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Learn how to cook bok choy! With almost 3,000 five-star reviews and hundreds of reader comments, this insanely delicious Bok Choy Recipe is a tried and trusted favorite. Made with simple ingredients like garlic and soy sauce, it comes together in just 10 minutes. So easy!
I originally shared this super easy recipe in 2019 when I was having a bit of a moment with bok choy. Truthfully, this moment never really ended. I’m still over here cooking this garlicky bok choy stir fry any chance I get. It’s fresh, super simple, and cooks so dang fast! If you haven’t cooked with this leafy Asian green before, don’t worry, there’s nothing to it! Beside, you’ll find everything you need to know about bok choy below—including what it is, how to cook it, and the best ways to serve it.
Table of Contents
Reader Comments
“I cannot thank you enough for introducing me to this wonderful vegetable! I’ve been making a version of this recipe once a week for almost a year now! This recipe has reached legendary status in my household!” -Kay
“This recipe was so helpful. I’ve been growing Bok choy and needed to understand the right cooking method.” -Nancy
“We made this last night, it was so easy and paired well with your pork chops! Five stars for sure.” -Amber
What is Bok Choy?
Bok choy (also known as pak choy, pac choi, or bok choi) is a type of Chinese cabbage that’s often used in Asian cooking. It has crisp white stalks and dark green, tender leaves, with a mild, slightly peppery flavor.
There are dozens of varieties of bok choy, but you’ll typically find just two when shopping at the grocery store: regular bok choy and baby bok choy. Regular bok choy is larger, with thick white stalks and a slightly more noticeable mustard-like flavor (which can sometimes have a bitter taste). Because it takes a bit longer to cook, it is usually chopped before cooking. Baby bok choy, on the other hand, is smaller, more tender, tastes less bitter.
This recipe uses baby bok choy. If you only have regular bok choy, you can see how I’d prepare it for this recipe in the section below.
How to Cook Bok Choy
This sautéed baby bok choy is one of my favorite ways to cook baby bok choy. You’ll need just 6 ingredients to make it: vegetable oil, fresh minced garlic, finely chopped shallots, baby bok choy, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil.
Start by washing the bok choy. Ideally, we’d like prevent our baby bok choy from falling apart, so the first thing to do is trim just the very bottom of the stem. Then, depending on the size, cut each bok choy in half or into quarters lengthwise. This exposes the inner layers so you can rinse away any dirt or grit. Gently separate the leaves (without breaking) and rinse under cold running water. Dry as much as possible, then prepare the remaining ingredients.
Next, sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet set over medium to medium-high heat. Make sure oil is fully coating the bottom of the pan, otherwise the aromatics may stick and burn. Once hot, add the garlic and shallots and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat if they start to burn too quickly.
Now, we cook the bok choy. Add the bok choy, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil and gently toss to coat, then cover the pan with a lid. Allow the bok choy to steam for 1-2 minutes, then uncover and toss again. Re-cover and continue to cook until the stems reach desired doneness (I have found this to vary from person to person; some people love crisp, crunchy stalks, while others love them droopy and well-done).
And, serve! Transfer to a large platter or individual serving plates. Garnish with red chili flakes, is desired.
Optional Additions: If you like a little heat with your stir-fried veggies, a pinch of red chili flakes, or maybe a drizzle of hot chili oil, will do the trick. Other delicious additions include grated ginger or even a splash of fish sauce!
How to Cut Regular Bok Choy
If you’re cooking with regular bok choy, here’s how I’d prepare it for even cooking:
Start by slicing off the bottom ½ inch of the stalk to separate the leaves. Then, pull apart the stalks, and rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt (similar to how you would wash celery). Next, slice the stalks into ½-inch pieces, but leave the leaves whole. When ready to cook, cook the stalks first, followed by the leaves 2-3 minutes later.
Bok Choy Serving Ideas
This sautéed baby bok choy is a quick and super flavorful side dish that pairs well with just about anything. It’s fantastic with spicy ramen noodles, honey garlic shrimp, tempeh, simple air fryer salmon, or topped with poached eggs and a big scoop of cook rice.
Looking for more delicious bok choy recipes? Check out this bok choy soup (another reader-favorite), stir-fried bok choy with tofu, and easy chicken stir-fry with bok choy.
Easy Stir-Fried Bok Choy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large shallots, minced
- 2 pounds baby bok choy, halved or quartered
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet set over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the entire surface of the pan.
- Add the minced garlic and shallots. Sauté, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the bok choy, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss to coat, then cover the pan.
- Steam for 1-2 minutes, uncover and toss again. Re-cover and cook for an additional 3–5 minutes, or until the bok choy is tender and cooked to desired doneness.
- Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes if using, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may use full size bok choy or baby bok choy for this recipe. If you use full-size bok choy, I recommend chopping the thicker stems in smaller pieces. Toss them in first to give them a head start cooking, then add the smaller/less-thick pieces after a 2-3 minutes to finish cooking everything together.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute regular soy sauce with gluten-free Tamari.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezing is not recommended. Reheat leftovers in a skillet set over medium heat with a splash of water or soy sauce or in the microwave until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We have never had bok choy. Your recipe was quick and delicious and persuaded us to have this veggie more often. Thank you!
Is there anything to use as a shallot substitute?
Red onions or the white parts of green onions 🙂
I used Vidalia onions and it tasted great
This is the first time I’ve had bok choy and I simply loved it. The only change I made: I smashed the garlic, cooked it slowly in oil with the shallots then pulled the garlic and onion out of the oil so they wouldn’t burn and turn bitter. I cooked the rest of the recipe the same. Sensational!!
Thank you, Jessica! I use this recipe whenever I have fresh baby bok choy delivered through Weee! Tofu is always added in for a wonderful meatless entree served with a side of rice and oroshi / shredded daikon. It’s so quick!
Please include the amounts of oils and other ingredients, per pound of bokchoy
I didn’t find this included.
Thanks!
Please see the recipe card above 🙂
fabulous meal with grilled salmon and boy choy as recipe above – Bok Choy is my new favorite dish. thank you for the recipe
Made this last evening without the heat and it was delicious! It’s cooking time is just like you had said. Some people like it more crunchy, some now. I learned a lot, next time I will cook it less! I thank you so much!
Made this almost to spec but had red onions instead of shallots on hand- so substituted- they were so delicious! We will make this often/ btw it was $1.99 for a huge bag of baby book choy at Ranch 99. Delicious and fiscally responsible- Yay!
Can this be frozen?
I have not tried it personally, but I don’t think it will turn out as good as freshly made.
Have made this recipe a few times. I like to add bean sprouts or water chestnuts for texture, also a few baby carrots. We like spice, so instead of red pepper flakes I use several dashes of hot sesame oil to taste.
It’s a wonderful side dish to seared tuna. I slice it up and use the stir fry as a bedding. Get rave reviews every time.
Using a bed is a great idea, tks.
Scrumptious, great flavor, easy, and quick. A new go to. Thank-You!
This is my favorite quickie veggie dish! So easy and quick!
Making this today. One thing, you mentioned ginger in the text but didn’t list it in the recipe.
Yes, other fantastic additions would include crushed ginger, a splash of fish sauce, or a sweet chili dipping sauce.
The standard recipe as written is made without 🙂