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This ground beef lo mein recipe has an addictive savory and sweet sauce that’s made with pantry ingredients! It’s an easy comfort food meal that’s packed with vegetables.
Try my Ground Beef and Broccoli or Easy Teriyaki Chicken Recipe next.
Why you’ll love it
This beef lo mein recipe is a simple way to get your favorite Chinese American takeout cravings in a quick and affordable dish at home! Juicy ground beef is stir fried along with tender-crisp vegetables and a savory-sweet sauce, then tossed with the soft noodles.
Who doesn’t love a 30-minute Asian-inspired meal where you can grab the ingredients from the Asian aisle of your regular grocery store like hoisin sauce and sriracha? The balanced, irresistible lo mein sauce complements the bell peppers, snow peas, and mushrooms.
What you’ll need
For the stir fry
- Lo mein noodles – this is a Chinese egg noodle that’s soft and chewy. I use the dry kind, but fresh exists as well.
- Ground beef – we’re using 80/20 lean. Budget friendly and tasty!
- Olive oil – for stir frying
- Onion – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions
- Vegetables – my trio is crisp bell peppers, cremini/baby bella mushrooms, and snow peas
For the sauce
- Beef broth – the rich, savory base
- Hoisin sauce – it’s a thick fermented bean sauce that’s both sweet and umami. Find it in the Asian aisle.
- Soy sauce – we’re using the low-sodium variety
- Sriracha – for a gentle warmth and depth of flavor
- Vinegar – use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for acidity to balance the sauce
- Brown sugar – a touch of sugar for sweetness
- Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce
- Garlic and ginger – more zesty, bright savory flavor
Pro tip
I definitely recommend chopping and prepping all your ingredients beforehand! This recipe goes fast, so it makes the process that much smoother.
Lo mein vs. chow mein
- Lo mein noodles are a little thicker and boiled and fully cooked before using in the dish, whereas chow mein noodles are thinner noodles that are parboiled and then stir fried. They can even be a little crispy.
- Chow mein and lo mein refer to both the type of noodle used and the name of the dishes they’re used in. Both generally have a protein and veggies with plenty of sauce, but the noodle preparation is different.
How to make lo mein
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep the ingredients, and whisk together the sauce in a prep bowl. Boil the noodles. Meanwhile, brown the beef in a skillet until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, and drain any excess fat.
Add the olive oil to the skillet, and sauté the onions for a minute or two, followed by adding the rest of the veggies. Cook until tender-crisp or softened to your liking.
Return the beef to the skillet, and pour in the sauce. Let it gently simmer until thickened, then remove from the heat. Toss with the drained noodles, and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I prefer to use a large skillet. I love a 12″ skillet for this recipe.
- Use a whisk to mix the sauce thoroughly, a garlic press to mince the garlic with one squeeze, and kitchen tongs to quickly toss the noodles.
- Ginger is easiest to grate from frozen, and it stays fresher so much longer as well. I use a Microplane zester.
Substitutions and variations
- Lo mein noodles can be swapped with another long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine if you can’t locate any. Ramen could work in a pinch.
- You could always change the veggies up. Broccoli (cut into small florets), shredded cabbage, or thinly sliced carrots would work great!
- If you don’t keep a bottle of sriracha in the fridge, you don’t need to buy it just for this recipe. Leave it out or replace with some crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce if you want to add some heat to this recipe. The sriracha sauce gives it a little kick, but I wouldn’t call this dish super spicy.
What to serve with beef lo mein
- Serve with fresh scallions, chopped peanuts, or even bean sprouts!
- Egg Rolls are a classic side dish with lo mein, but you can also make my Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl if you don’t feel like making egg rolls from scratch.
- I like this Broccoli Ramen Salad for a fun pairing. It’s an Asian-style slaw for a fresh contrast.
Leftovers and storage
- Store for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I always liked leftover Chinese for office work lunches even though the noodles will soften and absorb the sauce. They’re still tasty when reheated!
- I don’t recommend freezing cooked noodles; they can change texture and disintegrate a bit. If you are okay with that, store for 2-3 months in the freezer.
More Asian-inspired recipes
If you made this lo mein recipe with ground beef, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any of my recipes.
Ground Beef Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles see note
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion cut into fairly thin strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 5 ounces mushrooms (I use cremini) sliced
- 1 cup snow peas or sugar snap peas
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional, for serving: chopped scallions
Sauce:
- 3/4 cup beef broth or water
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients beforehand. Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk together.
- Boil a salted pot of water for your noodles and cook according to package directions. Aim to have them ready when the stir fry is done. The brand I use take about 5 minutes to cook, so I put them in the water as I start step 5. Be careful not to overcook them.
- Meanwhile, add the beef to a large skillet and brown it until it's cooked through over medium-high heat (about 8-10 minutes), breaking the meat up with your spoon as you go along.
- Transfer the meat to a plate or bowl and set aside (drain it if there's a lot of fat).
- Add the olive oil to the same skillet and sauté the onion for a minute or so.
- Add in the remaining vegetables and cook them for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Veggies will be tender-crisp once done, but you can cook them for a bit longer if you prefer.
- Add the beef back to the skillet, and stir in the sauce. Let it bubble up for 30 seconds or so, then take the pan off the heat.
- Drain the noodles and add them to the skillet. Toss so everything is nicely coated. Season with salt & pepper if needed and serve with chopped scallions sprinkled on top if desired.
Notes
- Lo mein noodles can be swapped for another long pasta e.g. spaghetti or linguine if you can’t find them. Ramen noodles could also work.
- Hoisin sauce can be found in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores.
- This dish isn’t super spicy but it does have a kick. You can skip the sriracha sauce if needed or add a little more.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Definitely a great week-night recipe. I made it last week and decided to make it again this week as a lunch meal-prep for myself. The sauce is all things I have in my pantry and the veggie/meat combos can be updated for what I have on hand! Now, I am looking forward to lunch today!
I love that!! 😀 Thanks, Jen!!
The whole family loved it! Easy and delicious.
Yay!! Thanks, Madi!
I made this last night for dinner and it was very flavorful. It was very easy to make I made some substitutions on the lo mein I used brown rice noodles to make it gluten free and still tasted delicious. I added extra sriracha to make it spicier.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! 😀
Love all your recipes! This was no different.
Aww thank you, Kylie!! 😀