5 from 28 votes
Prep Time : 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time : 25 minutes minutes
Satisfy your craving for Chinese take out with this gluten free recipe for classic lo mein sauce. Add chicken, your favorite stir-fried vegetables, or just toss with rice noodles, and dinner is served!
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The secret to this recipe for Chinese-style gluten free lo mein is in the sauce that sticks to the noodles, the juicy, tender chicken or crisp-tender vegetables, and anything else you add to it!
Make the sauce days ahead of time and store it in a jar in the refrigerator. Make it with chicken this week, vegetables and extra firm tofu next week…
What makes this recipe for gluten free lo mein the best
Chinese take-out is just one of those things when you're gluten free, isn't it? It's hard to come by in a restaurant, and it's something most people tend to miss terribly once it's out of reach.
Like most recipes for restaurant-style food, this lo mein sauce tastes like the American-style Chinese takeout we all love because it has some ingredients you might not expect—like a touch of brown sugar.
I've made this sauce with different types of sweeteners, but to taste like you remember, you'll certainly need something. I like brown sugar the best since the molasses in it also adds some richness to the sauce.
The sugar also helps the sauce cling to whatever you mix into it, including all those perfectly cooked gluten free noodles. The ginger adds a little bite, too, and the dried garlic and onions, plus the scallions, give this dish that savory, full-bodied flavor.
The best gluten free noodles for all that delicious lo mein sauce
As long as your noodles aren't mushy, they should be able to hold the lo mein sauce. And that's their main purpose!
I really like Thai Kitchen brand “straight cut wide rice noodles.” I often buy them by the case when I find them for a reasonable price online, but they're often available in regular and sometimes fancier grocery stores like Whole Foods.
If I'm not using those broad, flat rice noodles, I usually make lo mein using Barilla brand dried gluten free spaghetti. My kids and I actually really love spaghetti.
Even though all the pasta shapes are made using the same ingredients, somehow spaghetti always gets a “yes!” at dinnertime.
Can you make this lo mein sauce ahead of time, for a last-minute dinner?
Yes! This recipe really lends itself to being made in stages. Making the sauce ahead of time is the easiest way to do your future self a favor!
The cornstarch in the sauce will settle to the bottom of the jar as it sits. It's easy to whisk right back in before you use the sauce, though.
Even though starch will collect, it won't clump like it would if you were adding it to a large quantity of liquid. That's because the grains of starch have already each been broken up and moistened.
Varieties of gluten free lo mein
How to make gluten free chicken lo mein
This recipe already has sliced chicken, coated in cornstarch, incorporated as an optional ingredient. This method of stir-frying thinly sliced chicken makes the most tender, juicy bites.
If you happen to have some leftover cooked shredded chicken in the refrigerator, though, you can also add it along with the noodles to the lo mein sauce. Just be sure it doesn't already have another sauce or many seasonings on it that will compete with the flavors in this recipe.
How to make gluten free vegetable lo mein
My favorite vegetable to add to this dish is baby bok choy. Just separate the leaves of the bok choy and blanch it by cooking it in boiling water for about 3 minutes before draining it and putting it in ice water to stop the cooking immediately.
Other vegetables to toss in your lo mein sauce as it thickens:
- Shredded carrots or shredded cabbage will cook with the sauce
- Frozen mixed vegetables, lightly defrosted
- Fresh baby spinach will wilt in moments
- Sugar snap peas, blanched like baby bok choy above or cooked lightly in the sauce
- Bean sprouts and sliced water chestnuts are a classic combo
How to make gluten free vegetarian lo mein
Use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock in the sauce recipe, leave out the chicken, and this recipe is purely vegetarian. Add the blanched vegetables and/or roasted tofu that we use in our recipe for gluten free ramen, too!
FAQs
Is lo mein gluten free?
No! Lo mein is not usually gluten free. Even if the sauce is thickened with gluten free cornstarch, like many are, conventional soy sauce is made with wheat, so it's not gluten free.
Of course, this recipe for gluten free lo mein is made with tamari or gluten free soy sauce, and rice noodles or other gluten free noodles.
Can I use rice noodles to make gluten free lomein?
Yes! I like using Taste of Thai brand wide, flat rice noodles for this recipe. They're naturally gluten free, and they're nice and chewy so they taste a lot like the egg noodles you may be used to having in the Chinese restaurant.
Can I make gluten free lo mein with gluten free spaghetti noodles?
Yes! Any long gluten free noodle, including our homemade gluten free egg noodles, would work great with this lo mein sauce.
What's the difference between gluten free lo mein and chow mein?
To make lo mein, the noodles are typically boiled, then added to the sauce as it finishes cooking. Chow mein means “fried noodles,” so the noodles are often lightly boiled but then fried until they're crisp on the outside.
For a complete explanation of the difference between lo mein and chow mein, you need to learn from someone who is an expert in Chinese food (not me!).
Substitutions for gluten free lo mein sauce ingredients
Can dry onions, garlic and ginger be replaced with fresh?
Yes! But dry is so much easier, which is why I prefer it. The general rule of thumb is to use twice as much fresh herbs, spices, and aromatics than dry.
The only ingredient of the sauce that I consider to be truly optional is the ginger. If you hate ginger, just leave it out!
Can you make this sauce with light tamari or gluten free soy sauce?
Yes! The flavor will be less rich, since those are really just more watered down versions of soy sauce.
Can you make this lo mein sauce with unrefined sugar?
Yes, in place of brown sugar, you can use an equal amount of honey or even coconut palm sugar that's been ground until fine.
I don't recommend eliminating the sugar altogether as it doesn't make a sweet sauce. Instead, it makes a balanced sauce, since the recipe is otherwise quite salty.
How to make gluten free lo mein without cornstarch
In place of cornstarch, try using arrowroot, superfine white rice flour, or even superfine “glutinous” rice flour. Any of them will help thicken this simple lo mein sauce.
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Gluten Free Lo Mein
Satisfy your craving for Chinese take out with this gluten free recipe for classic lo mein sauce. Add chicken, your favorite stir-fried vegetables, or just toss with rice noodles, and dinner is served!
Course: Dinner, Sauces
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Nicole Hunn
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ⅜ cup (96 g) tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch (or try arrowroot)
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) rice vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons (18 g) rice wine (can be replaced with more rice vinegar)
- 1.5 teaspoons (7 g) toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons (41 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon minced dried onion or 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 fresh scallion chopped
For the lo mein
- 12 ounces dried rice noodles or gluten free spaghetti, or gluten free linguini
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) toasted sesame oil
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast sliced thin (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch (optional)
For cooking
- Neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or canola
Instructions
First, make the sauce.
In a large measuring cup or bowl with pour spout, place the tamari and cornstarch. Whisk vigorously until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
Add the rice vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, dried onion, and stock, and whisk until smooth. Add about 1 tablespoon of the chopped scallion, and mix to combine. Set the sauce aside.
Make the lo mein.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Toss them in the 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, cover, and set aside.
If you're adding the chicken, place the sliced pieces in a small bowl, add the cornstarch, and toss to coat the chicken completely in the cornstarch.
In a nonstick wok or large skillet, place enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the surface in a thin layer. Add the (optional) chicken tossed in cornstarch, and place the pan over medium heat.
Stir the chicken to break it up in the pan. Allow it to cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink at all (about 8 minutes).
Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken, and stir to combine. Allow it to cook, mostly undisturbed, until the sauce begins to simmer. It will thicken quickly.
Add the cooked noodles, and toss to coat everything in the sauce. It will cling to the noodles.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped scallions on top, and serve immediately.
Notes
Originally published on the blog in 2017. Recipe simplified; most photos and video new.
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Gluten Free Lo Mein
Satisfy your craving for Chinese take out with this gluten free recipe for classic lo mein sauce. Add chicken, your favorite stir-fried vegetables, or just toss with rice noodles, and dinner is served!
Course: Dinner, Sauces
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Nicole Hunn
Ingredients
For the sauce
- ⅜ cup (96 g) tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch (or try arrowroot)
- 3 tablespoons (36 g) rice vinegar
- 1.5 tablespoons (18 g) rice wine (can be replaced with more rice vinegar)
- 1.5 teaspoons (7 g) toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons (41 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon minced dried onion or 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- ¾ cup (6 fluid ounces) chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 fresh scallion chopped
For the lo mein
- 12 ounces dried rice noodles or gluten free spaghetti, or gluten free linguini
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) toasted sesame oil
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast sliced thin (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch (optional)
For cooking
- Neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or canola
Instructions
First, make the sauce.
In a large measuring cup or bowl with pour spout, place the tamari and cornstarch. Whisk vigorously until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
Add the rice vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, dried onion, and stock, and whisk until smooth. Add about 1 tablespoon of the chopped scallion, and mix to combine. Set the sauce aside.
Make the lo mein.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Toss them in the 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, cover, and set aside.
If you're adding the chicken, place the sliced pieces in a small bowl, add the cornstarch, and toss to coat the chicken completely in the cornstarch.
In a nonstick wok or large skillet, place enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the surface in a thin layer. Add the (optional) chicken tossed in cornstarch, and place the pan over medium heat.
Stir the chicken to break it up in the pan. Allow it to cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink at all (about 8 minutes).
Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken, and stir to combine. Allow it to cook, mostly undisturbed, until the sauce begins to simmer. It will thicken quickly.
Add the cooked noodles, and toss to coat everything in the sauce. It will cling to the noodles.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped scallions on top, and serve immediately.
Notes
Originally published on the blog in 2017. Recipe simplified; most photos and video new.
