Instant Pot Panda Express Chow Mein–a copy cat recipe for Panda’s chow mein…only it’s made faster, easier and cheaper in your Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Panda Express Chow Mein
This tastes like the real thing, only better because it’s not so heavy and greasy and doesn’t leave you in a Chinese food coma. Panda Express chow mein is a noodle dish with with onions, celery, cabbage, soy sauce and oyster sauce. With only 8 ingredients and a 3 minute pressure cook time this dish comes together super quick.
You can make this as your main dish or serve it as a side to chicken or another meat. It really is a perfect side dish to orange chicken, cashew chicken or another chicken dish. Another idea is to serve stir fried vegetables with it (like broccoli and snow peas).
I was skeptical that this would have enough flavor with the small amount of sauce included in the recipe. However it flavored it really nicely without it being over the top salty or heavy. You can always add extra sauce if you feel like it needs more!
I used plain old spaghetti noodles instead of Yakisoba noodles because they are easier to find and it’s what I had on hand. I haven’t tried this with any other noodle so I’m not sure how it would work out. But I thought the spaghetti worked out perfectly. I used a thin spaghetti with a 3 minute pressure cook time. Angel hair will be the same cooking time. If you’re using thicker spaghetti then use a 4 minute pressure cook time.
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Instant Pot Panda Express Chow Mein
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
A copy cat recipe for Panda’s chow mein…only it’s made faster, easier and cheaper in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 ribs of celery, sliced thinly
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 8 oz thin spaghetti
- 8 oz chopped cabbage (about 3–4 cups)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting. When the display says HOT add in the oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and celery and sauté for about 4-5 minutes. Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off sauté setting.
- Break the spaghetti in half and lay it in a criss cross pattern in the broth.
- Cover the spaghetti with the cabbage.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes. Then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the soy sauce and the oyster sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can also use a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I’ m making Dan Dan noodles tonight so will have to see which one we like the best! Panda express or Dan Dan noodles????!!!
And what was the verdict?
We liked the Panda Express chow mein the best!!
We loved this!! I did double the cabbage and added stir fried beef strips after it was done cooking.
★★★★★
Sounds like a great meal!
I made this for supper tonight and we really like it!! I did double the amount of vegetables per a previous comment along with chopped carrots. I added a little bit of Hoisin sauce and some leftover cooked chicken too. I will definitely make this again! I look forward to trying more of your yummy recipes! 😁
★★★★★
WOO! Love those ideas!
Everything tasted really good, but the spaghetti noodles stuck together, how do I stop that from happening. I will make this again.
★★★★★
Did you lay them in a criss cross pattern? That helps me
Hello Karen, I did lay them criss cross as the instructions said but I am going to try again. maybe more than one criss cross pattern?
yes that’s what I would try!
I’m hoping you can help! No one seems to list whether the pressure cooker setting is ‘HIGH’ or ‘LOW’, including you at least on this recipe. I want to start making more recipies in my IP including this one not just rice! I haven’t made this & don’t want to until I can find out which pressure level most recipes are using as it will change cooking time & possibly the release method. I would love your answer! I left one star off for what I feel is important, the pressure level. I gave it 4 stars based on others reviews & the simplicity. I really want to figure this out!! Thank you! Maybe people will begin updating this detail. Thank you! 😀
★★★★
Hi Christine, unless a recipe explicitly states that it is low pressure it is high. High is the default.
I don’t have a kitchen scale. How do I know how much 8 oz of spaghetti is? Thanks!
8 ounces in half a box so you can eyeball it…or this may help you: https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Dry-Pasta
Do you think Zoodles would work? Or Hearts of Palm noodles? Trying to cut carbs by using veggie based noodles. Thanks!
I think that they would get way too done if you tried to pressure cook. But if you could do it on the stove I bet it would be tasty!
Have made it twice Fabulous recipe!!!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the 5 stars Kathy!
Loved it. The only thing I will do differently next time is to double the amount of veggies. The dish was delicious. I did use sesame oil instead of vegetable oil and it gave it such a great Chinese food flavor. Thanks so much for this recipe.
★★★★★
Good idea on the sesame oil! And yes on the veggies too.
This recipe is amazing! And leftovers the next day are phenomenal! I used whole wheat spaghetti and doubled the veggies.
So glad you liked it Karen!
Howdy Karen
This is Jim Bob .. I fixed the Hoisin noodles, everybody liked it with no left overs. Panda Express Chow Mein same thing, no left overs. tomorrow I will add chicken, and cook the Drunken noodles. I am so happy that I can cook thin spaghetti noodles … everything in one pot with perfect results. Thank you for the recipe
★★★★★
It really is the best isn’t it? I’m so glad you are finding recipe that you enjoy here!
Well I just got your cook book today…it is huge…..would like to know where this recipe is in the book….and would be sooo helpful if the ones that you send on the net could have a page number on them…we love cooking them but want to make them in the book….
Hi! Thanks for purchasing my book. These new recipes aren’t in the book. Anything from my blog that is dated after August 2020 is not in the cookbook.
We loved the hoisin noodles….had to use gluten free ones and it still came out perfectly…….will make Panda ones next….thank you keep on cooking….
★★★★★
Hi. If I use thin spaghetti should I decrease cooking time?
No keep it the same 🙂
Can I add shrimp to this dish?
Good question – I’d like to know too. Or maybe chicken. Thanks for asking!
That would taste amazing! But I would worry it would overcook if you pressure cook it with the pasta. If it’s pre-cooked I would stir it in afterwards. If it’s uncooked you will probably want to sauté it on the stove and stir it in afterwards.
Would adding cut up chicken be the same (need to be pre cooked) or could it be added with everything else, and would the cook time remain the same? I’d cut the chicken in small pieces so it would be a shorter cook time.
Thanks!
I went ahead and added cut up chicken breast, added it before the spaghetti and added an extra minute – it was perfect, and we had eggrolls with it. So good – thanks again for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Sounds perfect!
Has anyone tried this with fresh noodles instead of dried? Would cooking time be the same?
Thoughts on what could be substituted for oyster sauce? This sounds so good! I prefer their chow mein over fried rice any day!
I Googled this question because I wanted to know too, and this is what I found. I have Hoisin Sauce so that’s what I’ll use.
What Is a Good Oyster Sauce Substitute? 6 Options
Fish sauce. Although it’s not a perfect substitute, you can use fish sauce in place of oyster sauce in some recipes.
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Vegan mushroom sauce
I agree with Brenda’s list!
Husband can’t have cabbage what can I use instead
Zucchini strips? You can make them with a vegetable peeler, or carrots?
Now I am hungry!
Bok choy
Bok choy is a variety of cabbage.