Panda Express Fried Rice is the most popular copycat takeout recipe! Salty and savory fluffy rice with veggies and eggs mixed in.
Serve this rice as a great counterpart with other Panda Express Copycat recipes like Beijing Beef or Orange Chicken and have your favorite two entree Chinese Food plate…at home!
Whether you enjoy Chinese Food as a Christmas or holiday tradition, or for any night you’re in the mood, you’ll love making Panda Express Fried Rice for its versatility with any Asian meal.
This recipe benefits from cold already cooked rice. You can use white or brown, though white is more authentic to Panda Express. There are many other additions you can add to a non copycat version of fried rice, but to be authentic to Panda Express (I have spoken with and watched people at the restaurants about the method and ingredients) you should really keep it simple.
It’s best to cook fried rice (and most Asian stir fries) in a wok. This recipe really benefits from the spoon and spatula that come with some wok sets. Alternately, use a metal spatula that can be used as a scraper too along with a spoon.
Years ago there was a change in the recipe Panda Express uses in their fried rice. They had been using eggs but swapped eggs for corn for ingredient cost related reasons. It was a bad move that has luckily been reversed, so this recipe is closer to the authentic Panda Express you’ve known and loved forever. However, if you do enjoy corn in fried rice you can add ¼ cup of corn kernels to the rice instead of the eggs or better yet in addition to them.
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More Panda Express Copycat Recipes
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Panda Express Firecracker Chicken Breast
- Panda Express Chow Mein
- Panda Express Fried Rice (you’re here!)
- Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
- Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
- Panda Express Mandarin Teriyaki Chicken
- Panda Express Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast
- Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Panda Express Cream Cheese Rangoon
- Panda Express Beef and Broccoli
- Panda Express Sweetfire Chicken Breast
How to Store Panda Express Fried Rice
- Serve: Do not leave Panda Express Fried Rice at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Once cooled, store fried rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Sealed in a freezer bag or airtight container, you can freeze Panda Express Fried Rice for 2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in a wok or skillet, adding a few drops of sesame oil or soy sauce if needed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons canola oil , (vegetable oil is fine too)
- 2 eggs , beaten
- 6 cups cooked white rice , cooled
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrot mix
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Put the oil into the wok and heat on high.
- Add in the eggs and stir, cooking and breaking it into smaller pieces until fully cooked.
- Add in the cooled white rice and stir them all together.
- Add in the soy sauce and toss until all the rice is fully coated.
- Add in the carrots and peas and toss again.
- Add in the sesame oil and mix again.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Works perfectly, a well made copycat.
Nice
So quick and easy! Delicious and satisfying recipe! Thank you, Sabrina!
Tastes exactly like Panda Express fried rice!!!
Very bland. Needed to add sriracha to give it flavor.
Are the peas and carrots thawed before you add them?
Nope.
Can you use basmati rice?
Hi Duane, sorry for the late response. It’s been a super busy Summer. Panda Express uses long grain white rice. I’ve never tested the recipe using basmati rice. Did you use it and if so, how did it turn out?
We love Panda Express, so tonight we made this recipe. We changed it to 3 cups of rice. It came out perfect! It was so easy!
Absolutely delicious! Like another commentor, I used 3 cups of instant rice. Also made the Honey Sesame Chicken recipe. My husband & I each ate a few bites of each & agreed both were good & then decided to mix them like Panda Express would serve it. Made all the difference in the world. Enough for leftovers, too!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Been making this for years without the sesame oil and I didn’t know what I was missing. The sesame oil really makes this dish! The only thing I do differently is add 2 sliced green onions before serving. Delicious! Thank you!
Yes! Isn’t is crazy how such a small amount of that sesame oil changes it completely? Thanks for the great review!
Hi, do you add the veggies in frozen? Thanks in advance!
This is one of my favorites.
Yes, if you buy frozen mixed vegetables it would work perfectly.
I just stumbled upon your recipe for black pepper chicken and fried rice, I have been making another version for years. We were very happy with our prior recipe but, something kept telling me to give these two a try. Let me tell you my old recipes are in the garbage now, replaced with yours. Both of these recipes are the best I have had!! Your fried rice is OUTSTANDING, next time I may add bean sprouts only because I love them. Thank you for sharing your recipes, I’m going through the rest of yours now to see what I’m making next.
Just made this. First time cooking fried rice, or anything even remotely considered Asian. Turned out great, even without having a wok! Didn’t feel like waiting for regular rice to cook, so i made this using Minute (Instant) Rice. (Used 3 cups of uncooked Instant rice & 3 cups of water.) I turned it into a whole meal by adding some leftover chicken from last night’s dinner. I seared it on the stovetop while cooking the rice, then cubed it, and mixed into the fried rice towards the end. Thanks for the recipe, it was really really good, and SO simple and fast to make! Can’t wait to try your other Panda Express recipes.
So glad you decided to give it a try! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Any substitutes for the sesame oil? Or has anyone tried with out?
Any light oil (olive, sunflower) will work, but I definitely would not leave the oil out.
Will coconut oil work?
If I don’t put the sesame oil does the flavor change ?
The flavor won’t have that nutty richness that comes with sesame oil, but it will still be flavorful. If you aren’t allergic to nuts, I would sub peanut oil, otherwise avocado or olive oil will still be tasty in the dish and be able to handle the stir-fry heat.
Pretty close to your 10 min. Fried Rice, which I made last week. BTW, it was fantastic!
What is the size of a cup? Without knowing that, 1/4, 1/2 or any other, is a struggle to work out. Can someone please help.
I’m sorry but I don’t understand your question. Can you please clarify?
Thanks for your quick response. I have varying sizes of cups in my kitchen and it’s difficult to work out which to use. In all of your recipes that I’ve seen, you use cups as a means of determining the proportions of the ingredients but I’m used to weights e.g. what is the equivalent of 1/4 or 1/2 cup in weight? Would it 3,4, or 6 grams? I’m a novice in the kitchen so please pardon my ignorance. Thanks
No worries at all! I must have misunderstood your question. In the recipe card under the ingredient list, you can click on the metric link and it’ll change all of the measurments over to metric. Have a great day!
A standard US measuring cup holds 8 ounces of water.
Used scallions, and a beef cut. 6 cups of rice seemed like over kill so i cut it down to 2. Also forgot peas/carrot mix but i saw it at walmart for a buck. Making eggs(3) in oil seemed weird to me so i cooked with pam and set aside then warmed my oil and continued with directions and adjusted ratios. Currently finger typing this with a full belly. My stomache is happy =) . Kinda lol
So glad you enjoyed it!
Has anyone actually tried the recipe?
Yes I have! The only thing I do differently is add 1 tablespoon thin sliced green onion (like they have at Panda Express) when I put in the peas and carrots. I also find I need about 1/4-1/2 tsp salt because I use low sodium soy sauce.
This is also excellent if you cook some shrimp after the egg and before the rice.
Or not. Looks like This serves six people there is only two people in our house so far.
You can always cut the recipe in half or eat the leftovers the next day 🙂
I haven’t tried this yet…. but I don’t have a wok. Can I just use a regular sauce pot or a skillet?
Yes 🙂
I do not have a wok at all. I do not have room for it.
I will be using a frying pan instead.
This looks really good.
Thank you!
Seems so odd that your Panda Express changed from eggs to corn, they still have the original recipe at all the Panda Express restaurants near me (California).. I guess I’m just lucky lol.. I’d be so upset if they changed the recipe.. I eat panda every time I go to town… we unfortunately don’t have fast food near where we live so I think you just made my year.. thank you for all these Panda recipes, I’ve been trying them and they all taste just like the restaurant.
Thank you so much Brooke! I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
So what are you making tomorrow night? Cause this was bomb. And I’m going to start following you!!!!
Haha! Love it!! I always have something in the works 😉
I would love to have the Panda Express vegetable recipe! Your recipes are awesome!
Here you go! //dinnerthendessert.com/panda-express-recipes/ It’s a list of all of them including the veggies!
All the Panda recipes look awesome. I love when someone can figure out the ingredients, then I know exactly what is in something, and if need to can reduce spice to accommodate, but I can also be true and follow recipe when I can. Sometimes I just want noodles or fried rice.
Agreed! We make the chow mein with other dishes all the time!
I’ve tried making fried rice before but my rice is always sticky. What kind of rice do you suggest to prevent the stickiness.
Thank you in advance for your help.
I’ve had good luck with plain long grain white rice. The biggest help is using white rice thats been cooked and cooled already. When I have used fresh cooked rice it never works as well.
We tried this rice yesterday and found it to be as good if not better than the rice you would find at Panda Express. It was so easy and really delicious. Thanks Sabrina for this awesome recipe!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how you liked it.
Used to love Panda Express. Ate lunch at the one near where I work at least once a week until it closed because the entire rest of the shopping center was dying. After that we just had it every time we went to the mall. Then they put corn in the rice. Blecccchhh! Haven’t been back since. Will have to try this recipe (with eggs!) and some orange chicken from Trader Joe’s.
Yes! The corn in the rice was a total travesty! I can’t get over the “let’s save some money maybe people won’t notice because they are both yellow” nonsense. Still obsessed with the other options though, haha. I hope you love it!
Have you ever had Panda’s Eggplant & Tofu before they took it off their menu? That was my favorite! Now I’m a sad…panda. Also loved their mandarin chicken. The new teriyaki is just OK, but I think the cooking technique for both is the same. Would love to see a copycat from you one either of those (or all) 🙂
Thank you!
Yes! Loved that Eggplant and Tofu dish! All three are on my to-do list 🙂
Next time I’m craving panda I’m just going to look up this post instead- looks just like the real thing! Delicious!
Thanks Emily! Hopefully I will have even more items listed by then!
Yummy that looks so good . ‘ll have to make it some time.
Wonderful! I hope you love it!
My husband is kind of obsessed with asian food so I will need to get this one a try. Looks REALLY good!
I am not a big rice fan, but I would certainly give this a try as it looks appealing and yummy to me!
Always fun to find great copy cat recipes and we love stir fry here at our house, this would go great with that.
I can’t wait to try this! There are so few foods that everyone in the family adores, and this is going to be one of them.
I hope you love it Crystal!
This looks so simple! I agree that cold rice always works better with fried rice. I think I need Santa to bring me a wok this year. Mine was lost in my last move and I have never replaced it! Bummer about the swap of corn for eggs. Corn is taking over the world… 🙁
Oohh yes! I sometimes go a little bit of time without using the wok, but once it goes back into rotation I find myself using it a lot. And yes, the whole corn thing is just awful. I hate it.
I always have leftover rice that goes to waste. This is the perfect way to use it and have it taste like a brand new dish!
With only a bit of effort it really is a whole new dish!
I love making fried rice as a way to use up old rice. I have to try you recipe as it looks like it came out perfect.
It really does taste spot on to the original from Panda Express! My non-copycat version I make has oyster sauce which has a much more complex flavor. But each recipe is different and delicious in its own right.
This looks great! So fluffy and perfect on the side of anything (or on its own). Very nice!
Aww thanks Patricia!
I love making fried rice at home! This sound like an amazing recipe for fried rice, Panda Express is one of my favorites.
Thanks Tammilee! It is one of my favorites too!
Oh my goodness, I love Panda Express copycat recipes!! So cool to have this one now! 🙂 🙂
Glad to be of assistance 🙂
Copycat recipes are so much fun to try out. This fried rice looks absolutely wonderful. I’m going to be trying this very soon!
Thanks Dawn!
Yum! I love a good fried rice recipe. I’ll have to give this one a try.
Me too! I hope you enjoy it!
This is going straight into my recipe files, I need to have this on had for Tuesday nights ! Deliciousness !
Aww you’re too kind!
I love finding copycat recipes for some of our favorites! I have found that often times, they turn out better than the original recipe. I will have to try this fried rice soon!
Thanks Wendy! I hope you love it when you do try it!
This looks really good. I have never been to Panda Express myself, but I heard they have some great food. Have to try this copycat recipe.
Thanks Jeanette. I go far more often than I should!
This rice looks amazing! I need to try it soon! We’re obsessed with Panda Express in our house.
Us too… dangerous dangerous addiction!
about 10 years ago at Panda Express they used to make a dish called Mongolian beef they don’t anymore but I really really like to learn that recipe
It’s not the copycat of Panda Express, but this one is really popular on the site. https://dinnerthendessert.com/mongolian-beef/
Oh yum! This looks so delicious!
This looks great! I agree with you about the eggs. I try to keep cooked rice in the freezer so it is ready to go anytime for fried rice-no thawing required.
Another reason I love you – you’re a woman after my own heart!