Instant Pot Stir Fry with Vegetables

And yes, you can absolutely do a stir fry in the Instant Pot. The stir fry part happens on Sauté, and you can choose a super short pressure cook if you like your veggies softer. I'll show you how to make it with chicken, tofu, or shrimp, so pick whatever you're in the mood for.

If you're into fast dinners like this, you'll also love my Inside Out Egg Roll, and my Kimchi Fried Rice with Veggies and Egg.

Quick Answer

What is Instant Pot stir fry?

Instant Pot stir fry is a quick vegetable and protein dish cooked in a pressure cooker using the Sauté function to brown ingredients, then finished either by continuing to sauté or using a 1-minute pressure cook. It's faster than traditional stir fry and requires less hands-on time.

Key points:

• Use Sauté mode to brown protein and cook aromatics
• Choose between sauté-only (crispier) or quick pressure cook (softer veggies)
• Ready in 15 minutes with minimal cleanup
• Works with chicken, tofu, shrimp, or just vegetables

The ingredients

Choose Your Protein (pick one):

• 1 lb chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 14 oz extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Or skip protein for a vegetable-only version

Vegetables:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 8 oz baby corn, drained
• Ramen noodles (250g), cooked and rinsed (discard seasoning packet)

Sauce:

• ½ cup tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated)

Other:

• 1-2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, or canola)

Optional thickener:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water (slurry)

Optional toppings:

• Sesame seeds, cilantro, lime wedges, sriracha

For quantities see recipe card below

Step-by-step instructions for the Instant Pot Stir Fry

Whisk the sauce. In a bowl, whisk together tamari, hoisin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Set aside. Optional marinate. Toss your protein with a few spoonfuls of the sauce and let it sit 15-30 minutes. If you're short on time, skip it. Cook the ramen. Boil ramen in a separate pot until just tender, then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Sauté the onion. Press Sauté on the Instant Pot, add neutral oil, then cook the onion until soft and lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Cook your protein:

• For chicken: Add chicken and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mostly cooked through and lightly browned.
• For tofu: Add tofu and cook 4-6 minutes, stirring gently, until it gets a little color. Let it sit undisturbed for 30-60 seconds before stirring so it browns instead of steaming.
• For shrimp: Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes until just pink.
• For vegetable-only: Skip to the next step.

Add veggies and sauce. Stir in broccoli and baby corn, then pour in the sauce and toss well. Choose your finish (two options):Option A: Sauté-only (best stir fry texture)

• Keep cooking on Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until broccoli is crisp-tender and the sauce looks glossy.

Option B: Quick pressure cook (softer veggies)

• Press Cancel, then pressure cook on High for 1 minute.
• Quick release immediately.
• Turn Sauté back on if needed and simmer 1-2 minutes.

Toss in ramen. Add the cooked ramen noodles and stir until everything is coated. Top and serve. Finish with sesame seeds, cilantro, lime, and sriracha if you want heat.

Tips for success

• For chicken: Make sure it's cut into even, bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly. If you're using chicken thighs, they'll stay juicier than breasts.
• For tofu: Pat it dry and let it sit in the pot for 30-60 seconds before stirring so it can brown.
• For shrimp: Don't overcook them. They should be just pink and opaque, or they'll turn rubbery.
• Want the sauce thicker? Stir in a cornstarch slurry at the end on Sauté and cook 30-60 seconds.
• If you use pressure cook, quick release is what keeps this from turning into soft veggies.
• This is very forgiving. If your broccoli is cut small, use the Sauté-only finish.

Variations

• Make it spicy: Add sriracha to the sauce, or finish with chili garlic sauce.
• Swap the veggies: Bell peppers, snap peas, shredded carrots, or mushrooms all work great.
• Make it peanut-y: Stir 1-2 tablespoons peanut butter into the sauce (so good with ramen).
• No ramen tonight? Serve over rice or quinoa for a super easy Instant Pot vegetable stir fry bowl.
• Try different proteins: Beef strips, pork, or even canned chickpeas work well.

Serving and storage

This is best right away because ramen loves to soak up sauce. Leftovers still taste great though.

• Fridge: store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: microwave with a splash of water, or warm on Sauté with a splash of water to loosen the noodles.
• Meal prep tip: store noodles and stir fry separately if you can.

FAQs