Introduction

Chow mein is one of those classic Chinese takeout dishes that most people order without knowing how easy it is to make at home, and this Beef Chow Mein Recipe is no different! It’s super quick to make, filling, and you don’t need a ton of different ingredients! What I love about this Beef Chow Mein Recipe is how diverse all the ingredients are. There’s bites of tender beef, pieces of crispy veggies, and everything is coated in that delicious sauce. It’s one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table, and it takes less than 30 minutes!

Why Heat Is So Important For This Beef Chow Mein Recipe

This Beef Chow Mein Recipe gets a lot of its flavor from being cooked at a high heat, and every chow mein recipe utilizes high heat to build flavor. The beef is cooked first to get a fond (those caramelized bits) at the bottom of the pan, which is what creates the flavor for the entire dish. The fond’s flavor then carries over to all the different ingredients added later in the recipe, and by the time everything has been added, each component has already soaked up the fond’s flavor, and you’ll have one of the best Beef Chow Mein’s you’ll ever eat!

Fork lifting saucy chow mein noodles with tender beef, scallions, and onions coated in a glossy soy-based sauce in this Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

Why The Sauce Is So Important For This Beef Chow Mein Recipe

The sauce in this Beef Chow Mein Recipe is simple, yet each component plays an integral role in creating the final dish. The combination of dark soy sauce and light soy sauce provides that signature chow mein color while also giving the dish saltiness, while the oyster sauce brings that classic umami flavor. The sugar balances those stronger flavors, and the Shaoxing wine brings that subtle note that you can taste in every chow mein (but you don’t know what that taste is!). Once the sauce is absorbed into the noodles, the result is a bowl of chow mein that tastes just as good as the takeout version!

Beef Chow Mein Recipe Ingredients

Beef (sirloin) – The main protein of the dish. Thinly slicing it helps it cook quickly and stay tender while still getting a good sear.

Chow mein noodles – The most important part of the dish. They provide that signature chewy texture and hold onto the sauce well. You can usually find these in the frozen section of the grocery store.

Vegetables (onion, scallions, cabbage) – These add both texture and flavor. The onions and scallion whites give the dish their aromatic flavors, while the cabbage adds some crunch and gives the dish an extra layer of texture.

Chow mein sauce (dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine) – A classic blend that seasons the noodles and gives it that signature flavor.

How to Make Beef Chow Mein

Slice the onion and scallions, separating the whites and greens, and prepare the shredded cabbage.

Hand slicing scallions into short segments on a wooden cutting board for stir fry preparation in the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

In a small bowl, mix together dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine.

Soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing wine being poured into a bowl to create the savory chow mein sauce for the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat with oil and cook the beef until browned, then remove and set aside.

Thinly sliced raw beef being placed into a hot pan with oil to sear for the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

In the same pan, cook the onions and scallion whites until slightly softened.

Onions and scallion whites sautéing in a pan until softened and lightly caramelized in the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

Add the cabbage and cook until just wilted.

Shredded cabbage being added to sautéed onions and scallions in a pan for the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

Add the noodles, followed by the cooked beef and sauce, then toss everything together. Cook until the sauce clings to the noodles.

Cooked beef and chow mein noodles being tossed with dark soy sauce mixture in a pan for the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

Finish with the scallion greens and cook briefly before serving.

Fresh scallion greens being added to noodles and beef at the end of cooking in the Beef Chow Mein Recipe.

What to Serve with Beef Chow Mein

This Beef Chow Mein Recipe is delicious on its own, but traditionally, this dish is served with a few more side dishes. Here are a few of my favorites:

Frozen dumplings. I love pan frying some frozen dumplings to serve along with this to help mix up the flavors!
Steamed bok choy. Steamed bok choy lightly tossed with oyster sauce and garlic is a classic side dish with chow mein.
Poached chicken. A classic Chinese dish that balances the richness of the chow mein. My favorite recipes for this are Ginger Scallion Chicken or Golden Oil Chicken

How to Store Beef Chow Mein

This Beef Chow Mein Recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To restore the texture as best as possible, I like to reheat the noodles in a pan for 5 minutes. However, if you’d like to store this for meal prep and don’t have access to a pan, you can use a microwave. The best way to reheat in this Beef Chow Mein Recipe in the microwave is to heat it for 2 minutes covered in a paper towel. If the noodles feel a little thick or if the sauce is a little congealed, add a small splash of water before throwing it in the microwave.

Beef Chow Mein Substitutions

This Beef Chow Mein Recipe is very flexible, and you can substitute some ingredients depending on whatever you have available. A few of my favorite substitutions are:

Chicken. Thinly sliced chicken breast or chicken thighs work really well if you don’t prefer beef. My Chicken Chow Mein Recipe uses chicken instead of beef!
Shrimp. Another great alternative to beef that also cooks quickly and is complimented by the sauce.
Any noodle. If you can’t find chow mein noodles, you can use spaghetti or even instant ramen. The texture may vary, but the flavors will still all be there!
Low sodium soy sauce. A great option if you want to reduce the salt levels without changing the sauc’es flavor profile too much.