Broccoli Rice Stir Fry
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This broccoli rice stir fry uses broccoli rice as a base and is topped with easy and delicious marinated chickpeas. It’s a quick low carb dinner recipe that also happens to be meatless, too!
Serious question: why should cauliflower have all the fun? This stir fry recipe uses—wait for it—broccoli rice as a base instead of cauliflower rice.
I got the inspiration for this recipe from my favorite tofu broccoli stir fry, so think of this broccoli rice stir fry as a spin on that.
Recipe features
- It’s an excellent low carb alternative to traditional rice.
- It adds extra nutrients to the dish, like Vitamin K, A and calcium.
- This recipe is both vegan AND gluten free.
- You can make it in just 5 minutes!
Ingredient notes:
Broccoli – fresh broccoli turned into broccoli rice, or pre-riced frozen broccoli rice. I don’t think using frozen broccoli florets will work because the rice will get mushy.
Chickpeas – canned; drained and rinsed
Mushrooms – preferably shiitake, but any mushrooms should work
Toasted sesame oil – make sure it’s toasted — toasted sesame oil has more flavor!
Soy sauce – can sub tamari or coconut aminos
Step-by-step instructions
The first step of this recipe is to make the broccoli rice, which is super simple. Alternatively, you can buy pre-riced broccoli rice at most grocery stores.
First, chop both the broccoli stem and florets into 1” pieces. Yes that’s right–make sure to use both the florets AND the stems.
Next, place the broccoli into your food processor with the S blade and pulse for 15-20 seconds to form “rice”. You don’t want to over-pulse it or it’ll be mushy, but you want to make sure the broccoli is broken down into a rice-like texture.
Once you have your broccoli rice, you’re ready to turn it into stir fry.
Step 1: Roast the carrots. Place carrots on a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and roast them at 425° for 25 minutes.
Step 2: Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. While you’re doing that, make the sauce by whisking the broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch together and set aside.
Step 3: Add the chickpeas. Make sure to rinse them first, then add them to the skillet with the mushrooms and stir for 1 minute. Then, reduce the heat to low and pour the sauce into the skillet, stirring until the sauce thickens and the chickpeas are coated.
FAQs and tips
- Want to make this spicy? Add 1-2 tablespoons of sriracha to the sauce (or a simple drizzle over top).
- Don’t love chickpeas? Try my crispy baked tofu instead.
Where can I find pre-riced broccoli rice?
You should be able to find some either in the frozen food aisle with the vegetables, or in the fresh produce section near the pre-cut vegetables.
More quick dinner recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Broccoli Rice Stir Fry
Ingredients
for the bowl:
- 1 head of broccoli
- 2 carrots, sliced in half
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 15 oz. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
for the sauce:
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, or arrowroot
- 2 tsp sugar
- green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Slice carrots in half length-ways, drizzle them with olive oil then place on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, flipping half way through, or until carrots are soft.
- Meanwhile, make the broccoli rice. If you have pre-riced broccoli rice, you can skip this step. Place broccoli florets in a food processor and pulse for 15-20 seconds until broccoli is a rice-like texture. Then, set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. At the same time, make the sauce by whisking all sauce ingredients together.
- Next, add drained and rinsed chickpeas into the skillet and sauté for 1 minute. Then, reduce heat to low and pour in the sauce, stirring until the sauce thickens and the chickpeas are coated.
- In a separate skillet, heat broccoli rice for 1-2 minutes. You want it to be warm, but not mushy.
- Assemble: add broccoli rice to a bowl, then top it with the roasted carrots and marinated chickpeas. Top with green onions and sriracha (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in April 2019. It was updated with new photos in September 2020.
I hate mushrooms. What could I sub?
You can omit them or try a vegetable of your choice, like bok choy, cauliflower or edamame.
I’ve seen broccoli rice before but I’ve never made it! But this recipe is giving me some serious dinner inspiration! 🙂
Thanks Sarah–broccoli rice is so underrated!