Living a vegan lifestyle has a lot of perks. You feel healthier, you’re not harming animals, and it can align with your morals and beliefs. However, it’s not without its obstacles. As a vegan, you already know how difficult it is to find restaurants and fast food places that cater to your diet.
Most of the time, there are barely any options at all. Most places either run the risk of cross contamination, or the vegan friendly items may be cooked in animal fats, oils and derivatives, making them no longer vegan.
The problem is that if you want to go out for food with friends, you may not be able to order anything at the local places in your area. That’s where we can come in handy. We’ll cover which restaurants offer vegan options, and what menu items you can choose from in our guides.
In this guide, we’re going to look at what vegan friendly options there are at Panda Express. Panda Express is one of the most popular Asian cuisine fast food restaurants in the states, with over 2,000 locations across the world.
While many Asian restaurants have plant based dishes and vegan friendly options, Panda Express has been known to have ‘vegetarian’ options that may contain animal derivatives such as chicken broth. So, are there any real vegan options at Panda Express? Let’s find out.
Are There Vegan Options At Panda Express?
The truth is that there are some vegan friendly food options available at Panda Express. However, you should always check with your local server and in your local Panda Express before ordering, as our research is based across the majority of their restaurants.
That being said, there are 7 vegan options for you to try at Panda Express. These are outlined below, and we’ll go over everything that is suitable for a vegan diet at Panda Express restaurants.
There is some important information you need to consider. Panda Express themselves as a company have stated on their website that none of their food items are 100% vegan, vegetarian or gluten free.
This is due to the risk of cross contamination as they use the same equipment to handle the food.
While the vegan dishes we will discuss in this guide do not have any animal ingredients or byproducts, all of the food at Panda Express is cooked, made and prepared in the same facilities and with the same equipment, meaning that the food can come into contact with animal products.
It is for this reason that Panda Express does not claim to have vegan options on their menus. The same goes for if you have any allergies. Panda Express cannot guarantee that the foods will not come into contact with milk, fish, eggs, gluten, nuts, or shellfish.
Vegan Options At Panda Express
Chow Mein
Kicking off our list is the Panda Express chow mein. Who doesn’t love a delicious chow mein, and with this on the menu, you can have it guilt free! As of 2019, the Chow Mein at Panda Express is vegan, as it no longer contains chicken broth as part of the ingredients.
Vegetable Spring Roll
Your second option is the vegetable spring roll. You can enjoy these with one of Panda Express’ vegan condiments such as sweet and sour sauce to make the flavor even better.
Eggplant Tofu
Eggplant Tofu is another vegan option you can choose. It is made with lightly browned tofu, red bell peppers, eggplant, and served in a sweet and spicy sauce.
That being said, you need to check with your local Panda Express, as they may be cooked in the same oil that they use to cook the chicken, so verify before you make your order.
Super Greens
You can also order super greens at Panda Express. This can jazz up your plain brown and white steamed rice if you’re looking for a more fulfilling meal. Super greens consist of cabbage, broccoli, and kale.
However, you should know that Panda Express often serves these with garlic butter in some locations, so you should check with your local server before ordering. This doesn’t mean that you will not be allowed to have them, just ask for the super greens to be served without.
Brown & White Steamed Rice
If you’re heading to Panda Express, then you can always just order the brown and white steamed rice. It’s simple, but tasty. The brown and white steamed rice is vegan friendly, and you can pair it with some of their vegan friendly sauces found below.
Sauces & Condiments
There are many sauces you can choose from in Panda Express which are actually vegan. These are chili sauce, soy sauce, hot mustard, plum sauce, potsticker sauce, teriyaki sauce and the sweet and sour sauce.
Drinks
You can also choose from a range of drinks from Panda Express. The vegan options are:
Coca Cola
Diet coke
Coca Cola Zero Sugar
Cherry Coca Cola
Root Beer
Dr. Pepper
Fanta Orange
Fanta Strawberry
Fanta Fruit Punch
Fuze Lemon Black Tea
Glaceau Vitaminwater Squeezed Zero
Fuze Raspberry Tea
Minute Maid Lemonade
Minute Maid Lemonade Light
Sprite
Black Tea
Sweet Tea
And so many more! If you’re unsure, just ask your server!
Conclusion
To conclude, there are 7 vegan friendly options at Panda Express. For more information, you can check out the nutrition and allergen information from Panda Express themselves online. In their guide, you can double check the ingredients in all of the dishes they offer.
Hi, I’m Eve Mason and I’ve been a vegan since almost five years now.I can honestly say that veganism has changed my life for the better.The past few years I’ve been on a quest to find affordable vegan friendly food.Fortunately, meat-free alternatives have now become available in most supermarkets, which has made my life a lot easier.
I love cooking at home, but for those who don’t like cooking at all, there are more and more restaurants that offer vegan options as well nowadays.
I hope you enjoy my website and have fun preparing your own homemade vegan meals.
