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Lunch Dinner One Pot 30 Minutes or Less Vegetarian Asian
4.6 from 72 votes

Chow Mein

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •6/21/22 32 Comments

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pin for chow mein.

Delicious Chow Mein ready in just 15 minutes, easy to put together, all in one pot and always a crowd favorite! A homemade version of your favorite take-out dish, vegetarian style or add the protein of your choice!

chow mein in a white asian bowl.
Table of Contents Open
  • Easy Chow Mein Recipe
  • Why We Love This Chow Mein Recipe
  • Ingredients You’ll Need
    • Chow Mein Sauce Ingredients:
    • Vegetables And Noodles
  • How To Make Chow Mein
  • What Is Chow Mein
  • Chow Mein vs Lo Mein
  • Other Ingredients You Can Add
  • Expert Tips
  • Leftovers
  • Freezing
  • More Asian Favorite Recipes:
  • Chow Mein
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

Easy Chow Mein Recipe

This really is one of my favorite take-out dishes ever. But did you know it’s so simple to make at home that you can really make this from start to finish in 15 minutes? Yep, that’s faster than it would take you to order take-out!

Not only is this recipe quick, but you really do end up with restaurant quality Chow Mein. This will surely become your family’s favorite! The other great thing about this dish is that it’s easily customizable!

Why We Love This Chow Mein Recipe

  • Faster Than Takeout! Even takeout takes you more than 15 minutes to get.
  • Easily Customizable. Use your favorite veggies and add a protein to make this dish perfect for you.
  • Crowd Favorite. 
  • Perfect For Busy Weeknights!

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients needed to make chow mein.

Chow Mein Sauce Ingredients:

  • Soy Sauce – I always opt for a low sodium soy sauce.
  • Oyster Sauce – A sauce made with oysters and soy sauce, very common in Chinese cooking.
  • Chinese cooking wine – Such as Shaoxing wine which is a Chinese rice wine that’s used a lot in Chinese cooking. A great substitute would be dry sherry or mirin which is a Japanese sweet cooking wine.
  • Dark Soy Sauce – it’s usually thicker and darker in color, and aged for a longer period of time. It’s made from molasses or caramel and a bit of cornstarch. It has a more full-bodied flavor and it’s usually used to add flavor and a darker color to food.
  • Sesame Oil – I love using toasted sesame oil for some extra toasty flavor, but use what you have.
  • Brown Sugar – A bit of brown sugar to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and help in caramelization. Sub with granulated sugar or honey.
  • Cornstarch – A little bit to thicken our sauce.

Vegetables And Noodles

  • Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best results.
  • Carrots – You’ll need a medium carrot which I cut into thin 2-inch strips. You can also use shredded carrots.
  • Cabbage – I love using Napa cabbage for this dish, but regular cabbage works just as well.
  • Bean Sprouts – A few fresh bean sprouts to be added at the end.
  • Green Onions – Fresh green onions, chopped for some great flavor.
  • Chow Mein Noodles – You can easily find these in your local store in the Asian aisle. However, if you can’t find them you can sub them with ramen noodles, spaghetti or some other thin egg noodles.
  • Peanut Oil – For stir frying.

How To Make Chow Mein

process shots showing how to make chow mein.

If you’ve had chow mein before then you know it comes with crispy noodles or non crispy noodles. For the crispy version you usually deep fry the noodles until they’re crispy. I, however, prefer the non crispy version.

The other difference with my recipe is in how the noodles are prepared. Usually the noodles are soaked in boiling water until soft. However, I prefer to add mine to wok dry and then just pour the sauce over them. This way it’s all done in one pot, I hate washing pots. As you start tossing the noodles around, you’ll notice them soften and within a few minutes they will be cooked enough.

  1. Make the sauce. To do this, start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Sauté veggies. Sauté the garlic in the peanut oil for just 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Add in the carrots and cook for a minute or so until they soften a bit then add in the cabbage. Stir-fry the cabbage and the carrots for 2 to 3 minutes in total. You’ll notice the cabbage start to wilt a little.
  3. Cook the noodles. Add the noodles to the wok, give the sauce another stir since the cornstarch tends to sink to the bottom, then pour it over the noodles. Leave them alone for 2 minutes, then start tossing them around, you’ll notice they soften quickly and within a couple minutes they’re all done.
  4. Finish the dish. Add the bean sprouts and green onions and serve while warm. I like to drizzle some hot sauce over mine, for a little kick. Trust me, it’s worth it!
freshly made chow mein in a wok.

What Is Chow Mein

Chow Mein is a Chinese dish of stir fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes shredded meat like chicken, beef, pork or seafood. The words chow mein really just mean “stir fried noodles”.

Chow Mein vs Lo Mein

Let me first say that I love both Chow Mein and Lo Mein, they are a couple of my favorites whenever I go to a Chinese buffet. However, if you’re really wondering what the difference is between the two, let me just say not a lot. The main difference is in the method and it comes down to frying time. Chow Mein usually has crisper noodles, so you add a bit more oil and increase the frying time.

Both Chow Mein and Lo Mein are made with Chinese wheat flour noodles made with eggs. For Chow Mein you can use either dried or fresh noodles, while for Lo Mein you use fresh lo mein noodles. That’s about it! Which is better? It all comes down to your preference!

Other Ingredients You Can Add

Chow mein is very versatile so there are other veggies you can add such as bok choy, mushrooms such as shiitake or oyster, snow peas or bell peppers. You can also add chicken to turn this into a chicken chow mein, or if you like beef, pork, tofu or shrimp for a seafood version.

chow mein in a white asian bowl.

Expert Tips

  1. Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and chop all your veggies. Once you start making this dish, it’s super quick and you’ll be done in no time!
  2. If you can’t find chow mein noodles use other noodles such as soba noodles, or pancit noodles, I find they work the best.
  3. Use a mandoline to cut vegetables thin, or if you’ve got great knife skills, use them!
  4. If you’re adding a protein such as chicken or beef to this dish, add them to the wok first and saute them until no longer pink.
  5. If you don’t have a great big wok, just use a large skillet, it works just fine.
  6. Notice I don’t add any salt to the dish and that’s because there’s plenty of sodium from all the other ingredients, but feel free to taste and adjust to your needs and preferences.

Leftovers

If you’ve got some leftover chow mein, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Usually I just reheat it in the microwave for a couple minutes before serving again.

Freezing

You can also freeze chow mein, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.

chow mein in a white asian bowl.

More Asian Favorite Recipes:

  • Lo Mein
  • Asian Pork Rolls
  • Pad Thai
  • Kung Pao Chicken
  • Shrimp Fried Rice
  • Pad See Ew
  • Chicken Teriyaki
  • Chicken Mushroom Stir Fry
  • Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

chow mein in a white asian bowl.
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4.57 from 72 votes

Chow Mein

Prep 5 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total 15 minutes
Rate Recipe
Delicious Chow Mein ready in just 15 minutes, easy to put together, all in one pot and always a crowd favorite! A homemade version of your favorite take-out dish, vegetarian style or add the protein of your choice!
6

Ingredients

Chow Mein Sauce

  • 1 cup hot water
  • ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
  • 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch

Chow Mein

  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 medium carrot (julienned or thinly sliced)
  • 4 cups cabbage (shredded, I used Napa cabbage)
  • 12 ounce chow mein noodles
  • 3 green onions (chopped)
  • 1 cup bean sprouts

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Make chow mein sauce: In a medium size bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside. 
  • Stir-fry veggies: In a wok or a large skillet or frying pan heat the peanut oil. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the carrots and cook for another minute until they start to soften a bit. Stir in the cabbage and saute for 2 more minutes until the cabbage is wilted.
  • Add noodles and sauce: Add the noodles to the wok. Give the sauce a quick stir, then pour over the noodles. Let them cook for 2 minutes before tossing them around in the sauce. Keep tossing them around and within 3 to 5 minutes they will soften and cook completely.
  • Add the green onions and bean sprouts: Add in the green onions and bean sprouts and toss everything together.
  • Serve: Serve while warm. If preferred drizzle some hot sauce over the noodles.

Equipment

  • COOKLOVER Nonstick 12.6 inch Black Wok with Lid and Spatula

Video

Notes

  1. Protein: Feel free to add protein of your choice to this dish, such as chicken, pork, beef or shrimp. If adding protein, I recommend sautéing it first in the wok with a bit of oil before adding any of the veggies to the wok.
  2. Chinese cooking wine: If you want an alcohol free version, go ahead and use a vegetable broth or chicken broth instead, though the cooking wine really is key to this dish.
  3. Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and chop all your veggies. Once you start making this dish, it’s super quick and you’ll be done in no time!
  4. If you can’t find chow mein noodles use other noodles such as soba noodles, or pancit noodles, I find they work the best.
  5. Use a mandoline to cut vegetables thin, or if you’ve got great knife skills, use them!
  6. If you’re adding a protein such as chicken or beef to this dish, add them to the wok first and saute them until no longer pink.
  7. If you don’t have a great big wok, just use a large skillet, it works just fine.
  8. Notice I don’t add any salt to the dish and that’s because there’s plenty of sodium from all the other ingredients, but feel free to taste and adjust to your needs and preferences.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 287kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 46g (15%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 969mg (42%)Potassium: 131mg (4%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1762IU (35%)Vitamin C: 4mg (5%)Calcium: 20mg (2%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

chow mein in a white asian bowl.

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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32 Comments
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Jane
Jane
Posted: 8 months ago

Are the chow mein noodles soba noodles? They indicate wheat noodles so I’m assuming soba.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Jane
Posted: 8 months ago

They’re not the same noodles, but you can still use them.

0
Reply
Cheryl
Cheryl
Posted: 8 months ago

Would I be able to use a different oil as my daughter is allergic to peanut oil.

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Cheryl
Posted: 8 months ago

For sure, use any other vegetable oil you have or coconut oil.

0
Reply
Laraine
Laraine
Posted: 11 months ago

5 stars
Delicious 😋 Working our way through your recipes. This was superb, I added 3 chicken breasts and left out the onions. Served with prawn crackers and sweet and sour sauce. Thank you. No need for greasy takeout anymore!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Laraine
Posted: 11 months ago

Thank you for you comment and I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes!

0
Reply
Rose
Rose
Posted: 2 years ago

Looks SO delicious! Other than broths, what could I use that would mimic the acidity of the cooking wine? Not easy to find where I live:)

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Rose
Posted: 2 years ago

Dry sherry, mirin, or cooking sake/japanese rice wine will work!

0
Reply
Lora Daughton
Lora Daughton
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I love this vegetarian chow mein, the best, easiest, tastiest i have ever made!!! 5 stars for me

0
Reply
anjali bansal
anjali bansal
Posted: 2 years ago

I loved this recipe so much!

0
Reply
Diana
Diana
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Hi Jo, this recipe is SO delicious!
As I’m very obsessed with eating my daily macros, I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations for adding a protein source to this recipe? (no pork or tofu though).
I though of adding chicken breast or some beef but how would you cook it to fit with this recipe? (:

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Diana
Posted: 2 years ago

In step 1, sauté some thinly sliced beef or chicken breast for a few minutes until cooked through before continuing with the garlic. You may need to add a little more oil!

0
Reply
Niyatee
Niyatee
Posted: 3 years ago

Hi my family likes spicy food, how can i make this more spicy ?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team 2
Jo Cooks Team 2
Reply to  Niyatee
Posted: 3 years ago

We love using chili garlic sauce here! You could also add some red chili flakes as well to kick up the heat!

0
Reply
JIm Little
JIm Little
Posted: 3 years ago

Nice video. My wife has a food blog as well. Its called Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet. She does all the blogging and cooking. I do the photography and help with website maintenance. We are now starting to include videos like this. Can you share some tips on how you did the video? What kind of camera? What is the burner you use? What did you edit the video on?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  JIm Little
Posted: 3 years ago

Our videos are shot 4k, over a portable induction cooktop, and edited on FCPX. Have fun!

0
Reply
Sebastian
Sebastian
Posted: 3 years ago

Hi, i love your recipe.
it make any difference use spaghetti noodles(first bolided)?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Sebastian
Posted: 3 years ago

Chow mein is a very thin egg noodle. I don’t think you’ll get the same results using spaghetti! See if you can find some Check out what your local grocery stores have for egg noodles.

0
Reply
sebastian
sebastian
Reply to  Jo Cooks Team
Posted: 3 years ago

oh perfect, with egg noodles, i follow the recipe in the same way?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  sebastian
Posted: 3 years ago

They’ll likely need some more liquid depending on the thickness. Add a bit of water at a time until you’re happy with the doneness!

0
Reply
Sally Fortner
Sally Fortner
Posted: 3 years ago

Do you know if there is a recipe where the sauce is more brown,or what that ingredient would be

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Sally Fortner
Posted: 3 years ago

You could add dark soy sauce that would darken the sauce. Also check out my Asian recipes you’ll find lots with different sauces: https://www.jocooks.com/category/cuisine/asian/

0
Reply
Yoly
Yoly
Posted: 3 years ago

This looks really delicious and I’m dying to try it. I was wondering what brand of noodles do you use?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Yoly
Posted: 3 years ago

We used a brand from China that we found at our local Asian market! Not sure exactly what it was called.

0
Reply
Ashley
Ashley
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Thank you Jo!
This was fantastic!!! A hit with the whole family!! This is by far the best chow mein recipe i have found! This will definitely be on the menu around here very often. Thanks again!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Ashley
Posted: 3 years ago

So glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Kim
Kim
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
This is the best chow mien I think I’ve ever had! I didn’t have peanut oil so I used a blob of natural peanut butter. Lol worked perfectly. I’ll be making this often. Cheers! Thank you

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Kim
Posted: 3 years ago

My pleasure, so glad you like it!

0
Reply
Marc
Marc
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Made this last night for the wife and I FANTASTIC

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Marc
Posted: 3 years ago

So glad you enjoyed it!!

0
Reply

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