This vegan mushroom Chow Mein is easy to make in under 30 minutes and packed with nutrients and flavor! Use any vegetables you like and drown everything in delicious homemade sauce.
What’s better than a quick comfort food dinner? This vegan mushroom Chow Mein has all the delicious Asian flavors, is full of healthy vegetables and tastes better than takeout.
After sharing our Thai vegetable stir-fry and raw Pad Thai salad, we wanted to bring some more easy and flavorful Asian-inspired dinners to everyone’s tables.
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These recipes are usually loved by vegans and non-vegans alike thanks to their deep flavor and you can use up any veggies you have in your fridge!
Once drowned in delicious sauce, vegan Chow Mein makes for a crowd-pleasing plant-based dinner.
You can wash and chop the vegetables in advance to save some prep time when making this recipe! If you’re up for more quick and easy vegan pasta dishes, try our vegan white sauce pasta with vegetables and our bean-based pesto pasta.
Recipe overview & features
- Budget-friendly & customizable
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Great for meal prep
- Nutritious & oil-free
- Colorful, flavorful & comforting
Sounds good? In terms of kitchen tools, you will need a chopping board, small bowl, small pot and non-stick skillet.
Let’s check out what else is needed to make this delicious vegan mushroomChow Mein!
Ingredients needed
- Chow Mein noodles — these can be swapped for wonton or ramen noodles
- Bok Choy, carrot, snow peas & mushrooms — our choice of colorful & tasty Asian stir fry veggies for this dish. You can use any other vegetables you love!
- Green onion, garlic, ginger — these add lots of flavor to this dish.
- Soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegar & broth — whisked together with some cornstarch and maple syrup, this mixture makes for a super accessible and delicious Asian-flavored sauce for your Chow Mein!
You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card below. We’ll also share some customization ideas in just a bit!
How to make vegan Chow Mein
Cook the noodles
Place a small or medium-sized pot filled with water on your stove and bring it to a boil. Cook the Chow Mein noodles according to package directions. Once they are done, drain and set them aside.
Make the sauce
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with vegetable broth until well-combined. Use a whisk or fork for best results!
Gradually add the rest of the sauce ingredients (soy sauce, hot sauce, vinegar, maple syrup) and whisk until it’s homogenous.
Stir-fry the veggies
Place a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add some water or oil and add your vegetables for the chow main. Our recipe calls for carrot, bok choy, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and snow peas.
We like to add the snow peas alongside green onion and mung bean sprouts at the very end so they remain nice and crunchy!
Combine everything
After around 8 minutes of stir-frying the vegetables, add the homemade Chow Mein sauce and cooked noodles. Stir until everything is well-combined and the noodles have become sticky!
Divide between serving bowls, garnish with some sesame seeds and enjoy warm.
Storage & reheating
Any leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw them overnight in the fridge.
FAQs & tips
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes, just use any gluten-free noodles like spaghetti, mung bean or rice noodles instead of Chow Mein. You can also try soba noodles made from buckwheat!
The other swap you’ll need to make is to use tamari instead of soy sauce.
What veggies can I use for Chow Mein?
Vegetable Chow Mein is a great clean-out-your-fridge recipe because you can use so many different veggies! Apart from those you find in our recipe, here’s what else you can add:
- Bell pepper
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Baby corn
- Cauliflower
How to add more protein?
We like to add tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegan chicken-style pieces or edamame beans to this vegan Chow Mein to bulk it up and make it even more satiating.
Stir-fry them first if you like and then add your veggies to the same pan.
More Chow Mein sauce ingredient ideas
We wanted to make this dish as accessible as possible and didn’t use any ingredients that you’d have to go to a specialty store for.
However, if you want to get closer to the traditional Chow Mein flavor, add some hoisin sauce, dry sherry, vegan oyster sauce and sesame oil to the veggie stock and soy sauce.
Is Chow Mein vegan?
Chow Mein noodles are often vegan, however, they can contain eggs. Make sure to read the label at the store!
When adding only vegetables and plant-based protein to your noodles, it can easily be made into a fully vegan dish — eating out is another story, though.
Asian recipes are often made with oyster sauce or fish sauce, chicken broth or egg noodles. Make sure to ask whether any of these ingredients are used and whether it’s possible to make your Chow Mein fully vegan.
More vegan dinner recipes
If you liked this flavorful vegetable Chow Mein, make these delicious vegan dinners next!
Did you make our vegan mushroom Chow Mein and like? Be sure to leave a review and tell us more in the comments below. You can also Pin this recipe here!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chow Mein noodles dry (200 g)
- 1 carrot julienned
- 1 large Bok Choy diced
- 4 button mushrooms cut into thick slices
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cup snow peas 100 g
- 2 green onions diced
- ½ cup sprouted mung beans 50 g
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds for topping
For the sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable broth
- 5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 3 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Cook the Chow Mein noodles according to package instructions. Once done, drain the noodles and set them aside.
- In the meantime, get a small bowl and mix the cornstarch with 1 tbsp of veggie broth to obtain a creamy liquid. Gradually add the rest of the sauce ingredients, whisking constantly. Set aside.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the carrot, Bok Choy, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat and let everything simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the cooked noodles, snow peas, green onions and sprouted beans and toss to combine.
- Stir in the sauce and until everything is well-combined and the noodles become sticky.
- Divide your Chow Mein between serving bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and serve hot.
Notes
- You can also use Wonton or Ramen noodles for this recipe.
- To add an interesting depth of flavor, try ¼ tsp Chinese allspice or 1 tsp hoisin sauce.
- Swap any of the vegetables for bell peppers, broccoli, baby corn or cabbage.
- Feel free to sauté your veggies in some sesame oil instead of water or broth!
- Throw some tofu, tempeh or edamame beans into your skillet for added plant-based protein.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using rice-based noodles and tamari instead of soy sauce.
What the heck is a BOKCHOY, Snow Pea, and Mung Bean…and can I buy them with food stamps?
WASTE OF TIME!
I’m not sure where you live but those are all fairly common vegetable food items you can find in the produce or freezer isle and they are definitely EBT friendly.
Chow Mein Noodles are made with eggs which is not vegan. What chow mein noodle are you using that is vegan?
Hey Dona, I’m located in Germany so I’m probably using different brands. Just check the labels to see which chow mein noodles are egg-free! From my research, Welpac and Yau’s noodles are vegan.
Check at local health food stores, or Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s will all have the perfect noodles for your meal.