Vegetable chow mein, easy, super flavorful, and out of this world! One of my go-to dinner or lunch recipes, this dish is ready in 20 minutes.
Vegetable chow mein, one of the easiest lunch or dinner recipes ever! I absolutely love Asian cuisine, because it's flavorful and delicious and it's actually super easy to veganize.
Besides, it is packed with lots of veggies and other ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. This chow mein recipe really makes a great dish, and the best part is that it is ready in just 20 minutes.
How to make vegetable chow mein
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and sautée the garlic a little bit. Stir continuously and add the remaining veggies.
- Cook over high heat for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked noodles and the sauce into the wok or skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Serve your vegetable chow mein immediately.
Ingredients and tips
- Chow mein noodles: any type of noodles will do, but make sure your noodles are vegan. You could also use spaghetti noodles if it’s the only thing you can find.
- Oil: feel free to use any type of oil. However, for this chow mein recipe I used extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic.
- Red bell pepper.
- Carrot.
- Cabbage.
- Mushrooms.
- Green onions: if you can’t find them, you could use any other type of onion instead. However, green onions are the best option for this recipe.
- Water.
- Cornstarch: I’ve only made this vegetable chow mein using cornstarch, but other starches will probably work too.
- Soy sauce or tamari: I used soy sauce, but tamari is a good gluten-free alternative. If you can’t eat soy, coconut aminos is a great substitute. You could also add the same amount of water or vegetable stock and add more salt.
- Hoisin sauce.
- Vinegar: I used rice vinegar, but any type of vinegar will do.
- Maple or agave syrup: feel free to use any other type of sweetener.
- White pepper: black pepper will also work.
- You can customize your chow mein recipe with some chopped tempeh bacon, fried tofu, baked tofu, or tempeh.
Chow mein vs lo mein
If you're wondering what is chow mein or what's the difference between chow mein and lo mein, it is actually quite simple. To know what is chow mein you have to look at the size and texture of the noodles; chow mein noodles are thinner, while lo mein noodles are thicker and softer.
Looking for more main dishes?
Did you make this chow mein recipe?
Please leave a comment below, share it, or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!
Vegetable Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 8 oz noodles
- 2 tablespoon oil, I used extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 cup cabbage, julienned
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 6 green onions, finely diced
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon vinegar, I used rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until well combined, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and sautée the garlic a little bit. Stir continuously and add the remaining veggies (red bell pepper, carrot, cabbage, mushrooms, and green onions).
- Cook over high heat for about 2-3 minutes, or until the veggies are done to your liking, stirring continuously.
- Add the cooked noodles and the sauce into the wok or skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Serve your chow mein recipe immediately with some chopped tempeh bacon, fried tofu, baked tofu, or tempeh.
- Keep the vegetable chow mein leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- Make sure your chow mein noodles are vegan. You could also use spaghetti noodles instead.
- You can customize your vegetable chow mein with any type of oil, starch, vinegar, sweetener, or pepper you like.
- Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand to make this chow mein recipe.
Kevin says
Wonderful recipe.Wonderful website.Thank you
Iosune says
Hi Kevin! Thank you so much 🙂
Jacqueline says
This meal is simple, fast and super tasty!! Your recipes always include enough sauce for the meals which doesn't always happen, so kudos. I did this recipe with gluten free spaghetti and it worked great. Thank you!
Iosune Robles says
Thanks for your kind comment Jacqueline 🙂 Have a nice day!
Linda Polster says
This is a nice idea and you’ve made it simple and clear.
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Ramya says
Will be making this soon can i skip red bell pepper as am not a big fan of it i never had chow mein before perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Iosune Robles says
Hi! Feel free to skip red bell pepper 🙂