This complete Panda Express Gluten-Free Guide will help you find what is safe to eat at Panda Express if you are following a gluten-free diet. In this guide, you will find a list of gluten-free drinks, food options, answers to the most commonly asked questions, and gluten-free copycat recipes to make at home.
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📖 Panda Express History
Panda Express, a fast-food chain with a Chinese theme, was established in October 1983 in Glendale, California by Andrew and Peggy Cherng. Their main mission is to bring people together to enjoy Americanized Chinese cuisine in a cozy and enjoyable environment. The current headquarters of Panda Express is in Rosemead, California.
The journey began when Andrew Cherng opened the first restaurant and enlisted Peggy to fine-tune its operations for top-notch food and service. By 1987, they had created a signature dish called Orange Chicken, with the help of their skilled chef Andy Kao. This dish draws inspiration from the original flavors of the Hunan Province and features crispy chicken bites coated in a sweet, tangy orange sauce.
Panda Express serves several additional Asian-inspired meals in addition to Orange Chicken, including Beijing Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, and Firecracker Chicken Breast. These are available as combo meals with various side dishes, including fried rice, chow mein, steamed rice, or mixed veggies.
According to the Panda Express Website, they utilize only natural products free of any artificial additives. They also don't buy their goods from vendors that use enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) before they are delivered.
💭Is Panda Express Gluten Free?
Panda Express doesn’t have a special gluten-free menu, however, they do have some items on their menu that are naturally gluten-free. However, it is important to note that if you have Celiac or severe gluten-free allergy you should avoid eating at Panda Express because there can be cross-contamination. All of the ingredients at Panda Express are prepared in the same kitchen so they can get cross-contaminated when the naturally gluten-free ingredients come in contact with ingredients that contain gluten.
🔖 Panda Express Gluten-Free Menu Options
This is a list of items from the Panda Express Menu that are naturally gluten-free:
Sides
- Brown Steamed Rice
- White Steamed Rice
Sauces
- Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Chili Sauce
- Hot Mustard
- Plum Sauce
Drinks
- All drinks are gluten-free
💬 Common Questions Asked When Ordering Gluten-Free From Panda Express
On the Panda Express website Kung Pao Chicken is described as A Szechwan-inspired dish with chicken, peanuts, and vegetables, finished with chili peppers.
However as I have mentioned above, Panda Express prepares its main dishes fresh with shared equipment so these dishes can be cross-contaminated and allergens can be present. So Kung Pao Chicken from Panda Express is not gluten-free
Teriyaki chicken from Panda Express consists of grilled chicken breast, teriyaki sauce, and sesame seeds. The teriyaki sauce is made of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar. Moreover, the ingredients are prepared fresh using shared utensils which can cause cross-contamination with different allergens.
Therefore teriyaki chicken from Panda Express is not gluten-free.
Fried rice from Panda Express is made with steamed white rice with soy sauce, eggs, peas, carrots, and green onions.
Most soy sauces contain gluten, moreover Panda Express prepares its entrees fresh with shared kitchen utensils, which is why allergens can be present in the dish. Therefore Fried Rice from Panda Express is not gluten-free.
On Panda Express website beef and broccoli are described to be made with Tender beef and fresh broccoli in a ginger soy sauce.
Most soy sauces contain gluten and according to their website Panda Express prepares its entrees fresh with shared cooking equipment therefore allergens could be present in any entree. Therefore Beef and Broccoli are not gluten-free.
On their fortune cookies packaging is written that they contain wheat and may contain egg and soy ingredients. Therefore, Panda Express fortune cookies are vegan but are not gluten-free. Those with egg or soy allergies should avoid Panda’s fortune cookies due to possible cross-contamination.
The short answer is no, the orange chicken from Panda Express is not gluten-free as it contains wheat.
Taken directly from their website the ingredients used in their orange chicken are: dark meat chicken, water, sugar, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, corn starch, and potato starch, contains less than 2% of: wheat, orange extract, caramel color, salt, garlic, phosphoric acid, rice, sesame oil. *The dish uses a proprietary batter and sauce. The batter includes the following primary ingredients: wheat flour, salt, eggs, spices, and leavening; the sauce includes the following primary ingredients: water, sugar, soy sauce, salt, and spices.
👩🏻🍳 Copycat Panda Express Gluten-Free Recipes
📙 Gluten-Free Chinese Fast Food Chain Alternatives
PF Changs
Pf Changs offers a gluten-free menu, however, their gluten-free dishes are prepared on shared equipment with gluten-containing dishes, so if you have celiac or severe gluten allergies you should avoid this restaurant as well.
Pei Wei
Pei Wei offers some gluten-free dishes on their menu. You can check their page with allergen information to see which items are gluten-free.
If you have celiac or severe gluten allergies you should ask them whether they prepare gluten-free meals with shared utensils.
Sources
https://s3.amazonaws.com/PandaExpressWebsite/files/IngredientList.pdf
https://www.pandaexpress.ca/en/
https://www.pfchangs.com/menu/gluten-free
https://www.peiwei.com/allergen-information/
📙 Other Gluten-Free Menu Guides
- Texas Roadhouse Gluten-Free Menu Guide
- Tim Hortons Gluten-Free Menu
- Krispy Kreme Gluten-Free Menu
- Dunkin’ Donuts Gluten-Free Menu Guide
- Five Guys Gluten-Free Menu Guide
- Sonic Gluten-Free Menu Guide
- Panera Bread Gluten-Free Menu Guide
Please comment below if this Panda Express Gluten-Free Menu was useful to you or if you detect any inaccuracies.
Annie Fredrickson says
Thanks for the heads-up on gluten-free!