Vegetable Lo Mein made with spaghetti noodles and simple vegetables in an easy lo mein sauce. Skip the takeout and save money!
We love to make lo mein right at home. Stir-fried vegetables, tossed with tender noodles in a sweet and savory sauce. Yeah, this one's on my regular rotation. The best part, it's budget-friendly, and ready in 30 minutes. This lo mein recipe uses everyday ingredients available at most grocery stores!
Vegetable lo mein ingredients
Vegetable lo mein is made of vegetables, long noodles, and a sweet and savory sauce. The list of ingredients for this lo mein recipe are customizable!
- lo mein noodles (or any long, thin noodle)
- green onions
- mushrooms
- bell peppers
- snap peas
- napa cabbage
- reduced-sodium soy sauce
- sugar
- sesame oil
- fresh ginger
How to make lo mein
* Get the full recipe below
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions; rinse, drain, and set aside.
- Whisk together lo mein sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Saute the veggies.
- Toss the noodles, veggies, and sauce together.
- Heat everything throughout, and serve.
What kind of noodles are used in Lo Mein?
Lo Mein recipes typically call for wheat noodles that you boil, drain, and toss with other ingredients in a wok or skillet. But, you can use any noodle for this Asian noodle recipe. I often use spaghetti or linguine noodles because I always have them on hand.
I love this rice ramen when I need a gluten-free option for Asian noodle recipes. I can hardly tell I'm eating a rice noodle when I use it in this recipe.
Chow Mein vs Lo Mein: What's the Difference?
Lo Mein and Chow Mein are both Chinese noodle dishes made with wheat noodles. The major difference between them is how the noodles are prepared in the manufacturing process.
- Chow mein noodles are fried, then packaged.
- Lo Mein noodles are boiled or steamed, then packaged.
I prefer lo mein noodles because they're lightly sauteed instead of fried. Both noodles require boiling before they can be turned into noodle entrees. However, chow mein noodles can be used straight from the package (dry) and crumbled up as garnish or toppings for Asian dishes like salad, soups, and entrees.
What is Lo Mein sauce made of?
Lo Mein sauce is a sweet and spicy sauce that's often made with soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and spices.
In order to make my recipe both vegetarian and vegan, I skipped the oyster sauce. You can also add Sriracha, ginger paste, or hot sauce to kick things up a notch.
The best vegetables for Lo Mein
The beauty of this Asian noodle recipe is that you can use any vegetables you like. For this recipe, I used green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, snap peas, and cabbage, but the possibilities are endless!
How to meal prep lo mein noodles
- Follow the recipe below, but do not add the sauce to the noodles and vegetables. Instead, package it into 2-4 oz portioned containers.
- Allow the cooked veggies and noodles to cool, then portion into meal prep containers.
- Store meal prepped portions in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- To reheat, pour the lo mein sauce over the noodles and reheat until fully warmed through. Use your favorite reheating method, stirring as needed. You might like to eat the noodles cold too!
Recipe tips
- Substitute any long, thin noodle for lo mein noodles in this recipe.
- Use a reduced sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium.
- Once the pasta/noodles have been boiled, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and prevent them from over-cooking.
- Prepare ingredients up to 3 days in advance to save time cooking on a busy weeknight.
More healthy Asian recipes
- Kale Sesame Noodles
- Asian Slaw with Quinoa
- Chicken Banh Mi Sliders
- Easy Peanut Sauce
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Stir Fry Vegetables in Black Bean Sauce
Vegetable Lo Mein Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 oz Lo Mein Egg Noodles, or preferred noodles
For the Lo Mein Sauce
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, finely grated
For the Vegetables
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 3 Green Onions, sliced, save green tops for garnish
- 2 cups Mushrooms, chopped
- ½ Bell Pepper, chopped
- 2 cups Snap Peas, chopped
- 2 cups Cabbage, shredded
Equipment
- chef knife
- small mixing bowl
- 3-quart sauce pot
- large nonstick skillet or wok
Instructions
- Cook NOODLES according to package directions; rinse in cold water, drain, set aside.
- To make Lo Mein Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together SOY SAUCE, SUGAR, SESAME OIL, and GINGER; set aside.
- Heat SESAME OIL in a large skillet or wok; add GREEN ONIONS (white stalk), MUSHROOMS, BELL PEPPERS, and SNAP PEAS. Sauté until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add CABBAGE and sauté a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add cooked NOODLES and LO MEIN SAUCE. Continue heating until warmed through, gently tossing as needed.
- Serve warm or chilled; garnish with sliced green onions
Recipe Notes from TKG
- Substitute any long, thin noodle for lo mein egg noodles in this recipe.
- Use a reduced-sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium.
- Once the pasta/noodles have been boiled, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and prevent them from over-cooking.
- Prepare ingredients up to 3 days in advance to save time cooking on a busy weeknight.
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Hugo Kempeneer says
Hi, I cannot find the lo Mein noodles, thinking to substitute with rice noodles, what do you think?
Thanks,
Hugo
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Hugo! Yep, rice noodles will work great for lo mein, just don't overcook them if they're super thin. I even suggested this Rice Ramen in the blogpost above the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Toni Olenick says
Delish! Easy! Flavorful! Even my picky kiddo had 2 servings! Thank you!!!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome, Toni! So glad the kiddo approved...thanks for letting me know 🙂
Amalia says
Quick easy delish. Used snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, green onions, garlic and added Chinese chicken meatballs. Yum
Traci Antonovich says
Boom! Sounds perfect 🙂 Thanks so much for the review and I'm glad you loved it!
JB says
Made this Vegetable Lo Mein Noodle recipe for dinner tonight. Turned out great. Less than 30 minutes to prep and prepare. Great way to utilize a lot of veggies in our fridge. Can't wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks, JB! I'm so glad you like this recipe...it's one of my favs! 🙂
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Confession: I've never made vegetable lo mein at home, even though it's one of my favorite take-out dishes. I like your idea of making it gluten free with rice noodles. I have a dear friend with celiac disease, and she would be CRAZY excited if I made this for her. So I shall!
Traci Antonovich says
Oh how perfect and I'm glad you know about this recipe! Yep, I've made it with Trader Joe's brown rice noodles and I love it with them! Hope your friend enjoys it...thanks! 🙂
Trish @ Rhubarbarians says
Yay for easy weeknight dinners! I always think homemade Chinese food is going to be way more involved than it is. Thanks for the clarification on lo mein vs chow mein. I didn't know the difference! Gotta add this one to our dinner list. Thanks!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome Trish! Thanks for the feedback...hope you love this one! 🙂
Mackenzie says
I can't tell you how excited I am for this recipe! My three kids all ADORE lo mein and they ask for it all the time. In fact, I think that it's the only part of going out to eat that they look forward to. They beg me to make it at home but I've never found a recipe that is just right until this one! This will be in our rotation for sure!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Mackenzie! I'm excited for your kids future of Lo Mein at home 😉
Debra says
YUM! Recipes that can use up whatever veggies I have in the crisper drawer are my favorites. This sauce sounds delish and I love how simple this is to put together. I know what we are having for dinner tonight!!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome and glad to hear it! Hope you love it...thanks Debra 🙂
Marisa Franca says
What a gorgeous dish!! It is so appealing to see the colorful vegetables among the delicious pasta. So much better to make it at home and KNOW exactly what is in the dish rather than takeout! Great explanation between the noodles. We are having Asian style chicken tonight -- these noodles would be great as a side.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Marisa 🙂 Hope you get to try them. Asian style chicken sounds amazing too! 🙂
Annemarie says
I love lo mein too but the restaurant versions are just too much to have often, so I'm happy to see this homemade version! I can definitely see making this often, especially since I can mix up the veggies based on what we have in the house. Thanks for a quick and vegan dinner!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Annemarie! Yes, hope you make this one and LOVE it! 🙂
Sean@Diversivore says
I've heard from quite a few people now that spaghetti works quite nicely as a replacement for some Chinese noodles, but I haven't tried it yet myself. In fact, I think there's a whole category of fusion-y modern Thai food that uses spaghetti in place of the more traditional Chinese noodles. In any case, this sounds like a great recipe to get myself going with, and it's nicely loaded up with veggies to boot. Cheers!
Traci Antonovich says
It totally works out great! And we always have it on hand 🙂 Thanks Sean!
Annissa says
Wow! This is like making real takeout at home! I love how much color and nutrition the veggies add. I'm going to have to share this one with my vegan friends!
Traci Antonovich says
Love hearing that, Annissa! Thanks for saying so 🙂