30-Minute Healthy Vegetable Lo Mein
This Vegetable Lo Mein is easy to make and comes together in under 30 minutes! It makes for the perfect healthy weeknight dinner and can easily be made gluten-free if needed.
A healthy Vegetable Lo Mein
I love making noodles for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Anything from Thai Red Curry noodles to Singapore noodles, they always take under 30 minutes to make and are filling and delicious.
This recipe for Vegetable Lo Mein is filled with good-for-you veggies like spinach, snow peas, red peppers and carrots. It’s a versatile recipe and you can add any other veggies you love, like broccoli or kale.
This recipe is my own take on the traditional Lo Mein dish.
These noodles are seasoned with just some soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil and a touch of coconut sugar for sweetness. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, just be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce (or tamari) and gluten-free noodles.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This recipe comes together in under 30 minutes is perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have a lot of time to cook.
- These noodles hold up well in the fridge, so you can make a double batch and have leftovers for the next day.
- It’s loaded with healthy veggies and the recipe can be modified to add in any vegetables you love.
Veggie Lo Mein Ingredients
- Lo Mein Noodles (can sub spaghetti noodles)
- Green onions
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Peppers
- Snow Peas
- Spinach
- Oil
- Coconut sugar
- Vegetarian oyster sauce
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
What is Lo Mein Sauce?
Lo Mein sauce is traditionally made with a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce.
For this recipe, we are using vegetarian oyster sauce (which is made from mushrooms rather than oysters) to keep the recipe vegetarian.
Lo Mein sauce is salty slightly sweet and savory. It’s a well-balanced sauce that stands up to the noodles and packs a big punch!
What Noodles Do I Use for Lo Mein?
The most common type of noodles to use for Lo Mein are Chinese egg noodles. You can find these at most grocery stores or at your local Asian market.
If you can find Chinese egg noodles, you can also just use plain spaghetti noodles or rice spaghetti for a gluten-free option.
How to make Vegetable Lo Mein
Step 1
Cook the noodles in a pot according to the package directions. Make sure not to overcook the noodles since they will continue to cook slightly when stir-frying them in the pan.
Step 2
Add the garlic, ginger and green onions to a pan and sautee. Then add the vegetables to a pan and stir-fry them up until they’re nice and tender. (Don’t be shy to add A LOT of spinach here-it’ll wilt down!)
Step 3
Add the noodles to the pan, then pour the sauces into the pan and toss everything together until all the noodles are covered. If the noodles start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add a splash of water or vegetable broth.
Step 4
Serve immediately and optionally topped with some sliced green onions. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
How to Store and Reheat Veggie Lo Mein
Store any leftover Lo Mein in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat the lo mein in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. If the lo mein noodles are sticking together from being in the fridge, add a small splash of water to the noodles to help loosen them up.
What is Lo Mein? What is the difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?
The main difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein is the cooking method.
Both Lo Mein and Chow Mein use Chinese egg noodles, but with Lo Mein, the noodles are boiled and stir-fried so they’re soft. Chow Mein noodles are stir-fried to be super crispy.
Lo Mein tends to be easier to make at home, and a healthier option.
Tips for the Best Vegan Lo Mein
- Preheat the pan before adding the oil and vegetables. This will help prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan, and also ensure that the pan is super hot, giving it a nice sizzle similar to a wok.
- Slightly undercook the noodles before adding them to the pan. The noodles will continue to cook as they stir-fry, so if you cook them completely before adding them to the pan, you’ll end up with slightly overcooked noodles.
- Always taste and adjust accordingly. Depending on exactly how many veggies and noodles you use, you may end up needing slightly more sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving. (You may just need a tiny extra splash of soy sauce!)
Veggie Lo Mein FAQs
You can add any type of vegetables you love to this lo mein! Some great options are Chinese broccoli, bok choy, broccoli, snap peas, corn, spinach or kale.
If you don’t have the ingredients on hand to make homemade lo mein sauce, you can find pre-made lo mein sauce in the Asian section at most grocery stores, or at your local Asian supermarket.
Lo mein sauce is made by combining soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, coconut sugar and sriracha. It’s a simple sauce to make and you can store extra sauce in your fridge to use any time you want to make these stir-fried noodles.
Try adding some tofu, tempeh, seitan or edamame beans to this lo mein dish for some extra protein!
More Vegetable Noodle Recipes to Try
If you tried this Vegetable Lo Mein or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
PrintVegetable Lo Mein Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
This Vegetable Lo Mein comes together in under 30 minutes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 1 cup snow peas
- 2 cup spinach
- 5–6 ounces chinese egg noodles, or gluten-free spaghetti if needed (*use spaghetti for vegan option), cooked.
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (*use tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp coconut sugar (can sub regular sugar)
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1–2 tbsp water or vegeteable stock as needed
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan, then add the green onions and ginger and let cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Next add the garlic, carrot, pepper and snow peas and mix everything together, letting cook for another 2-3 minutes until the veggies are tender, then add the spinach and mix until wilted.
- Add in the noodles and sauces and stir until everything is mixed together. If the noodles stick to the pan a bit, add 1-2 tbsp of water or vegtable stock to help deglaze.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Notes
Preheat the pan before adding the oil and vegetables. This will help prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan, and also ensure that the pan is super hot, giving it a nice sizzle similar to a wok.
Slightly undercook the noodles before adding them to the pan. The noodles will continue to cook as they stir-fry, so if you cook them completely before adding them to the pan, you’ll end up with slightly overcooked noodles.
Always taste and adjust accordingly. Depending on exactly how many veggies and noodles you use, you may end up needing slightly more sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed before serving. (You may just need a tiny extra splash of soy sauce!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 280mg
- Fat: 4.6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
It was sooo good! Paired it with some home made chili oil and it was amazing!!
So happy you enjoyed Sarah!
Can you make a bunch of the sauce and keep it in the fridge?
Hi Em, absolutely!
This was great! I like a lot of flavor so I added more soy sauce as well as chili powder and crushed red pepper + salt and pepper. I let the veggies cook a lot longer too to make them nice and tender. Was so good we all had seconds!
Thank you Patience! Happy you enjoyed!
My husband and I switched to vegetarianism about a year ago, so we’re always looking for new recipes to add. We have tried different lo mein recipes and felt like they always fell flat on flavor, but we really wanted to avoid take-out and the unknown additives or salt content, so we were thrilled when we tried your recipe! My entire family (including our daughters, ages 3 and 6) LOVED this recipe! The lo mein was flavorful and full-bodied and didn’t have that greasy after-taste of Chinese take-out. We did not have oyster sauce on hand, so I substituted it with vegan fish sauce since we had it in our cabinet already. Overall, excellent recipe that we have saved for future lo mein cravings!!
Hi Natasha, so happy you and your family loved the recipe! Homemade noodles are definitely a healthier option than take out, and so easy to make at home when you have the right combination of flavours! 🙂
Made this tonight subbing snow peas for mushrooms and added baked tofu strips. Was absolutely delicious! Will be putting this on my regular rotation!
Thanks for the review Karen! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
What can I replace sriracha with?
You can simply leave it out