Vegetable Chow Mein
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Vegetable Chow Mein is a flavorful Asian side dish or dinner. This easy chow mein recipe is completely vegan and made with tender chow mein noodles, plenty of colorful veggies and an irresistible sauce coating it all. A quick, easy-to-follow homemade version of the take out classic that’s even better than what you would get at a restaurant!
**NOTE: I updated this post with new photos on April 14, 2022. It’s the same delicious recipe!
Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant, I have to order the vegetable chow mein. That combination of tender noodles, colorful veggies and savory sauce just can’t be beat. This recipe gives you the same great restaurant flavors, but in the comfort of your own home. How great is that?!
You’re going to want to make this dinner recipe on repeat! It’s so easy and inexpensive to make, yet it tastes absolutely incredible! I don’t know about you, but I love diving into a big bowl of noodles.
Chow mein vs. Lo mein
“Chow mein” translates to stir-fried noodles while “lo mein” means tossed noodles. While they are rather similar, there are some technical differences which lie largely in the way that they are prepared.
One of the main differences is that chow mein is a bit of a drier noodle dish that has a simple sauce to it while lo mein is covered in a thicker sauce that is truly the hero of the dish.
Both are delicious and definitely worth a try!
Ingredients needed
This vegetable chow mein recipe is very versatile! It’s what I like to call a “clean out the fridge” recipe. I’m giving suggestions for veggies to use, but feel free to swap them out as desired. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetables. I typically use carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, cabbage, green onion and garlic for this recipe. These veggies work great together, but feel free to use about 3 cups of whatever veggies you want, plus another 2-3 cups of cabbage. I love the crunch of the cabbage and while this recipe could be made without it, I do not recommend it!
- Chow mein noodles. You have several options for the noodles. Fresh chow mein noodles are usually only found at Asian markets. If you can’t find chow mein noodles, refrigerated yakisoba noodles are a great substitute and most grocery stores carry these. Dry chow mein noodles are another option and are usually found in the non-refrigerated Asian aisles of the grocery store. Dry spaghetti is another alternative that works.
- Sauce. We’re using a mix of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil for an incredibly flavorful sauce that you’re sure to love!
How to make it
Making vegetable chow mein is super simple! Here’s a quick rundown of what’s involved, but you can find the complete recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the noodles. Prepare noodles according to directions on package.
- Make the sauce. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce.
3. Cook vegetables. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Sauté carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, and cabbage for about 5 minutes. Then, add in the green onion and garlic and sauté for 2 additional minutes.
4.Add sauce and noodles. Combine the sauce and noodles with the vegetables and cook for about 2-3 minutes and until the noodles are reheated and the sauce is thickened and beginning to coat the veggies and noodles.
Enjoy! Remove from heat and serve.
Tips for making the recipe
- Chow mein noodles. Be sure that you buy actual chow mein noodles and not the chow mein crispy pieces. They confusingly have the same name. You can also sub with thin spaghetti or soba noodles.
- Vegetables. Other vegetable options that work well in this dish are bean sprouts, mushrooms, celery, bok choy, snow peas, zucchini, and/or water chestnuts.
- Protein. If you’re looking to add additional protein while keeping this dish vegan, you can add in some tofu. Learn all about cooking tofu in my tofu guide.
- Rice Vinegar. Chow mein is most traditionally made with Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine), but I have a hard time finding it so I sub with rice vinegar. Feel free to use shaoxing wine in place of the vinegar.
More vegan Asian inspired recipes to try:
As usual, PLEASE let me know if you make this chow mein recipe and let me know how you like it! You can come back here and leave a comment or tag me on instagram (@foodwithfeeling).
Vegetable Chow Mein
Ingredients
- For the sauce-
- ½ cup of hot water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar*
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar can sub in coconut sugar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Black pepper to taste
- For the chow mein-
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup julienned carrots about 2 medium carrots
- 1 cup finely chopped broccoli
- ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 2-3 cups Napa cabbage finely shredded
- 3 green onions chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 oz chow mein noodles*
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.6 oz chow mein noodles*
- In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce.½ cup of hot water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar*, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, Black pepper to taste
- Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, and cabbage. Saute for 5 minutes. Add in the green onion and garlic and saute for 2 additional minutes.1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, 1 cup julienned carrots, 1 cup finely chopped broccoli, ½ red bell pepper, 2-3 cups Napa cabbage, 3 green onions, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the sauce and noodles into the skillet and toss to combine. Continue to cook for about 2-3 minutes until the noodles are reheated and the sauce is thickened and beginning to coat the veggies and noodles.
- Remove from heat and ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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