This vegan Lomo Saltado is inspired by the traditional Peruvian stir fry dish. An easy weeknight meal that is packed with fresh veggies and deliciously crispy fries, all stirred together in an addictive umami sauce.
Lomo Saltado was one of the culinary highlights of our trip to Peru (and the competition was high!). This Peruvian-Chifa dish combines traditional South American and Chinese cuisines to create a popular stir fry that is enjoyed throughout Peru.
This vegan Lomo Saltado pairs the savoury, umami flavours of the stir fry sauce with a little heat from fresh diced chilli. Add vegan beef, tempeh or firm tofu for added protein, or keep it simple with rainbow veggies and mushrooms.
Whatever you do, don’t skip the chips! The classic way to enjoy Lomo Saltado is to stir in freshly cooked fries/chips on serving – they soak up all of the delicious sauce. This dish is truly *chef’s kiss*!
Quick Links:
- The written recipe
- The video recipe
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Success tips
- Step by step instructions with photos
- Other delicious vegan dinners like this one
What is Lomo Saltado?
Lomo Saltado is a popular Peruvian stir fry traditionally made by sauteeing marinated beef with onions and tomatoes in chilli paste and soy sauce. This classic Chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) dish is usually served with French Fries and rice.
Traditionally in Peruvian cuisine, Lomo Saltado uses aji amarillo paste (chilli paste) for a unique flavour that is often enjoyed in Peruvian food.
Why you’ll love this vegan Lomo Saltado
Ready in under an hour. We show you how to make this Peruvian classic in just 50 minutes. Once your homemade fries are in the oven cooking, stir fry your veggies (and protein if you’re choosing to use it), add the sauce and then serve once hot.
Versatile sauce. The sauce for this delicious dish pairs well with many different vegan proteins. Our recommendation is vegan beef or tempeh strips but it also goes well with plant-based chicken and tofu. Or a simple veggie stir fry is just as delicious – the choice is yours!
Crispy and delicious homemade fries. These fries are PERFECTION. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside – MMMMM. Check out our success tips to discover how to create homemade chip-perfection!
No ‘hard to find’ ingredients. Traditional Lomo Saltado includes some ingredients that may be hard to find in the UK. We’ve simplified this recipe to create a vegan Lomo Saltado that replicates the flavours of the classic dish but uses widely available ingredients.
Success Tips
- Cut your fries evenly. Cut your potatoes into even fries that are around 1cm thick. This will help them to cook evenly and develop crispy, but not burnt, edges.
- Par boil your fries. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, carefully add the potato fries and simmer for 7 minutes. Don’t boil for longer otherwise the fries could break up. Once you’ve drained the water from the pan, give the pan a gentle shake to rough up the edges of the fries (but not so much that you break them).
- Use coconut oil if you have it. Coconut oil makes the best fries, with beautifully crisp edges.
- Get your oil hot. For both the fries and the stir fry! Preheat oil on a tray in the oven before adding the fries and preheat oil in a wok before adding the vegan beef/veggies.
- Don’t overload the tray. Spread your fries out on a large baking tray, being careful not to overlap them. This helps them to cook evenly and crisp up on the edges.
How to make this vegan Lomo Saltado
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan version of the Peruvian classic Lomo Saltado.
Coconut oil. Coconut oil makes the best fries! You can sub for olive oil if that’s all you have.
Potatoes. King Edward or Maris Piper are good varieties for chips/fries.
Onion. Preferably white but you can sub for red.
Fresh garlic.
Tenderstem broccoli. You could use green beans instead.
Red pepper. Also referred to as capsicum or red bell pepper.
Mushrooms. Try meaty mushrooms such as portobello mushrooms or keep it simple with white or chestnut mushrooms.
Tomatoes. We used halved cherry tomatoes but you can use regular tomatoes cut into chunks.
Fresh chilli. We opted for medium heat but you can choose mild or hot depending on your preference.
White wine vinegar. Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar would also be fine.
Vegetable stock.
Marmite. I can see some of you recoil in horror! It adds a savoury depth of flavour so we recommend using it… but if you don’t have it in the cupboard and you really don’t like it you can omit it from the recipe.
Cornflour. Also referred to as Cornstarch.
Fresh coriander. Parsley also works well.
Rice. Serve with either white rice or brown rice.
Equipment
You’ll need a large baking tray and a wok to make this vegan, dairy free and vegetarian lomo saltado.
Steps
Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions! Here is an overview of how to make this vegan Lomo Saltado:
1. Par boil the potato fries in simmering water for around 7 minutes. Drain the water and then shake the pan gently to roughen up the edges of the fries.
2. Add the fries to a large, oiled baking tray that has been preheated. Don’t overlap the fries – ensure they are in a single layer so that they cook evenly and crisp up.
3. Cook the fries in a preheated oven for 15 minutes and then turn them over with a spatula. Place them back in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Once you have turned over the fries it’s time to start the stir fry.
Note: If you would like to have vegan beef or tempeh in your stir fry, add it to the pan first and fry it for 2 minutes before adding the veggies.
5. Add the broccoli, mushrooms, pepper, onion and garlic to a wok that has been preheated with 1 tbsp of oil. Fry for 5 minutes over a medium-high heat.
6. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir fry sauce ingredients (excluding the cornflour). Cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Make a cornflour slurry by combining the cornflour with 1 tbsp water. Pour this into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 2 minutes. Season the stir fry with salt and black pepper to taste and sprinkle sea salt over the fries.
9. Serve the stir fry with the fries, a side of rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander or parsley.
Loved this vegan Lomo Saltado? Here are some delicious new recipes to try:
I hope you LOVE this recipe for vegan lomo saltado! Please share this recipe with someone you think will enjoy it because it’s our goal to encourage as many people as possible to try plant based eating.
Also, don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you make this recipe. I love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below – this provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. If you want more delicious vegan recipes be sure to subscribe to the A Vegan Visit newsletter. We’d also love for you to join the AVV community on Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
The Video Recipe:
The Written Recipe:
Vegan Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Stir-Fry with Fries!)
Ingredients
For the fries:
- 3 large white potatoes (approx 750g)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
For the stir fry:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 fresh chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
- 1 white onion (thinly sliced, approx 100g)
- 1 red pepper (deseeded and sliced)
- 100 g tenderstem broccoli (cut into bitesize pieces)
- 4 mushrooms (sliced)
- 6 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
For the stir fry sauce:
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- ½ tsp marmite (*see note)
- 1 tsp cornflour
To serve:
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped)
- 250 g microwave rice (white or brown)
Instructions
To make the perfect oven fries:
- Pre-heat the oven to 210°C fan (230°C conventional / 450°F / gas mark 8).
- Peel the potatoes and slice them into thick fries/chips, approx 1 cm thick.3 large white potatoes
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add in the fries and simmer for around 7 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pan and give it a gentle shake to roughen up the edges of the fries a little (shake gently otherwise you could break up the fries!).
- Add 2 tbsp of coconut oil to a large baking tray and then add the tray into the preheated oven to heat the oil.2 tbsp coconut oil
- Carefully transfer the part-cooked fries onto the preheated tray (watch out for spitting oil).
- Cook the fries in a preheated oven for 15 minutes and then turn them over with a spatula. Place them back in the oven for 15 minutes until they are crispy and golden.Once you have turned over the fries it’s time to start the stir fry.
To make the stir fry:
- When the fries are 15 minutes away from being ready, start making the stir fry by heating a large wok with 1 tbsp coconut oil.1 tbsp coconut oil
- Add the sliced onion, garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, broccoli and chilli and stir fry for 5 minutes on high heat.Note: If you would like to add vegan beef or tempeh to your stir fry, add it to the pan first and fry it for 2 minutes before adding the veggies.1 garlic clove, 1 white onion, 1 red pepper, 100 g tenderstem broccoli, 4 mushrooms, 1 fresh chilli
- Add the cherry tomatoes, vinegar, soy sauce, stock and marmite and stir together. Cook for a further 3 minutes.6 cherry tomatoes, 3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari, 100 ml vegetable stock, 1/2 tsp marmite, salt and pepper
- Make a cornflour slurry by combining the cornflour with 1 tbsp water. Pour this into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season the stir fry with salt and pepper to taste.1 tsp cornflour
- Take the stir fry off of the heat and let it stand for 2 minutes to thicken up whilst you dish up your beautiful crispy fries and microwave your rice.250 g microwave rice
- Sprinkle your fries with sea salt and serve the Lomo Saltado stir fry alongside the cooked rice. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.Note: Traditionally the chips are stirred into the stir-fry veggies on serving, which is blinking fabulous as they soak up all of the delicious sauce. Beautiful!2 tbsp fresh coriander
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
