Panda Express Mixed Veggies is a mix of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, string beans and cabbage steamed in chicken stock for added flavor.
Panda Express Mixed Veggies may not be the most exciting thing on the menu (woohoo….steamed veggies? whomp whomp!) but they are fantastic in their own right. Why you ask?
- They don’t taste like regular steamed veggies thanks to the delicious stock they’re steamed with.
- They are fresh cut and still crisp tender.
- No fat. And to be honest when you’ve got Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef on your plate you’re going to need more than diet soda to counteract those menu choices!
So what makes these vegetables so special? Well aside from the stock they’re cooked in, the ease of making them by using a simple steamer basket is enough to consider this recipe a keeper. Plus with just the hint of the chicken stock flavor they are a great option to “bulk” up your plate of food for almost no calories.
Panda tends to use a variety of vegetables, but the last few times I ordered I’ve taken note on the ingredients in the Panda Express Mixed Veggies option and they’ve consistently included what the menu description states. I have also seen celery from time to time, but perhaps the cook who was making Chow Mein had some extra celery left and tossed it in with the veggies.
Back to our long running list of recipes from Panda express and we’re almost to the launch of the Panda Express Copycat Recipes E-book (free to subscribers! a more robust paid option to with shopping lists and nutrition facts)
There have been a heck of a lot of copycat recipes, including some Panda Express recipes including:
- Panda Express Mixed Veggies
- Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Panda Express Cream Cheese Rangoon
- Panda Express Beef and Broccoli
- Panda Express Sweetfire Chicken Breast
- Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Panda Express Firecracker Chicken Breast
- Panda Express Chow Mein
- Panda Express Fried Rice
- Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
- Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
- Panda Express Beijing Beef


Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 medium zucchini , sliced into ½ inch sliced and cut into half circles
- 1 cup carrots , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound string beans , trimmed
- 1/4 head cabbage , cut into 2 inch pieces
- sesame seeds , optional
- salt or soy sauce , optional
Instructions
- Heat the stock in a pot and fit a steamer basket into the pot.
- Add the vegetables and bring the stock to a boil on medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the basket and serve.
- Add salt or soy sauce to taste if you'd like.
Nutrition
I love this recipe. Have you tried freezing it? I have a garden and I would like to try making a big batch and freezing it. I don’t want it to turn to mush though. Any suggestions?
You can totally freeze this!
Sabrina, Is there a recipe for Panda Express Egg Rolls? Teriyaki sauce also?
I have a recipe for egg rolls but not a copycat for Panda Express. I can add it to my list to research. Thanks!
Hi Sabrina, it’s my first time visiting yor blog. I’m loving everything I see. I plan on trying 2 recipes very soon. I do have one challenge with 2 ingredients found in Chinese cooking. A family member has a food sensitivity to sesame oil and soy sauce. Are there any substitutes? Or can make one of these items at home – like the soy sauce? I’m also interested in a lemon chicken and crispy chicken recipe.
Thanks so much for your help, ann.
There are substitutions but using anything else will change the flavor. You can use any light oil to substitute for the seasame oil and mix a bit of water with worchestershire sauce for the the soy sauce. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Sabrina, this looks like a great recipe & may even get my grandkids to eat their vegetables!
Am anxious to try your Beef Chow Fun, just need to get the rice noodles & Shaoxing wine–is that like rice wine?
Also, would love to have your Panda Express Copycat Recipes E-book.
Thanks for all your great recipes–keep up the good work!
Sharon
I’m so glad you’re excited to try this! You’ll be fine substituting with rice wine if needed. Here’s the link for all of the Panda Express Recipes
https://dinnerthendessert.com/panda-express-recipes/
Enjoy!
Very nice! I could make a meal out of this, but my family would love this if I added in some leftover chicken, which I plan to do. Healthy & delicious.
Such a great addition!
Can I freeze this?
Yes 🙂
I used three bouillon cubes with 2.5 cups of water. It didn’t give it the taste I expected!
Actually, if you read the Panda Express nutrition page you’ll see that they use milk in their veggies. I know because I’m vegan and found out I cannot eat panda express’s veggies ?
Brooke,
I actually inquired about that. They would not tell me where the milk product comes from or how it is used. I watched the cook make it in the restaurant too, didn’t see any indication of it. My only thoughts are somewhere in their broth there is something with milk, but even the broth looked clear. Would love if anyone else here works for Panda and can enlighten us.
Wonder if it is almond, cashew, or coconut milk?
I’m not sure.
Well, we’ll never know now. In my area, they ditched these veggies as a side dish. It’s the only side dish I can really have there. And it’s always been really delicious, however they make it.
They’ve replaced these veggies with some “super greens” gimmick, consisting of broccoli, cabbage, and… kale. I absolutely can’t stand kale—it tastes like rubberized plastic to me. They also added a bunch of salt to the “super greens”, which is another downer, even if I liked kale.
Very disappointing, Panda! But thanks for this recipe.
CAN U PLEASE GIVE ME SOME THINGS OR A LIST OF VEGAN..MY DOCTOR SAID I NEED TO CHANGE MY DIET..AND I AM LOST DONT KNOW WHAT TO EAT…COULD U HELP ME..THANKS..
Absolutely excellent, but it only served the two of us!
I asked panda, they do not use chicken stock.
youre right. I worked there as a cook we use a vegetable soup base water and cornstarch.
i’m wondering if I could make these today and then just put them in the microwave for lunch and dinner tomorrow. Any thoughts? I’m on a pretty strict diet and these veggies are excellent, but I need two cups at lunch. I’m in the office but I do have a microwave .
Adam, if you cover them with a moist paper towel and reheat gently in the microwave, it should reheat just fine.
I love that these are cooked in chicken stock for so much added flavor! They look delicious!
Thanks Cathy!
What a quick and easy veggie side dish! Looks great!
I’m a big fan of stir-fried veggies so this sounds fantastic!
I hope you enjoy it!
I love the Panda Express vegetables, they are so good! How handy to have this recipe now.
I do too! I was happy how well it turned out making them at home!
Love fresh veggies like this! They go perfectly with so many things.
A meal’s not complete without veggies!
So clever to steam these veggies in chicken stock! I am going to have to remember that trick. 😉
It definitely adds a flavor veggies are usually missing! 🙂
I love steamed veggies so this recipe would be right up my alley. Nothing beats perfectly cooked vegetables.
Plus, they’re veggies, they’re healthy, and you can eat as much of them as you want!
Who needs takeout when you have this handy!
It’s my goal (not really) to put Panda out of business! 😛
You are slowly but surely giving me absolutely no reason to ever go to Panda Express again, and I love it!
Glad I could be of service! 🙂 I do plan to put all these recipes into a cookbook when I’m done!
So pretty & fresh looking! Love so much that there is no fat in this dish! I think the original might be the opposite 😉
Thanks!
I could definitely make a meal out of those veggies…. so hearty and fresh!!
Thanks!
Darn, Girl: I know where to come when I actually get around to trying Panda Express! Until then, I can enjoy these copycat recipes (and don’t knock these veggies, they look amazing!)
I hope you like them!
Quick and healthy sounds perfect to me! Love the idea of adding broth to the veggies – sounds like that little extra goes a long way!
I really think the broth adds something special!