Looking for P.F. Chang’s vegetarian options? Start with the Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps, Buddha’s Feast, and Ma Po Tofu, then round out the table with edamame, garlic green beans, and a bowl of rice. P.F. Chang’s is an Asian-style sit-down chain, so you order shareable plates and build a meal from them. That works in your favor as a vegetarian, because the kitchen cooks vegetables, tofu, and noodles fresh to order. If you ever wonder what about the vegetarians when the rest of the table orders chicken and shrimp, this guide shows you exactly what to get and what to skip.
A Quick Look at P.F. Chang’s
P.F. Chang’s opened in 1993 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Restaurateur Paul Fleming and chef Philip Chiang started it, and the name joins Fleming’s initials with a take on Chiang’s surname. The menu pulls from several Asian cuisines, so you see Chinese stir-fries next to Pad Thai and sushi. The chain grew into the largest full-service Asian restaurant brand in the country by units, second only by sales among American Asian chains.
Today P.F. Chang’s runs more than 200 restaurants in the United States and over 300 worldwide across more than 20 countries. TriArtisan Capital Advisors and Paulson & Co. bought the company in 2019 for about $700 million from Centerbridge Partners. The brand also runs a smaller fast-casual format called P.F. Chang’s To Go. Wherever you eat, the dishes that matter to vegetarians are the same, so the order below holds up across locations.
P.F. Chang’s Vegetarian Options: What to Order
The best P.F. Chang’s vegetarian options are the tofu and vegetable dishes built that way on purpose. P.F. Chang’s marks vegetarian dishes with a leaf icon on its menu, which makes the first pass easy. The catch is that vegetarian is not the same as vegan here, and a few sauces hide fish or oyster ingredients. The table below sorts the main choices so you can scan it fast. When an item is not confirmed, it is marked Check, and the reason follows in the sections under the table.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (tofu, mushrooms, water chestnuts) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* |
| Steamed Edamame | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Orange Ginger Edamame | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (sauce) |
| Vegetable Spring Rolls | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg/dairy in wrapper) |
| Buddha’s Feast (tofu and vegetables) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (steamed, sauce on side) |
| Ma Po Tofu | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (confirm no pork) |
| Mongolian Tofu | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg/dairy) |
| Coconut Curry Vegetables | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* |
| Stir-Fried / Spicy Eggplant | ✅ Yes* | ⚠️ Check (sauce) |
| Crispy Eggplant with Togarashi Aioli | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (aioli has egg) |
| Pad Thai | ⚠️ Check (egg, possible fish sauce) | ❌ No (egg) |
| Chili-Garlic Green Beans | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* |
| Garlic Spinach | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Sichuan-Style Asparagus | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (sauce) |
| Cold Cucumber Salad | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts | ⚠️ Check (sauce) | ⚠️ Check (sauce) |
| Signature Lo Mein / Garlic Noodles | ⚠️ Check (egg noodles, oyster sauce) | ❌ No (egg noodles) |
| White or Brown Rice | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
An asterisk means the dish can be vegan but needs a small change or a quick question to the server, usually about the sauce or how it is cooked. The rest of this guide walks through each group so you know why an item lands where it does.
Appetizers and Starters
The Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps are the dish to order first. They swap the chicken in the famous original for diced tofu, mushrooms, and water chestnuts in a savory sauce, and you spoon the warm filling into cool lettuce cups yourself. Ask for the vegetarian version by name, since the menu also lists a chicken lettuce wrap and the kitchen needs to know which one you mean.
Edamame is the safest shared starter and one of the easiest vegan appetizers here. Steamed edamame is just soybeans tossed with salt, so it is both vegetarian and vegan. The Orange Ginger Edamame adds a glaze, so check that sauce if you avoid all animal products. Vegetable Spring Rolls are vegetarian, but the wrapper and dipping sauce can include egg or dairy, so they are not a reliable vegan pick. Skip the dumplings and egg rolls that come with meat fillings.
Vegetable and Tofu Entrees
Buddha’s Feast is the headline vegetarian entree. It stacks tofu with asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots, and you can order Buddha’s Feast stir-fried or steamed. The flavor is clean and the vegetables stay crisp. The steamed version with the sauce on the side is the cleanest vegan plate on the menu. Ma Po Tofu is the other strong main, built on silken tofu in a spicy red chili sauce with Sichuan preserves and steamed broccoli. The sauce is savory, hot, and full of flavor. Traditional ma po tofu can contain pork, so confirm the P.F. Chang’s version is meat-free if you want it vegan.
Not every tofu dish is vegan, and that surprises people. Mongolian Tofu comes in a sweet soy glaze, and Pad Thai is built on rice noodles, and both read plant-based but contain egg or dairy, so they stay vegetarian rather than vegan. Coconut Curry Vegetables is a good vegan-friendly main when it is offered, since its sauce is built on coconut milk. The eggplant dishes are worth a look too, though the Crispy Eggplant comes with a togarashi aioli made from egg, so order it without the aioli to keep it vegan. Stir-fried or spicy eggplant is vegetarian, but ask whether the sauce uses oyster or fish ingredients.
Noodles, Rice, and Sides
Sides carry a vegetarian meal at P.F. Chang’s, and several are vegan as served. Chili-Garlic Green Beans, Garlic Spinach, Cold Cucumber Salad, and Sichuan-Style Asparagus are all vegetable-forward. The green beans come in a red chili sauce with fresh garlic. Green beans and spinach are usually safe for vegans, while the asparagus sauce is worth a quick check. Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts taste great but can carry a sauce with fish ingredients, so confirm before you count them as meat-free. Steamed white rice and brown rice are both plain and safe. To drink, iced tea and a fresh lime soda are both vegan.
Noodles need more care. The Signature Lo Mein and Garlic Noodles use egg noodles, which rules them out for vegans, and the sauces can include oyster sauce, so confirm before ordering even as a vegetarian. Pad Thai uses rice noodles but usually contains egg and sometimes fish sauce, so treat it as a Check item rather than a default vegetarian choice. A sweet chili sauce shows up on a few dishes too, so ask when a glaze looks shiny. When in doubt, build your plate from a tofu entree plus a vegetable side and rice, which keeps the meal simple and safe.
What’s Vegan at P.F. Chang’s?
You can eat vegan at P.F. Chang’s, but you have to assemble it. The vegan options are not on a separate menu, so lean on the dishes that are plant-based by design. The food that works best is steamed Buddha’s Feast with the sauce on the side, Ma Po Tofu confirmed without pork, steamed edamame, Chili-Garlic Green Beans, Garlic Spinach, Cold Cucumber Salad, and steamed white rice. Those vegan options form a solid meal, and the vegan dishes give you enough variety to come back without repeating an order. The cuisine leans on vegetables, so dining here as a vegetarian stays easy. The Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps are also vegan-friendly at most locations, so ask the server to confirm the sauce. Steer clear of egg noodles, fried rice, aioli, and any wrapper or batter, since those carry egg or dairy.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Soy sauce is the big one. Standard soy sauce contains wheat, so most stir-fries and sauces are not gluten-free by default. P.F. Chang’s runs a dedicated gluten-free menu and cooks those dishes with gluten-free soy sauce on request, so tell your server if you need it. Egg shows up in fried rice, Pad Thai, the togarashi aioli, and several wrappers and batters. Egg noodles are standard in lo mein and garlic noodles.
Watch the hidden animal ingredients in sauces. Oyster sauce and fish sauce turn up in dishes that otherwise look plant-based, including some noodle and Brussels sprouts preparations, so ask whenever a sauce is not clearly vegetable-based. The kitchen shares woks and fryers across meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes, and there is no separate vegetarian fryer, so if cross-contact is a strict concern for you, mention it and ask for your dish to be cooked separately. The leaf icon on the menu flags vegetarian items, but it does not promise vegan or allergen-free.
Tips for Vegetarians at P.F. Chang’s
- Order the Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps by name so the kitchen does not bring the chicken version.
- Choose Buddha’s Feast steamed with the sauce on the side for the cleanest vegan plate.
- Ask whether any sauce uses oyster sauce or fish sauce before you assume a dish is meat-free.
- Skip lo mein, garlic noodles, and fried rice if you avoid egg, since they use egg noodles or egg.
- Request the gluten-free menu if you need it, and confirm the gluten-free soy sauce.
- Build a meal from a tofu entree, a vegetable side, and steamed rice when you want a sure thing.
- Tell your server about cross-contact concerns, since woks and fryers are shared.
Conclusion
P.F. Chang’s is an easy place to eat vegetarian once you know the order. Lead with the Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps and Buddha’s Feast, lean on tofu mains and vegetable sides, and ask about sauces when you want a dish to be vegan. For more on ordering out, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants and browse all our restaurant guides. If you like Asian menus, check what to order at Panda Express, Teriyaki Madness, and Noodles & Company.
