Vegetarian Chinese Recipes
Choose Chinese vegetarian dinners, noodles, tofu and egg dishes, with clear notes for replacing chicken stock, oyster sauce and optional meat.
Start with a dish that fits the meal you need: tomato eggs with rice, a tofu and vegetable soup, a crisp tofu dinner, or a cucumber side. The quick choices below show the recipe time and equipment before you open the full instructions.
Some recipes need an explicit change to be vegetarian: replace chicken stock with vegetable stock, use a vegetarian mushroom sauce in place of oyster sauce, and leave out optional pork. Check packaged sauces, chili crisp, noodles and tortillas for animal ingredients; a vegetable dish name alone is not enough.
Choose a recipe for tonight
Times are the recipe's preparation plus cooking time; cook any serving rice separately unless the recipe includes it.
Recipe images are AI-generated illustrations.
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Tomato Egg Stir-Fry
A soft egg-and-tomato main to serve with rice; includes eggs.
16 minutes · EasyEquipment: Nonstick skillet or wok, Mixing bowl, Spatula
Contains eggs.
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Tofu Vegetable Soup
A soup-pot dinner built around tofu and vegetable stock.
26 minutes · EasyEquipment: Medium saucepan, Cutting board, Knife, Ladle
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
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Salt and Pepper Tofu
Crisp tofu with a dry seasoning, without an oyster-sauce glaze.
31 minutes · EasyEquipment: Large nonstick skillet, Paper towels, Spatula
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
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Chinese Cucumber Salad
A fresh side dish when the main course is already on the stove.
12 minutes · EasyEquipment: Knife, Mixing bowl
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
Recipes in This Collection
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Tomato Egg Stir-Fry
Cook Chinese tomato egg stir-fry with supermarket tomatoes, eggs, green onion, and practical substitutions for a fast rice dinner.
Contains eggs.
16 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Garlic Ginger Fried Rice
Use leftover rice, eggs, frozen vegetables, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce for a flexible Chinese-style fried rice recipe.
Contains eggs.
20 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Egg Fried Rice
Make beginner egg fried rice with leftover rice, eggs, frozen peas, carrot, green onion, soy sauce, and practical supermarket substitutions.
Contains eggs.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Chinese Cucumber Salad
Make a crisp Chinese cucumber salad with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and easy chili crisp alternatives.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
12 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Scallion Oil Noodles
Cook pantry-friendly Chinese scallion oil noodles using green onions, soy sauce, neutral oil, and spaghetti or wheat noodles.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
23 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Garlic Soy Noodles
Make quick garlic soy noodles with soy sauce, green onion, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and Chinese wheat noodle or spaghetti substitutions.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Spinach Garlic Noodles
Make quick spinach garlic noodles with supermarket noodles, baby spinach, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili crisp options.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Cabbage Glass Noodle Stir-Fry
Cook cabbage glass noodle stir-fry with cellophane noodles, cabbage, carrot, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and egg options.
Egg is optional.
24 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Sesame Peanut Noodles
Make cold or room-temperature sesame peanut noodles with peanut butter, soy sauce, cucumber, carrot, and easy vinegar substitutions.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
20 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Peanut Cucumber Noodle Bowls
Make cold peanut cucumber noodle bowls with noodles, cucumber, carrot, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili crisp options.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
23 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Soy Sauce Eggs
Make jammy soy sauce eggs with supermarket eggs, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and flexible marinade substitutions.
Contains eggs.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Simple Chinese Steamed Eggs
Make soft Chinese steamed eggs with eggs, warm water or stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, and beginner texture tips.
Contains eggs.
Use water or vegetable stock, not the optional chicken stock.
22 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Egg Drop Soup
Make beginner-friendly egg drop soup with stock, eggs, cornstarch, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and clear egg-ribbon instructions.
Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Contains eggs.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Tofu Vegetable Soup
Make Chinese-style tofu vegetable soup with tofu cubes, mushrooms, spinach or bok choy, carrot, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
26 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Dumpling Dipping Sauce
Mix a quick dumpling dipping sauce with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, green onion, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and optional chili crisp.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
7 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Scallion Pancake Shortcut
Make a quick scallion pancake-inspired snack with flour tortillas, green onion, sesame oil, neutral oil, and soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
16 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Stir-Fried Cabbage with Egg
Cook stir-fried cabbage with egg using green or napa cabbage, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and supermarket-friendly substitutions.
Contains eggs.
20 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Mushroom Tofu Rice Bowls
Make vegetarian mushroom tofu rice bowls with firm tofu, button or cremini mushrooms, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and mushroom oyster sauce alternatives.
Omit optional oyster sauce or use a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
33 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Cumin Potato and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry
Make cumin potato and bell pepper stir-fry with sliced potatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cumin.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
26 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Cabbage Mushroom Noodles
Cook budget-friendly cabbage mushroom noodles with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and flexible Western grocery substitutions.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
26 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Weeknight Mapo Tofu
Make a simplified mapo tofu with tofu, pork or mushrooms, garlic, ginger, chili bean paste, and fallback options for Western groceries.
Omit the optional pork; follow the tofu or mushroom alternative.
30 minutes | Medium | Medium heat -
Garlic Eggplant Stir-Fry
Cook Chinese-style garlic eggplant stir-fry with supermarket eggplant, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and optional vegetarian oyster sauce.
Omit optional oyster sauce or use a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
28 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup
Make shortcut hot and sour egg drop soup with tofu, mushrooms, eggs, vinegar, soy sauce, white pepper, and pantry substitutions.
Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Contains eggs.
22 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Vinegar Potato Shreds
Make Chinese vinegar potato shreds with potatoes, rice vinegar, garlic, green onion, and optional chili using Western supermarket ingredients.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
21 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Vegetable Lo Mein
Make vegetable lo mein with spaghetti or wheat noodles, cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, mushrooms, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and oyster sauce alternatives.
Omit optional oyster sauce or use a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
30 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Garlic Bok Choy Tofu Stir-Fry
Cook garlic bok choy tofu stir-fry with firm tofu, pak choi, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, and vegetarian oyster sauce alternatives.
Omit optional oyster sauce or use a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
29 minutes | Easy | None heat -
General Tso's Tofu
Make takeout-style General Tso's tofu with firm tofu, broccoli, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, and chili crisp options.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
33 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Salt and Pepper Tofu
Cook crisp salt and pepper tofu in a skillet with firm tofu, cornstarch, garlic, green onion, bell pepper, white pepper, and optional Sichuan peppercorn.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
31 minutes | Easy | Mild heat -
Tofu Lettuce Cups
Make vegetarian tofu lettuce cups with firm tofu, mushrooms, carrot, green onion, soy sauce, hoisin, and crisp lettuce leaves.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
29 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Broccoli Mushroom Stir-Fry
Make broccoli mushroom stir-fry with supermarket broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce alternatives, and rice.
Omit optional oyster sauce or use a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
24 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Sesame Garlic Green Beans
Cook sesame garlic green beans with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, and optional chili crisp.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
18 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Chinese Brown Sauce Vegetables
Cook Chinese brown sauce vegetables with broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and oyster sauce alternatives.
Replace oyster sauce with a vegetarian mushroom sauce.
25 minutes | Easy | None heat -
Chili Crisp Noodles
Make quick chili crisp noodles with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, green onion, cucumber, and spaghetti-friendly noodle options.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
16 minutes | Easy | Medium heat -
Ginger Scallion Sauce
Make a small batch of ginger scallion sauce with hot oil and soy sauce. Includes scallion-to-ginger guidance, serving ideas and refrigerated storage notes.
Check packaged sauces and seasonings for animal-derived ingredients.
15 minutes | Easy | None heat
FAQ
- Are all recipes in this collection vegan?
- No. Egg dishes are vegetarian but not vegan, and some other recipes need a stock or sauce swap. Omit optional meat and check every packaged ingredient. The notes beside each recipe identify the changes in its listed ingredients.
- What replaces oyster sauce in vegetarian Chinese cooking?
- Vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce is the closest replacement. Hoisin plus soy sauce can work when the recipe can tolerate sweetness.
- Which recipe should I try first?
- For a main course, start with tomato egg stir-fry if you eat eggs, or tofu vegetable soup with vegetable stock. Cucumber salad is a side dish; pair it with rice and a main rather than treating it as a complete dinner.