Make your favorite restaurant dish at home with this Chow Mein with Ramen Noodles Recipe. Easy, affordable, and better than takeout!
I love me some Chinese food, of course, I only have available to me are American Chinese Restaurants, and I honestly can’t get enough. When I get a craving, I always make this Chow Mein with Ramen dish at home.
I normally have everything on hand to make it, and if I don’t, it is easy to throw together with whatever fresh vegetables I have on hand.
Lily loves your basic ramen noodles, so I always have packs of them in the pantry. I love that I can whip up this easy, yummy chow mein whenever I want.
Chow mein has always been one of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes. I think it’s mainly because it’s a big plate of noodles, and I’m a huge carb-aholic, the more noodles, the better!
Tossed in a simple sauce and served piping hot, I’m in my happy place.
What’s great about this recipe is it can be served as a main course or a side dish, you decide. Plus, you can add any kinds of proteins or vegetables you like.
Ready to make your favorite takeout dish at home? Try the easy route with our Chow Mein with Ramen Noodles Recipe.
Some of our other favorite noodle recipes we have on our site include: Easy Taco Mexican Pasta Recipe, Chicken Alfredo Bake, and Pizza Pasta Bake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- A couple of specialty ingredients are needed but can be found at most grocery stores.
- Add whatever veggies you like or have on hand.
- Enjoy this easy recipe as a main course or side dish.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Ramen noodles (just the noodles, no seasoning packet needed)
- Shimeji mushrooms
- Bok choy
- Vegetable oil
- Red peppers
- Fresh garlic
- Snow peas
- Matchstick carrots
- Fresh ginger root, grated
- Teriyaki glaze
- Water
- Sesame oil
- Dark soy sauce
- Red pepper flakes
- Green onion
HOW TO MAKE CHOW MEIN WITH RAMEN:
- Make the savory sauce first, whisk the teriyaki glaze, water, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until combined. The sauce will separate a little due to the sesame oil, but it is fine; whisk until most of it is combined and set aside.
- Add about 4 cups of water in a medium pot, place over high heat, and add in the ramen once simmering. Remove from heat. Allow the noodles to sit and soften for 3 minutes.
- Rinse the noodles and drain, reserving about 1 cup of noodle water for later.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a wok pan or large nonstick skillet.
- Once the oil is very hot and sizzling, sear the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes until browned.
- Add the bok choy, bell peppers, snow peas, and carrots for 3-4 minutes until softened slightly.
- Add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until these aromatics become fragrant.
- Lower the heat and pour in the sauce. Stir until veggies are coated, and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Stir in noodles and mix to combine. If it appears dry, add some of the reserved ramen cooking water.
- Serve immediately with freshly sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and more red chili flakes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LO MEIN, CHOW MEIN, AND RAMEN NOODLES?
The main difference that sets ramen noodles apart from lo mein noodles and chow mein noodles is they are thinner noodles.
All three are Chinese egg noodles. Ramen is normally added to a soup but in our recipe today we are making chow mein stir-fried noodles with them!
You can typically find all three at your local grocery store or Asian market.
WHAT TO SERVE THIS WITH?
You can serve this as a main dish or as a side dish. If serving as a side, here are some other dishes to serve along with it:
- Kung Pao Chicken – try our copycat version!
- Sweet and sour chicken – CLICK HERE for the recipe.
- Stir-fried veggies
- Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Frozen Gyoza in Air Fryer
- Slow Cooker Ginger Chicken
- Easy Air Fryer Sticky Ginger Chicken
- Chinese Chicken Recipe
CAN I ADD MEAT?
Absolutely. I suggest searing off the meat you wish before the vegetables and cooking it all the way through.
Right before serving, add it back to the pan and toss to combine and allow the meat to warm back through, then serve.
Use this recipe as a base to make chicken chow mein, beef chow mein, or leave it as is for vegetable chow mein.
You can also add tofu or other proteins of your choice.
WHAT IS TERIYAKI GLAZE?
For this recipe, I like to use teriyaki glaze as opposed to teriyaki sauce. It is thicker and coats the noodles better.
This is the exact brand I used for this recipe:
CAN I ADD ANYTHING?
Of course, use this recipe as a base to work off of and add your own touches.
Meats I suggest adding (remember to sear them off with oil and cook it through before the veggies. Place on a plate when done and then toss it into the noodles at the end):
- Thinly sliced chicken, boneless chicken breast, or thighs will work
- Shrimp
- Thinly sliced steak; stir fry meat, flank, ribeye, or sirloin are best
- Thinly sliced pork
- Or, any ground meats will work amazing!
Additional vegetables I suggest:
- Bean sprouts
- Zucchini
- Broccoli florets
- Baby corn
- Onions
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Water chestnuts
Add some more heat with sriracha, Sambal Olelek, or your favorite hot sauce.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Yes! Here are some suggestions:
- Ramen noodles – use lo mein
- Shimeji mushrooms – any sliced mushrooms will go, white button or baby Bella
- Bok choy – cabbage
- Red peppers – any color bell peppers work
- Snow peas – sugar snap peas work wonderfully
- Matchstick carrots – grated carrots or small diced carrot
- Dark soy sauce – use regular soy sauce or light soy sauce, however, you will not get the same deep color or flavor
- Red pepper flakes – sriracha or chili sauce
HOW TO STORE:
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave, and add a splash of water or chicken broth to loosen them up.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Place leftovers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This makes enough for 3 servings, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Use lo mein noodles in place of ramen in a pinch.
Try your hand at making your favorite restaurant dish at home with this Easy Chow Mein with Ramen!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried this CHOW MEIN WITH RAMEN, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Chow Mein with Ramen Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ¼ cup teriyaki glaze
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the noodles
- 2 3 ounce packages of ramen noodles
- 1 cup shimeji mushrooms rinsed and dried with a paper towel
- 1 cup bok choy chopped
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup red bell peppers sliced medium thin
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger root grated
Instructions
- Make the savory sauce first, whisk the teriyaki glaze, water, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl until combined. The sauce will separate a little due to the sesame oil, but it is fine; whisk until most of it is combined and set aside.
- Add about 4 cups of water in a medium pot, place over high heat, and add in the ramen once simmering. Remove from heat. Allow the noodles to sit and soften for 3 minutes.
- Rinse the noodles and drain, reserving about 1 cup of noodle water for later.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a wok pan or large nonstick skillet.
- Once the oil is very hot and sizzling, sear the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes until browned.
- Add the bok choy, bell peppers, snow peas, and carrots for 3-4 minutes until softened slightly.
- Add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until these aromatics become fragrant.
- Lower the heat and pour in the sauce. Stir until veggies are coated, and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Stir in noodles and mix to combine. If it appears dry, add some of the reserved ramen cooking water.
- Serve immediately with freshly sliced green onions, sesame seeds, and more red chili flakes.
Notes
- This makes enough for 3 servings, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Use lo mein noodles in place of ramen in a pinch.
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