PF Chang’s offers a range of delicious Asian-inspired dishes, but with rice, noodles, and plenty of sauces, keeping it low carb can be difficult. We’ve gone through the menu and compiled a guide to help you eat keto at PF Chang,s.
Some of our favorite low carb options are steamed fish, pepper steak, or chicken with broccoli as long as you hold the sauce and rice for all dishes.
They also have a dedicated wok section that features food that is cooked in a matter of seconds over an intense flame to retain the majority of its nutritional value.
Be sure to follow these tips when ordering at PF Chang’s to ensure you avoid sneaky ingredients that are laden with carbs. Here’s what to order, how to order, and what to avoid to keep it low carb.
How to Order Low Carb at PF Chang’s
#1. Eat at home if you can
We like that P.F. Chang’s is dedicated to providing better quality ingredients than most chain restaurants by purchasing food from local farmers. However, keep in mind that even scratch-made and locally farmed ingredients can still be prepared in an unhealthy way.
For this reason, we always recommend eating at home and stick to a ketogenic diet meal plan whenever you can. This allows you to control what goes in your meals. You’ll also be able to practice better portion control habits when you’re not tempted by lots of food choices.
Keep in mind that although some dishes can be customized to fit your low-carb needs, they aren’t always good enough to meet your strict ketogenic requirements.
Preparing your food at home and bringing it with you throughout the day means that you’ll never have to worry about accidentally forgetting to ask for grilled meat instead of breaded, and no sauce instead of sugar-glazed food that would kick you out of ketosis.
By the way, if you want to make some keto-friendly Chinese dishes at home, don’t forget to check these recipes:
- Keto Orange Chicken
- Keto Shrimp Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Keto Mongolian Beef
- Keto Sesame Chicken
- Keto Pepper Steak
- Ginger Pork and Cabbage Dumplings
#2. Check out the gluten-free menu
The ketogenic diet is more complex than just eating gluten-free, but it’s a good place to start. P.F. Chang’s offers a gluten-free menu that is free from most sauces and unhealthy breaded preparations. This is a good place to turn to if you’re overwhelmed by the rest of the menu.
According to the website, all items on the gluten-free menu contain gluten-free sauces and contain the following ingredients: chicken broth, rice wine, sugar, oyster sauce, white pepper, water, and wheat-free soy sauce.
The marinades that are used for the meat and seafood-based dishes contain cornstarch, which should be avoided on the keto diet. The restaurant also recommends that you ask for gluten-free soy sauce with all your dishes.
Be warned that gluten-free noodles are not allowed on the ketogenic diet, so stick with a meat-based gluten-free dish such as the gluten-free ginger chicken with broccoli, the gluten-free Singapore black pepper chicken or the Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps.
#3. Customize your food
P.F. Chang’s is great about customizing your food. Even if you order online, you can still have it customized. Just click on the dish you want and go through the steps to customize it.
For example, if you pick the gluten-free beef with broccoli, which is a popular Chinese food, the website will allow you to automatically customize your order, such as which rice you want (choose no rice), whether or not you want extra beef or broccoli, as well as the option to have your dish steamed. You can even add important allergy information such as whether you have a mushroom, peanut, fish, tree nut, or sulfite allergy. Be careful with sugary sauces such as hoisin sauce and plum sauce.
The website will also list the calorie information for each dish. You can also check the nutritional information for more information about your dish. The above-mentioned gluten-free beef and broccoli lunch contains 39 carbohydrates, but this includes white rice. If you hold the rice, your carb intake should be much lower.
#4. Split your meal with a friend
This is a good tip for anytime you visit a restaurant. Most restaurant dishes contain more calories and bigger portions than you need. Splitting your meal with a friend or family member can help you save on calories and carbs while keeping your portion control down. You’ll still be able to enjoy your meal, but with half the calories.
Start with a salad made with low-carb veggies and olive oil and vinegar dressing before your meal. Then split an entree with a friend. If you’re dining alone, then ask for a to-go box as soon as your meal arrives. Place half of your meal in the to-go container so you won’t be tempted to eat it and you’ll have lunch for tomorrow.
#5. Be smart about your side dishes
P.F. Chang’s offers a lot of high-carb side dishes such as fried rice and noodles, but they also have a few keto-friendly dishes, too. Examples include their wok’d spinach with garlic, Sichuan-style asparagus, wok-charred Brussels sprouts.
We recommend holding the Sichuan-style preserves when ordering the asparagus if you’re strict keto as the carbohydrate content is a bit high. Or you can ask to have the asparagus steamed with no sauce instead. Also, if you’re strict keto, then ask to hold the pineapple in the Brussels sprouts to reduce the carb count.
According to the nutritional information, here is the nutritional breakdown of each of these sides:
- Spinach and garlic: 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs (6 grams net carbs), 9 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein
- Sichuan-style asparagus (with preserves- remember to hold these): 450 calories, 34 grams of fat, 31 grams of carbs (24 grams of net carbs), 7 grams of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein
- Wok-charred Brussels sprouts (with pineapple- hold these if you’re strict keto): 350 calories, 28 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs (17 grams of net carbs), 8 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein
#6. Ask questions
We noticed that the P.F. Chang’s website doesn’t get too specific about what’s in their dishes. It was hard to tell whether or not some of the main entrees were breaded. It’s always a good idea to check with your server if you aren’t sure about an item. If you’re ordering online, give the restaurant a call and ask questions.
You can also try to order from the kids menu (if they let you). We noticed that there are several low-carb options on the kids menu, such as:
- Steamed snap peas: 1 gram net carb
- Steamed carrots: 2 grams net carbs
- Steamed broccoli: 0 grams net carbs
If they don’t allow you to order from the kids menu, then you can ask for a side of steamed broccoli, carrots, or snap peas with your entree.
What To Order at P.F. Chang’s on a Low Carb Diet
Here are some of our top picks for lowest carb options at P.F. Changs, based on the nutritional information:
- 2 northern style spare ribs (4 grams carbs)
- Salmon (0 grams carbs)
- Shrimp and chicken (4 grams carbs each per serving)
- Kids side dish of steamed broccoli (1 gram carbs)
- Gluten-free steamed baby Buddha’s fest (7 grams net carbs)
- Gluten-free egg drop soup cup (6 grams carbs)
Here is a list of what to order (and how) to keep it low-carb at P.F. Chang’s.
Appetizers
- Chang’s lettuce chicken wraps (hold the sauce and rice sticks)
- BBQ spare ribs (no tangy Asian barbecue sauce)
- Rick’s northern-style spare ribs (no dipping sauce)
Soups and salads
- Asian Caesar salad (hold the wonton croutons; add your pick of salmon, chicken, or shrimp)
- Mandarin crunch salad (hold the crispy rice sticks and mandarin vinaigrette; if you’re strict keto, also hold the mango; ask for oil and vinegar dressing)
- Egg drop soup (stick with one cup and not a bowl to keep carbs down)
- Hot and sour soup cup (again, stick with one cup, which has 9 grams of carbs)
Market sides
- Wok-charred brussels sprouts (hold the pineapple if you’re strict keto)
- Sichuan-style asparagus (hold the Sichuan preserves)
- Wok’d spinach with garlic
- Kung Pao brussels sprouts (no sauce)
Chicken entrees
Hold the rice and sauce on all entrees; double check to make sure the chicken is not breaded; ask for steamed instead:
- Chang’s spicy chicken (check to make sure this dish is not breaded; hold the sauce)
- Singapore black pepper chicken (hold the black pepper garlic sauce)
- Ginger chicken with broccoli (hold the sauce)
- Sesame chicken (hold the sesame sauce)
- Sweet and sour chicken (hold the sweet and sour sauce)
- Orange peel chicken (hold the Hunan chili sauce; if you’re strict keto, then hold the oranges, too; make sure oranges don’t come from a can if you decide to keep them on as canned fruit has sugar in it)
- Kung pao chicken (hold the chilli sauce and peanuts if you’re strict keto)
Beef entrees
Hold the rice and sauce on all entrees:
- Mongolian beef (no soy glaze)
- Wok-fired filet mignon (hold the rustic potatoes and lime-garlic vinaigrette)
- Beef a la Sichuan
- Pepper steak
- Beef with broccoli
Seafood entrees
Hold the rice and sauce on all entrees; double check to make sure the seafood is not breaded; ask for steamed instead:
- Surf and turf (order this with double lobster or steak and hold the fried shrimp; also hold the potatoes and sugary glaze)
- Miso-glazed salmon (hold the glaze to keep it lowest in carbs)
- Oolong Chilean sea bass (hold the ginger-soy sauce)
- Kung pao shrimp (hold the Spicy Sichuan chili sauce and peanuts)
- Orange peel shrimp (hold the Hunan chili sauce; if you’re strict keto, then hold the oranges, too; make sure oranges don’t come from a can)
Gluten-free
It’s a good idea to order all gluten-free dishes without the sauce to keep your carbs down; hold the rice and asked for steamed vegetables instead:
- Gluten-free Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps (hold the rice sticks)
- Gluten-free egg drop soup
- Gluten-free wok’s spinach with garlic
- Gluten-free Chang’s spicy chicken (hold the sweet-spicy chili sauce)
- Gluten-free Singapore black pepper chicken
- Gluten-free ginger chicken with broccoli
- Gluten-free shrimp with lobster sauce (hold the chopped black beans and peas)
- Gluten-free Mongolian beef (hold the sweet soy glaze)
- Gluten-free beef with broccoli
Foods To Avoid at P.F. Chang’s
Although there are plenty of dishes that you can turn into low-carb meals at P.F. Chang’s, there is an equal amount of dishes that should be avoided. P.F. Chang’s offers a lot of vegetarian and fried foods that can’t be custom ordered. We recommend staying away from the following foods and sticking with the list of approved foods instead.
Appetizers:
- Chang’s lettuce vegetarian wraps
- Cauliflower tempura
- Edamame
- Crispy green beans
- Tempura calamari and vegetables
- Dynamite shrimp
Dim sum:
- Cecelia’s pork and shrimp dumplings
- Hand-folded crab wontons
- Vegetable spring rolls (these would be OK to eat the insides only out of; hold the sauce)
- House-made pork or chicken egg rolls (again, these would be OK to eat the insides only out of; be sure to hold the sauce)
- Crispy avocado spring rolls
- Mongolian potstickers
Soup and salad:
- Vietnamese noodle salad (this would be OK to order if you hold the chilled rice noodles, peanuts and garlic lime dressing; ask for oil and vinegar instead)
- Wonton soup cup or bowl
- Chang’s spicy chicken noodle soup cup or bowl
Sushi:
- Kung pao dragon roll
- Lobster avocado roll
- Spicy tuna roll
- Shrimp tempura roll
- California roll
- Ahi poke bowl (this would be OK to order without the wonton chips or dressing; if you’re strict keto, then also hold the mango)
Note: you can make your own low-carb sushi at home without rice by using our recipe here.
Market sides:
- Fried rice
- Chili-garlic green beans
- Life long noodles
- Asian mac and cheese
- Kimchi fries
Chicken entrees:
- Thai harvest curry with chicken (this dish would be OK to order without the sauce, tofu, and butternut squash; hold the rice and ask for double vegetables)
- Crispy honey chicken
Vegetarian entrees:
- Thai harvest curry
- Ma Po Tofu (this would be OK to order with chicken or beef; hold the rice)
- Buddha’s feast (again, this would be OK to order with chicken or beef; hold the rice and sauce)
- Stir-fried eggplant
Seafood entrees:
- Crispy honey shrimp
- Shrimp with lobster sauce (this would be OK to order without the black beans and peas)
- Walnut shrimp with melon (this would be OK to order without the Asian aioli and candied walnuts; if you’re strict keto, avoid the melon and go with another dish)
- Salt and pepper prawns
- Chang’s’ lobster and shrimp rice
Noodles and rice bowls:
- Pad thai
- Hokkien street noodles
- Long life noodles and prawns
- Signature lo mein
- Fried rice
Gluten-free:
- Gluten-free fried rice
- Gluten-free Hokkien street noodles
- Gluten-free chicken pad thai
Lunch rice and noodle bowls:
- Chang’s spicy chicken bowl (this would be OK to order without the rice)
- Korean bibimbap (this would be OK to order without the rice)
- Chiang Mai noodle bowl (this would be OK to order without the rice and wonton crisps)
- Mongolian beef bowl (this would be OK to order without the sweet soy glaze and rice)
- Crispy honey chicken bowl
- Tempura bowl
- Tokyo Udon noodle bowl
Other:
- All desserts
- All sweetened beverages
- All lunch sushi
Conclusion
Although we don’t recommend eating out on the ketogenic diet, especially when it comes to fast food or fast casual restaurants. However, we understand that everyone needs a night off from cooking every once and awhile. There are plenty of ways to customize your food at P.F. Chang’s to make it low carb.
Start by ordering a meat-based dish with steamed or wok’d vegetables, such as beef and broccoli. Make sure you hold the rice on all entrees and order extra vegetables instead. P.F. Chang’s has asparagus, Brussels sprouts and garlic spinach that you can order steamed without any sauce to keep your carbs low.
Double check to make sure that your chicken or shrimp dishes are not breaded. Finally, stay away from vegetarian dishes that contain lots of starchy, plant-based foods. Instead, add extra vegetables to your salmon, shrimp, chicken or beef dish.
Image credit: Author M.O. Stevens – wikimedia
