Known for its iconic Chinese-inspired dishes like Orange Chicken and chow mein, Panda Express has become a staple of American fast food culture. But while these dishes are undeniably delicious, they often come with a hefty nutritional price tag, packing in high levels of sodium, fat, and sugar.
Panda Express’ cooking methods—like breading and frying—combined with sodium- and sugar-heavy sauces give its dishes their signature flavor; however, those same methods also pile on calories, sodium, and sugar.
That said, Panda Express does offer healthier options, such as the Mixed Vegetables and Mushroom Chicken. “They also have dishes that are 250 calories or less per serving, called Wok Smart,” says Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist, though she cautions that even these may still be high in sodium.
To help you navigate the menu, we asked Ehsani to help us identify the very worst dishes for your health. Here are eight of the unhealthiest menu items at Panda Express. For better options, don’t miss The 8 Healthiest Menu Items at Panda Express.
8 Unhealthiest Menu Items at Panda Express
Eggplant & Tofu
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 340
Fat: 24 g (Saturated Fat: 3.5 g)
Sodium: 520 mg
Carbs: 23 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 17 g)
Protein: 7 g
Just because a dish contains all veggies doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Although the Eggplant & Tofu order is meat-free, it is tied for the second-highest fat content of any dish on the Panda Express menu (24 grams) next to the Beijing Beef (27 grams). It also has the third-highest sugar content (17 grams).
“Although you might be thinking eggplant and tofu is a nutritious choice (it is pretty lean on calories, just packing 340 calories), it has one of the highest amounts of total fat on the menu,” says Ehsani. “It packs 24 grams of total fat in one dish, more than any other vegetarian dish on the menu.” To put that in perspective, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 26 grams of fat.
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 360
Fat: 24 g (Saturated Fat: 3.5 g)
Sodium: 590 mg
Carbs: 27 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 11 g
These crispy shrimp are breaded and fried, upping the carb and fat content, and then sautéed with sweet walnuts for a one-two punch of carbs and sugar.
Sweet & Sour Chicken Breast
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 300
Fat: 12 g (Saturated Fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 260 mg
Carbs: 40 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 24 g)
Protein: 10 g
This order has the highest sugar content of any order at Panda Express.
“This dish, although not too high in sodium, is quite high when it comes to carbs and sugar for just being a chicken dish,” says Ehsani. “It contains the highest amounts of added sugar in dishes, packing 24 grams of sugar, likely from the sweet and sour sauce plus the addition of pineapple chunks.” The American Heart Association recommends limiting your added sugar intake to 25 grams a day, so this one serving would make you hit nearly 100% of your daily limit.
Orange Chicken
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 490
Fat: 23 g (Saturated Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 820 mg
Carbs: 51 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 19 g)
Protein: 25 g
It’s no surprise that this sweet chicken dish is made with tons of sugar and carbs thanks to the orange sauce and battered (and fried) chicken.
“Orange chicken is generally dipped in batter, deep-fried, then dipped in a sweet orange sauce,” says Ehsani. “For just chicken, without rice or noodles, it still packs 43 grams of carbs, and 18 grams come from added sugar, from the breading and sauce.”
Beijing Beef
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 480
Fat: 27 g (Saturated Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 600 mg
Carbs: 46 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 21 g)
Protein: 14 g
“You might think it’s a healthy dish as there are bell peppers and onions, but [the Beijing Beef is] topped with a tangy sauce, which bumps up the total calories and sugar calories too,” says Ehsani.
Eating this dish is the equivalent of unwrapping eight Starbursts.
Chow Mein
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 510
Fat: 20 g (Saturated Fat: 3.5 g)
Sodium: 860 mg
Carbs: 80 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 13 g
This wheat noodle dish has some fiber thanks to onions, celery, and cabbage, but it’s super high in fat and contains the highest amount of sodium out of all Panda Express dishes.
“The Chow Mein, although a popular noodle dish you might want to dig into, packs 23 grams of fat and nearly half of a day’s worth of sodium in one dish,” says Ehsani. “It’s best to skip the noodles here, see if you can order plain noodles without all the sodium.”
Chicken Egg Roll
Nutrition (Per roll):
Calories: 200
Fat: 10 g (Saturated Fat: 2 g)
Sodium: 340 mg
Carbs: 20 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 6 g
Although this egg roll is filled with seemingly healthy ingredients (cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, green onions, and chicken), it’s fried in a wonton wrapper and is thus high in carbs while being low in protein.
“In just one chicken egg roll, you are eating nearly a meal’s worth of sodium and 12 grams of fat. You also are likely eating more than just one egg roll, so when you add another meal and side to this meal, you might be well over your daily sodium for the day.
Fried Rice
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 520
Fat: 16 g (Saturated Fat: 3 g)
Sodium: 850 mg
Carbs: 85 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g)
Protein: 11 g
Although the fried rice has veggies (peas, carrots, and green onions), it doesn’t make it healthy. The fried rice is the Panda Express menu item with the highest calories and the second-highest amount of sodium.
“The Fried Rice at Panda Express is packed with sodium and fat. Although it has some veggies peppered in there, it’s not a healthier choice compared to regular rice,” says Ehsani. “Stick to meals that have less than 500 milligrams of sodium per meal, this one is well above this recommendation hitting 850 milligrams per bowl. Stick to steamed rice, which has no fat or sodium.”
The daily recommended maximum of sodium is 2,300 milligrams a day, so eating this dish—which is often served as a side to other entree proteins—would help you hit 37% of your DV.
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