Vegan Vegetable Lo Mein with Tofu

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Say goodbye to takeout! With slurpable noodles and stir-fried veggies in a flavor-packed sauce, this easy vegan lo mein will be your new favorite weeknight dinner. 

I’ve eaten a lot of lo mein (not to be confused with chow mein) in my day. It was one of my favorite dishes to get at Chinese restaurants during my early vegetarian years!

I never thought I could make homemade vegetable lo mein that was nearly as tasty as the stuff from restaurants. I was wrong! It took several attempts, but I’ve finally perfected my very own veggie lo mein recipe.

Guys, this vegan lo mein is delicious, and it’s super easy to make. So give it a try this week!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Dried lo mein noodles. Check your ingredients before you buy! Lots of lo mein noodles are made with eggs. I find that most of the frozen ones are, which is why the recipe calls for dried noodles. If you can’t find vegan lo mein noodles you can substitute ramen noodles or even spaghetti.
• Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed. Feel free to use low sodium soy sauce to reduce the salt content of the dish.
• Brown sugar. Be sure to buy organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
• Hoisin sauce. Look for this in the international foods section of your supermarket.
• Sesame oil. This should also be in the international foods section, not far from the sesame oil.
• Vegetable oil. Feel free to substitute any neutral high-heat oil, such as canola, avocado, or peanut oil.
• Tofu. I recommend using super firm tofu. It’s easy to work with, has a great texture, and doesn’t require pressing. You can substitute with extra-firm tofu if you’d like, but you’ll need to press it.
• White button mushrooms. Substitute with another variety of fresh mushrooms, such as cremini or shiitake, if you’d like.
• Garlic.
• Ginger.
• Scallions.
• Carrots.
• Baby corn. Fresh baby corn works best, but you can use canned if fresh isn’t available.

How to Make Vegan Lo Mein

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

• Prep everything before you start cooking. Chop the veggies, mix the sauce, and boil the noodles according to the package instructions. You’ll want all this stuff ready to go when you need it!

• Pan fry your tofu in a bit of oil using this technique to get a nice crispy coating on the outside. Take it out of the skillet and plate it when it’s done.

• Brown the mushrooms in the skillet by cooking them for a few minutes on each side. Resist the temptation to constantly flip and/or stir your mushrooms. They need to sit on the hot surface for a few minutes in order to brown. Transfer them to the plate with the tofu when they’re done.

• Add some more oil to the skillet if it seems dry, then add your aromatics: minced garlic, grated ginger, and the white parts of your scallions. Cook them for a minute, until they become very fragrant, being super careful not to burn them.
• Turn the heat up and add your carrots and baby corn to the skillet. Stir-fry them for a few minutes, until they just begin to soften.

• Push the veggies to the side, turn the heat down a bit, and pour your sauce into the skillet. Let it start bubbling. Be super careful during this step, as the cooking surface will pe very hot at this point and the sauce can sputter!
• Add your noodles to the skillet, along with the cooked tofu and mushrooms. I like using tongs to combine the vegetable lo mein, but a fork will also work. Let everything cook for a couple of minutes, until the ingredients are nice and hot throughout.

• Take your skillet of vegan lo mein off of the burner and add in the green parts of your scallions.

• Dig in!

Variations

• Skip the tofu for an all-veggie lo mein, or replace it with some tempeh or seitan.
• Switch up the veggies with your favorites! Snow peas, broccoli, and baby bok choy would all be great choices.
• For gluten-free vegan lo mein, replace the lo mein noodles with vegan gluten-free spaghetti, use gluten-free hoisin sauce, and gluten-free tamari in place of soy sauce.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover vegan lo mein will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.