Is Lo Mein Vegan? The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Lo Mein

Lo mein noodles are a mainstay in Chinese restaurants. Its dense texture, when combined with a variety of protein and stir-fry vegetables, creates a great, comforting meal. However, lo mein noodles are generally not vegan because their distinctive flavor comes from the egg.

Fortunately, other plant-based noodles made with other ingredients abound. Finding a good exchange is easy if you are creative. Here, we explore why lo mein is generally not vegan and what alternatives are available.

Why is Lo Mein generally not vegan?

Lo mein is not vegan because the egg is a base ingredient, which gives the noodles their color and springy texture. Meanwhile, the traditional sauce is a sesame oil base with a mixture of garlic, ginger, oysters or fish sauce and soy sauce. This means that lo mein is not safe for vegans, even if the rest of the dish can be ordered with vegetables and tofu.

When is Lo Mein vegan?

Fortunately, more vegan dishes than mein are available in restaurants. Also, you can swap out the lo mein noodles for different plant-based noodles and fry them in a sauce that preserves the garlic and ginger and omit the oyster sauce and other animal-based ingredients.

Spaghetti and other Italian plant-based pasta made with durum wheat are good substitutes for lo mein noodles. Durum wheat provides texture and elasticity comparable to lo mein noodles without egg. Other vegan noodles can also be changed.

Vegan substitutes for Lo Mein

In addition to Italian pasta, there are a number of plant-based noodles from Asia and other parts of the world that can be used for lo mein noodles. While the textures and flavors of some noodles won’t duplicate the mein, they do impart their own character and flavor that we think makes them just as tasty.

• Capellini: This extra-fine durum wheat pasta gives a lo mein-style dish a more delicate texture and sensitivity.
• SpaghettiSimilar in size to lo mein noodles, the Italian staple may have a less springy mouthfeel, but it can easily be fried in a flavorful plant-based version of the traditional dish.
• Bedroom: These Japanese buckwheat-based noodles add a rich nutty character to a variety of stir-fry noodle recipes.
• Udon: This hearty, thicker noodle is considered “comfort food” in Japan, and while it’s commonly used in soups, it can be sautéed and served similar to lo mein with vegan dressings and gravy.
• Windows: When made without the broth as a soup, wheat-based ramen noodles are a quick and easy base for a lo mein-type dish.
• Noodles: These thin rice-based noodles found in Southeast Asian cuisine are very delicate and have a slightly chewy texture, but will mix well with a Chinese-style vegan sauce, greens, and tofu.
• Pad thai rice noodles: These rice-based noodles are wider and flatter than lo mein noodles, but have a nice springy texture and hold up really well under sauce and veggies.
• Miracle Noodle Pasta Angel Hair Style: These noodles, made with a natural fiber called glucomannan, absorb the flavors of the other ingredients with which they are prepared.
• Simply Nature Edamame Spaghetti: This vegan edamame-based protein pasta not only makes a good companion for veggies and gravy, it’s also high in fiber.
• Explore Black Bean Spaghetti Kitchen: This black bean pasta adds a mild nutty flavor to a lo mein-style dish and is as easy to cook as spaghetti before sautéing.
• Better than Organic Konnyaku Noodles: Made with konnyaku, a Japanese cousin to sweet potato, these noodles are cooked similar to Miracle Noodle Pasta.