Updated 26 July 2026 · 4 min read

Nutrition guide

Highest Protein Panda Express Meals Ranked

Protein is the number gym people bring to a menu, and Panda Express holds up better than its dessert adjacent reputation suggests. Several entrees clear 30 grams a serving, and one clears 40.

This is the highest protein Panda Express guide by the published panel: the straight ranking, then the protein per calorie table that reorders it, then the three complete orders that get the most protein into one tray. The Panda Express macro calculator runs the same numbers live across any meal you build.

Both scores matter, and they crown different winners. The biggest raw number is not the best trade, which is exactly why this guide exists.

Highest protein Panda Express meals ranked

Prices and Calories in This Guide

ItemCaloriesProteinTotal fatSodium
String Bean Chicken Breast21012 g12 g560 mg
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken27533 g10 g470 mg
Black Pepper Chicken28013 g19 g1130 mg
Broccoli Beef15015 g6 g520 mg

The Raw Protein Ranking

Teriyaki Chicken leads the national menu at 41 g per serving for 340 calories. Grilled Teriyaki Chicken follows at 33 g for 275 calories. Honey Walnut Shrimp brings 13 g, Black Pepper Sirloin Steak 19 g, and Orange Chicken 16 g. The wok vegetable dishes trail by design, with String Bean Chicken Breast at 12 g and Broccoli Beef at 15 g.

Protein Per Calorie Changes the Podium

Divide each figure by its calories and the grilled picks run away with it. Grilled Teriyaki Chicken earns roughly a gram of protein for every 8 calories. The sirloin steak lands near 1 to 9, and String Bean Chicken Breast close behind. Orange Chicken pays over 19 calories per gram, because the batter and glaze are along for the ride. Same protein goal, double the calorie bill, purely from the coating.

Three High Protein Orders

The cut order. Super Greens with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken: 33 g plus 9 g of protein inside about 275 plus 130 calories. Nothing at a drive through beats this line.

The bulk order. A Plate of Teriyaki Chicken and Black Pepper Sirloin Steak over white rice clears 70 grams of protein with the carbs to train on, at $10.50 plus the steak upcharge.

The variety order. A Bigger Plate at $12.50 with Grilled Teriyaki, String Bean Chicken Breast and Broccoli Beef spreads three flavors across roughly 60 grams of protein without one battered bite.

What the Protein Numbers Hide

Sodium rides shotgun with every gram here: the teriyaki and wok sauces put several picks past a third of the 2,300 mg daily reference per serving, listed on each item page. Portion consistency is the other caveat, since a hand scooped serving varies in a way a published panel cannot. Treat the figures as the reference they are and the tray will land close.

Daily Protein Targets from This Menu

Put the ranking to work against a real target. At 150 grams a day, one Plate of Teriyaki Chicken and Grilled Teriyaki over greens covers roughly half of it in a single stop for $10.50. At 100 grams, the cut order plus a normal breakfast and dinner at home closes the day comfortably. The dishes reheat well too, which makes the Bigger Plate at $12.50 a legitimate two meal prep move: three entrees split over lunch and dinner beats most delivery meal prep services on both price and protein.

Protein Against the Price Tag

Cost per gram is where this menu embarrasses the competition. A Bowl at $8.50 with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken prices protein near 25 cents a gram with a vegetable side included, and the Double Protein Plate at $10.50 formalizes the whole idea into one menu line. A chicken chain sandwich delivers half the protein for the same money once the bun is subtracted. Pair the order with water instead of the bundle drink and nothing at the price point competes. The menu page carries every published price next to its panel for checking any build.

The Impostors

Three dishes read high protein and are not, and knowing them saves more than the ranking does. Honey Sesame Chicken Breast says breast and delivers 16 g under a glaze at 340 calories, a middling trade. Beijing Beef sounds like steak and carries 14 g for 470 calories, the weakest protein per calorie among the mains. Kung Pao Chicken rides its peanuts to a decent looking 17 g, but the sauce prices it at 320 calories, double the cost of the grilled line per gram.

The tell is always the same: coating and glaze charge calories without adding protein. Read the panel, not the name, and the macro calculator makes the check a five second habit.

Is This a Real Protein Stop

Genuinely yes, and it is not close against the burger row. A grilled entree here beats a fried chicken sandwich on protein per calorie while costing less than most salads. The menu punishes only one habit: assuming the famous dishes are the strong ones. The counter test is simple, grilled over battered, every time the goal is protein. The healthiest meals guide pairs these picks into full days of eating.

Menu Items in This Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What has the most protein at Panda Express?

Teriyaki Chicken at 41 g per serving, with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken just behind at 33 g for far fewer calories. The grilled version wins on protein per calorie.

How much protein is in Orange Chicken?

16 g per serving, at a cost of 510 calories. It is a middling protein source dressed as a main event.

What is the best high protein low calorie order?

Super Greens with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken: 33 g plus 9 g of protein in roughly 400 calories, the strongest ratio the published data can build.

Does a Bigger Plate make protein sense?

Three grilled or wok entrees at $12.50 clears 60 grams of protein at a fast food price. Choose the entrees by the ranking above and it is one of the best bulk orders anywhere.

Is the Double Protein Plate worth it?

At $10.50 it locks the two entree slots to protein picks and prices the format honestly. Build it from the grilled end of the ranking and it is the strongest single order in the store; build it from the battered end and the name is doing all the work.

Do the sides add any protein?

A little. Fried Rice brings 13 g from its egg and Super Greens 9 g from the vegetables, against 10 g for white rice. Count the sides as rounding and let the entrees carry the target.

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