Copycat Panda Express Steamed Rice Recipe

Missing Panda Express’ steamed rice? Don’t worry, making one on your own is more convenient than lining up on America’s favorite Chinese fast-food chain. Rice is one of Panda Express’ side dishes that make up their savory meals. It pairs up perfectly with their extensive menu selection that they have different variants of it— white steamed rice, steamed brown rice, and their famous Chinese restaurant-style fried rice that’s so easy to make!

But today we’re sharing our version of the famous Panda Express’ white steamed rice recipe. You don’t have to worry if the serving will be enough since you have a bigger batch all on your own!

Rice Dishes In Different Cuisines

Rice is a staple to the table in different parts of the world. In some countries, rice is a symbol of their food, and use it as their base for their meals. Rice has different faces, shapes, and sizes across different countries.

Although rice looks simple, choosing the right type of rice for your dishes actually makes an impact on your rice meals. The short-grain rice is the stickiest out of all rice grains which is perfect for Japanese sushi making. If you’ve mastered the art of rice dishes and are curious if chocolates go well with sticky rice, our unique Chocolate Sushi Rice Recipe might help you with it.

Meanwhile, the medium-grain rice has a slightly rounder shape. This type of rice is ideal for Italian risottos as it has the perfect fluffiness and stickiness making it easier for it to absorb broths. Medium-grain rice is also perfect for the famous Spanish rice recipe, paella, as it absorbs all the savory flavors coming from the shrimp and juicy tomatoes like in our Tomato Paella Recipe inspired by Mark Bittman’s.

For our steamed rice recipe, we are using the beginner-friendly long-grained instant rice. It is the most forgiving of all rice types as it doesn’t clump up or fluff extremely when it cooks which is also perfect for our Mexican Rice Pilaf Recipe. In addition, instant rice is convenient for those quick last-minute meals as you can serve it in just about 25 minutes.

With all these rice recipes, you might be wondering if steamed rice is actually healthy for you. Head onto our CAQ section down below to find out!

How To Make Panda Express’ Copycat Steamed White Rice

Cooking our version of the Panda Express Steamed White Rice is fairly simple and convenient since you won’t need a rice cooker or a rice pot if you don’t have one. 

In making this steamed white rice recipe, remember to rinse your rice several times until your water is clear. This step is important to remove any surface starch from your rice grains preventing it from turning gummy as they cook. This also helps you eliminate debris from your rice.

Bring your rice to boil and don’t forget to also stir the rice after five minutes of boiling. This will help us make sure that the rice is cooked evenly and the bottom won’t be burnt. If you end up having leftover rice, check out our CAQ section down below to find out the best way on how to reheat steamed rice.

Aside from the fragrant steamed white rice, there are tons of Panda Express recipes you can try at the comfort of your home. Serve a cup of warm steamed rice with delicious and tender chicken in a sweet sauce with our Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe. This sweet and savory protein fix is a perfect pair with our steamed rice. This fluffy and soft instant steamed rice recipe also goes well with the popular Panda Express’ Black Pepper Chicken.

Did all these Panda-Express dishes make you crave even more? Now, let’s start cooking!