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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
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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.
