This crunchy vegetable stir-fry in a tangy sweet and sour sauce is a great meal when you don’t want meat. Lots of peppers, onions, babycorn, water chestnuts, sugarsnap peas and of course pineapple!
It’s easy to make, with mainly store-cupboard ingredients.

Sweet and sour vegetables on a bed of rice in a black bowl on a dark surface. There is a further bowl of sweet and sour vegetables just in shot at the top of the image.
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Just the thing when I’m craving lots of crunchy vegetables, but still want a dinner that’s tasty and filling enough for dinner.
You can add in your favourite veggies to create a dinner that will use up all of those refrigerator bits!

📋 What do we need?

  • For the easy sweet and sour sauce we need:
    • Garlic, ginger, tomato ketchup, malt vinegar, brown sugar and tinned pineapple in juice
Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce on a wooden table
  • For the vegetables, you can use whatever vegetables you like, so long as they can be stir-fried reasonably quickly. I use peppers, onions, sugarsnap peas, water chestnuts and baby corn.

👩‍🍳PRO TIP If you want to get ahead, you can stir up the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl, ahead of time. Just cover and refrigerate it the day before or in the morning, and it’s ready to use.

Overhead image of sweet and sour vegetables in a black serving bowl. There is a spoon, navy napkin, chopped springs onions and bowl of rice around the bowl of sweet and sour vegetables.

Crunchy vegetables are the BEST in this – so be sure to keep the stir-fry time down to a minimum.

Close up overhead shot of sweet and sour vegetables in a black serving bowl.

A brilliant veggie-packed dinner.
Of course if you prefer a meaty version, I have a sweet and sour chicken and a sweet and sour pork recipe too!

Close up of sweet and sour vegetables in a dark bowl. A pair of chopsticks is just in shot, resting on the bowl.

🍲 More fantastic Vegetarian recipes

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5 from 1 vote

Sweet and Sour Vegetables

This crunchy vegetable stir-fry in a tangy sweet and sour sauce is a great meal when you don't want meat. It's easy to make, with mainly store-cupboard ingredients.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 large onion peeled and chopped into large chunks
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) sugarsnap peas chopped in half
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) babycorn sliced in half, lengthways
  • 225 g (8 oz) tin sliced water chestnuts drained
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 150 ml (⅔ cup) tomato ketchup
  • 2 tbsp malt vinegar
  • 65 g (6 tbsp) dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 475 g (17 oz) canned of pineapple chunks in juice

To Serve:

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Instructions 

  • Add the oil to a large frying pan/skillet, heat it up on a medium-to-high heat.
    1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • Add in the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the onions start to go translucent.
    1 large onion
  • Add the sliced pepper, sugarsnap peas, babycorn, and water chestnuts and cook for a further minute.
    1 red bell pepper, 100 g (3.5 oz) sugarsnap peas, 100 g (3.5 oz) babycorn, 225 g (8 oz) tin sliced water chestnuts
  • Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
    2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • Add the tomato ketchup, vinegar, dark brown sugar, and the tinned pineapple (including the juice) and stir.
    150 ml (⅔ cup) tomato ketchup, 2 tbsp malt vinegar, 65 g (6 tbsp) dark brown muscovado sugar, 475 g (17 oz) canned of pineapple chunks in juice
  • Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat and let it bubble (stirring every so often) until slightly thickened.
  • Serve with boiled or fried rice.
    egg fried rice, or boiled rice

Notes

Make ahead
I don’t recommend making this recipe ahead, as you’d lose the crunch of the vegetables upon reheating.
However
You can stir together the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to use. It should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You’ll need to stir before using.
Ingredient swaps
  • Add in your favourite vegetables. Mange tout, mushrooms, green beans, carrot strips, sliced celery are great additions.
  • Swap the tinned pineapple for fresh pineapple chunks + 180ml (3/4 cup) pineapple juice. 
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serve 4)

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 363mg | Potassium: 593mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 1524IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. lynsey Irvine says:

    Hi there,

    Do you think broccoli florets (cut small) could replace baby corn? Would they stir fry quick enough?

    Thanks
    X

  2. Eleanor says:

    5 stars
    Love how quick and tasty this recipe is, definitely one we will make again.