Ditch the takeaway and make these “fakeaway” Vegetable Chow Mein Noodles today. This Instant Pot Chow Mein ticks all the boxes for deliciousness, speediness and fuss free cooking for busy evenings!
I know how much you love my INSTANT POT THAI PEANUT NOODLES. Let me tell you, this recipe for Asian Chowmein noodles is going to be your new favourite.
Specially because, it is so easy to make!! This time of the year is absolutely busy at home, with a lot of transition happening at school, work and holidays. I barely find time to cook something elaborate most weekdays and then these instant pot noodles make it a breeze.
If you love noodles, you will love Chow-Mein.
THIS INSTANT POT VEGETABLE CHOW MEIN NOODLES 🥡🥢
is VEGAN / VEGETARIAN
makes a great weeknight dinner on busy evenings.
requires just ONE -POT for cooking. Mess free cooking and hassle free too.
is so quick, easy and healthy.
requires no baby sitting when the noodles are cooking.
is ready in less than 40 minutes in total! Our Vegetable Chow Mein takes 20 minutes of preparation if you are making from scratch, 7 minutes of cooking and roughly 10-12 minutes for IP to kick off.
If you guys enjoy Instant Pot recipes, don’t forget to check out my collection of INSTANT POT VEGETARIAN / VEGAN RECIPES ON MY BLOG. There is a fantastic selection of recipes from soups, main course and desserts.
MORE ASIAN RECIPES YOU LOVE
Instant Pot Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
WATCH A QUICK VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE CHOWMEIN IN PRESSURE COOKER
CHOW MEIN NOODLES
Chow in Chinese is STIR, MEIN in Chinese is NOODLES.
It is funny that, this humble chowmein is also called by other names – Lo Mein Noodles, Hakka Noodles and what not!! But you know what, there is a thin difference in the recipes for all three of them and they are all delicious.
Vegetable Chowmein is an Asian Street Style recipe where all the vegetables are sautéed in high heat in a wok and then tossed with sauces and noodles. Vegetables are cooked until just tender for a wok style cooking. But this process requires cooking the noodles separately, tossing them in oil until coated and set aside. Then the vegetables are sauted in a wok along with sauces and the cooked noodles.
These street style chowmein noodles are my favourite. However when there is time constraint, I tend to make them in my Instant Pot. I know its not the conventional and authentic way of making noodles but we all find a way out to suit us, isn’t it!
This method of making chow mein is not going to disappoint you as its really quick cooking and no baby sitting needed.
So what are you thinking, let gather the ingredients for this easy chow mein noodles.
INSTANT POT CHOWMEIN INGREDIENTS
Now I really don’t want you to turn down the recipe because of the extensive list, because together they make a tasty chowmein dish.
CHOW MEIN SAUCE has got a combination of the most common used sauces for asian cooking.
Soy sauce – I have used low sodium Dark Soy Sauce which gives lot of body to the noodles. You can choose to use Light Soy Sauce too.
Sriracha sauce – adds heat to the dish. But you can use an alternative hot sauce as well.
Sesame oil adds a lot of flavour to the noodles and is one of my favourite choice for asian cooking.
Other essential ingredients for chowmein sauce are sugar { can be white or light brown }, rice wine vinegar, tomato ketchup and hoisin sauce.
NOODLES – I prefer to use Chings Hakka Noodles for making Vegge Chow mein noodles. You can swap it for Linguine or Spaghetti or Angel Hair Noodles but the flavor can be different. Proportion of water required might vary slightly.
Ginger Garlic elevate flavours in the noodles and they are an absolute must in this recipe.
Cabbage – is one of the invisible vegetables in this instant lomein noodles. When they get cooked, it camouflages with the noodles. If you have got Bean sprouts handy, they can be added too.
Celery adds flavour to this dish. I would not recommend skipping this ingredient if possible.
Spring Onions – we add them in this dish in three steps. Spring Onions are first separated between the white scallions and greens. Half the greens are further cut into 1″ each and the remaining half are cut into thin discs.
Vegetables – You can call this Chow mein a fridge clear out dish as well. Add whatever vegetables that suits you. I have chosen to add Broccoli, carrots & mixed peppers. We can add French Beans, Beansprouts, Mushrooms, Sugar snaps – this list is extensive.
Garnishes are too good to be missed.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHOW MEIN NOODLES { Pressure Cooker }
Making Instant Pot lomein noodles are the easiest thing to happen. It’s all about adding the ingredients in layers and pressure cooking time. The key is also to Quick Pressure Release and not Natural Pressure Release because we do not want overcooked noodles and mushy vegetables.
Prepare the chowmein sauce in a bowl or just add the ingredients for the sauce one after the other to the IP and stir to combine into a smooth sauce.
To prepare Instant Pot Vegetable Chowmein noodles, press Sauté on your Instant Pot. When they are hot, add oil, ginger garlic and saute until a bit of raw smell is eliminated.
Add the white scallions, celery & cabbage and saute for another 1 minute. PRESS CANCEL.
Add the prepared chow mein sauce, vegetable broth and noodles to the pot.
Press the noodles gently with a back of your ladle, until the noodles are just covered with water. Top it vegetables like carrots, peppers and spring onion greens.
Secure the lid, seal the valve and pressure cook HIGH for 5 minutes. Quick Pressure release the steam. If you like it aldente, pressure cook for just 4 minutes.
Open the lid after the valve drops and carefully stir the noodles, sauce and vegetables with the tongs. There is a high possibility, there could be some water left. But they will get absorbed as you stir the noodles. I did not have any water left. Season with salt and lots of pepper. Pepper adds a bit of a kick to the noodles, so add it how you would like to enjoy it.
Add the broccoli, stir and return the lid to the Instant Pot. Let it sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Open the Pot and taste for seasoning.
Dish out the chowmein into bowls with tongs Garnish with chopped spring onions, sesame seeds and serve hot.
MORE VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN INSTANT POT RECIPES FOR YOU
Instant Pot Pineapple Fried Rice
Easiest Spaghetti Aglio Olio { Instant Pot }
Dump & Start Red Lentil Tortilla Soup + Video Tutorial
INSTANT POT GARLIC MASHED POTATOES + VIDEO TUTORIAL
Instant Pot Glazed Carrots { VIDEO TUTORIAL}
HAVE YOU MADE MY ONE POT INSTANTPOT CHOW MEIN NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES ?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your take on this fancy takeout meal – vegan chowmein!
VEGAN VEGETABLE CHOW MEIN RECIPE BELOW
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 Qt
- Bowl
Ingredients
For Chowmein Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 Tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
For Chowmein Noodles
- 300 g Noodles broken into halves
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1.5 Tbsp Garlic minced
- 1.5 Tbsp Ginger
- 1/2 Cup White Scallions of Spring Onions
- 1/4 Cup Celery
- 1.5 Cup Cabbage shredded
- 3 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1/2 Cup Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Carrots
- 1/2 Spring Onion Greens
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Spring Onions greens chopped
Instructions
Chow Mein Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl, one by one. Stir to combine and set it aside.
How to make Vegetable Chow mein
- Press Sauté on your Instant Pot. Once it displays, add oil and ginger garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the white scallions, celery & cabbage and saute for another 1 minute. PRESS CANCEL.
- Add the prepared chow mein sauce, vegetable broth and noodles to the pot.
- Press the noodles gently with a back of your ladle, until the noodles are just covered with water.
- Top it vegetables like carrots, peppers and spring onion greens.
- Secure the lid, seal the valve and pressure cook HIGH for 5 minutes. Quick Pressure release the steam.
- Open the lid after the valve drops and carefully stir the noodles, sauce and vegetables with the tongs.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Add the broccoli, stir and return the lid to the Instant Pot. Let it sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes.
- 1Open the Pot and taste for seasoning.
- 1Dish out the chow mein into bowls with tongs. Garnish with chopped spring onions, sesame seeds and serve hot.
Adrianne says
Yes please!! This recipe looks so tasty, healthy and delicious. I can’t wait to try it. The sesame oil sounds like it would bring out the flavours! Cheers
Demeter says
Love that you made this for an instant pot! So easy and very flavorful with the bonus of less to clean up!
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites says
I really need to experiment more with my Instant pot. This looks like a delicious recipe that my whole family will love and I had NO idea it could be done so easily!
Meghna says
This is such a handy & delicious recipe for weeknight dinner. We love noodles & I am making it tonight. Thanks for the recipe & your photos are awesome Sandhya 🙂
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I’ve never made chow mein noodles at home, but you make it sound so easy, I’m ready to fire up my Instant Pot now. My husband loves this type of dish, so I’m definitely putting this one on the menu!
Allison says
The recipe looks amazing! I’m trying to figure out how much broccoli to use and if it’s fresh or frozen. I’m excited to try this out!! Also, could you double this in 8qt? Thanks again!!!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
I have used 1 cup of fresh broccoli in the recipe. Absolutely you can double it too. If you prefer the vegetables crunchy, consider adding them after pressure cooking the noodles.
Emily says
Hi! I just got an instant pot and made this as my first attempted meal. It had great flavor, but ours was very watery/brothy – almost like ramen. Is it supposed to be that way? If not, would you recommend I just leave a small amount of broth out next time? Thanks!
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Hi Emily, Thank you for your feedback. Glad you loved it! Usually, there is hardly any broth/ stock leftover after cooking the chow mein. Also if any left the noodles will absorb them if it sits for 5 minutes. And, I am not sure if you have used the same type of Hakka Noodles or Lo Mein noodles or Spaghetti. This can also have an impact on the amount of liquid and cooking time.
Esther says
What type of noodles should be used in this recipe?
Sandhya's Kitchen says
You can buy Chings Hakka Noodles for making this recipe. It is easily available in Asian stores