This vegan Kale Chickpea Stir Fry with Miso Peanut Sauce is delicious, easy to make and can be paired up with veggies, rice, noodles or roasted sweet potato for a complete meal.

A plate of vegan kale chickpea stir fry with miso peanut sauce.

You will love this simple stir fry topped with the most delicious, creamy miso peanut sauce. I’d recommend serving it over roasted sweet potatoes but you can also serve it with roasted vegetables, tofu, rice or noodles or stuffed in a baked potato. You can also just make the sauce and serve it with everything and anything!

Ingredient Notes

Let’s go over some of the key ingredients you’ll need make this easy stir fry:

For the Miso Peanut Sauce

  1. Peanut Butter. Looks for natural peanut butter with 1 or 2 ingredients, either just peanuts, or peanuts and sea salt.
  2. Miso. The recipe calls for red miso but white or yellow will also work. Red miso has a stronger, saltier flavour.
  3. Sweetener. The sauce can be sweetened with agave, brown rice syrup or maple syrup. Coconut sugar would also be suitable.
  4. Vinegar. Vinegar is used to add acidity and help balance the miso and sweetener. Use brown rice vinegar, regular rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar will also work.

Aside from those, you’ll need a few other basic ingredients such as lemon, sesame oil and garlic.

For the Stir Fry

  1. Sesame oil. Sesame oil adds flavour to stir fries so it makes a good choice for cooking, however, you can make the recipe oil-free by cooking in a splash of water or vegetable broth.
  2. Onion and garlic. Lots of onion and garlic are a must for a good stir fry. The recipe calls for a red onion but white and yellow are fine too if that’s all you have.
  3. Chickpeas. You’ll need 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas, or roughly a 14 oz. can, drained and rinsed.
  4. Kale. Choose organic kale if you can and give it a good wash.

Aside from some basic seasonings, that’s all you’ll need for the stir fry.

Ingredients for a kale chickpea stir fry.

Method

Step 1. Make the miso peanut sauce.

Add everything to a blender and process until smooth. Set aside while you make the stir fry.

Adding chopped green onions to a blender to make miso peanut sauce.
Blending miso peanut sauce in a white KitchenAid blender.

Step 2. Make the stir fry.

Cook everything but the kale for a few minutes then add the kale and cook until wilted.

Red onion and chickpeas in a skillet on the stovetop.
Chickpeas and kale in a skillet on the stovetop.
Kale chickpea stir fry in a skillet on the stovetop.

Serving Options

Try the stir fry and sauce served with:

  • a baked sweet potato or roasted sweet potato chunks
  • roasted potato
  • baked or fried tofu or tempeh
  • white or brown rice, quinoa or another whole grain
A plate of vegan kale chickpea stir fry with miso peanut sauce.

This recipe has been republished with permission from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking by Celine Steen, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017.

Here are some more simple vegan bowl recipes you’ll enjoy:

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A plate of vegan kale chickpea stir fry with miso peanut sauce.

Kale Chickpea Stir-Fry with Miso Peanut Dressing

  • Author: Celine Steen
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 3–4 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop, Blender
  • Cuisine: Asian
  • Diet: Vegan

So quick and easy, this flavor-packed, smoky stir-fry is great served alone. It’s also a perfect match with roasted sweet potatoes to make for a colorful complete meal. While definitely good for you, this dish is quite a treat too.

★★★★★

4.9 from 16 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Drizzle

  • 1/3 cup (85 g) natural peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp (18 g) red miso, more if needed
  • Juice from 1 lemon (2 tbsp [30 ml])
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp (13 g) agave nectar or brown rice syrup
  • 2 ½ tbsp (15 g) chopped scallions
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) brown rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) water, more if needed

For the Kale and Chickpeas

  • 2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups (256 g) cooked chickpeas
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chipotle powder
  • 1 large bunch kale (about 14 oz [397 g]), ribs removed, washed and chopped

Optional, For Serving

Instructions

  1. To make the drizzle, place the peanut butter, miso, lemon juice, sesame oil, agave, scallions, garlic, vinegar and water in a blender. Blend until perfectly smooth. Adjust the miso to taste, and add more water if needed to get a thick yet pourable dressing. Set aside while preparing the rest of the dish. I like to use a squeeze bottle to serve the drizzle; it makes for a prettier presentation.
  2. To make the kale and chickpeas, place the sesame oil, onion, chickpeas, garlic, salt, paprika and chipotle powder in a large skillet. Heat on medium-high and stir-fry until the onion is golden brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent scorching. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
  3. Serve with roasted sweet potatoes and drizzle peanut sauce on top. If there are sauce leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It tastes great on tofu bowls, baked potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Notes

Credit: Published with permission from Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking by Celine Steen, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
  • Calories: 335
  • Fat: 19 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34 g
  • Fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 15 g

Keywords: kale stir fry, chickpea stir fry

This post was originally published November 5, 2017. It was updated December 2019 with new photos and text.