Instant Pot Vegetable Lo Mein is a quick and easy vegan meal packed with healthy vegetables and cooked in a flavorful sauce. Made at home in only 20 minutes, you’ll have this delicious Lo Mein ready and on the table in less time than it takes to order takeout.
This is one of those recipes that just makes you feel good. When you need some comfort food without regret later, the fresh vegetables and noodles soak up the sauce that hits just the spot.
With just a quick mix of the sauce and then a few minutes in the Instant Pot, you’ll be surprised by just how simple that takeout fix can become.
This instant pot lo mein recipe is so much easier than the traditional method of cooking noodles by first boiling and then stir-frying in a wok. You are saving time by cooking everything in a single pot, along with the benefit of lesser dishes to wash.
Note that the noodles cooked in the instant pot are a bit stickier, but also very moist and delicious.
This recipe for Lo Mein noodles in the pressure cooker is a one-pot wonder. You will love how easy it is to put together and have dinner ready. It is great for meal prep too.
If you are new to the instant pot, check out my quick start beginner guide.
Table of Contents
What is Lo Mein?
Lo Mein is a Chinese noodle dish. The noodles are made with wheat flour and egg and are generally boiled to softness.
Typically Lo Mein noodles are tossed in a light sauce and served with vegetables.
Lo Mein vs. Chow Mein
Lo Mein and Chow Mein are very similar dishes.
The big difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein is the texture of the noodles. Lo Mein noodles are traditionally boiled or steamed for a soft, smooth noodle texture. Chow Mein noodles are typically pan fried so they have a crispier, firmer texture.
Both dishes incorporate the same foundations of flavor and ingredients. Feel free to call this dish Hakka Noodles, Chow Mein or your very loved Lo Mein.
Ingredients in Vegetable Lo Mein
The great thing about this Lo Mein recipe is that you can customize it to your tastes. Here are the ingredients that I recommend you start with for the noodles and sauce:
- Noodles – use spaghetti (works best), or use thicker chow mein or hakka noodles
- Veggie broth
- Sesame oil
- Ginger paste
- Minced garlic
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Red chili sauce
- Brown sugar
My favorite veggies to use in this easy Lo Mein recipe are cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, green onion, and broccoli.
You can easily add some snap peas and mushrooms if you like. Just remember to add the snap peas in the last few minutes, like the broccoli, so it doesn’t overcook.
Where to Buy Noodles?
You can find noodles at your local Asian foods store or in the Asian section of your nearest international food store. I recommend using chow mein, hakka noodles, or Spaghetti in this Instant Pot Vegetable Lo Mein recipe.
Make sure to not use instant noodles in this recipe. As the name suggests, they are instant and would not work well when pressure cooked.
How to make Vegetable Lo Mein in the Instant Pot?
- Let’s start by gathering the ingredients. This recipe is very simple and uses mostly staples you’re likely to have on hand.
- In a bowl, add all the sauce ingredients. Whisk until evenly combined.
- Add the noodles to the Instant Pot. Then, pour the sauce into the pot above the noodles.
- Add all of your veggies except for the broccoli. It will be added closer to the end.
- Seal your Instant Pot and set it to manual, high pressure, for 4 minutes. (Note: When using spaghetti, check the cooking time on the package. Usually, the cook time in the pressure cooker is half the cook time on the package minus one minute. eg if the package says 12 minutes, cook for 5 minutes in the instant pot)
- When Instant Pot is done cooking, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and add the broccoli florets.
- Stir the noodles with tongs several times, breaking up any that may have clumped together during cooking.
- Close the lid for 3 minutes so the broccoli gets cooked. Make sure to cut the broccoli to small florets.
- Open the lid. Sprinkle some green onions and sesame seeds, then serve.
Tips to make the best Instant Pot Lo Mein
- Use the right variety of noodles.
- Make sure to pour the sauce over the noodles, so they all get a bit wet.
- Take the steel insert out of the instant pot once cooked so the noodles don’t overcook.
- Adjust the sauces to your taste when serving.
- This noodles recipe is very versatile; you can change the vegetables and sauces to your preference.
- You could also add sauteed tofu or another favorite protein.
How to Serve Vegetable Lo Mein?
This Lo Mein recipe is hearty enough to stand on its own, served on a plate or in a bowl with chopsticks. But if you want to make it into a more substantial meal, it would pair well with other Chinese-inspired recipes, such as Sweet Corn Soup, Din Tai Fung Green Beans, or Garlic Chili Potatoes.
Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions to add extra texture and flavor.
Check out other Instant Pot recipes to enjoy:
- Coconut Rice – a gluten-free and vegan side dish made with sweet coconut milk.
- Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup – a warm and creamy soup that is perfect on a cool day.
- Thai Green Curry with tofu – a delicious vegan entree made in less than 20 minutes.
Instant Pot Vegetable Lo Mein
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Noodles, Spaghetti works best (you can also use thicker chow mein or hakka noodles)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, adjust to taste
- Sesame seeds, for garnish, if desired
For the Sauce
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth, (or water)
- 2 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, paste
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar, I used rice vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoon Red chili paste, adjust to taste (I used sambal oelek)
- 1 teaspoon Brown sugar
Vegetables
- 1/2 cup Cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 Carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Scallion or Green onion, white and green part divided
- 1/2 cup Broccoli, cut into very small florets
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all the sauce ingredients. Whisk until evenly combined. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Add the noodles to the instant pot (break spaghetti in half).
- Pour the above sauce into the pot above the noodles. Add vegetables on top except broccoli. (check the video)
- Seal your Instant Pot and set to manual, high pressure, 4 minutes. (see note for cooking time)
- When Instant Pot is done cooking, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and add the broccoli florets (make sure they are cut into small pieces). Stir the noodles with tongs several times, breaking up any that may have clumped together during cooking. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Close the lid for 5 minute so the broccoli get cooked (do not pressure cook in this step).
- Open the lid. Sprinkle some green onions and sesame seeds and serve.
I made this the other night, and my husband and I thought it was amazing!! We had some white rice and spring rolls with it. It was like having delicious takeout! I’ll definitely be making this again!
We thoroughly enjoyed this recipe! I did add a few more flavors to the sauce…oyster sauce, splash of teriyaki and more ginger and garlic, but we love flavor! Also doubled the chili paste. I, too, had a chunk of undercooked noodles, but I think I would just add more sauce so there’s more moisture. And a little more sauce at the end wouldn’t be awful! It may be the noodles will still soak it all up, so thinking of adding it when you add the broccoli…what do you think? I also added mushrooms, baby corn and water chestnuts with the broccoli. Thank you, it was great!
Hi Suzie – Glad to hear you enjoyed the lo mein. Thank you for sharing back the changes you made 🙂
Making this tonight, what are your suggestions for gluten free spaghetti noodles?
Hi Shannon – Sorry, I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free spaghetti. If you have made pasta in the instant pot with gluten-free spaghetti before, follow the pressure cook time based on your experience. I would love to hear how it turns out.
Turned out great!
Not sure what I did wrong, but this recipe didn’t work for us. It looked like the pictures and textures were fine, but the taste was so salty and the spaghetti noodles tasted like cardboard. We had to throw the whole pot away and heat up leftovers instead.
How can I change recipe for whole wheat spaghetti?
Hi R – I would check the cooking time on the pack of spaghetti and pressure cook it for 1 minute less than half the time. eg. if the pack says 12 minutes, then pressure cook for 5 minutes. Otherwise the same steps will work well.
Great as written. Added a Tbs of peanut butter— even better! Yum!
This came out great with thin spaghetti noodles. Just enough sauce. Good choice of vegetables, but we used kale at the end with the broccoli because we had no cabbage. And we added some oven baked tofu cubes at the very end for more protein. Next time mushrooms. Definitely will do this again. Thanks!
Hi Gail – Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing the choice of veggies and addition of tofu.
I made with chow mein noodles, and I got the burn warning, and all my noodles were stuck together. I’m trying to salvage dinner right now (I added more broth, and broccoli, and cooking for 2 more minutes.I am not sure how long it cooked prior to bur warning) I am new to the instant pot world… what did I do wrong?
Hi Caroline – Sorry to hear the recipe did not work well with the Chow Mein noodles you used. Unfortunately, there is so much variation in Chow Mein noodles that the results vary. Usually in such cases, I would not suggest to pressure cook again, rather cook on saute mode. Also, you can try this recipe with spaghetti as I am hearing consistent results from everyone with spaghetti.
I made with actual lo mein noodles. I thought it came out good. However some of my noodles were stuck , undercooked. I could not get it to separate. So if I double recipe do I double everything? Amount of water and cooking time? I think I will increase cooking time by 1 minute. One package of lo mein would not feed the 4 of us.
Hi Tina – Happy to hear you liked the lo mein. I would double the ingredients and keep the cooking time same. Typically with more quantity in the pot, it takes longer to come to pressure which will give the noodles enough time to cook.