Panda Express Chow Mein Recipe (Easy Copycat at Home)
Want to make Panda Express Chow Mein at home?
This copycat Panda Express chow mein recipe gives you the same soft noodles, stir-fried cabbage, celery crunch, and savory soy flavor — just like the restaurant version.
In this guide you’ll get:
- Exact ingredients
- Step-by-step instructions
- Chow mein sauce recipe
- Nutrition overview
- Pro tips for authentic flavor
What Is Panda Express Chow Mein?
Panda Express Chow Mein is a stir-fried noodle side dish made with:
- Wheat chow mein noodles
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Onions
- Savory soy-based sauce
It is slightly salty, lightly sweet, and cooked in a wok for a smoky flavor.
Ingredients for Panda Express Chow Mein Recipe
Panda Express Chow Mein is the best part of the Panda Express Side Menu. It has a savory and a little sweet taste. Here are the ingredients needed to make it:
Noodles & Vegetables
- 12 oz chow mein noodles (or spaghetti substitute)
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 2 tbsp oil
What Are the Ingredients for Panda Express Sauce?
The Chow Mein Sauce is an important part of the chow mein, like the orange sauce, that use in the Orange Chicken Recipe too. With chow mein Sauce, you can make a restaurant-type chow mein at home. Check the ingredients below used to make chow mein sauce.
- Soy Sauce.
- Brown Sugar.
- Ginger Paste.
- Garlic Paste.
- Black Pepper.
- Cooking Wine (You can take any cooking wine, like Chinese cooking wine).
Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
How to Make Panda Express Chow Mein (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Cook the Noodles
- Boil noodles according to package instructions.
- Drain and set aside.
- Do not overcook.
Step 2: Stir-Fry the Vegetables
- Heat oil in a wok or large pan.
- Add onions, celery, and cabbage.
- Stir-fry 2–3 minutes until slightly soft but still crisp.
Step 3: Add Noodles
- Add cooked noodles into the pan.
- Toss with vegetables.
Step 4: Add Sauce
- Pour prepared chow mein sauce over noodles.
- Stir-fry 2–3 minutes until evenly coated.
Optional: Add a splash of dark soy sauce for deeper color.
Panda Express Chow Mein Recipe Made Easy at Home
Course: SidesCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes15
minutes35
minutesMake the Panda Express Chow Mein at home with help of this recipe. By following it you make the same chow mein as the Panda Express. Make the sauce, cut the veggies then stir-fry them. After that add the noodles and keep on tossing them. After they get a light color add the sauce in it and cook until the noodles soak the sauce. That’s it. Your Panda Express Chow Mein is ready to enjoy it with any kind of entree.
Ingredients
Chow Mein Noodles ( If you don’t care about noodle shape or other things, you can choose other noodles as well, like ramen).
Onions (White or Yellow ).
Celery.
Cabbage.
Chow Mein sauce.
- Chow Mein Sauce Ingredients
Soy Sauce.
Brown Sugar.
Ginger Paste.
Garlic Paste.
Black Pepper.
Cooking Wine (You can take any cooking wine, like Chinese cooking wine).
Directions
- For the Chow Mein Sauce:
- Take a small bowl and add Soy Sauce, Garlic Paste, Ginger Paste, Brown Sugar, Cooking Wine, and Black Pepper in it.
- Mix all of these well.
- Your Chow Mein Sauce is ready.
- For the Chow Mein:
- Now cut all the vegetables ( Celery, Cabbage, Onions) and put them in a bowl.
- Heat the pan, and when it is heated, add a little amount of oil and stir-fry all the veggies you cut.
- When they are stir-fried properly, add the noodles ( Boil those noodles before you add them. Do not boil them too much because it has to cook again when added to the pan with the veggies).
- When the noodles start taking a light color, add the Chow Mein sauce.
- Cook both of them until the noodles soak in the sauce.
- And now your Panda Express Chow Mein is ready. Enjoy it with any kind of entree (well, it is yummy even if you eat it alone, hehe)
Additional Tips To Use While Cooking Chow Mein:
- Choosing the right noodle, chow mein noodle itself, or if you don’t have those noodles, you can have any kind of thin noodles, or ramen is also not a bad choice.
- Do not overcook the noodles. Otherwise, the noodles can lose their shape, and there is no fun eating them.
- Prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking because if you cut the veggies or prepare the sauce while cooking, it can burn the food, and if you do that on low flame, the veggies or other ingredients will feel like they are steamed instead of stir-fry.
- Do not overload the pan. It can also result in steamed noodles and soggy veggies.
- Cook them on high flame to get the required taste.
- Cook veggies until they are crispy and tender.
- When you are moving the spatula in the noodles, use light hands because if you do that with a hard hand, you can break the noodles, so use gentle hands while tossing them.
- Taste the sauce before you add it to the noodles so that you can balance the seasonings if any of them are in more quantity.
- If you are not making any entree with it then also add chicken or any of your favorite meat that you like to eat in it.
- Serve it immediately, and do not let it get cold because it will lose almost half of its taste very quickly after getting cold.
Nutrition Facts
6 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories80
- % Daily Value *
- Cholesterol 0mg 0%
- Sodium 450mg 20%
- Potassium 160mg 4%
- Total Carbohydrate
14g
6%
- Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
- Total Sugars 3g
- Protein 3g 6%
- Vitamin A 120mcg 14%
- Vitamin C 12mg 14%
- Calcium 20mg 2%
- Iron 0.6mg 4%
- Vitamin E 0.3mg 2%
- Vitamin K 20mcg 17%
- Thiamin 0.05mg 5%
- Riboflavin 0.02mg 2%
- Niacin 0.5mg 4%
- Vitamin B6 0.1mg 6%
- Folate 10mcg 3%
- Pantothenic Acid 0.1mg 2%
- Phosphorus 20mg 2%
- Iodine 1mcg 1%
- Magnesium 15mg 4%
- Zinc 0.2mg 2%
- Selenium 0.3mcg 1%
- Copper 0.05mg 6%
- Manganese 0.2mg 9%
- Chloride 200mg 9%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Is Panda Express Chow Mein Vegan?
Yes. The standard chow mein contains no meat.
However:
- It contains gluten (wheat noodles + soy sauce)
- Cross-contact may occur in restaurant kitchens
FAQs About Panda Express Chow Mein Recipe
No, Panda Express Chow Mein is known as the best Panda Express side. But it can also depend on your taste.
Very close. The key is high heat and proper sauce balance.
Yes. Thin spaghetti works as a substitute.
No. It is vegetable-based.
Yes, Panda Express Chow Mein has Onions in it.
No, there are no peanuts in Panda Express Chow Mein, But they use them in their other dishes, so there is a risk of cross-contamination because they use the same kitchen to cook everything.
It is stir-fried, not deep-fried.
Yes. It contains wheat noodles and soy sauce.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that Panda Express Chow Mein is one of the most tasty and popular sides of the Panda Express menu. Many people would like to try it at home as well, so I prepared a whole article where I provided Panda Express Chow Mien’s very simple and easy recipe. Its ingredients, Nutrition, and many other things are also discussed in this article. And that’s all for today. See you in the next post for now. Goodbye! By Moira Rogers: “The two hardest things to say in life is hello for the first time and goodbye for the last.”
