Quick And Flavorful Asian Pan-Fried Noodles
Vegetable stir-fry noodles are the ideal dish to make when you have an abundance of veggies in your refrigerator and want something quick and easy to eat. It doesn’t call for fancy or hard-to-find ingredients, only two pans (or one, depending on the noodles you use), and is much healthier than takeout versions.
I think everyone loves vegan lo mein takeout, including myself. Regretfully, it’s not the healthiest choice because it frequently contains a lot of oil and occasionally the contentious MSG. You can make an Asian noodle stir-fry at home for a fraction of the price and with much healthier ingredients while maintaining flavor!
This is my favorite “everything but the kitchen sink” dish to make when I have a variety of “leftover” vegetables in the refrigerator or on the counter that are just begging to be used. Some of my favorite ingredients and vegetables that I almost always have in my kitchen are in this recipe. However, feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand.
This dish consists of just three ingredients: noodles, sauce, and vegetables. Each ingredient can be altered to suit individual preferences. Though the basic sauce—a straightforward concoction of vegetable broth, tamari, rice vinegar, maple syrup, and cornstarch, with optional red pepper flakes for spiciness—is my absolute favorite for vegan stir-fry noodles!
You can really play around with the heat levels, sweetness, vegetables, protein, and gluten-free ingredients to make your vegan Lo Mein takeout taste even better!
The Ingredients & Extras
The Noodles: Use your favorite noodles (regular, gluten-free, or grain-free). Noodles like rice, ramen, ribbon, udon, buckwheat, linguine, and even spaghetti are some examples!
Yes, this vegan Asian noodles recipe can be made with even your most beloved Italian noodles, like spaghetti. I usually use rice or linguine noodles and I’m always happy with the results! Your local Asian store probably has a wide variety of noodles as well.
The Vegetables: This recipe is a terrific way to use up leftover vegetables, and a ton of different kinds too. I used mushrooms, carrot, red pepper, and zucchini. Some options include:
– Cabbage – Edamame – Baby Corn – Eggplant – Spinach/kale – Onion – Bean sprouts – Mangetout/ Snow Peas
The Protein: You can add your favorite meat substitute or tofu, like in this Teriyaki Tofu recipe, for extra protein. You can also add legumes like beans/chickpeas.
Other Additions: You could also add nuts. I love toasted cashews with my noodle dishes. Other options include almonds or peanuts.
For even more substitutions and additions to these pan-fried noodles, see the recipe notes section.
Vegetable Stir-Fry Noodles Step-By-Step
Step 1: Cook your preferred noodles in salted water until they are al dente. Please be careful not to overcook them!.
Step 2: In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet or wok and stir-fry the ginger and garlic for about two minutes over medium heat.
Step Three: Add the spices, along with the mushrooms, carrot, red pepper, and zucchini (or other desired vegetable), and sauté the vegetables, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, or until they have softened. To prevent any burning, you can add a small amount of water or vegetable broth.
Step Four: To make the sauce, combine the cornstarch, maple syrup, tamari, rice vinegar, broth, and optional red pepper flakes in a bowl and stir thoroughly. As an alternative, combine all the ingredients in a mason jar and give it a good shake.
Step 5: Transfer the sauce into the pan and simmer the mixture. Allow simmering for about 1 minute.
Step Six: Add the drained noodles and toss to combine. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasonings by adding more salt/pepper/tamari/sweetener, etc. if needed. Add some peanut butter to your Asian noodles if you’d like them to be creamier.
Step Seven: Garnish with green onions (scallions) and sesame seeds. Serve as a main course or a side dish with your preferred protein or “main” course!
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients, measurements for each ingredient, and nutritional details.
Any leftovers should be refrigerated for two to three days in an airtight container. Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in a microwave or on the stovetop.
Since this dish is so easy to make, I haven’t tried freezing leftovers, but I understand that it might change the texture of some veggies and noodles.
- For additional heat, you can add some chili paste to the pan while sautéing or drizzle some chili sauce over the finished pan-fried noodles.
- You can use zucchini or butternut squash noodles for a low-carb variation. But I think a dish that combines veggies, carbohydrates, and optional protein is more satisfying.
- Use pre-cooked noodles, pre-cooked vegetables, or a freezer pack of “stir-fry vegetables” for an even quicker meal.
- Use the oil of your choice. However, sesame oil is great for adding lots of flavor.
- You might like this Chinese Garlic Stir-Fry Sauce for a slightly different kind of sauce. Try this sweet and sour Hoisin Sauce if you’d like a sweeter sauce.
- Feel free to substitute tapioca starch or arrowroot flour for the cornstarch in the sauce.
- In place of the maple syrup, you can use agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or even granulated sugar.
- Use light and dark soy sauce in combination for even more flavor depth. The umami in the sauce is greatly enhanced by the dark soy sauce. For a soy-free or gluten-free option, use coconut aminos or tamari.
