Crisp and tasty, this flavorful Celery Stir-Fry is a quick, easy meal that’s full of flavor and nutrients. Vegan, gluten-free, and ready in 30 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This
Stir-frying has always been my go-to method for quick and easy weeknight dinners; we have an abundance of 5-star, delicious, healthy stir-fry recipes on the blog! This one features the humble celery, which usually plays a supporting role, but in this stir fry, it truly shines!
Paired with chewy tempeh (see notes for alternatives), toasty cashews, and a simple stir-fry sauce, it’s a satisfying texture combination in just 20 minutes!.
Celery Stir fry Ingredients

- Celery: A great way to use up extra celery! Include some of the celery leaves, just be sure to taste them first to ensure they are not bitter, as this can vary.
- Tempeh: For plant-based protein. Feel free to sub ground chicken, sliced chicken, ground turkey or ground beef.
- Garlic and ginger: You’ll need pressed or grated garlic for the sauce and sliced garlic for the stir-fry, as well as minced ginger.
- Yellow onion: For savory, aromatic flavor.
- Soy sauce: Or use light soy sauce, or tamari or liquid aminos for gluten-free options. Adds salt and umami depth.
- Sherry vinegar: Or shaoxing wine or unseasoned rice vinegar.
- Sesame oil: For richness and depth.
- Molasses: Adds a unique sweet and smoky flavor reminiscent of dark soy sauce.
- Coconut sugar: Or brown sugar or maple syrup for sweetness.
- Red pepper flakes and white pepper: You can use black pepper, but white pepper adds a distinct bright and earthy flavor.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the sauce and help it lusciously glaze the stirfry.
- Garnishes: Toasted cashews, toasted sesame seeds, and scallions.
How to Make Celery Stirfry
1. Whisk the stir fry sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sherry vinegar, sesame oil, molasses, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cornstarch.


2. Steam the tempeh. Cut or crumble the tempeh and toss into a large cast-iron skillet, wok, or large skillet. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Steaming reduces the pungency of tempeh and helps it absorb the flavor of the stir-fry sauce.
3. Pan-fry the tempeh. Once the water has evaporated, add oil and sauté until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Set aside.


4. Sauté the aromatics and celery. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the celery, ginger, and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. The celery should be slightly tender but still crisp. Add in the crumbled tempeh and the sauce.

5. Assemble the stir-fry. With the sauce added, stir everything together until the sauce is thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Serve. Serve over steamed jasmine rice. Garnish with toasted cashews.

Variations
- Protein: For a plant-based alternative, prepare this with our Crispy Tofu. Or if not vegan, try ground chicken, thinly sliced chicken, or ground beef.
- Veggies: In lieu of- or in addition to- celery, add other vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, or carrots.
- Rice: Serve with jasmine rice or brown rice, or serve with your favorite whole grain or stir-fry noodles.
Chef’s Tips
- Steam the tempeh: Don’t skip this step! Steaming the tempeh reduces its bitter taste and improves its texture so that it will crisp up and absorb the flavor of the sauce.
- Cook the rice first: Start by preparing your rice so that it is ready to go as soon as the stir-fry is done.
- Quick cook the celery: Stir-fry just a few minutes, avoid over cooking.
Storing Celery Stir-fry
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Celery Stirfry over jasmine rice all on its own for a satisfying meal, or serve it alongside some of our favorite sides and salads:
FAQs
Rinse the celery, then cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces, using a julienne technique.
Be careful not to burn the aromatics, like the garlic and onion. You also want to make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready together as the recipe comes together quickly!
A flavorful, balanced stir-fry sauce.

Hope you enjoy our Celery Stirfry recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments!
More Favorite StiR-fry Recipes!

Celery Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
- Category: stir fry recipes, tempeh recipes, easy dinner,
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crisp and tasty, this flavorful Celery Stir-Fry is a quick, easy meal that’s full of flavor and nutrients. Vegan, gluten-free, and ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or gluten-free liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, shaoxing wine, or unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar- or brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, pressed, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Celery Stir fry
- 8 ounces tempeh can also use ground chicken or ground beef – see notes.
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or coconut oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced in strips
- 3 cups celery, 4-5 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch julianne slices
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- suggested garnishes: toasted cashews, toasted sesame seeds, scallions
Instructions
- Mix stir-fry sauce: whisk soy sauce, sherry vinegar, sesame oil, molasses, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, white pepper, and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cut or crumble tempeh into a large pan. Add water, bring to a boil then simmer over medium heat until all the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Steaming helps mellow the pungency of tempeh.
- Once the water has evaporated, add oil and sauté until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Set tempeh aside.
- Over medium high heat sauté the onions about 3 minutes, add the celery, ginger and garlic stir for about 2 minutes. You want the celery to be just slightly tender but still quite crisp. Add in the tempeh crumble and the sauce.
- Stir together until sauce is thickened 1-2 minutes.
- Serve over jasmine rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 3.7 g
- Sodium: 287.5 mg
- Fat: 13.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.9 g
- Fiber: 6.4 g
- Protein: 12.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This was delicious! I’ve never cooked tempeh this way. The steaming really mellowed it out and it absorbed the flavor of the sauce beautifully. I didn’t have quite enough celery so I added bok choy. Topped with the cashews,sesame seeds, scallions and broccoli sprouts. Yum!
So great to hear this Beverly! Really appreciate the review and rating.:)
Hi. I’ll be using ground meat instead of the tempeh. Does this recipe call for 8oz of meat and if so, do I double the ingredients if I want to use 1 lb of meat? Thanks!
Yes 8 oz. I would double!
We enjoyed how different this recipe was from what we usually make. Celery as a main vegetable is different and I never cooked with tempeh before. We planned ahead to sauté the celery a little longer as we like it that way but it still had a crunch. Toasted cashews on top are so good and we added a little chili crisp. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this Susan! Really appreciate your helpful review and rating.
I want to make this with ground chicken instead of tempeh. When do I add the chicken, and how is it cooked?
Hi Laurel, I would saute it separately, like the tempeh but leave out the water. Instructions the same otherwise.
I made it with ground beef. Sauté, remove from pan and added later with sauce. It was fine
Thanks Carol!
These was easy, inexpensive (I already had the condiments in frig/pantry). I skimped on the sugary elements but should have stuck with recipe suggestion.
Glad you gave it a try Carol!
This looks good and healthy. I am going to try this receipe. Thanks for sharing.
Great-Let us know what you think!