Lo mein might already be one of your go-tos when ordering Chinese takeout. Skip spending money and make this dish at home in only 30 minutes!
If you enjoyed this lo mein recipe, you’ll love the Best Beef Stir Fry Recipe or try our Ultimate Philly Cheesesteak.

Lo Mein
If you haven’t tried lo mein before, you are probably wondering what the heck it is. In short, lo mein is a stir-fried noodle dish. Long, soft egg noodles are tossed with a savory and sweet sauce and either beef or chicken. The end result is a bowl of slurpy deliciousness!
You have probably heard of lo mein’s close cousin “chow mein”. Wondering what the difference is between the two? Lo mein is a dish of soft noodles tossed in a thick sauce. Chow mein, on the other hand, calls for a longer frying time to make the noodles crispy. Both are delicious and super easy to make!
Lo Mein Sauce
Sweet, savory and rich, lo mein sauce is oh-so comforting. It’s also VERY easy to make. My interpretation only requires brown sugar, beef broth and soy sauce. You simply bring all the components to a boil together and just like that, you have a homemade lo mein sauce.

What Meat Goes with Lo Mein?
- Beef: Flank steak, skirt steak, ribeye or top sirloin will all work great in this recipe. Whatever cut you choose, make sure the beef achieves a nice golden color. It will have so much flavor.
- Chicken: If you are going to opt for chicken, use boneless breasts. Skip the browning step, but still slice the chicken into two-inch pieces. When sauteeing your chicken slices in your sauce, make sure to cook them all the way through!
- Veggie Lo Mein: if you are skipping out on the meat, you can always make our incredible Veggie Lo Mein.
Lo Mein Noodles
Most grocery stores will carry lo mein noodles in the Asian aisle. You can find these wheat and egg based noodles dried or fresh. If you get lucky, you will find fresh lo mein noodles in the refrigerated section (sometimes in the produce aisle, sometimes in the Asian aisle). These will allow you to skip the boiling step entirely, as they are already cooked!
If you can’t find dry or fresh lo mein noodles, don’t panic! I often use spaghetti noodles when I am in a pinch. They work great and don’t sacrifice taste!

Lo Mein Ingredients
- Noodles: Any egg noodles will work. Try to snag authentic lo mein noodles, but like I said above, spaghetti noodles will work also.
- Note: After cooking the noodles rinse them with cold water to prevent them from sticking together.
- Sesame Oil: If you don’t already have sesame oil on hand, grab some! It is a key ingredient in most Asian cooking. It adds a toasted, nutty flavor to dishes. You will toss your cooked noodles in sesame oil to prevent them from sticking while you prepare the rest of your lo mein components.
- Better than Bouillon (Beef flavor): This broth concentrate is a game changer! It has an amazing beef flavor and has become a staple in my kitchen. You will use it to make a beef broth that will serve as the base of your lo mein sauce.
- Soy Sauce: You can’t make Chinese food without soy sauce! Soy sauce will elevate your broth and give it that signature Asian flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds the necessary thickness to your sauce. Chinese sauces almost always contains brown or white sugar for this reason!
- Garlic: Lo mein calls for fresh garlic. Don’t use garlic powder or marinated garlic if you can avoid it. The fresh stuff makes all the difference!
- Veggies: For my interpretation of lo mein, you will use carrots, onions and broccoli. Carrots and broccoli are perfect for stir-fry, as they keep a nice bite and provide a perfect contrast to soft lo mein noodles. You can also add bell peppers.
Storing Lo Mein
Store your lo mein in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 3-5 days! Bonus: The sauce gets richer as it marinates in the fridge. Can you say BOMB leftovers?!
Other Asian Recipes to Try
- Simple Yakisoba Noodles Recipe
- The Best Beef Stir Fry Recipe
- One Pot Beef & Broccoli Recipe
- Chicken Chow Mein
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz noodles (cooked according to instructions)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup hot boiled water
- 1 tbsp Beef Better Than Bouillon
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- oil (olive or sesame) for frying
- 1 lb beef
- 2 large carrots
- 2 cup broccoli
- 1 large onion
- 4 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Into hot, boiled water add Better Than Bullion and brown sugar; stir to dissolve. Into the mixture, add soy sauce and set aside.
- Dice carrots, broccoli and onion into two-inch pieces. Pre slice beef into very thin strips. Using a hot skillet with sesame oil, cook beef until it's golden brown, remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Using the same skillet that was used to cook beef, sautee onions until golden brown with sesame oil. Remove from the skillet. In the same skillet, saute carrots until softened, add broccoli and cook for about three minutes. Press garlic into the same mixture.
- Add cooked beef into the skillet with vegetables. Pour sauce over the ingredietns and let them simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add cooked noodles and toss everything together.
- Into a large dish, combine noodles, vegetables and beef. Toss to bring everything together and serve while it's still hot.
This is a wonderful, delicious recipe and it has become a family favorite! I make it exactly as is, except I use coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce. I make this for my husband, daughter, and I, and I double the recipe when our son is home from college so he can bring some for his lunches on the farm. The printed out recipe never makes it back into my binder!
When the whole family loves it - that's such a win!!
Can I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce??
You sure can Lexie. Let us know how it turned out. 🙂
GREAT!!!!
Thank you! 🙂
It's so good it's craveable. Here are my changes I made to it.
In the sauce I used 1/3 cup of boiling water not 1/4. I didn't use soy sauce because of my sodium restrictions diet, I used Coconut Aminos, a soy sauce substitute that fills in perfect. When I was sauteing the onions and carrots, I added thyme, sesame seeds and sumac (Za'atar'). I smashed and chopped the 4 cloves of garlic, I don't ever use a garlic press. I also added 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes and the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon since the sauce was so sweet, it needed some heat & acid in the dish.
Hi Clarence, That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
We liked the recipe. A little too sweet with 2T brown sugar. I will use less next time. We went on the cheap side and used half pound ground beef and 4 oz ramen noodles. Skipped the broccoli because hubby doesn’t like it. Very tasty!
Hey Cindy, Thanks for sharing what worked for you!
Turned out amazing thank you soooo much!!! Second time making this tonight we can’t wait☺️☺️ smells amazing and tastes phenomenal
Hi Erica, I'm happy to hear this recipe is now on repeat! Enjoy!
Wayyyyyy too many ads I can’t even get to the recipe.
Hi Tiffany, There's a "jump to recipe" on top of the page. I hope this helps.
What kind of noodles please?
Hello Cathy, in the post I recommend using lo mein noodles, although in a pinch angel hair or spaghetti would work as well. In the post I've also linked some lo mein noodles that can be bought online if you want a more authentic flavor. Enjoy!
Do you think if I let the cut up beef sit in the sauce for a couple hours that it would be too strong? Just thinking about adding some flavor to the beef.
Hi Ashley, I have not tried that before, but if you do, you may need to double the sauce (one for the beef marinade and one for the sauce you add in toward the end) I hope this helps.
Thank you!! I’ll do that next time. I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out when I do.
I would love that, Ashley! Thank you!
Made this for dinner it was great. I did use chicken instead and added mushrooms. Thanks for a good recipe.
Barbara
Hi Barbara, I am thrilled that you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing your process and feedback. Enjoy it dear!
Haven't done Asian food for a long time, so this was a splendid way to return to the flavors! We thoroughly enjoyed, but would probably double the veggies. Such a flavorful dish, we can't wait for the leftover version!
Hi Sarah, I am so glad that this recipe was a success. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! I have made it many times. I use chicken instead of beef and double the sauce. I also add ginger to the sauce and baby corns and water chestnuts to the veggies. Angel hair or thin spaghetti noodles work really well with this too.
Hi Wendy, I am thrilled that you have found a recipe that you love. Thank you for sharing your process and feedback. Enjoy!
I love it! I used a 12 Oz package of shaved beef, added an 8oz package of sliced mushrooms & doubled the sauce. It was perfect! We also added chili flakes and/or sriracha for some heat and it was excellent! Thank you for this great recipe!
Hi Christina, Wow, sounds like this Lo Mein turned out incredible!! Thank you for sharing your process and your feedback. Enjoy!!
I love this recipe and have made it a few times, but I am confused as to what the first tsp of sesame oil is for. Is it to toss the noodles with after draining? It certainly isn't enough to fry the meat or vegetables. Thanks!
Hi Donna, That is correct. You will toss your cooked noodles in sesame oil to prevent them from sticking while you prepare the rest of your lo mein components. Thank you for reaching out!
This was absolutely delicious. I'll definitely be making again! Thank you!
I am thrilled to hear that, Kayla! Thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!
This was so good! I browned and cooked the sliced beef in the Instant Pot with a little beef broth to make it super tender. Sauce was delicious! I added some snow peas and red peppers to it and served it over ramen. Can’t wait to make again!
Hi Jessica, sounds like your lo Mein turned out absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing your process and feedback, enjoy!
This recipe is delicious. Just as good as your favorite Chinese restaurant I will definitely make it again and again. Thanks for sharing.
Marcelle, thats a great compliment. Thank you for sharing this feedback.
This recipe is as good as your favorite Chinese restaurant! I doubled the sauce, other than that did everything like she said, amazing! Will definitely make this again and again! Thanks for sharing.
I always double the sauce and have used 1 lb of noodles. I love leftovers!
Love the tip with the sauce. Thanks for sharing!
What is the specific name of the noodle used in the picture?
wei chuan organic chinese lo mein
Hi Heather, I used Lo Mein egg noodles. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
Hi Linda
I love to try all 5 recipes
Thank you
Me too dying to make an eat soon yim
I'm dying to try this! Could you please make it pinable? I don't want to lose it. Thank you so much! Linda
Hi Linda, there is a heart on the page, if you press that, it will save to your favorites. I hope this helps!
I only seen the Better than Bouillon Roast Pork flavor. Would that be good?
Hi Zion, I personally would not use the pork flavor on beef.
Can the roast beef flavor be a good alternative?
Hi Zion, Even though I have not tried that specifically, it would work just fine. Thank you for reaching out! Enjoy!
Made this for dinner tonight, its so good! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! 😊👌
Hi Diana, I am so thrilled to hear that you loved this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback! Enjoy!
Better with rice.
Hi Sheri, Thank you for sharing that! I will have to give that a try!
Better than beef bouillon was the worst !! The taste was terrible!!
Hi Catherine, I am so sorry that you didnt like it. What would you recommend in its place?
I don’t have bullion so what can I try?
Hey there Andrea, thank you for that question! I would recommend you use beef broth instead. Good luck!
I’m the worst because I rarely leave reviews though I always read them when making any kind of decision ….recipes or purchases.
But I had to leave a review because this recipe is soooooo good. I just made it an hour ago and am waiting to feel hunger again so I can eat more of it without guilt.
I made a litttle more of the sauce because I had a 10oz noodle package and a few extra veggies. It was perfect.
My only change the next time I make this and there will be numerous repeats, is to sauté the onions and veggies before the beef because I have no self control when it comes to browned, freshly sautéed meat just hanging out next to the stove. There should have been a lot more beef in the finished dish. 😋
Hi Fran, You just made my day with your kind words!! It means so much to me that you took the time to let me know your experience. Thank you very much! I am so delighted to hear that the recipe was a hit. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
I just made it again. Chef’s kiss 😘
So glad to hear that- thanks for the feedback, Fran!
This was good but it felt like more prep work on a weeknight than I usually do. I doubled the sauce because we like flavor and I made a lot of lo mein noodles and it worked out well. I also added some shredded cabbage toward the end of cooking the other veggies. I think I might try it with shrimp sometime. My husband and I both added some siracha to our own plates because we like different levels of heat and that really kicked it up a notch.
Prep your veggies ahead of time and throw it together on your busy nights. Problem solved!
You can use cole slaw mix with cabbage and carrots, some frozen broccoli florets, and even frozen chopped onion. Lazy way on a busy week night!!!
Hi Lori, We love hearing all the tips for busy nights - so useful to have in our back pocket. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Jenna, That's such a great idea! Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. Enjoy!
Hey Ashley, Sounds like you did a wonderful job on this dish! I love how you were able to really make this recipe your own. The sriracha idea is awesome! Thank you for sharing. I also have the shrimp version whenever you are ready to check it out. Enjoy!
BULLion? I guess that's fitting since it's beef flavoring. But seriously, this had a great flavor and was easy to make.
That is too funny! Thank you so much for flagging that to me and giving me a good chuckle, Claire. Happy holidays!