Easy Lo Mein noodles made with noodles and fresh vegetables in a simple lo mein sauce. It's scrumptiously savory, sweet and ready in 30. Learn how to make lo mein and skip the takeout!
VEGETABLE LO MEIN
What's not to love about lo mein? Stir-fried vegetables, tossed with pasta in a sweet and savory sauce. Yeah, this one's on my regular rotation. The best part is, it's healthier, budget-friendly, and ready in 30 minutes. This lo mein recipe also uses everyday ingredients available at most grocery stores!
What is vegetable lo mein made of?
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
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 not 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 do you make Lo Mein?
- 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 through; serve warm.
* Get the full recipe below
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!
Lo Mein 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.
Recommended tools
- chef knife and cutting board
- small mixing bowl (to make the sauce)
- 3-quart saucepot (to cook the noodles)
- colander (to drain pasta)
- large nonstick skillet or wok
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
For the Lo Mein Noodles:
- 12 oz Lo Mein Noodles spaghetti noodles
For the Lo Mein Sauce:
- 1/4 cup Reduced-Sodium 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
- 4 mini Bell Peppers chopped
- 2 cups Snap Peas chopped
- 2 cups Napa Cabbage shredded
Recipe Instructions
For the Lo Mein Noodles:
- Cook NOODLES according to package directions; rinse in cold water, drain, set aside.
For the Lo Mein Sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together SOY SAUCE, SUGAR, SESAME OIL, and GINGER; set aside.
For the Vegetables:
- 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
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Hi, I cannot find the lo Mein noodles, thinking to substitute with rice noodles, what do you think?
Thanks,
Hugo
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!
Delish! Easy! Flavorful! Even my picky kiddo had 2 servings! Thank you!!!
Awesome, Toni! So glad the kiddo approved...thanks for letting me know 🙂
Quick easy delish. Used snap peas, carrots, mushrooms, green onions, garlic and added Chinese chicken meatballs. Yum
Boom! Sounds perfect 🙂 Thanks so much for the review and I'm glad you loved it!
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!
Thanks, JB! I'm so glad you like this recipe...it's one of my favs! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂
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!
Awesome Trish! Thanks for the feedback...hope you love this one! 🙂
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!
Thanks so much Mackenzie! I'm excited for your kids future of Lo Mein at home 😉
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!!
Awesome and glad to hear it! Hope you love it...thanks Debra 🙂
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.
Thanks Marisa 🙂 Hope you get to try them. Asian style chicken sounds amazing too! 🙂
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!
Thanks so much Annemarie! Yes, hope you make this one and LOVE it! 🙂
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!
It totally works out great! And we always have it on hand 🙂 Thanks Sean!
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!
Love hearing that, Annissa! Thanks for saying so 🙂
Oh my gosh thank you for making this recipe standard pantry item friendly! I never have the right noodles on hand and it usually dissuades me from the recipe. Thanks for showing me you can use regular noodles for lo mein, too!
Haha yep, plain old pasta noodles will do any day 😉 Thanks Tracy!
Thanks for clarifying the difference between lo and chow mein. Any time we get Chinese takeout, I look at the two, and bring up Google images to try and decipher which one I might prefer more, and then I just go for something else. Lol. I love East and Southeast Asian noodle dishes so very much, so this recipe is perfect to have up my sleeve.
Haha yep, I'm a lo mein girl all the way 🙂 I'm right there with you on the Asian noodle dish...any time, any day!
Who wouldn't want to dive into this noodle bowl. So delicious, and perfect for dinner any night of the week. LOVE the fact it can be made at home so easily. I really don't like takeout, especially when you can make food like this at home.
Thanks so much Gloria! Love to hear that 😉
Making this tonight with different veggies .., can’t wait to plate it and sit down to some beautiful food.
Yay! This makes my day...hope you LOVE it! 🙂
Another winner my friend! So beautiful and healthy = score!
Aww thanks Jane...love hearing that from you! This could be made with any gluten free noodles too...but you knew that already 😉 oxo
I love how loaded with veggies your lo mein recipe is! Can't wait to make this for me and my family soon, looks so good!
Love hearing that, Emily...hope your family loves it! 🙂
I never think of making lo mein at home, but it is one of my favorites when we go out for Chinese food. This is so much healthier! Thanks for the reminder!
Awesome Katie! Love hearing that I've inspired you...hope you make one at home and LOVE it 🙂
YES. This looks so fresh and flavorful, not to mention infinitely adaptable! I love stir fries for clearing out the fridge.
Thanks Ann...haha we do "refrigerator surprise" around here too 😉
Traci, these noodles look so delicious. Pass me a bowl please! Love the fact that these are vegan.
Thanks Savita! I love hearing that...day made 🙂
Noodles are often involved in our meatless Mondays! We will have to try this one tonight!
Yay Allison! Hope you love it...noodles are a fav here too!
Noodle dishes are one of my favourites as you can really make them your own. Yum!
Thanks Jem...I really love that about them too! The restaurant ones are usually not so healthy, lol 😉
I can see why this is one of your favorite comfort foods. It looks incredible! I love all those vegetables.
Thanks Tara! Such a favorite comfort food! Never too many veggies 🙂
Love how colorful this is and the sauce especially sounds delicious!
Thanks Jill! Love hearing that...the sauce just makes it!
Oh, I love all the colors going on here. I just want to dive right in with a fork!
Thanks Lisa! Grab a fork...there's plenty to go around 🙂
This sounds great, and so versatile! And, I love how simple your sauce recipe is.
Thanks so much Pam! Yep, 4 ingredient sauce is all I need for total happiness 🙂
Stir fry is such a great way to cook and it really is just about the best quick meal going, all the ingredients in this sound glorious!
Thanks Brian! Love hearing that and you're right, the ingredients are glorious...so simple! 🙂
I love Lo Mein noodles! This dish looks so good! Perfect for midweek dinners!
Thanks so much, Natalie! I'm right there with you and loving lo mein noodles! ALL noodles 😉
This sounds like a quick and healthy meal for lunch or dinner. Love that!
Thanks Julie! It definitely works perfectly for both 🙂
Having some good vegan dishes in my pocket is top of my list for 2018 as I have a friend who recently turned vegan!!!! It isn't something I have ever thought about before.
So this is just perfect!!!!!!!! Thank you
Yay thanks Claire! I recall you saying this recently, so I'm always happy to help out 🙂
Oh goodness, Traci! This looks so incredibly delicious and healthy! Not to mention perfect for weeknights. 30-minute meals for the win!
And now I'm craving lo mein.
Awww thanks so much, Dana! Love hearing all of this...and that craving, it's real 😉