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Healthy Chinese Food Options (and Thai Takeout Picks)

Healthy Chinese food options for takeout: steamed dishes, moo goo gai pan and broth soups run 100-700 calories vs 1,300 for General Tso's. Plus Thai picks.

Reviewed by Menu Scan Editorial TeamLast reviewed 8 min read

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The short answer

The healthiest Chinese food options for takeout are steamed chicken, shrimp or tofu with vegetables, moo goo gai pan, and broth soups like wonton or hot and sour. In CSPI's lab tests, those soups are about 100 calories and moo goo gai pan about 600, versus about 1,300 for General Tso's chicken. At Thai restaurants, tom yum, larb, summer rolls and chicken satay are lighter picks. Get sauce on the side and keep rice to about a cup.

It's Thursday night, nobody wants to cook, and the takeout menu has 140 numbered items. You want something that tastes great without wrecking your calorie budget or leaving you puffy the next morning. Good news: Chinese-American and Thai restaurants have some of the best healthy options on any takeout menu, as long as you know which dishes to pick and which ones only sound light.

Is Chinese and Thai takeout healthy?#

It can be: both cuisines are built on lean proteins, vegetables, aromatics and fast cooking methods. The trouble comes from three places: deep-fried batter, sugary glazes and sheer portion size.

The numbers back this up. In a Tufts University analysis of 157 meals from 33 restaurants around Boston, Chinese meals averaged 1,474 calories, behind only Italian and American. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) lab-tested dinner-size Chinese restaurant dishes and found that General Tso's chicken came in around 1,300 calories and 3,200 mg of sodium, before any rice. The same analysis noted that many entrées land between 1,000 and 1,500 calories. (See why restaurant meals have more calories for what drives numbers like these.)

What are healthy Chinese food options for takeout?#

The healthiest Chinese takeout options are steamed chicken, shrimp or tofu with vegetables, protein-and-vegetable stir-fries like moo goo gai pan with the sauce on the side, and broth soups. In CSPI's lab tests, these run about 100 to 700 calories per dinner-size order, versus about 1,300 for General Tso's chicken and 1,500 for combination fried rice.

Takeout order (dinner size, no rice) Calories Sodium
Wonton, egg drop or hot and sour soup about 100 800 to 1,100 mg
Shrimp with lobster sauce about 400 about 2,300 mg
Moo goo gai pan about 600 about 1,800 mg
Szechuan shrimp about 700 about 2,500 mg
Compare: General Tso's chicken about 1,300 about 3,200 mg
Compare: combination fried rice about 1,500 about 2,700 mg

Lab analyses from CSPI's Wok Carefully report. Restaurants vary, and each cup of rice adds about 200 calories.

Steamed dishes#

Many Chinese-American restaurants have a "health" or "diet" section: steamed chicken, shrimp or tofu with vegetables and the sauce on the side. This is the best lever on the menu, because you control how much sauce goes on.

Stir-fries with the sauce on the side#

Otherwise, pick a protein-and-vegetable stir-fry and ask: "Can I get the sauce on the side, and light on the oil?" Good picks:

  • Chicken and broccoli. Lean protein plus a mountain of broccoli. One of the most reliable orders anywhere.
  • Shrimp with snow peas or mixed vegetables. Shrimp is very lean, so most of the calories come from the sauce and oil.
  • Moo goo gai pan. Chicken with mushrooms and vegetables in a light white sauce.
  • Szechuan or garlic shrimp. Lots of vegetables and big flavor, though sodium is high (more on that below).

Buddha's delight#

This mix of stir-fried vegetables, often with tofu, is a vegetable powerhouse. CSPI measured it at about 500 calories for a full dinner order, far less than the fried entrées. A smart move is to order Buddha's delight alongside a protein dish and split both, which stretches the vegetables across the whole meal.

Soups and small starters#

Hot and sour, wonton and egg drop soups are low in calories and filling. Steamed dumplings beat fried ones, and a spring roll is lighter than an egg roll.

What are the healthiest Thai food orders?#

The healthiest Thai orders lean on herbs, lime, chili and grilled proteins: tom yum, larb, fresh summer rolls, chicken satay and green papaya salad.

  • Tom yum soup. A hot and sour broth with lemongrass, galangal, lime and chili, usually with shrimp or chicken. Light and very satisfying. Tom kha, its cousin, adds coconut milk and is much richer.
  • Larb. Minced chicken, pork or tofu tossed with lime, fish sauce, chili, toasted rice powder and fresh herbs, often served with lettuce. High protein, bright, and light.
  • Fresh summer rolls. Rice paper wrapped around shrimp, herbs and vegetables, not fried. Go easy on the peanut dipping sauce, or ask for a lighter sauce instead.
  • Chicken satay. Grilled skewers are a solid protein choice. The peanut sauce is where calories hide, so dip rather than pour.
  • Green papaya salad (som tam). Crunchy, sour and spicy. Note that it often contains peanuts, dried shrimp and fish sauce, so ask if you have allergies (our guide to eating out with food allergies covers how).

Which Chinese and Thai dishes are highest in calories?#

Battered and fried dishes, sweet glazes, fried rice and noodles, and coconut-milk curries run heaviest. These aren't forbidden. Share them, order a smaller portion, or save them for when they're worth it.

Dish Why it runs heavy Lighter swap
General Tso's chicken Battered, deep-fried, sweet glaze Chicken with garlic sauce or moo goo gai pan, stir-fried not breaded
Orange chicken / sesame chicken Fried coating plus sugary sauce Chicken and broccoli, sauce on the side
Fried rice / lo mein Mostly oil and refined carbs, few vegetables Steamed rice (half portion) or extra vegetables
Crab rangoon Fried wonton filled with cream cheese Steamed dumplings or hot and sour soup
Pad thai Large portion of noodles, oil, sugar, peanuts Larb, or stir-fried vegetables with chicken
Red, green, panang or massaman curry Coconut milk is rich in saturated fat Jungle curry (no coconut milk) or tom yum

A few notes on these:

  • Fried rice is a meal on its own. CSPI found a combination fried rice order hit about 1,500 calories. As a side dish, that's a lot.
  • Plan for curries. Eat the protein and vegetables, go light on the sauce, and take a smaller scoop of rice.
  • "Crispy" is a code word. On both menus, crispy usually means battered and fried.

Why is Chinese and Thai takeout so high in sodium?#

Soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce and many stir-fry bases are very salty, so sodium is often a bigger surprise than calories with Chinese and Thai food. CSPI notes that a single tablespoon of soy sauce carries about 1,000 mg of sodium, and even vegetable dishes like stir-fried greens tested above 2,000 mg per order.

For context, the FDA says Americans eat about 3,400 mg of sodium a day on average, while the Dietary Guidelines recommend less than 2,300 mg. The FDA also notes that over 70% of the sodium we eat comes from packaged and prepared foods, not the salt shaker.

Practical ways to keep it reasonable:

  • Ask for sauce on the side. This cuts sodium as much as calories.
  • Lift food out with chopsticks or a fork, leaving the sauce pooled in the container rather than spooning it over rice.
  • Skip the extra soy sauce packets. The dish is already seasoned.
  • Ask for low-sodium soy sauce if you like to add some.

If you're managing blood pressure or kidney health, talk with your doctor about a sodium target that fits you.

How to portion rice with Chinese and Thai takeout#

Serve yourself half a cup to one cup and put the carton away, because rice is where takeout calories quietly double. CSPI estimates about 200 calories per cup of white or brown rice, and a typical takeout carton holds about two cups. Eat the whole carton and you've added roughly 400 calories to a dish that may already be 800 or more.

Try these instead:

  • Plate half a cup to one cup, then put the carton away.
  • Choose brown rice when offered. Calories are similar, but you get more fiber, which helps you feel full.
  • Fill half your plate with vegetables first, then protein, then rice.
  • Split entrées into two meals. Most protein dishes contain far more protein than you need at one sitting, so tomorrow's lunch is already in the bag.
  • Swap rice for extra steamed vegetables on nights when you want more room in your carb budget.

If takeout night is a different cuisine, the same protein-first approach works: see our guides to healthy sushi orders and healthy Indian restaurant orders.

How do you find healthy dishes when the menu has no nutrition info?#

Many neighborhood Chinese and Thai spots aren't large chains, so they aren't required to post calories (the FDA rule applies to chains with 20 or more locations). If you're staring at a paper menu, photograph it: Menu Scan AI can read a photo of it, estimate calories and macros for each dish, flag ingredients you avoid, and point out the dishes that best fit your goals. The numbers are estimates, and if you have a food allergy, always confirm ingredients with the restaurant, since peanuts, shellfish, soy, sesame and fish sauce are common in both cuisines.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the healthiest thing to order at a Chinese restaurant?#

Steamed chicken, shrimp or tofu with mixed vegetables and the sauce on the side is usually the healthiest order. Chicken and broccoli and Buddha's delight are also strong choices. Pair any of them with a modest portion of brown rice, and you have a balanced, filling meal.

Is Thai food healthier than Chinese food?#

Neither is automatically healthier; it depends on what you order. Thai dishes like tom yum, larb and summer rolls are light and fresh, while coconut curries and pad thai are rich. Chinese steamed dishes and vegetable stir-fries are light, while fried, glazed entrées are heavy.

How can I reduce sodium in Chinese takeout?#

Order sauces on the side, skip extra soy sauce, and lift food out of the sauce instead of pouring it over rice. Steamed dishes give you the most control. Balancing the rest of your day with lower-sodium meals also helps.

How much rice should I eat with takeout?#

About half a cup to one cup of rice is a reasonable portion for most people, which is roughly 100 to 200 calories. A full takeout carton is about two cups, so serve yourself a portion and save the rest. If you're very active or on a higher-carb plan, adjust to fit your goals.

What is the lowest-calorie Chinese takeout order?#

Broth soups are the lightest: CSPI's lab tests put wonton, egg drop and hot and sour soup at about 100 calories each. For an entrée, shrimp with lobster sauce (about 400 calories) and moo goo gai pan (about 600) are among the lowest before rice, compared with about 1,300 for General Tso's chicken.

Sources#

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