Instant Pot Lo Mein

Instant Pot lo mein is the easiest way to have a delicious bowl of Asian-style noodles in your hands in just 20 minutes. It's loaded with veggies in a spicy, flavourful sauce and you don't have to cook the noodles separately!

Lo mein is a popular stir-fried noodle dish typically made in a wok with lots of oil. This Instant Pot lo mein takes all the stirring work out of the equation and reduces the amount of oil needed.

This is a vegan Instant Pot lo mein, and it's so much better than takeout. You can easily make it your own by adding extra veggies or some crispy tofu at the end. The possibilities are truly endless.

You only need to sauté the garlic, ginger and spring onions for 2 minutes for extra flavour. Otherwise, it's pretty much a dump-and-start recipe, which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight.

Why you'll love this Instant Pot vegetable lo mein

• Everything goes in the Instant Pot, including the uncooked noodles, so there's no need to use other pots.
• You can easily add other veggies such as mushrooms, zucchini, red cabbage, carrot, bok choi or anything else you may have in the fridge.
• You can make this lo mein as spicy as you like.

Ingredients and substitutions

Sesame oil - You need a tablespoon of sesame oil to sauté the aromatics in for extra flavour. You can sub this with canola oil or coconut oil.

Garlic and ginger - Freshly chopped garlic and ginger are perfect here but if you don't have them, use a tablespoon garlic and ginger paste each.

Spring onions - Chop the white and light green parts of the spring onions to add them to the lo mein and keep the dark green parts for garnishing.

Soy sauce - I used a light soy sauce for this recipe but feel free to add your favourite. If you want to reduce the sodium content of your lo mein, use a low-salt soy sauce.

Hoisin sauce - Even though "Hoisin" means "seafood" in Chinese, it's actually a naturally vegan sauce made from a mix of fermented soybean paste, chiles, garlic, vinegar, sweeteners and sesame oil.

Red chilli paste - Use as much red chilli paste as you like to adjust the spice level of these vegan lo mein noodles to your taste.

Vegetable stock - Shop-bought vegetable stock works fine here; just like with the soy sauce, use a low-salt version as needed.

Noodles - I used a pack of vegan wholemeal noodles from Blue Dragon for this recipe. Make sure the noodles you choose are vegan because many of them contain eggs.

Bell peppers - Any colour bell pepper is great in this easy veggie lo mein. You can use a mix of colours, too. If you want your bell pepper slices to be crunchy, add them with the broccoli right at the end instead of cooking them with the noodles.

Snap peas - You can use snap peas or mangetout in this lo mein. Just like with the peppers, add them at the end if you like them crunchy.

Baby corn - You can cut your baby corn in chunks or leave it whole.

Broccoli - Fresh broccoli florets add extra brightness, texture and vitamins to these lo mein noodles. Add the broccoli florets at the end - they will cook just fine in the residual steam while still retaining their delicious crunchiness.

How to make Instant Pot lo mein

Turn the Instant Pot on to "Sauté" and allow it to get hot. Add the sesame oil and sauté the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, stirring often.

Stir in the spring onions and continue to cook for another minute. Turn off the "Sauté" function.

Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red chilli paste and all spice and stir to combine. Next, add the vegetable stock and the noodles. Push the noodles into the liquid (add more stock or water if they're not covered). Don't stir at this point.

Place the sliced pepper, snap peas and baby corn on top of the noodles (again, don't stir).

Seal the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 1 minute. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for 4 minutes, then perform a quick release.

Open the lid carefully and stir the noodles with a pair of kitchen tongs. Add the broccoli florets and close the lid for 5 minutes with the "Keep Warm" function active to allow the broccoli to cook in the residual steam.

Serve the lo mein with sesame seeds and chopped green onions if you like.

Leftovers and storage

• Lo mein leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• You can reheat them in a pan or work on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• If reheating on the stovetop, it's best to add a splash of sesame oil to the pan first.

Recipe notes and tips

• Make sure the noodles are covered in liquid before adding the veggies.
• You can add tofu to this vegan lo mein, but it's best to saute or cook it in the air fryer separately.
• Add some sriracha sauce at the end if you want the lo mein to be extra fiery.

If you liked this Instant Pot lo mein, you might also like some of my other easy Instant Pot recipes:

• Instant Pot Ratatouille
• Instant Pot Vegan Chili
• Vegan Instant Pot White Bean Soup
• Instant Pot Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
• Vegan Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot)

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