deep umami flavor of regular oyster sauce. It may be labelled “vegetarian oyster flavored sauce” or “vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce”. You can also make your own with dried shiitake mushrooms – see my vegan oyster sauce recipe!

You can if necessary, but it adds texture and protein for a more satiating side dish. If you’re not a fan of tempeh, you can try crumbled tofu or a vegan mince meat.

More Easy Veggie Sides

If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:10

Servings: 3

Ingredients

1.5 tbsp vegetable oil divided
½ lb green beans¹ trimmed
¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
4 oz tempeh minced
2 cloves garlic minced or thinly sliced
1 tbsp sake
salt to taste I add about ¼ tsp

Sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce²
1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce*²
1 tbsp mirin
¼ cup water
pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Garnishes

2 tsp toasted sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
1 tbsp soy sauce², 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce*², 1 tbsp mirin, ¼ cup water, pinch of red pepper flakes
Heat half the oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat.
Add green beans and stir fry until crisp-tender. Remove from pan.
½ lb green beans¹
Add remaining oil to the pan and stir fry the onions until translucent.
¼ cup red onion
Add tempeh and garlic and stir for 1 minute.
4 oz tempeh, 2 cloves garlic
Add sake and stir for another minute. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth if the pan starts to stick.
1 tbsp sake
Return green beans to pan and stir in the sauce. Cook another 1-2 minutes until sauce is reduced. Remove from heat.
Taste and add salt as desired. Garnish with sesame oil and sesame seeds.
2 tsp toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds

Notes

1) Green Beans: Use thinner green beans (like French green beans or haricot verts) if possible as these will cook faster than standard green beans. If you can only find thick green beans, blanch them first for 3-4 minutes before stir frying.

2) Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce, and be sure to use a gluten-free vegan oyster sauce.

Nutrition Facts

**Nutrition information is a rough estimate and intended for informational purposes only. I am not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist, and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.

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