Nutrition Diet: What are the ingredients in Panda veggie spring rolls?

November 9, 2025 •

3 min read

While often perceived as a simple vegetable appetizer, the ingredient list for Panda veggie spring rolls is surprisingly complex, featuring a variety of seasonings and additives in addition to the core vegetables. For those following a particular nutrition diet, understanding what’s in this popular fast-food item is crucial for informed decision-making. We'll break down the full list of components and evaluate their nutritional implications.

Quick Summary

This analysis reveals the complete list of ingredients in Panda Express veggie spring rolls, covering the vegetables, wrapper components, seasonings, and additives. It examines the nutritional value and potential allergens, offering insights for those mindful of their diet.

Key Points

Core Ingredients: The Panda veggie spring roll filling contains a blend of cabbage, celery, carrots, green onions, and mung bean vermicelli.
Complex Components: The ingredient list is lengthy, including flavor enhancers like soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger/garlic oil, plus various additives.
Nutritional Concerns: Due to being deep-fried, the appetizer is high in sodium and fat relative to its size, contrary to a typical 'veggie' health perception.
Major Allergens: Key allergens present include gluten (wheat), soy, sesame, and celery, which are critical for allergic consumers to be aware of.
Healthier Alternatives: When eating at Panda Express, opting for a side of mixed vegetables is a significantly lower-calorie, lower-fat, and higher-fiber alternative.

The Core Components of the Veggie Spring Roll

The Panda Express veggie spring roll is more than just a simple combination of vegetables wrapped in pastry. The final product is a carefully constructed item with multiple components, from the visible vegetables to the various binding agents and flavor enhancers.

The Vegetable Filling

The filling, though appearing simple, contains a mix of common and less common ingredients. The primary vegetable base is a blend that provides texture and flavor.

Cabbage: The most abundant vegetable, providing a mild, crunchy texture.
Celery: Adds a distinct, savory flavor to the filling.
Carrots: Included for both color and a touch of sweetness.
Green Onions: Pungent and fresh, these are integral to the overall taste profile.
Mung Bean Vermicelli: Thin, transparent noodles used as a binding agent to hold the filling together.

The Wrapper

The crispy exterior is not simply a wheat flour and water blend. While those are the primary ingredients, modified corn starch is used to help achieve the desired texture and crispiness during the deep-frying process.

Seasonings and Flavor Enhancers

For a deep and savory flavor, the filling is seasoned with a range of ingredients beyond just salt and spices:

Soy Sauce: Provides a salty, umami depth.
Sesame Oil: Contributes a nutty, aromatic quality.
Ginger and Garlic Oil: A flavor base essential to many Chinese-American dishes.
Sugar: A small amount is used to balance the salty and savory elements.

The Nutritional Profile: More Than Meets the Eye

Despite the name, the Panda veggie spring roll is not a low-calorie or low-fat health food, mainly due to it being deep-fried. According to various nutrition trackers, a serving of two spring rolls can contain around 240 calories. For those on a specific nutrition diet, understanding the full breakdown is vital.

Nutritional Breakdown (Approximate Per 2 Spring Rolls)

Calories: 240
Total Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Sodium: 560mg
Total Carbohydrates: 24g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Protein: 4g

Critically, the sodium content is quite high for an appetizer. The website Verywell Fit highlights that despite the "healthy-sounding name," the veggie spring rolls have some of the highest sodium and lowest protein among Panda Express appetizers. This is a key consideration for anyone managing blood pressure or following a low-sodium diet.

Potential Allergens and Unseen Additives

For individuals with dietary restrictions or allergies, reviewing the ingredient list is mandatory. The Open Food Facts database reveals that the product contains several major allergens.

Gluten: From the wheat flour in the wrapper.
Soy: From the soy sauce and soybean oil.
Sesame: From the sesame oil.
Celery: One of the main vegetables in the filling.

Additionally, the spring rolls contain a number of food additives that are common in processed foods but may be of concern to some. These include modified corn starch, natural flavor, and various disodium salts (disodium inosinate and guanylate), which are flavor enhancers.

A Comparative Look: Spring Rolls vs. Healthier Options

To put the spring rolls' nutritional value into perspective, let's compare them to another popular side at Panda Express, the mixed vegetables. This can help inform better diet decisions when eating out.


Feature	Veggie Spring Roll (2 rolls)	Mixed Vegetables (Side)
Preparation	Deep-Fried	Steamed/Wok-Seared
Calories (Approx.)	240	70
Total Fat	14g	2.5g
Sodium	560mg	450mg
Protein	4g	4g
Fiber	1g	3g
Vegetable Richness	Mixed	Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Zucchini

As the table shows, the mixed vegetables are significantly lower in calories and fat while providing more fiber for roughly the same amount of protein. This makes the mixed vegetables a far more nutrient-dense choice for those focused on a nutrition diet.

Conclusion

By examining what are the ingredients in Panda veggie spring rolls, it becomes clear that this fast-food appetizer contains a complex mixture of vegetables, additives, and flavorings. For anyone concerned with their nutrition diet, it is important to acknowledge that despite the "veggie" label, the high-sodium and high-fat nature of this deep-fried item should be considered. Making informed choices means looking beyond the name to the actual ingredient list and nutritional information, and opting for fresher, less-processed alternatives like the mixed vegetables when possible. For the full ingredient list, consult resources like the Open Food Facts website.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, despite being vegetable-based, they are not typically considered a healthy option due to being deep-fried. They are relatively high in calories, fat, and sodium, and low in fiber and protein for an appetizer.

The main vegetables in the filling are cabbage, celery, carrots, and green onions. Mung bean vermicelli is also included as a noodle filler.

Based on ingredient lists, the spring rolls contain several allergens, including wheat (gluten), soybeans (soy), sesame seeds, and celery.

The wrapper is primarily made from wheat flour and water, but it also contains modified corn starch and other additives to achieve its crispy texture.

The high sodium content comes from the use of seasonings like soy sauce and added salts. The processing and flavor-enhancing additives contribute significantly to the total sodium.

Compared to a side of Mixed Vegetables, the veggie spring rolls have significantly more calories and fat and less dietary fiber. The Mixed Vegetables are a much leaner and healthier option.

Panda Express advertises the item as a 'Veggie Spring Roll' for vegetarian diets. The detailed ingredient list from Open Food Facts does not list animal products, but strict vegans should always verify with the restaurant directly, as cross-contamination can occur.