Health calculators

Panda Express Nutrition Calculator

Updated Jul 27, 2026 By Jehan Wadia
Rate Formulas Medical disclaimer
1. Choose Your Meal Type
All energy values re-convert instantly.
Weights shown in oz or grams.
2. Quick Meal Presets
3. Find Menu Items
Matches item name, category, or allergen.
Dietary filters
Category
Hide items containing these allergens

Your Meal — Plate

Meal Slots
Selected Items
Nutrition Totals & % Daily Value
Energy Budget Tracker
Macro Calorie Split
% Daily Value by Nutrient
Step-by-Step Solution

Introduction

The Panda Express Nutrition Calculator helps you see what is in your meal before you order. Pick a Bowl, Plate, Bigger Plate, or A La Carte. Then add your side, your entrees, and any extras like egg rolls, sauces, or a drink. The calculator adds it all up for you.

You get the calories, fat, saturated fat, carbs, fiber, sugar, protein, cholesterol, and sodium for your whole meal. You also see the % Daily Value for each one, so you know if a number is high or low. Set your own calorie goal, and a bar shows how much of that goal your meal uses. Not sure what your goal should be? Run the numbers first with our TDEE Calculator or the Calorie Calculator.

You can search the menu, sort items by calories, protein, carbs, or sodium, and filter for vegetarian, gluten-free, or Wok Smart® picks. If you avoid an allergen like peanuts, wheat, or shellfish, you can hide those items. Want to choose between two dishes? Check the compare box on both and see them side by side.

Small changes matter. Swapping Fried Rice for Super Greens, or Orange Chicken for String Bean Chicken Breast, can cut hundreds of calories. Use the charts and the step-by-step math to see exactly where your calories, sodium, and protein come from, then build a meal that fits your day. Eating out somewhere else this week? We also have a Chipotle Nutrition Calculator, a Subway Nutrition Calculator, a Taco Bell Nutrition Calculator, and a McDonald's Nutrition Calculator.

How to use our Panda Express Nutrition Calculator

Pick your meal type, add the Panda Express sides, entrees, and extras you want, and the calculator shows your total calories, protein, carbs, fat, sodium, % Daily Value, and how the meal fits your daily energy goal.

Choose Your Meal Type: Tap Bowl, Plate, Bigger Plate, or A La Carte. This sets how many sides and entrees you can add.

Energy Units: Pick calories (kcal) or kilojoules (kJ). All energy numbers switch right away.

Serving Size Units: Pick US (oz / fl oz) or Metric (g / mL) to change how serving sizes are shown. For other kitchen conversions, try the Grams to Ounces Calculator.

My Energy Goal: Type how many calories you want for the day, from 200 to 20,000. The budget bar compares your meal to this number. If you are cutting, the Calorie Deficit Calculator and BMR Calculator can help you set a realistic target.

Sort Menu Items By: Sort the menu by calories, protein, carbs, or sodium to find lighter or higher-protein picks fast. Pair it with the Protein Calculator to see how much protein you actually need in a day.

Quick Meal Presets: Click a ready-made meal, like Orange Chicken Plate or Low Cal Bowl, to fill your meal in one tap.

Search menu items: Type a food name, category, or allergen to find it fast.

Dietary filters: Turn on Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, or Wok Smart® to show only those items.

Category: Tap a tab like Chicken, Beef, Sides, or Beverages to see just that group.

Hide items with allergens: Check any allergen, such as Wheat, Soy, or Peanuts, to hide foods that contain it.

Quantity: Use the plus and minus buttons, or type a number from 1 to 10, before you add an item.

½ Half portion: On sides, tap the ½ button to count only half a serving. This is handy when you split rice and chow mein.

Add: Click Add to put the item in your meal. The info button shows a full Nutrition Facts label, and the compare box lets you check two items side by side.

Calculate and Reset: Click Calculate to update your totals and charts. Click Reset to start over with the sample meal.

Panda Express Nutrition: What to Know

Panda Express is an American Chinese fast food chain. Most meals are built the same way: you pick a side (like rice or chow mein), then add one, two, or three entrees. The side you pick and the entrees you stack are what push calories, fat, and sodium up or down.

How a Panda Express Meal Is Built

  • Bowl: 1 side + 1 entree
  • Plate: 1 side + 2 entrees
  • Bigger Plate: 1 side + 3 entrees
  • A La Carte: just the food you want, no set slots

Appetizers, sauces, and drinks are extras. They add up fast, even though they look small.

Calories in Common Sides

Sides make up a big part of the meal. White Steamed Rice is about 380 calories per serving. Brown Steamed Rice is about 420. Fried Rice is around 520 and Chow Mein around 510. Super Greens is the lightest at about 90 calories, and it adds fiber. Asking for a half side is an easy way to cut a few hundred calories. If you track carbs closely, the Carb Calculator shows how a rice or noodle side fits your daily allowance.

Calories in Popular Entrees

Orange Chicken, the most ordered item, has about 510 calories in one serving. Beijing Beef is around 480. Fried and sauced dishes are higher because the coating soaks up oil and the sauce adds sugar. Lighter picks include Broccoli Beef (about 150), String Bean Chicken Breast (about 190), Mushroom Chicken (about 220), and Black Pepper Angus Steak (about 210). Use the Macro Calculator to see how these entrees line up with your protein, carb, and fat split.

Wok Smart® Items

Panda Express marks some dishes as Wok Smart. These have at least 8 grams of protein and fewer than 300 calories per serving. They are a good starting point if you want protein without a lot of calories.

Watch the Sodium

Sodium is the biggest thing people miss. The daily limit for most adults is 2,300 mg. One Panda Express plate can hit or pass that in a single meal. Black Pepper Chicken alone has about 1,130 mg, and Kung Pao Chicken has about 970 mg. Sauces like Chili Sauce and Teriyaki Sauce add 600–720 mg more. High-sodium days can also mean more thirst, so check the Water Intake Calculator for how much to drink.

Easy Ways to Eat Lighter

  • Swap Fried Rice or Chow Mein for Super Greens or a half side of rice.
  • Pick grilled or steamed dishes over breaded, fried ones.
  • Choose a Bowl instead of a Bigger Plate.
  • Skip the extra sauce packets.
  • Drink water or unsweetened tea. A medium soda adds about 230 calories and 63 grams of sugar.
  • Plan a walk or workout after a heavy plate — the Calories Burned Calculator shows how much that offsets.

Allergens

Soy and wheat show up in most Panda Express entrees, so gluten-free options are limited. Honey Walnut Shrimp lists shellfish, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and wheat. Kung Pao Chicken has peanuts. Steamed rice, Super Greens, Sweet & Sour Sauce, and plain drinks have no listed allergens.

Daily Values

Percent Daily Value (%DV) shows how much of a day's worth of a nutrient one meal gives you. It is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. A %DV of 5% or less is low. A %DV of 20% or more is high. Use it to spot meals that are heavy in saturated fat, sodium, or sugar. To check your fiber target, see the Fiber Calculator, and if you are working toward a specific weight, the Weight Loss Calculator ties your daily intake to a timeline.

Nutrition numbers are estimates from Panda Express menu data. Actual servings can change based on how the food is scooped at the store.

Formulas used

Serving factor for a selected item
f_i = q_i \times \begin{cases} 0.5 & \text{half portion} \\ 1 & \text{full portion} \end{cases}
Total nutrient (and energy) for the meal
N_{total} = \sum_i N_i \times f_i
Energy unit conversion (kcal to kJ)
E_{kJ} = E_{kcal} \times 4.184
Energy from each macronutrient (Atwater factors)
E_{protein} = P \times 4, \quad E_{carbs} = C \times 4, \quad E_{fat} = F \times 9
Macronutrient share of macro energy
\%P = \frac{E_{protein}}{E_{protein}+E_{carbs}+E_{fat}} \times 100
Percent Daily Value of a nutrient
\%DV = \frac{N_{total}}{DV_{ref}} \times 100
Energy goal usage and remaining energy
\text{Goal usage} = \frac{E_{total}}{E_{goal}} \times 100, \quad \Delta E = E_{total} - E_{goal}
Serving size unit conversion
m_{g} = oz \times 28.3495, \quad V_{mL} = fl\,oz \times 29.5735

Frequently asked questions

Why does the calculator already have food in it when I open it?

It loads a sample meal so you can see how it works right away. The sample is a Plate with Fried Rice and two servings of Orange Chicken. Click Clear Meal to empty it, or just remove the items you do not want and add your own.

What happens if I add too many entrees?

A box pops up and asks if you want to swap. A Bowl holds 1 entree, a Plate holds 2, and a Bigger Plate holds 3. If your slots are full, the calculator asks before it replaces an item, so nothing is lost by accident. Pick A La Carte if you do not want any slot limits.

Why did my meal empty out when I changed the meal type?

Each meal type has different slots, so switching starts a fresh build. The calculator warns you first and you can cancel. Set your meal type before you add food to save time.

Can I add two of the same entree?

Yes. Set the quantity to 2 before you press Add, as long as your meal type has room. A Plate lets you double up on one entree, like two scoops of Orange Chicken. A Bigger Plate lets you add three.

Why is the ½ button only on sides?

Panda Express lets you split your side, like half rice and half chow mein, so the half button counts only 50% of that side. Entrees are served as full scoops, so they do not have a half option.

What is the red circle at the bottom of the screen?

That is your live meal total. It updates every time you add or remove food. Tap it to open the meal panel, where you can see your slots, your item list, your nutrition totals, and your energy budget in one place.

Do drinks, sauces, and appetizers count toward my total?

Yes. Anything you add is counted, including sodas, egg rolls, and sauce packets. These are listed under Extras and have no slot limit. A medium soda plus a side of sauce can add over 300 calories to a meal that looked fine on its own.

Why don't the protein, carb, and fat calories add up to the exact total?

The calculator uses Atwater factors: 4 calories per gram of protein, 4 per gram of carbs, and 9 per gram of fat. Menu labels round their numbers, and fiber gives fewer calories than other carbs. So the macro math lands close to the total but not always right on it.

Does changing my energy goal change the % Daily Value numbers?

No. Your goal only moves the budget bar. The % Daily Value always uses the standard 2,000 calorie reference set by the FDA, so you can compare it to any packaged food label.

What does a % Daily Value over 100% mean?

It means one meal gives you more than a full day of that nutrient. This happens a lot with sodium at Panda Express. It is a signal to go lighter on salt for the rest of the day, not a reason to panic about one meal.

How do I compare two dishes?

Check the Compare this item box on two items. A table opens and shows both side by side. A green check marks the better number for each nutrient and a red mark shows the higher one. It works well for choosing between Beijing Beef and Broccoli Beef.

Why can't I find an item I know is on the menu?

A filter is probably hiding it. Check if a diet filter, an allergen box, a category tab, or the search bar is on. Click All Items and clear your search to see the full menu again.

Does the calculator have kids meals?

Yes. Pick the Cub Meals category tab. It has smaller portions of white rice, chow mein, Orange Chicken, Broccoli Beef, teriyaki chicken, and apple slices. A Cub Meal entree is about half the size of a regular scoop.

What is the lowest calorie meal I can build here?

A Bowl with Super Greens and String Bean Chicken Breast comes to about 280 calories. Try the Low Cal Bowl preset to load it in one click. Swapping Super Greens for Broccoli Beef keeps it under 250.

What is the highest protein order?

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken leads with about 36 grams of protein per serving. Pair it with Super Greens for a bowl that has plenty of protein and few calories. Sort the menu by Protein (High to Low) to see the rest.

How exact are these numbers?

They are close estimates based on Panda Express menu data. Real servings change with how much the server scoops and how much sauce sticks to the food. Use the totals as a guide, not a perfect count.

Does the calculator save my meal?

No. Your meal stays only while the page is open. If you close or refresh the tab, it goes back to the sample meal. Write down or screenshot your totals if you want to keep them.

Why is the sodium so high when the calories look low?

Soy sauce and cooking sauces carry a lot of salt but almost no calories. That is why a light dish like Black Pepper Chicken, at 280 calories, still has about 1,130 mg of sodium. Watch both numbers, not just calories.

What does no listed allergens mean?

It means the item does not contain any of the seven allergens tracked here: soy, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, milk, or peanuts. It does not promise the food never touched them. Panda Express cooks in shared woks, so cross contact is possible.

What is the step-by-step section for?

It shows the math behind your totals. You can see each serving factor, how the calories were added, how the macro split was found, and how your meal stacks up against your goal. It is useful for schoolwork or if you just want to check the numbers.

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