Stir-Fried Bok Choy
We loved this amazing Stir-Fried Bok Choy and this bok choy recipe is low in carbs and flavored with soy sauce and butter! And this tasty side dish with Bok Choy can easily be gluten-free if you use gluten-free Oyster Sauce and Gluten-Free Soy Sauce.
PIN the Stir-Fried Bok Choy to make it later!
I know that Stir-Fried Bok Choy might be a tough sell with some of you. But it would be really sad if you didn’t try this tasty Bok Choy side dish, because when we made the recipe recently to take new photos, we absolutely inhaled it and then spent about 5 minutes talking about how good it was.
This Bok Choy recipe is flavored with soy sauce and butter in a delightful way, and when we tested it we made this recipe, devoured it, and then wished we had more! Seriously, this was quick, easy, delicious, and really very healthy.
And most of the ingredients here except the Bok Choy are things you’ll already have on hand. And as I said, Jake and I wished we had made more, so go ahead and double the recipe if you’d like!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- water
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- sesame oil (affiliate link)
- Oyster Sauce (affiliate link) or Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce (affiliate link)
- vegetable oil
- Bok Choy
- salt
- butter
- Sesame Seeds (affiliate link), optional but recommended
What is Bok Choy?
Bok Choy is a type of leafy green vegetable that’s also called Chinese Cabbage, Pak Choi, or Pok Choi. It’s used a lot in Chinese cooking and has a pleasant mild flavor that’s somewhat similar to cabbage.
Want Tips for Stir-Fry cooking?
You may want to read my Tips for Stir-Fry Cooking before you make this, although seriously this recipe is about as easy as you could imagine.
Can you make Stir-Fried Bok Choy if you don’t have a wok?
I love using a wok for stir-fry cooking because the curved sides make it easy to keep stirring the food. But if you don’t have a wok you can definitely make this recipe in a large frying pan.
How can you make Stir-Fried Bok Choy gluten-free or vegetarian?
You’ll want to look for Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce (affiliate link) and Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if you need this recipe to be gluten-free, and if you’re a vegetarian you could substitute a vegetarian stir-fry sauce for the Oyster Sauce.
How low in carbs is the Stir-Fried Bok Choy recipe?
This amazing Bok Choy side dish only has about 2 net carbs per serving!
How to make Stir-Fried Bok Choy:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Mix the water, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Oyster Sauce.
- Chop the bok choy into smallish pieces (and wash in salad spinner and spin dry if it needs it.)
- Heat the wok or frying pan until it’s very hot.
- Then add the peanut oil and let it heat about 30 seconds.
- Add the bok choy and stir-fry about 2 minutes.
- Then add the soy sauce mixture and the butter and cook about 1-2 minutes more.
- That’s it! Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve hot!
More Stir-Fried Vegetable Recipes:
Stir-Fried Bok Choy
This Stir-Fried Bok Choy that's flavored with soy sauce and butter was so tasty we couldn't stop talking about how good it was!
Ingredients
- 2 T water
- 2 tsp. soy sauce (see notes)
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 T oyster sauce (see notes)
- 1 T vegetable oil (see notes)
- 2 heads head Bok Choy, ends trimmed and cut crosswise into strips and washed if needed
- 1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
- 1 T butter
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional but recommended
Instructions
- Combine water, soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce and set aside.
- Heat wok or heavy frying pan until very hot, about 1-2 minutes, then add oil and heat about 30 seconds more.
- Add bok choy and salt and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add soy sauce mixture and butter and stir fry 1-2 minutes more, until bok choy is still slightly crisp, but getting tender.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce and Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce if needed.
You can buy sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds at Amazon.com if you have a hard time finding them. (Links are affiliate links.) I used peanut oil.
This recipe adapted slightly from The Gourmet Cookbook.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 119Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 8mgSodium 612mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Oyster sauce has some carbs, but the amount per serving is very, very small and this recipe for Stir-Fried Bok Choy is suitable for low-carb diet plans, even Keto. I’d also eat it for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, despite the small amount of butter (which isn’t recommended for South Beach.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir-Fry Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Stir-Fried Bok Choy recipe was updated with new photos in 2017. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
28 Comments on “Stir-Fried Bok Choy”
I don’t think the instructions are clear about cutting up and cooking the bok choy. I have cooked bok choy often, and the leafy green part is quite different from the white stem part. I cook the stem part first and add the leafy bits just at the end. Your pictures show green leaf and white stems, but the ingredients don’t specify.
It wasn’t a problem for me if the stem parts were slightly more crispy than the leafy green part, especially since the total cooking time is so short, but obviously you’re welcome to do it any way you’d like.
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Around how many cups of bok choy would you say? There are at least a half dozen different types at my grocery store. Thanks!
I’d say the two head of bok choy chopped up is about 4-6 cups of chopped greens. I don’t think you need an exact amount for this, but in the photos it looks to me like my 12 inch frying pan was quite full.
Thank you Kalyn..I love bok choy,and use it often in my stir fry's. I have not used butter w/it, only the soy,and oyster sauce which I have on hand for fried rice..Love that I'm seeing more of the less common veggie recipes from all parts of the world.
Hope you enjoy!
I'm a huge bok choy fan. It's a cabbage that doesn't taste like cabbage, and it's so good in a stir fry. Have you tried bok choy on the grill?
Lydia, I haven't grilled Bok Choy but it sounds like something I must try!
Thanks Cassy! I'm all about easy!
I haven't tried collards with soy sauce, but it sounds good to me. I think you'll need to cook the collard greens a bit longer to get them tender. Maybe cut in fairly thin strips to speed up the cooking as well. Love to hear how it turns out.
(And I MUST take a new photo for this post. Ugh.)
I found your recipes and blog when using yummly.com, and found that I love your recipes and they all pretty easy too! I was wondering though, would collard greens be good in this recipe as well? I have left overs and need to find a good way to use them 🙂
Terri, sounds good!
This was really tasty! I added some mushrooms to bulk it up a bit as I didn't have enough of the bok choi. I also added a small bit of fish sauce in addition to the oyster sauce and also added a Tbsp. of sesame oil…oh yummy!
Terri, lucky you to have home-grown bok choy! (And wow does this recipe ever need a new photo, but it is very tasty!)
I love bok choi (as it is spelled here in the UK) and will be making this tonight…can't wait to have dinner! I'm growing bok choi so will look forward to making this again with the fresh-from-the-garden variety!
Michele, thanks. Glad you liked it.
Super easy, quick and yummy!
Carmen, glad that substitution worked for you. Oyster sauce is relatively high in sugar, but 1 T called for in this recipe has 3 grams of sugar, which doesn't seem like much for several servings of vegetables.
Thanks for the recipe– I tried it tonight, but substituted 1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce for the oyster sauce. Did you know that oyster sauce is mostly corn syrup? I threw it out when we started SB. Anyway, a very tasty side dish with the fish sauce!
Mmmmm, with butter. Must try that.
I have to say that your photos are getting better and better Kalyn!
Sounds delicious – I adore bok choy!
This looks really yummy!
I’ve actually never made bok choy – this may be my first one to try.
Ahh, that looks delicious. I love greens fixed this way!
Hi CBJ, actually, they are different vegetables, it’s just that the name Bok Choy used to be used for what is now called Napa Cabbage.
I hate that yellow print too.
This sounds good. I thought Napa cabbage and bok choy were different veggies. You learn something new every day!