Try some homestyle Chinese with this easy, healthy, and delicious bean sprout stir fry that takes just minutes to put on your dinner table! {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}
Have you ever made fried noodles with bean sprouts and ended up with a big bag of leftover bean sprouts? This bean sprout stir fry is the perfect recipe to help you use a big batch of bean sprouts.
Bean sprout stir fry is a traditional dish you’ll see in Chinese households on the Mainland. And while it might not look that exciting, it tastes better than it looks. If you’re trying out some of my other Chinese recipes, make this side dish to round out your meal with health benefits and big taste.
Ingredient
To make the bean sprout stir fry, all you need is bean sprouts, sauce, and chopped aromatics.
Cooking process
Did I mention it only takes a few minutes to make this bean sprout stir fry? That means you can have a healthy, flavorful Chinese side dish even on the busiest night of the week. All you need to do is:
- Brown some garlic
- Saute the green onion to release the fragrance
- Cook the bean sprouts over very high heat
- Finish them up with the sauce.
Recommended pans
In my previous post I talked about how to set up a stir fry station in great detail. And if you’ve been following my recipes, you’d know that I prefer to cook many popular takeout-style Chinese food in a nonstick skillet. However, this dish should ideally be cooked in a wok or the heaviest pan you have.
Bean sprouts contain a lot of moisture. You’ll want to sear them with high heat for the shortest time, so they retain their crunch but don’t taste raw. Using a wok with high heat also imparts a smoky flavor to the dish, making the veggies extra delicious.
If you do not own a wok or heavy pan, the best way is to cook the bean sprouts in small batches. Drag the slider in the recipe card to halve the recipe in this case.
How to serve
I love to serve my bean sprout stir fry on the side of just about any main dish. Scooping up the sprouts with a bite of rice together makes it all the more tasty!
- Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
- Sichuan Roasted Whole Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Instant Pot Braised Beef (Chinese-Style)
- Chinese Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs
Afterthoughts
Bean sprouts are great for your health too. They have lots of vitamin C, which you need to boost your immunity, plus plenty of vitamins A, B, D, E, and K, along with minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. They also have plenty of fiber, so if you’re looking for something that’s nutritious and delicious that will keep you on track for your health goals, add this bean sprout stir fry to your menu tonight.
Want to learn more about Chinese Cooking? Sign up for my newsletter to receive the 5-Day Chinese Cooking Crash Course and ongoing recipe updates!
Bean Sprout Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 2 green onions , sliced
Sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Clean the bean sprouts of their stringy roots and any residual beans. Rinse with cold water thoroughly and squeeze out any excess water, then set them aside to let them dry. If the bean sprouts are still very wet at the time you’re about to cook, gently pat them dry with paper towels.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic. Fry until the garlic begins to brown.
- Add the green onions. Stir a few times to release the fragrance.
- Add the bean sprouts and bring the heat up to high. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 1 minute.
- Add the sauce and continue to cook until the bean sprouts are cooked through but still crunchy, another 2-3 minutes. Taste the bean sprouts and adjust taste by sprinkle more salt, if needed.
- Transfer everything to a big plate. Serve hot as a side dish.
Nutrition
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Other easy Chinese side dishes
- Napa Cabbage Stir Fry with Vinegar Sauce
- Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce
- 4-Ingredient Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Chinese Sausage Rice
- Steamed Eggplant in Nutty Sauce
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
A large mouth glass 1 quart jar, cheese cloth rubber band and 1 tablespoon mung bean rinsed with room temp water daily and in 5-6 days you have wonderfully fresh home made bean sprouts. Don’t need to go to grocery store.
I’m new to cooking with Tofu. Could I add tofu to this recipe?
I wouldn’t use regular tofu in this recipe (thinly sliced smoked tofu would work because they are already seasoned). The bean sprouts require very short cooking time and the seasoning is super simple. The tofu won’t get properly seasoned.
I recommend trying out other tofu recipes from this blog:
https://omnivorescookbook.com/tofu-and-broccoli/
https://omnivorescookbook.com/general-tso-tofu/
https://omnivorescookbook.com/crispy-marinated-tofu/
If we don’t have peanut oil, is there a different oil you’d recommend?
Hi Lily, any neutral oil (vegetable, grapeseed, sunflower oil) will work!
Can I use canned bean sprouts?
I’m afraid not. The canned bean sprouts are too soggy and soft so it’s not suitable for this dish.
It was amazing!!! Thank you for the recepeit.
My family loves this dish ….. it comes together quickly and makes a great side dish to any Asian meal!
Delicious!
Hi, I’m hoping to make this up this weekend but have a peanut allergy. What would be a good replacement oil for high heat that goes well?
You can use canola oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
Good recipe, easy to prepare.
Can you have your IT people size the recipe so that it prints on ONE sheet instead of half on page one and half on page two. Save the environment!
I always have leftover bean sprouts so this a perfect way for me to use and enjoy them the next day. Easy peasy and so tasty. I added siracha… yum. And so low cal.
If you were so concerned about the environment, why print it at all?!
What kind of beansprout? mung bean or soy bean?
soy bean or mung bean spouts would both work!
Simple and delicious! I love to make a half recipe as a snack when I have leftover bean sprouts from another dish. Thanks for sharing! Your site is great for cooks new to Chinese cuisine. I e had a lot of fun diving into everything you offer.
Simple and yummy! Great flavors! I added my chicken and squash and it was a great stir fry! Healthy, low calories and I feel full!
Awesome. Left out the sugar due to diabetic concerns and added some Thai chilis for some spice. Going into regular side dish rotation.
This was really delicious and so easy to make! Thank you so much for all of your great recipes and educating us about Chinese food.
Sugar white pepper, sesame oil and soy. Perfect
What a great recipe! I do like using bean sprouts but only in small amounts so I am always stuck with leftovers. To be honest I am not a fan – I should say “was not a fan” because this dish is great! Thanks so much!!
Can I use the bean sprouts as a salad?
Yes you certainly can!
This was great! I now have a new appreciation for bean sprouts.
So easy and versatile .
Versatile? Yes, I have added extra spices for a different taste each day.
Kashmiri chilli powder (maybe a bit hot for some tastes so use normal chilli) 5 spice powder, Madras curry powder,Ras-al-hanout, even Marmite (a British yeast extract, you either love it or hate it) .
Am still trying other spices I have.
Great recipe. I made this last night for dinner with the addition of half cup of precooked ground beef and some fresh ginger. I will be making this recipe again. I am on keto and switching stevia for sugar was the only change required.
Hi Maggie, I tried the recipe but only had dark soy sauce so but 2 teaspoons of theat in and it was delicious !!! Thank you very much