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Want the perfect, slurp-worthy Chinese dish without having to pay for takeout? When you want a delicious takeout dish that can easily be made at home, this vegetable lo mein is just the thing. Completely effortless and better than takeout, it’s perfect as a meatless Monday dinner. Pack it with different veggies and serve it with duck sauce (my favorite!).
Add any veggie you want to this! It’s a perfect lunch or dinner and a simple replacement for Chinese takeout—takeout noodles tend to be mushy with a greasy sauce & the veggies are either raw or completely overdone. This dish is packed with fresh produce and your kids won’t even notice (like my husband who didn’t notice that there were bok choy leaves in there)!
For those who don’t know what lo mein is, it’s a Chinese dish made with egg noodles that can often contain vegetables and some type of meat or seafood, usually beef, chicken, pork, or shrimp. It’s also inexpensive to make. Instead of paying $10+, you can pay that much to make lo mein for 4 people!
How to make Vegetable Lo Mein
I made this completely vegan. I used this mushroom oyster sauce. It actually tastes better than the typical oyster sauce. I’m going to be using this more often! (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Lo Mein Noodles: Fresh is always best if you can find it at your local Asian market. However, if there isn’t any available, you can find lo mein noodles at your supermarket in the international aisle. Lo mein noodles tend to be egg noodles, so look at the labels if this is a concern. You can also use spaghetti or linguine if you can’t find any lo mein noodles.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for cooking the veggies.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: I love using these mushrooms. It’s an earthy and smoky flavor, but when cooked, it turns into this delicious buttery mushroom with a meaty texture.
- Red Bell Peppers: These peppers tend to be a bit sweeter than green bell peppers. It’s a great pop of color too!
- Baby Bok Choy Leaves: For a hint of nutrition. They wilt easily when cooking so they’ll be hidden within the noodles.
- Scallions: I used both the white and green parts.
- Hoisin Sauce, Vegan Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce, Chinese Five Spice, Vegetable Broth, and Cornstarch: All used for the sauce.
- Garlic & Ginger: Fresh is best! I wouldn’t recommend using powder.
- Shaoxing Wine or Dry Sherry: Its sweetness cuts through the salty sauce.
Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drizzle with vegetable oil, toss and set aside. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set it aside. In a large skillet or wok, over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Cook the mushrooms until lightly browned, tossing slowly but constantly. Add in the scallion whites and greens—cook for a few minutes until the greens are wilted. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add another 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly until the bell peppers are spotted brown. Wilt the baby bok choy leaves, then push the veggies to the side of the skillet. Add in another tbsp of oil, garlic, and ginger. Cook while mashing it into the skillet, until fragrant. Stir the garlic into the veggies. Stir in the wine and cook until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Stir in the mushroom mixture and sauce. Simmer until thickened. Toss the cooked noodles into the veggies with the sauce and toss until completely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Variations:
- Add in different veggies such as broccoli, snap peas, baby corn, shredded carrots, etc.
- Add eggs to this! Pour in beaten eggs into a pan and cook until set. Slice into strips, or scramble the eggs and add them to the veggies when you add the sauce.
- Want something not vegan? You can use regular oyster sauce and chicken or beef broth. Add in some chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp.
- Layering the flavors is key to a perfect lo mein. Remember how I said that the noodles are usually mushy and the sauce is greasy when you receive takeout noodles? They don’t layer flavors well. You want to cook the ingredients almost separately so nothing gets overcooked or mushy.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, separated
- 3 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed & sliced
- 10 scallions, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces, white parts sliced thinly
- 2 red bell peppers, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 5 oz baby bok choy leaves
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 lb lo mein egg noodles, fresh or dried, or spaghetti or linguine
- 1 tbsp sriracha, optional
Instructions
- Whisk the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl and set aside.
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain, drizzle with some vegetable oil, and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat until just smoking. You want hot oil.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned, tossing slowly but constantly. Stir in the scallions until the green parts are wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 tbsp of oil to the skillet with the bell peppers and cook, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes until the bell peppers are spotted brown. Add in the bok choy leaves and cook until just wilted.
- Push the veggies to one side of the skillet, then add in the remaining tbsp of oil, garlic, and ginger. Cook, mashing into the skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the veggies.
- Pour in the wine and cook until the liquid is nearly reduced, about one minute. Stir in the mushroom mixture and the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Toss in the noodles until completely coated. Serve.
Notes
Storage: This can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations:
- Add in different veggies such as broccoli, snap peas, baby corn, shredded carrots, etc.
- Add eggs to this! Pour in beaten eggs into a pan and cook until set. Slice into strips, or scramble the eggs and add them to the veggies when you add the sauce.
- Want something not vegan? You can use regular oyster sauce and chicken or beef broth. Add in some chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp.
Layering the flavors is key to a perfect lo mein. Remember how I said that the noodles are usually mushy and the sauce is greasy when you receive takeout noodles? They don’t layer flavors well. You want to cook the ingredients almost separately so nothing gets overcooked or mushy.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
712.29Fat (grams)
23.4Sat. Fat (grams)
4.03Carbs (grams)
102.31Fiber (grams)
8.23Net carbs
94.09Sugar (grams)
11.14Protein (grams)
21.83Sodium (milligrams)
1890.73Cholesterol (grams)
95.61The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used. This does not include the bread or gravy made without drippings. Nutrition will change if you choose to make gravy without drippings.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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