How To Order Vegan at Panda Express

Wondering what's vegan at Panda Express? The vegan orange chicken is back, but only for a limited time at select locations. It's disappointing that it still hasn't been made a permanent menu option, but there are still other vegan options at Panda Express. Keep reading to find out!
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A wooden fork scooping up a bite of vegan chow mein from Panda Express.
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The craving for savory, salty, and alluringly addictive Chinese food can sometimes come up on you without warning. When that happens, we want to be there for you in your hour of need. Our guide on how to order vegan at Panda Express will come in handy at your hungriest moments.

When not only meat, but also animal broth and eggs are in the menu offerings, ordering can get a little tricky. When you’re hangry or, even worse, raveganous (our new word for a ravenous vegan), making a conscious choice can be even more challenging. What can you do to satisfy your starved stomach?

Scroll a little further and then order your food, my friend! Did you know that we have a whole series of vegan fast food guides to help you find the best options at each location? Take a peek if you’re in need of a quick vegan meal on a road trip or with fast food-loving friends!

Vegan Panda Express Options—Your Guide to Ordering Dairy Free and Plant Based Chinese Fast Food

Vegan Orange Chicken at Panda Express (Back for a Limited Time!)

The very limited options for vegans at Panda Express turned a corner with the launch of vegan orange chicken! Beyond the Original Orange Chicken was available at all locations starting on September 7, 2022 (though only available for a limited time). Now, we’re thrilled to see that it’s back on the menu—but (again) only for a limited time and at select locations.

Vegan Orange Chicken at Panda Express Beyond Meat Photo

When Panda Express first tested their vegan orange chicken, they sold out before most hungry herbivores had a chance to give it a try. Now that it’s back, we’re hoping that the plant-based demand will encourage them to make it a permanent menu item! It’s made with Beyond Meat’s Beyond Chicken Tenders and looks and tastes very similar to the traditional Orange Chicken. The best part is the honey-free sauce, which is even better than the original!

up close hand holding vegan orange chicken from panda express

How to Navigate the Menu at Panda Express

Luckily, the options for ordering vegan at Panda Express are not as scarily scarce as they once were. Back in the day, there was chicken broth or eggs in nearly every menu except for steamed white rice. But no longer! This Chinese kitchen restaurant started adding more fantastic plant-based meat options, and here are some solid suggestions on how to order as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Except for sides and beverages, there is pretty much only one option in each category on the menu. So, make it easy on yourself by ordering these items:

  • Appetizer: Vegetable Spring Rolls
  • Entree: Eggplant Tofu (available at select locations) or Orange Beyond Chicken (available at select locations for a limited time)
  • Vegetable: Super Greens
  • Side: Choose a rice (brown or white) or noodle bowl (or both, if you’re really hungry)
  • Sauces: Any and all!
  • Beverage: Your choice
  • Dessert: Fortune Cookie or Apple Pie Roll
vegan food from panda express

Panda Express Vegan options

Entrees

  • Orange Beyond Chicken (Beyond Chicken, broccoli, vegan-friendly sauce; only available at participating locations for a limited time)
  • Eggplant Tofu (browned tofu, eggplant, and red bell peppers in a spicy sauce; only available at some locations)
  • Chow Mein (stir-fried noodles with cabbage, onions, and celery)
  • Chow Fun (available at select locations)
takeout box of vegan items from panda express with beyond orange chicken chow mein and super greens

Appetizers

  • Vegetable Spring Rolls (cabbage, celery, carrots, green onions, and Chinese noodles in a wonton wrapper)

NOTE: At some locations, you can add mushrooms, green beans, tofu, or vegetable protein to the spring rolls. The wrappers do not contain eggs.

vegan spring rolls from panda express with a takeout box of food

Sides

  • Super Greens (steamed broccoli, kale and cabbage)
  • Brown Steamed Rice
  • White Steamed Rice
broccoli super greens up close

Sauces

  • Chili Sauce
  • Hot Mustard
  • Plum Sauce
  • Potsticker Sauce
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce
  • Teriyaki Sauce

Dessert

  • Fortune Cookie
  • Apple Pie Roll (flaky vegan-friendly crust filled with baked apple pie filling)
fortune cookie in wrapper from panda express

Vegan-Friendly Beverages

  • Barq’s Root Beer
  • Black Tea
  • Fountain Drinks (Coca-Cola Brands)
  • Fuze Teas (Lemon and Raspberry)
  • Glaceau Vitaminwaters
  • Gold Peak Teas
  • Hi-C Fruit Punch
  • Minute Maid Lemonades
  • Powerade
  • Seagrams’ Ginger Ale
  • Sweet Tea

Panda Express FAQs

Does Panda Express Use Chicken Broth in Their Menu Items?

Nope! Thanks to years of campaigning from organizations like PETA and Vegan Outreach, Panda Express has not used chicken broth in their dishes since February 2021.

Are the Noodles at Panda Express Vegan?

Yes! The noodles contain no eggs or other animal products. But, be aware that all of the vegan-friendly food options are cooked in the same wok as foods that contain meat. Panda Express has mentioned that they wipe the woks out well between uses, but they do share the same surface. If you are not comfortable with the possible cross-contamination, it might be best to avoid this fast food restaurant all together.

What’s Not Vegan at Panda Express?

The Hot and Sour Soup contains eggs, Fried Rice – contains eggs, and the Chocolate Chip Cookies contain eggs, milk, and butter. NOTE: Most of the foods that are available at Panda Express contain wheat and soy. If you are sensitive or allergic to either of these elements, you might want to avoid visiting this fast food restaurant for now.

Helpful Hints When Ordering Vegan at Panda Express

  • Browse the Panda Express menu before ordering.
  • If ordering Panda Express online or through a delivery service, make sure you clearly specify any substitutions you would like. Especially concerning sauces and meats. If you’re worried that your request may not be honored (or seen by the server at Panda Express), it might be a better idea to go there directly to order.
  • Check out the Nutrition and Allergen Information page to make sure that you are purchasing a vegan-friendly item. The menu items offered at Panda Express do change and the informational charts seem to be updated regularly.
  • Be careful when new and exciting seasonal products are offered at Panda Express. Double check the allergens and ingredients PDFs to make sure the item is vegan before purchasing.

Creating a Kinder and More Accessible Panda Express

Panda Express is yet another great example that when we ask; companies listen. Vegetarians and vegans have been asking for vegan options on the menu for this quick-stop, Chinese takeout restaurant for over a decade. And finally we have them. Your voice matters, so we hope this inspires you to use your voice to make a difference!

You can always write to, call, or contact the managers of any location to make our requests.

What are your favorite items on the new vegan menu at Panda Express? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to the World of Vegan weekly newsletter and join our community of over 1 million plant-passionate peeps on Instagram (@Vegan), Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!

At the time of this article, the foods mentioned above are vegan. Since restaurants constantly update their menus and add or take away items, please keep this in mind when ordering your food. There may be new items that are vegan at Panda Express and not listed or items listed here as vegan, which are no longer vegan. Take care to double-check.

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10 comments
  1. FYI – the stores near me in So Cal are cooking chow main with Chicken stock.

    • Hi Ray! Thank you for the comment! We’ve looked into your comment and it appears that Panda Express has been not used chicken broth in their chow mein recipe since 2019. It’s such a bummer that the one near you is continuing this practice. Have you spoken with the manager about this? Let’s hope they change back to their chicken-broth-free practices soon!

  2. The Beyond Orange Chicken is very good! It’s the spicy, sweet sauce that makes it. The greens are also very fresh, but the brown rice could be better.

  3. Great! Helpful info! Thanks

  4. It was really interesting figuring out which items at Panda Express are available to vegans. I love that they newly added Orange Beyond Chicken. Yay! Hope they’ll keep adding more vegan options as time goes on.

  5. I want to try these so bad! Yummy 🙂

  6. so excited for their vegan orange chicken! way to go panda express!

  7. Panda Express definitely has a lot of great options! Great for making eating out a little less stressful

  8. I just got the plate with beyond orange chicken, chow mien, and super greens, and oh-my-gawd it was sooo good! I remember in high school learning that nothing on their menu was even vegetarian except for white rice! So glad times are changing 🙂

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