30 Minute Beef Lo Mein Recipe – quick lo mein dish, bursting with delicious flavor. It’s made with tender flank steak, rice noodles, crunchy veggies, and aromatics, all smothered in a thick, sweet, savory, and slightly spicy lo mein sauce.
This 30-minute Beef Lo Mein Recipe is exactly what you need when you’re craving your favorite Chinese takeout but don’t want to leave the house! Making a restaurant-style dinner from scratch is so easy to do and always ends up tasting even better!
A splash of sriracha sauce to boost the flavor is the best way to take it to another level. It’s my man’s favorite and I know you’re going to love it too!
What is Lo Mein?
If you’ve ever been to a Chinese restaurant, you’ve probably seen the person next to you order it, or maybe you’ve read it on the menu but weren’t sure what it was. Well, allow me to introduce you to your new favorite stir fry noodle dish!
That’s essentially what it is, stir-fried noodles, cooked with veggies and most often some sort of protein. Chicken, pork, shrimp, or beef are popular but then again you could have a vegetarian version and omit any meat.
They’re soft noodles tossed in a thick velvety sauce oozing with Asian-inspired flavors that just make your mouth water.
We are making a homemade version that is super flexible. It’s a great way to load it up with veggies and limit the sodium, but also use whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge. Toss them in to bulk it up!
What’s in this Beef Lo Mein Recipe?
-
- Beef – Flank steak is my favorite to use for this. It’s cost-effective, it’s a thinner cut of beef. Cut them into bite-sized strips, slicing against the grain.
- Olive oil – A neutral oil that can stand up to high heat. Used to sear the strips of beef to make sure it’s cooked through.
- Noodles – Rice noodles or egg noodles are classic in Asian noodle dishes. You can sometimes find them at your local supermarket and if not, supermarkets specifically geared to Asian cooking should have them. If not, use spaghetti! It works too.
- Veggies – Trimmed and cut green beans and grated carrots give this dish beautiful color, crunch, and added flavor.
- Aromatics – Garlic and ginger are always a great pairing with soy sauce and brown sugar. It gives the sweetness a nice balance and adds a little zing!
- For the Lo Mein Sauce – Low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and sesame oil. The perfect blends of incredible flavors.
When YOU make this Beef Lo Mein Recipe, take a picture & DM me your Food Creation on Instagram @MunchkinTimeBlog or hashtag #munchkinrecipes. We would love to see YOUR creation!!
What Does it Mean to Slice Steak Against The Grain?
Some cuts of meat are much more fibrous and tough than others. Flank steak (which is a cut of beef but not actually steak!) is quite lean without much fat which means it can be a bit tough if not treated properly.
Cutting against the grain means slicing the beef crosswise along the fibrous tissues. You’ll see lines running down the cut of meat. Slice perpendicular to them.
This helps to shorten the fibers which makes the beef nice and tender and easier to chew.
How to Make Lo Mein
As with any stir fry, this recipe moves fast! The idea is to cook everything quickly at high heat, toss it around to mix, and then enjoy! Make sure to have everything chopped, sliced, and ready to go.
Step 1: Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and sesame oil (in other words, make the sauce!). Set it aside.
Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the flank steak strips and cook until the meat is cooked through and no longer brown.
Step 3: Toss in the minced garlic, carrots, and green beans. Stir constantly, moving everything around, and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 4: Add the cooked noodles to the skillet, grab the sauce you mixed earlier and give it another whisk, in case anything has settled, and pour it over top of everything.
Step 5: Mix and toss everything together, making sure each of the ingredients are coated with that delicious sauce and everything has heated through.
Serve with an extra drizzle of sesame oil for an even more authentic flavor!
What’s the Difference Between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?
The main difference is in the texture of the noodles and what happens to them as they cook. Lo Mein noodles are soft and added in towards the end of the stir fry. They remain nice and soft as they are coated in the sauce and mixed together with the other items.
Chow mein, on the other hand, cooks the noodles first, then tosses them in the pan to crisp up first before adding the other ingredients. This makes them a little crispy with more of a bite!
Cooking Recipe Tips
- Like I mentioned earlier, be prepared! You don’t want to have some of your items in the skillet being overcooked waiting for you to chop up your veggies.
- Freeze flank steak for 30-40 minutes, it makes it easier to cut/slice.
- You can easily double this recipe for more, as long as your skillet is large enough! If you’re using a small skillet you may want to halve the recipe or cook in two batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan.
- If you don’t like your noodles super soft, cook them to al dente. They will continue cooking in the heat and sauce anyway.
- Don’t skip the sesame oil! That signature toasted nutty flavor is essential to Chinese cuisine!
Delicious Lo Mein Substitutions and Variations
There are so many ways to make this recipe your own! Below are some yummy add-ins or ways you can tweak this recipe to your liking.
- Use different meat: Pork, chicken, or shrimp would be a great way to make this an entirely different dish!
- Load it up with veggies: Toss in some snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, water chestnuts, cauliflower florets, bell peppers, and whatever else you’ve got in the fridge.
- More umami flavor: A drizzle of hoisin sauce or oyster sauce will do it!
- Vegetarian: Completely omit the meat and add more veggies or replace it with cubes of tofu.
How to Store Beef Lo Mein Leftovers
Keep any leftover beef lo mein stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat single servings the microwave works just fine. If you’re reheating lots for dinner the next day, use a skillet over low heat to warm everything through.
If it’s a bit dry, add a splash of water to the pan to loosen things up again!
Check Out These Delicious Steak Recipes
New York Strip Steak Grill Recipe
Cheesy Hot Beef Sandwich Recipe
Easy Baked Beef Chimichanga Recipe
Cheese Steak Chimichangas Recipe
30 Minute Beef Lo Mein Recipe (Video Inside)
Ingredients
- 12 oz. flank steak cut against the grain then sliced into bite size strips
- 12 oz. rice noddles
- 2 1/2 cup green beans trimmed and cut
- 1 carrot grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled & grated
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 red pepper flakes
- 1/4 black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Cook rice noodles following the instructions on the bag. In the skillet, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add 12. oz flank steak strips and cook until meat is cooked thru. Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 grated carrot, and 2 1/2 cup green beans, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
- While everything is cooking, in a mixing bowl whisk together 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
- Add cooked rice noodles to the skillet and pour the sauce over the top, stir. Heat everything thru, turn off the heat. Serve with a extra drizzle of the sesame oil. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Freeze flank steak for 30-40 minutes, it makes it easier to cut/slice.
Nutrition
Q. Do you like this Easy Steak Recipe?
Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
—>Click Here for more Dinner Ideas <—
Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
Quote of the Day
Happy Cooking!
This post was updated April 27, 2022. The recipe is still the same delicious!
One of our family’s favourite meals, I can’t count how many times I’ve made it in the past few years. To make the prep super easy, we throw in 1 bag of shredded carrot and 1 bag of frozen extra fine beans. We also keep jars of ginger puree and minced garlic in our fridge so it’s only 1 second to scoop what we need. I often sub half the sugar for Sweet Chili Thai sauce, which thickens things just a wee bit to perfection. 5* recipe! (We always cook big meals to guarantee leftovers for grab and go lunches – we’ve learned to portion those out into glass storage containers immediately after plating dinner; this way the noodles never stick. Also, cooking the rice noodles in the biggest pot of water we have and rinsing well after cooking means they’re nice and slippery.)
Thank you Cheryl! I am so happy you like this recipe!
A new favorite!! I usually just pull recipes for my Pinterest food board and never give them a second thought or just mosey on my way after making them but this recipe breaks that habit – it’s a must make and I had to share!! So, so yummy and with a little bit of prep, comes together so easily. I’m an absolute baby with heat but this has just the kick with amazing flavors! Make it for dinner TONIGHT!
Wow, Ashleigh! This is the best recipe feedback! Thank you for trying this recipe and sharing your awesome recipe review!
So I NEVER comment on a recipe but felt the need to on this one.. This is my absolute favorite recipe of all time!! I have been cooking for over 40 years and recently had to adjust my diet due to food allergies. I have always just pulled things together but with allergies you have to learn all over again.. This is a phenomenal recipe… I used ground turkey because it is what I had on hand and added seeded Serrano peppers as I cannot do the red pepper flakes (seeds)… If you are reading this and are on the fence about the taste, MAKE IT!! It will quickly become one of your faves….
Thank you Stephanie for your awesome recipe review, I am so happy you liked it!
I made this just as the recipe is written. It was delicious and I will make it again. I wouldn’t change anything! I did a bit of salt at the end but that is just a matter of preference.
Thank you Sandy for your wonderful recipe review!
The sauce was very good. I went to the butcher to buy the flank steak, it was very tough. Maybe I just got a bad piece. I might try to marinade it overnight in the sauce next time to see if that helps.
Thank you, Tami! Sometimes overcooking flank steak can make it hard too.
Super easy and amazing!!! Will definitely make again!!!
Thank you Amanda!
Easy and delicious!
Thank you!
Pingback: Gluten-free dinner recipes and meals - Your New Foods
I love this dish! It’s so easy!
Thank you, Cory for an awesome recipe review!
This is a great dish. We used leftover steak and asparagus as didn’t have green beans. The WHOLE family ate it and my picky one got seconds! Thank you!
Woohoo, thank you for your awesome recipe review!
This is AMAZING! My family devoured it and my 14 year old claimed the leftovers before anyone else could beat him to it. Only thing I will change next time is to use less beans and also thinly slice them, as they seemed over power the dish. Thank you for a great recipe!
You are very welcome Danielle! Thank you for sharing your recipe review!
Sounds delish! But yeah I definitely agree with the above comment regarding soy sauce. For anyone who is looking for gluten free… please double check your condiments!!
Thank you, Christine! I forgot to mention to use gluten free soy sauce. Thank you for letting me know!
Just made this for dinner and hubby and I loved it! We didn’t have ginger or sesame oil so instead I used allspice and olive oil and it came out fabulous! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! 🤗
Pingback: 23 Kid-Friendly Meals For Busy And Stressed-Out Parents » Life travel feed
Pingback: ON THE MENU WEEK 101 - StoneGable
Made it tonight for dinner. Doubled the recipe to make 8 servings. This dish was amazing. All four of the kids were asking for seconds. Super easy recipe and delicious. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Loved this recipe. I used sugar snap peas, shredded carrots, and onions. I used the organic Tamari for my soy sauce. Will definitely make again.
I haven’t made this yet but fyi low sodium soy sauce still has gluten in it. Tamari is gluten free soy sauce or can sub coconut aminos as well. I only know this because I am allergic and cannot have a drop of gluten.
This is delicious! I added bean sprouts, green bell pepper and peas. Thankfully the sauce covered it all. Next time I will definitely par-boil the green beans as they were a little too al dente for me. The spice level is not to hot but there is a definite lingering heat. Will be making this again with shrimp next time:). Thanks for your recipe
I just made this tonight for dinner. Cut it in half as best I could and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!! I did’t use the red pepper because my husband doesn’t like heat, but it was still so good. He even had seconds and my husband is so incredibly picky. I will definitely make it again and next time might try using zucchini spiral noodles to make it even healthier. Thanks so much.
That is my favorite Chinese food, I am glad I can do that at home. Thanks for sharing I am gonna try it today.
That’s so exciting! I love Chinese food! 🙂 If you make 30 Minute Gluten-Free Beef Lo Mein Recipe would YOU tag @munchkin.time.blog on Instagram, I would LOVE to see your creation ???? Thank you!