Panda Express is a popular fast food chain that serves American Chinese cuisine. One of their most popular menu items is the spring roll – a crispy, cylindrical appetizer filled with vegetables and sometimes meat. But many health-conscious customers want to know: how many calories are in one Panda Express spring roll?
This is an important question for people watching their calorie intake or following a diet like keto or Whole30. Spring rolls can seem like a lighter option compared to fried foods like egg rolls or wontons. However, deep-fried foods still contain a significant number of calories, even petite appetizers like spring rolls.
In this article, we will provide a detailed calorie breakdown of Panda Express spring rolls. We will look at the different fillings and components that impact the spring roll nutrition facts. By the end, you’ll know exactly how many calories you’re consuming with each crispy bite.
An Overview of Panda Express Spring Rolls
First, let’s start with an overview of Panda Express spring rolls. This popular Asian fast food chain offers two types of spring rolls on their appetizer menu:
– **Vegetable spring rolls** – filled with cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, and celery
– **Chicken spring rolls** – filled with chicken, cabbage, carrots, celery, and green onions
Both spring roll varieties are made with a thin, crispy wheat flour wrapper. They are served with a side of Panda’s signature sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Some key points about Panda Express spring rolls:
– They are deep fried in oil until golden brown and crispy
– Vegetable spring rolls are vegan and chicken spring rolls contain a small amount of meat
– They are a popular low-carb option for keto and low glycemic diets
– Spring rolls have less calories than fried dumplings, egg rolls, or potstickers
– However, the deep frying adds more fat and calories than fresh, uncooked spring roll wraps
So how does this all add up calorie-wise? Let’s analyze each spring roll component next.
Spring Roll Wrapper
The first part of a Panda Express spring roll we need to examine is the wrapper. This is what forms the roll itself and holds all the fillings together.
Panda Express spring roll wrappers are made from wheat flour, usually a blend of white refined flour and wheat bran. This gives them their signature golden-brown crispiness when deep fried, versus the soft and chewy texture of fresh rice paper wrappers.
Most fast food chains do not provide full nutrition facts for components like wrappers, fillings, or sauces. However, we can estimate based on similar wheat flour-based wrappers from brands like Spring Home or Filippo Berio:
– One standard 7-8 inch wheat flour spring roll wrapper contains approximately **50 calories**.
So right off the bat, the spring roll wrapper alone contributes 50 calories to the overall count.
Calories from Frying the Wrapper
In addition to the calories from the wheat flour itself, deep frying the wrapper adds more calories from the oil.
Panda Express fries their spring rolls in soybean oil, which has around 120 calories per tablespoon. Each spring roll is submerged in oil and fried until crispy and brown.
We can estimate the oil adds roughly another **50 calories** to cook the wrapper.
So with the wheat flour and deep frying, the spring roll wrapper totals approximately **100 calories** before any fillings.
Vegetable Spring Roll Fillings
Now let’s examine the vegetable fillings that go into a Panda Express vegetable spring roll:
– Cabbage
– Carrots
– Bean sprouts
– Celery
These veggies are all low in calories – around 10-20 calories per serving on their own. But once deep fried in oil and combined together, the vegetable fillings probably add up to around **50 calories** total.
The veggies also release moisture and steam when cooked, preventing the rolls from becoming greasy calorie bombs. This makes spring rolls lower in fat than fried dumplings or egg rolls.
Chicken Spring Roll Fillings
For the chicken spring rolls, there are additional fillings:
– Chicken
– Green onions
Chicken breast meat contains around 100 calories for 3 ounces. Each Panda Express chicken spring roll likely contains around 1 ounce of chopped chicken breast.
Therefore the chicken contributes an estimated **30 calories** to the overall count.
The green onions add minimal calories, since they are low calorie vegetables, so we can assume **100 calories** total for the chicken spring roll fillings.
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
The final component in Panda Express spring rolls is the sweet chili sauce served on the side. The sauce is thick and syrupy, with a sticky texture.
Since Panda Express does not provide nutrition info for the sweet chili sauce alone, we’ll need to estimate based on similar sweet chili dipping sauces from other brands:
– Thai Kitchen sweet chili sauce – 60 calories per 2 tbsp
– Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce – 70 calories per 2 tbsp
Based on this, 2 tablespoons of the Panda Express sweet chili sauce likely provides around **60-70 calories**.
The exact calories will depend on how much sauce you use for dipping your spring rolls. Using more sauce will add more calories to your meal.
Total Calories in Panda Express Spring Rolls
Now let’s combine all the calorie estimates for the different components:
| Spring roll type | Calories |
|---|---|
| Vegetable spring roll wrapper | 100 calories |
| Vegetable fillings | 50 calories |
| Sweet chili sauce (2 tbsp) | 60-70 calories |
| Total for 1 vegetable spring roll | 210-220 calories |
| Spring roll type | Calories |
|---|---|
| Chicken spring roll wrapper | 100 calories |
| Chicken and veggie fillings | 100 calories |
| Sweet chili sauce (2 tbsp) | 60-70 calories |
| Total for 1 chicken spring roll | 260-270 calories |
As you can see, the chicken spring rolls contain more calories due to the chicken breast filling, but they are still lower in calories than fried dumplings or egg rolls.
The vegetable spring rolls are the lightest option, providing around 220 calories total.
Ways to Make Panda Express Spring Rolls Healthier
Here are some tips to lighten up your Panda Express spring roll order:
– Choose the vegetable spring rolls over the chicken -eliminates around 50 calories per roll
– Ask for steamed spring rolls instead of fried – eliminates around 50 calories in oil
– Use less sweet chili sauce or ask for low-calorie options like mustard or hot sauce
– Order just 1-2 spring rolls as a side instead of an whole appetizer platter
– Balance your meal with lower calorie sides like steamed veggies or brown rice
– Don’t drink your calories in sugary sodas – stick to water instead
Being mindful of portions and condiments is key to keeping your spring roll order as healthy as possible!
The Bottom Line
So in summary, a single Panda Express vegetable spring roll contains around 210-220 calories, while a chicken spring roll has 260-270 calories.
This is considering the calories in the deep fried wheat flour wrapper, fillings, and sweet chili dipping sauce. Despite being deep fried, spring rolls are lower in fat and calories than egg rolls or fried dumplings.
By choosing lighter dipping sauces and customizing your order, you can make Panda Express spring rolls part of a balanced meal, even if you are limiting calories.
Next time you visit this popular Asian fast food chain, enjoy your favorite spring rolls guilt-free knowing they are a lighter appetizer choice!
