Vegetable Egg Foo Young Recipe | The Gracious Pantry (2024)

This delicious, homemade Vegetable Egg Foo Young is made with simple ingredients and makes a great lunch or dinner.

Whether you spell it egg foo young, egg fuyung, or egg foo yong, this delicious dish is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or Chinese dinner!

What Is Egg Foo Young?

Also spelled “Egg Foo Yung,” this is an Asian omelet or egg “pancake” that can have many ingredients added to it, much like the French or American omelet.

Chicken Egg Foo Young

While ham is often used in this dish, other meats, such as chicken or shrimp, are also popular additions. Vegetables are also a common ingredient and a great way to add some bulk to the omelet.

I have found that shredded chicken breast cooked with garlic and sesame oil works really well in this dish.

About one cup will work here. You could go up to two cups, but you might want to cut down on some of the vegetables if you use that much.

Shrimp Egg Foo Young

If you prefer a seafood option, you can easily add some cooked shrimp. It’s best to chop it into the smallest pieces you can cut so that it will distribute well in the omelets.

Use about 1 cup of chopped shrimp here. 1 ½ cups will work if you really like to go heavy on the shrimp. More than that and you’ll probably want to cut back on some of the veggies.

What To Serve With Egg Foo Young

• Pork
• Beef
• Rice
• Stir-fry
• Noodles
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Crab
• Steak
• Kale
• Bamboo shoots
• Zucchini
• Asparagus
• Greens
• Noodle soup
• Mug bean sprouts
• Egg drop soup

How To Thicken The Sauce

If you want the sauce thicker, you can whisk in more arrowroot powder. But add it in small, half-teaspoon amounts because it thickens easily.

About Egg Fu Yung Ingredients

The ingredients for vegetable egg foo young are basic and easy to find. You can adjust the ingredients based on what you have on hand. Here’s what you need to know about each ingredient.

(Print recipe below from recipe card)

The omelette

Finely chopped water chestnuts – I used canned water chestnuts and chopped them fine.

Green peas– You can use either frozen, thawed, or fresh green peas. I used frozen.

Bean sprouts – These are optional but create a really great texture in the egg foo young. If you can get them, definitely use them.

Green onions – As you slice them, keep the light parts separated from the dark parts. You want about ¼ cups of each. The light green parts will be cooked, and the dark green parts will be used as garnish.

Egg Foo Young Gravy (Brown Gravy)

Chicken broth – Choose a broth that does not have sugar (usually dextrose) added. Low sodium is a good choice here.

Coconut aminos – Again, you can use tamari or soy sauce if you can’t find the aminos.

Balsamic vinegar – It sounds odd, but it adds depth of flavor. Most people add wine to this gravy, so the combination of vinegar and sweetener replaces that.

Granular sweetener– I used xylitol because it’s easier on my blood sugar. But you can use any granular sweetener you usually use or 1 tbsp. maple syrup. Note that you may have to add a bit more to taste when the sauce is done. But I stayed on the side of caution here, and it was pretty tasty.

Arrowroot powder – If you don’t have this, you can use cornstarch instead in the same amount.

Grated, fresh ginger -I grated mine on a lemon zester, but you can also use the fine side of a cheese grater or purchase minced or grated ginger at the store.

Garlic cloves– mince these well. You will see and taste these chunks in the gravy. So the smaller you can cut them, the better.

Sesame oil – Sesame oil really adds flavor here, so don’t substitute it with anything else. If you don’t have any, just omit it completely.

Extra Garnishes

If you like, you can sauté some extra veggies in a pan with a teaspoon of sesame oil (or two) or vegetable oil over medium heat to serve over your egg foo young. Here are some suggestions:

• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Carrots
• Sliced green onions

How To Make Vegetable Egg Foo Young?

You can start with either the gravy or the omelets. Your choice. Here’s what I did.

Combine all the omelet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine.

Combine all the gravy ingredients and whisk to blend.

Pour into a pot and bring to a boil. About the time it starts to boil, you’ll notice it has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

Warm some oil in a skillet.

Using a ladle, put some batter in the skillet and cook like a pancake, flipping as needed.

Once all your omelets are cooked, layer them on a plate, pour some sauce over them, and garnish with green onions.

How To Store Egg Foo Young

Store the omelets and the gravy separately. If you store them together, the omelets can get a bit mushy and make it more difficult to reheat leftovers.

Can You Freeze Egg Foo Young?

You can! They don’t freeze for very long, but they are freezable as long as you keep the omelets and the gravy separate.

The omelet will freeze for up to 1 month. The gravy will freeze for up to 2 months.

It’s best to put some parchment between the omelets and freeze them stacked in an airtight container or zipper-top bag.

How To Reheat Egg Foo Young

From frozen – Place these on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake at 375 F. for about 10 – 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them. If they start to get too brown, you can place a loose piece of foil over the top.

Once they are thawed in the oven, follow the instructions for refrigerated egg foo young.

From refrigerated – It’s best to reheat these in a skillet. Spray or oil your skillet with a light coat of oil. Briefly cook them, flipping frequently until warmed through.

More Homemade Chinese Takeout Recipes

• Orange Chicken Recipe
• Sesame Chicken
• Egg Roll In A Bowl

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Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted on 12/8/2020.