Easy 30-minute Beef Chow Mein has flavorful beef pieces, an abundance of veggies, and an addictively savory sauce, making it even better than takeout!
Why We Love This Beef Chow Mein
Beef Chow Mein has been one of my go-to meals for years—quick, satisfying, and packed with flavor. It all started when I tried to recreate my favorite takeout dish at home, and after a few tries, I landed on a version that I absolutely love. Now it’s a regular in my weeknight dinner lineup.
What I love most is how flexible it is. You can toss in whatever veggies you have on hand, use fresh or dried noodles, or even swap the beef for chicken. It’s especially a great way to use up any frozen bags of veggies sitting in the fridge. And you’ll still end up with a dish that tastes like you spent way more time on it than you actually did!
Ingredients In Beef Chow Mein
- Flank Steak & Baking Soda: The steak provides protein, and baking soda tenderizes it.
- Stir-Fry Vegetables & Green Cabbage: These add a mix of nutrients and textures.
- Garlic, Ginger, & Green Onions: These infuse flavor into the dish.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for cooking the beef chow mein.
- Chow Mein Noodles: The base of the dish, providing texture.
- Cornstarch, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Beef Stock, Brown Sugar, & Sesame Oil: Combine to create a rich, flavorful sauce.
How To Make Beef Chow Mein
- Marinate beef with baking soda, then in the sauce.
- Prep cabbage, garlic, ginger, green onions.
- Mix sauce: cornstarch, soy, oyster sauce, stock, sugar, sesame oil.
- Cook noodles and set aside.
- Stir-fry veggies, then the beef with the aromatics. Add cabbage.
- Combine beef, veggies, noodles, and sauce. Garnish with onion tops, sesame seeds are optional.
Quick Tip
The key distinction between Lo Mein and Chow Mein is in their preparation. Lo Mein involves boiling noodles tossed with sauce and ingredients, while Chow Mein consists of stir-frying noodles with ingredients.
Storage
Refrigeration: Cool leftover beef chow mein before storing in airtight containers. Label with dates.
Freezer: Freeze the fully cooled dish in an airtight container or freezer bag. Label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Noodles
- Garlic Beef and Veggie Ramen
- Skillet Beef and Broccoli Ramen
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Chicken Ramen
- Chicken Stir Fry
Beef Chow Mein
Equipment
- Large pan non-stick
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup green onions
- 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1-1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/3 cup beef stock or broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar not packed
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 pound flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen stirfry vegetables
- 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (6-ounce) package crispy chow mein noodles
- Toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Finely shred the cabbage. Coarsely mince the ginger and garlic to avoid burning. Don’t use jarred or tubed versions. Thinly slice the green onions, separating the white roots from the greens; aim for about 1/4 cup of sliced roots. Set the sliced green parts aside for later.
- Whisk cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth. Mix in oyster sauce, beef stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Set aside for later use.
- Slice beef thinly, about 1/4-inch thick, against the grain. Then cut long strips into 2–3 smaller pieces. Toss sliced beef with baking soda in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 15 minutes for extra tenderness. After the 15 minutes, rinse beef thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve. In a bowl, mix beef with 1-1/2 tablespoons of sauce, cover, and marinate for 15 minutes to an hour. Pat dry with a paper towel before using in recipe.
- Follow package directions to prepare chow mein noodles. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- In a large nonstick pan, add frozen veggies without thawing or adding liquid. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until mostly thawed, about 5 minutes. Add vegetable oil if sticking occurs. Transfer veggies to a plate. In same pan, add 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and keep over high heat. Briefly cook the white onion roots for 1–2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger, being careful not to burn them—cook for only 10–20 seconds. Add beef (patted dry from marinade) and stir constantly for about 1 minute until lightly browned on both sides but not cooked through.
- Add cabbage directly to skillet. Stir continuously until wilted, about 1–2 minutes. Return reserved vegetables to pan. Add cooked noodles and sauce mixture. Toss with tongs for 1 minute. Finally, add thinly sliced green onion tops.
- Enjoy immediately with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made it last night and it was great.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Made it last week. We really enjoyed it but I’m not crazy about oyster sauce. Could i use housin next time I make it? The trick to marinade the meet worked really well. I was afraid it would be tough..
I’m so glad you loved! You could definitely use hoisin in place of the oyster sauce! Thanks Glenda! 🙂
Looks great
Thanks Carol! 🙂
Simply divine! I used a wok, because I doubled the recipe. The sauce was bliss and the beef oh so tender. Thank you, I will be adding this to my repertoire!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for the comment!
This was really good. Loved the sauce.
I’m so happy to hear! Thanks Ayanna! 🙂
lo mein and chow mein do use different types of noodles. Lo mein are thick and yellow round shape noodles where as chow mein could mean pan fried, stir-fried, or deep fried noodles in Mandarin. The translations from Cantonese to Mandarin then to Western interpretation made them a bit confusing. Lo = to pick it from bottom up and toss | Chow = stri-fry. So not only the types of noodles are different the cooking techniques are different, too.
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Made this tonight. Delicious!!! Will definitely make again. The cabbage adds a great flavour!
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m soo happy you loved this so much! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
I made this yesterday and my husband loved it! It’s a keeper…thanks!
So happy to hear that!! Thank you Jolene 🙂
This looks so good! Love one pot dinners like this one!
I am like you I always like to start up the week with an easy dinner 😉 This recipe sounds perfect for a Monday night dinner 😉 Pinned!