Name: The Best Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe to Try
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp minced garlic; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 8 oz spaghetti pasta broken in half; 1 cup snow peas; 1 cup broccoli florets; 1/4 cup red peppers thinly sliced.; 2 carrots peeled and sliced into thin rounds; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 tsp minced ginger; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tbsp rice wine; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instant Pot

The Best Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe to Try

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Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein is a surprisingly fast twist on a classic Chinese take-out favorite. I know, it seems like a weird thing to think about, but it IS do-able and super tasty! It takes a fraction of the time that calling the local delivery does and is a heck of a lot friendlier on your wallet.

Taking me back to childhood…

Some of my fondest memories of childhood were when my mom and I would have one-on-one time. We would go to Rhennebohm’s and split a Hot Fudge Mary Jane, or the local Chinese place and indulge in an ethnic treat. I started with Sweet & Sour Chicken (with no onions or green peppers), then worked up to Chicken Fried Rice and eventually, was brave enough to go for Lo Mein. Mind you, that wasn’t all at the same setting, it was a gradual increase in my pallet over a period of time. Soon, I was going for all the hot and spicy goofy names things…and love those to this day.

Better than Take Out

This simple adaption of Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein, so it could be made in the Instant Pot, brings back those warm and fuzzy memories. I now get to share them with Miss Sarah, in our own, more frugal way. Not only that, but the house smells dang yummy when it is cooking!

Can You cook shrimp in the Instant Pot?

Yes, and it is super easy. We don’t do it for this recipe though. I like to cook them separately on the stove as it’s just really simple and I want to make certain that they’re cooked. In a skillet, I put a little bit of oil in it and turn it to medium heat. Then, add in the shrimp until it’s cooked fully, usually about 2-3 minutes per side.

That being said, you could also buy frozen cooked shrimp to use in this recipe – just thaw it out and rise it well.

Why do you De-vein shrimp?

We devein the shrimp because we don’t want them to have a yucky vein running down their back…it is technically their “poop shoot”. It is really nice when you get your shrimp with this process already done, but if they do come with a vein, you can just pull it out. Just check out this easy video on how to do it:

What I like about Gordon’s cooking is that he does it very quickly, but at the same time, his steps are nice and clear.

How do you know when shrimp is cooked?

They turn pinkish-orange and they’re very plump with a slightly opaque coloring. The shrimp should be cooked through.

What happens when shrimp is overcooked?

Just like anything, if you overcook your shrimp, you’re going to have chewy shrimp that’s dried out as well. If your shrimp are bright white and shriveled looking after you’ve cooked them, you more than likely have overcooked your shrimp. While it’s still edible, it’s going to not have as much flavor and be quite chewy or rubbery in texture.

What is Lo Mein?

Lo mein is a type of Chinese noodle dish. It’s typically served with meat, vegetables, and soy sauce, or other sauces. The noodles are cooked in boiling water until they’re soft then tossed with sauce and other ingredients.

What kind of noodles are used in Lo Mein?

Spaghetti is a type of pasta of European origin. Lo mein noodles are a primary staple in Chinese cuisine. The two starches are similar in appearance because they are both long, thin noodles. However, they are made from different ingredients and are used differently in dishes.

Unless you have an Asian market handy, Spaghetti noodles will do nicely for this recipe. I love the fact that they are on sale for roughly a buck for a one-pound box often. That helps make this very budget-friendly.

Variations to Instant Pot Shrimp Recipes

As far as shrimp lo mein instant pot recipes go, this one is super easy – and also easy to convert for other meats or even no meat at all!

As the shrimp is cooked separately and then added to the main dish, you can easily substitute cooked chicken or beef! I like to use leftovers and dice it up – that makes for a creative reinvention of that leftover rotisserie chicken or beef pot roast. Even pork tenderloin would work.

Want to go vegetarian? You can either add more veggies to the dish or swap in some tofu for protein.

You can even go gluten-free with the substitution of gluten-free spaghetti noodles!

What to Serve with this Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe

As with most Asian dishes, I would start with a wonton soup and possibly add fried Chow Mein noodles for a little texture or crunch.

What is the difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?

Lo Mein is a stir-fried soft noodle dish like I mentioned before and Chow Mein is deep-fried noodle dish, both have plenty of vegetables, a delectable sauce, and a variety of meat options.

How to Store your leftover Shrimp Lo Mein

If you have not eaten all of your Shrimp Lo Mein, it is best to store them in the fridge. Place the noodles in a ziplock bag or airtight container and place them as close to the front of your fridge as possible so they don’t get lost with other things or forgotten.

How to reheat your leftover Shrimp Lo Mein

Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add in some cooking oil. Stir fry the leftovers for about 3 minutes, or until they are cooked to desired doneness, and heated all the way through.

Shrimp Lo Mein Easy Recipe

Keep in mind that you can easily tweak this recipe to your own tastes – switching out the meat and even vegetables for your favorites.

IP Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe Ingredients:

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
8 oz spaghetti pasta broken in half
1 cup snow peas
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup red peppers thinly sliced.
2 carrots peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes

How to make Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein

First of all, wash your shrimp – and make sure they are de-veined if they are fresh. If you are using frozen shrimp, they need to be fully thawed and rinsed also.

Set your Instant Pot to saute and then add the garlic and sesame oil to your Instant Pot.

Cook garlic until lightly browned and then add your noodles to the Instant Pot.

Add your vegetables on top of the noodles. If you want to add in some more veggies, this is your chance! Think water chestnuts, broccoli spears, Bok Choy, and more!

Now for the sauce: In a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken broth, ginger, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, and brown sugar. Stir all the ingredients to combine them together.

Once you have it mixed together, take and pour your sauce into the pot on top of the vegetables.

Seal your Instant Pot and set it to manual, high pressure, for 5 minutes.

When your Instant Pot is done cooking, do a quick release and remove the lid after all the pressure is let out from the Instant Pot. (This will take a few minutes so it’s a good idea to let the quick-release do its thing and move on to start cooking up the shrimp)

During this time, it’s time to cook your shrimp. I like to cook them separately on the stove as it’s just really simple and I want to make certain that they’re cooked. In a skillet, I put a little bit of oil in it and turn it to medium heat. Then, add in the shrimp until it’s cooked fully, usually about 2-3 minutes per side.

Once your shrimp is fully cooked, take and add your shrimp into the Instant Pot with all the other ingredients, stirring the noodles with the shrimp several times to combine it well.

Allow your Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein to sit for 10 minutes. This will help the sauce soak into the noodles and meat better.

If you want to make it fancy, you can garnish with chives and red pepper flakes, or other toppings of your choice.

More Asian inspired recipes if you like our Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein:

Print off our Shrimp Lo Mein Made in the Instant Pot recipe here:

Yield: 4

The Best Instant Pot Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe to Try

This budget-friendly twist on the take-home classic is an easy to switch up variation is a winner in our Instant Pot

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil
8 oz spaghetti pasta broken in half
1 cup snow peas
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup red peppers thinly sliced.
2 carrots peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions