13 Panda Express Recipes for Chinese Food Fans (2024)

Panda Express has an extensive menu and always offers a satisfying and delicious experience, but that doesn’t mean you always want to pay restaurant prices or even drive all the way over there. We have some good new for you – you can still enjoy the very best Panda Express recipes by creating copycat versions right there in the comfort of your own kitchen! Whether you want beef, pork, noodles, chicken, or something else, you’re going to be impressed with all these tasty copycat dishes from the Panda Express menu!

Black Pepper Chicken – Copycat Panda Express

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Make restaurant-style black pepper chicken at home in just 30 minutes with this delicious copycat Panda Express recipe. Satisfy your Asian food cravings with this easy and flavorful stir-fry.
Get the Recipe:Black Pepper Chicken – Copycat Panda Express

Wok Seared Steak and Shrimp – Panda Express Copycat

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Make this tasty Panda Express copycat wok-seared steak and shrimp dish at home with soy sauce, chili sauce, ginger, and garlic flavors. Impress your friends or enjoy it for lunch or dinner – it’s like an Asian surf and turf with beef and shrimp!
Get the Recipe:Wok Seared Steak and Shrimp – Panda Express Copycat

Easy Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Recipe

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Love Panda Express but can’t make it to the restaurant as often as you’d like? This Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Recipe will cure your craving any time it hits.
Get the Recipe: Easy Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Recipe

Honey Walnut Shrimp – Panda Express Copycat

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This Panda Express honey walnut shrimp copycat recipe coats crispy deep-fried tempura shrimp in a tantalizing sweet and savory sauce that’s served with candied walnuts. This will become one of your favorite quick dinner recipes!
Get the Recipe: Honey Walnut Shrimp

Instant Pot Fried Rice

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Let your instant pot get the flavor of Panda Express fried rice on your table in no time. This recipe is easy, tasty and best of all, budget friendly so you can get your Panda fix anytime!
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Fried Rice

Orange Chicken – Panda Express Copycat

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Panda Express Copycat Orange Chicken has tender chunks of pan fried chicken that are smothered in a delicious orange sauce that has a kick of heat! The perfect quick night dinner option that’s ready in just 35 minutes!
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Copycat Orange Chicken

Broccoli Beef

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If you love broccoli beef over rice from Panda, then you have to try this copycat recipe. It is so tasty, and you are going to love how quick this dish comes together for a weeknight meal.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli Beef

Kung Pao Chicken

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This recipe for kung pao chicken might be even better than what you can get at Panda Express! You are sure to love the flavor of this easy and budget friendly take out fake out!
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

Vegan Orange Tofu

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This 15 minute meal is a perfect vegan option for those nights you want take out, but don’t really want to go out and get it. It is made with simple ingredients for a flavorful and filling meal when served over rice.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Orange Tofu

Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork

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Use crispy pork belly to make this restaurant quality sweet and sour pork. This tastes even better than what you will get from Panda Express. It is also not too complicated to make on a weeknight for fast, homemade food.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork

Black Pepper Chicken

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Black pepper chicken makes for such a wonderful and easy dinner option. This recipe is loaded with celery to make a healthy one dish meals that tastes even better than an order from your favorite fast food spot.
Get the Recipe: Black Pepper Chicken

Chow Mein Copycat

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If you can’t resist chow mein from Panda Express, then you need to make this at home, as soon as possible. It is so easy to make on a busy night and it pairs well with chicken, pork, beef or shrimp for a versatile homemade meal.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein Copycat

Mushroom Chicken

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Serve this mushroom chicken with zucchini over rice for a homemade meal that tastes even better than what you can get at Panda Express. This is so fresh and flavorful for a fast weeknight meal.
Get the Recipe: Mushroom Chicken

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Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for recipes, dogs, sustainability, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.

Bella Bucchiotti is a freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer for MSN and the Associated Press Wire.

13 Panda Express Recipes for Chinese Food Fans (2024)

FAQs

What's the most popular item at Panda Express? ›

The Original Orange Chicken

In fact, at every Panda Express we've ever been to, the dish is served from a bowl on the counter that's nearly twice the size of all the others. It's a true testament to the food's consistent popularity. And the dish isn't just a bestseller because of hype — it's actually pretty good!

What is the most worth it at Panda Express? ›

1. Orange Chicken. There's a reason why this dish is Panda's claim to fame. The restaurant's most popular entree is made with crispy boneless pieces of meat combined with the chain's secret sweet yet spicy orange sauce.

Does Panda Express chow mein have egg? ›

Does Express Panda's Chow Mein contain egg? No. Panda Express's Chow Mein does not contain eggs. Only wheat noodles, onions, celery, and cabbage are used to make this dish.

What is the unhealthiest thing at Panda Express? ›

Unfortunately, if it's a nutritious meal you're on the hunt for, this one isn't it. "Panda Express's Orange Chicken and Chow Mein are considered unhealthy due to their high levels of sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats," says Young.

What is the signature dish of Panda Express? ›

ORANGE CHICKEN

Our signature dish. Crispy chicken wok-tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce.

Is it better to get a bowl or plate at Panda Express? ›

If you eat a lot, the plate is recommended for you as it goes with 2 entrees and one side. I just get the bowl, for one entree and one side, just enough for me. Whether you order bowl or plate, it is priced just right. The side is either noodles or friedrice.

How much money does a Panda Express owner make? ›

As per our calculations, the average Panda Express franchisee makes $184,872 profits per year. This corresponds to a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin.

Who owns Panda Express? ›

2022 Billionaires Net Worth

Andrew and Peggy Cherng are cofounders of the $3.5 billion (sales) Chinese fast food chain, Panda Express, which has over 2,200 locations. The Cherngs also run famed ramen house, Ippudo, in Berkeley, CA and have investments in chains that sell everything from pizza, salad and cheesecake.

What's better fried rice or chow mein? ›

Well fried rice is white or brown rice fried with seasonings, egg, onions, carrots, peas, mushrooms and possibly water chestnut. Chow Mein is a vegetable and sauce dish sometimes with a meat and crunchy dried chow mein noodles. Actually Chow Mein is a more tasty and nutritious dish than fried rice.

What is the healthiest rice at Panda? ›

Substitute Chow Mein and Fried Rice with Brown Rice: - Brown rice contains extra nutrients, fiber and protein. - It will keep you fuller longer and give you added benefits. 3. Ask for sauces on the side: - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken with the sauce in a side container.

Which is better fried rice or lo mein? ›

So what's the healthier order, fried rice or lo mein? Short answer: lo mein. Yes, both dishes usually come slathered in sauce, but the rice offers the unfortunate double-whammy of being fried in oil first.

What kind of noodles is used in chow mein? ›

Despite their differences, chow mein and lo mein dishes are both made with Chinese egg noodles, which are wheat flour noodles with egg added. While lo mein requires fresh egg noodles, chow mein can be made with either fresh or dried egg noodles.

What oil does Panda Express use? ›

Panda Express entrees and sides contain zero grams of trans fat per serving and adds no MSG in their food. Panda Express uses only 100% pure soybean oil in the preparation of recipes.

What is in the lo mein at Panda? ›

Your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetable or any combination with our thick Shanghai egg noodles. Accented by Napa cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts and spinach in a light soy sauce.

Why do people love Panda Express? ›

Flavor wise, Panda Express food isn't very complex. It is salty, sweet and a little spicy with sticky sauces that deliver a lot of salt and sweet flavor to your mouth. People love salty sweet foods, especially when they have a touch of acidity as well. That's why the Orange Chicken is so popular.

Why is Panda Express famous? ›

Panda Express is the biggest Chinese fast food restaurant chain in the United States. Famous for its orange chicken and chow mein, it has over 1800 locations and 27,000 employees around the world.

Who is Panda Express biggest rival? ›

pandaexpress.com's top 5 competitors in March 2024 are: subway.com, pfchangs.com, pandaguestexperience.com, arbys.com, and more. According to Similarweb data of monthly visits, pandaexpress.com's top competitor in March 2024 is subway.com with 13.5M visits.

Is Panda Express better than McDonald's? ›

I thought McDonald's would be a cheaper option while Panda Express is of higher quality and therefore more expensive. But from what I've found, Panda Express offers healthier food, there's more of it, and it's even cheaper! So as you can see, it's not just a matter of McDonald's versus Panda Express.

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