Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein
Jul 07, 2020, Updated May 22, 2023
Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein is an easy one-pot weeknight meal which doesn't take much time to put together making it ideal for busy days! It's also a great way to include veggies in your diet.
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Easy Vegan Lo Mein made in the Instant Pot is the perfect meal for busy days!
This one-pot dish has noodles, lots of veggies tossed in a flavorful sauce and gets done in one-pot. No boiling the noodles separately!
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Noodles are one of my favorite things to eat. Especially the ones loaded with veggies and packed with lots of flavor.
Like these soba noodles or these hakka noodles, I can pretty much eat these everyday and still not get bored.
I make noodles and pasta more often ever since I started using my Instant Pot for the same.
In my opinion, cooking noodles and pasta in Instant Pot is life changing. I know many people don’t care about pressure cooking their noodles and pasta but for it works out so well for me.
The pasta or noodles have never been over-cooked and if I can cook everything is one-pot without having to boil the noodles or pasta separately, then I am all in for that.
Most of these recipes come together in around 30 minutes. That makes is super convenient for busy days.
Another such easy recipe which I am excited to share with you guys is this Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein.
Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein
✔is an easy meal making it perfect for busy days.
✔uses only one-pot, minimal clean-up.
✔can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce.
✔perfect meal for kids and adults to enjoy.
The flavor of these noodles comes from the sauce. I go a little heavy on the sauce always because I like a lot of flavor in my noodles.
You can definitely cut down on the amount especially cut down on the chili sauce if you are making this for kids.
So what’s in this sauce? Soy Sauce, Vegetarian Oyster Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Chili Garlic Sauce, Toasted Sesame Oil and Brown Sugar.
Other than this, there’s also a bit of black pepper in there.
The oyster sauce really adds to the flavor. You can either find the vegetarian oyster sauce online (linked above) or you can also find it at Asian grocery stores.
I often add it to noodles and fried rice to flavors things up like in this Thai Basil Fried Rice.
If you do not have this vegetarian oyster sauce, I would probably add more of soy sauce and bit of hoisin sauce if you have it.
Which vegetables are added to this Lo Mein? So, I have added peppers, onion, carrots and broccoli.
I pressure cook all the veggies along with the noodles except for the broccoli which I add once the noodles are pressure cooked.
You may also add mushrooms, snap peas or cabbage. If you prefer keeping the cabbage crunchy, then add it after pressure cooking along with broccoli.
Same goes for snap peas, else they get really mushy while being pressure cooked. The mushrooms you can pressure cook along with the noodles.
You can even add some crispy fried tofu here, that will make this a protein-packed meal.
Which noodles have I used here? I have used simple spaghetti here. I would recommend using similar noodles.
These noodles are pressure cooked for 5 minutes at high pressure and that’s enough for them to cook without being mushy.
I like to let them sit for few minutes before serving so that they become even more softer.
If you have an 8qt Instant Pot, then you might need to add an additional 1/2 cup water or broth here.
This recipe has been tested in a 6qt (I don’t have a 8 qt) but considering it has a bigger surface area, I think an additional 1/2 cup will help in preventing the burn message.
Also remember to break the noodles in half, place it in a criss-cross manner and pour the sauce on top and do not stir after that.
Just slightly press the noodles with a spatula so that they are little wet before pressure cooking (be careful not to break the noodles).
Serving Suggestions
I serve this vegan lo mein as a stand alone dish. So, I usually just serve it as such with a side of hot sauce.
Yeah, we love the chili garlic sauce (just a bit) while eating these noodles.
But you can definitely serve with a dish like chilli paneer.
Method
1- In a measuring jar or bowl, whisk together the ingredients for sauce – 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1.25 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set it aside.
2- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and then press the adjust button to set saute to “less”.
Once it displays hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Then add sliced onion, chopped garlic and ginger.
3- Cook for 3 minutes and then add the carrots and red pepper. Cook 30 seconds.
4- And then add the water or broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure there’s nothing stuck.
5- Break the spaghetti noodles in half and then arrange them on top in a criss cross manner.
6- Pour the prepared sauce on top.
7 &8- With a spatula lightly press the noodles so they are little wet with the sauce and water, careful not to break them.
9- Cover the pot with the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
10- Quick release the pressure. Use a tong to stir the noodles, breaking down any noodles that might have clumped up. You might see a lot of water, don’t worry this will evaporate.
11- Press saute “less” again and add the broccoli florets and 1/4 teaspoon salt (if needed).
12- Toss the broccoli and cover the pot with a glass lid, simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, unplug the IP and let it remain like that for 5 more minutes. This helps in flavors mixing in well together and also soften the noodles further which I like.
Garnish this vegan lo mein with green onions and serve hot! I like to serve mine with a side of more chili sauce.
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Instant Pot Vegan Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce 30 ml
- 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce 30 ml
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1.25 teaspoons chili garlic sauce adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil 30 ml, I used avocado oil
- 1 medium red onion sliced
- 3-4 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots sliced thin
- 1 large red pepper sliced
- 1.5 cups water or broth 12 oz
- 8 oz spaghetti broken in half, 227 grams
- 1 cup + 1/4 cup broccoli florets small to medium sized florets
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- green onion to garnish
Instructions
- In a measuring jar or bowl, whisk together the ingredients for sauce - 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1.25 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set it aside.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and then press the adjust button to set saute to "less".Once it displays hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Then add sliced onion, chopped garlic and ginger.
- Cook for 3 minutes and then add the carrots and red pepper. Cook 30 seconds.
- And then add the water or broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure there's nothing stuck.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half and then arrange them on top in a criss cross manner.
- Pour the prepared sauce on top. With a spatula lightly press the noodles so they are little wet with the sauce and water, careful not to break them.
- Cover the pot with the lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Quick release the pressure. Use a tong to stir the noodles, breaking down any noodles that might have clumped up. You might see a lot of water, don't worry this will evaporate.
- Press saute "less" again and add the broccoli florets and 1/4 teaspoon salt (if needed). Toss the broccoli and cover the pot with a glass lid, simmer 2 to 3 minutes.After 3 minutes, unplug the IP and let it remain like that for 5 more minutes. This helps in flavors mixing in well together and also soften the noodles further which I like.
- Garnish this vegan lo mein with green onions and serve hot! I like to serve mine with a side of more chili sauce.
Stove-top Instructions
- Boil the noodles according to instructions on the package. Toss them in little oil once boiled so that they don't stick. Whisk the sauce and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok on medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and toss for 1 minute. Add carrots, pepper, broccoli and saute for 2 minutes on high heat. Add in the sauce, mix and lower the heat. Finally add the boiled noodles and toss until everything is well combined and noodles are coated with the sauce. Turn off heat, garnish with green onions and serve.
Notes
- Adjust the spice levels to taste. You can definitely add more of the chili garlic sauce for extra heat.
- If you have an 8 qt, you might need an additional 1/2 cup water (or broth). I don't have a 8qt but since it has a large surface area, it might need that extra water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This didn’t work for me. Usually the recipes work but the peppers got mushy completely and the noodles got stuck. I had used some udon noodles that I had and the end result was too flavorful either. Not sure where I messed up. Thanks neverthless.
sorry it didn’t work out Gaurav. I think it has to do with the noodles. I have not made or tested this recipe with udon noodles. And every noodle needs different time and sometimes also different technique to cook in the IP. Thanks for trying!
This was a big hit with my entire family (who grudgingly eat plant-based because that is all I will fix unless they want to make their own dinner). I used vegetable broth to saute in order to cut down the fat. I kept the sesame oil in the sauce. It was delicious and filling. Definitely a keeper for us!!!!
so glad!
This was a huge hit! My husband and even my 14 yr old son loved the sauce…. it’s really great. I used half the amount of onions so my son would eat it. He cleaned his plate. I added peanuts to mine for protein, as they were tofu-ed out.
Thank you so much, Manali!