Garlic Beef Lo Mein
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Garlic Beef Lo Mein combines tender beef with noodles and vegetables in a homemade lo mein sauce. This beef lo mein recipe is ready in just 20 minutes for a delicious weeknight dinner that’s so much better than takeout.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE BEEF LO MEIN:
This beef lo mein is a quick weeknight dinner the entire family will love, kids included! Serve it as a meal by itself or combine with some other dishes like Hunan chicken or bok choy.
The best part? It’s easy to make restaurant-quality lo mein at home, and you can use up whatever proteins and veggies you have on-hand in your fridge!
WHAT IS BEEF LO MEIN?
Lo mein originates in Hong Kong and refers to a cooking method whereby stir-fried ingredients are tossed with noodles and lo mein sauce towards the end of cooking.
Beef and broccoli lo mein is one of the most popular dishes along with chicken lo mein, shrimp lo mein and vegetable lo mein. For its close cousin beef chow mein, the same noodles are fried to produce a crispier texture.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF LO MEIN
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make beef lo mein:
- Lo Mein Noodles: You won’t find lo mein noodles for sale in China, since it’s not actually a type of noodle. Many American supermarkets sell refrigerated, frozen or even dried noodles marketed as lo mein. However, regular spaghetti noodles also work just fine!
- Beef: Most tender cuts work including flank steak, sirloin, rib eye etc. Be sure to avoid tough cuts such as stew meat or round. Before you start cooking, try to briefly marinate the beef in soy sauce and cornstarch. Just 10 minutes is enough to tenderize the meat.
- Vegetables: We chose garlic, broccoli and carrots here, but you can easily substitute bell peppers, bok choy, snow peas, mushrooms or cabbage etc.
- Lo Mein Sauce: Homemade lo mein sauce is the secret to delicious beef lo mein! Use a high-quality soy sauce such as Kikkoman, San-J or Pearl River Bridge (to go all out, mix light soy sauce and dark soy sauce together for nuanced flavors). You’ll also need hoisin sauce to create a nice sweet and savory flavor contrast (oyster sauce can be substituted).
CAN I MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME?
Beef lo mein noodles have the best texture when freshly prepared, but the sauce flavors improve with time, so beef lo mein leftovers are still quite tasty.
Store them for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also meal prep beef lo mein for on-the-go meals to take to work or school during the week!
Garlic Beef Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 8 oz lo mein noodles, or spaghetti
- 8 oz flank steak, or another cut (see note), sliced 1/4" thick against the grain
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, light
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional garnish
Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, see note
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp Asian sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare the noodles according to the package directions (see note).
- Cut flank steak into thin strips, about 2 x 1/4 inch each (5 cm x 1/2 cm).
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 1 tbsp of soy sauce.
- Toss the beef strips in the soy sauce mixture and marinate for 10 minutes to tenderize (you can skip this step if in a rush).
- In a medium bowl, mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar and ginger. Reserve.
- Place a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the beef strips and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the minced garlic, sliced carrots and broccoli. Stir fry for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add lo mein to the beef/vegetable mixture and toss with the reserved lo mein sauce and sesame oil.
- Garnish with optional sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- Cuts such as flank steak, sirloin, rib eye work well. You may want to freeze the meat for 30 minutes first to make it easier to cut into uniform strips.
- Use a quality light soy sauce such as Kikkoman, San-J or Pearl River Bridge. For added flavor, mix 1 tbsp light soy sauce with 1 tbsp dark soy sauce.
- Dried lo mein noodles should be boiled, while refrigerated noodles can just be warmed in hot water.
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
RECIPE EQUIPMENT
More Asian noodle recipes:
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Best beef lo mein receipe I have found yet. Better than take out and a lot cheaper
Hi Angela, Thanks so much and it’s true. Better food for less money!
I have made this recipe 3 times already, it’s amazing!! My husband would eat it everyday if I would cook it.
Hi Heather, Thanks for your comment and so great to hear that! If you want to switch things up, try our chicken lo mein or shrimp lo mein recipes too.
This is a good stir fry, but it’s not at all the taste of Lo Mein. My hoisin sauce is a little on the sweet side, so I used only half the brown sugar called for in the recipe and it was still very sweet. I would make it again and recommend it for flavor, just don’t expect it to taste like take out Lo Mein.
Hi Heather, Thanks for your feedback and glad you enjoyed!
Not sure why this recipe has 4 stars of 5 bc it’s so delicious! It tastes like pei Weis lo mein it’s a keeper for me thank you for this!
Hi Mely, Thanks for your review and so glad it worked out!
This was fabulous. Made exactly as the recipe states and wouldn’t change a thing. Hubby says this should go on our monthly rotation!
Hi Stephanie, So glad to hear that and thanks for letting me know. Happy holidays!
I have made this recipe at least 4 times and have loved it every time. It is the best lo mein recipe that I have found.
Hi Rachel, Thanks for your feedback – you really made my day! 🙂
I made this today but with a few changes. I did not have hoisin sauce so used 2 packages of prepackaged stirfry seasoning, added 1 medium slivered onion, 8-oz. thin whole wheat spaghetti, and 2-1/3 cups fresh sliced green beans, steaming them first. It was a bit mild tasting, but we liked it. I plan to try it with hoisin sauce next time, however. I think this is a keeper, however, no matter how you make it as long as you like the substitutions used.
Great recipe! Have made it twice now – once with beef and once with pork. I added onions as shown in you video and it was perfect!
Hi Michelle, Thanks for your comment – you made my day!! 🙂
Amazing, couldn’t stop eating it. I used left over roast beef so it was done in 10 minutes! Otherwise I didn’t change a thing. PERFECT!
Hi Tiff, Thanks – so glad to hear. It’s definitely addictive in a good way 🙂
Loved it!! I received a lot of compliments on my InstaStories: de_stormborn
Thanks De, glad you liked it!
So yummy with flank steak tysm