✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
These copycat Panda Express Triple Chocolate Rangoons are crisp wonton shells around a warm, fudgy chocolate cream cheese center, finished with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Panda's version is a limited regional test, so here's how I make them at home.
How Do You Make Panda Express Chocolate Rangoons? (Quick Answer)
Beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons sweet ground chocolate and cocoa and a little vanilla, then stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and chill for 15 minutes. Fill 24 wonton wrappers with 2 teaspoons each, pinch into purses and fry at 350°F for about 2 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and dust with powdered sugar.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Chill the filling for 15 minutes before you fold. Cold filling is firm enough to scoop neatly and won't smear chocolate on the edges, which is what stops the seams from sealing.
Why You'll Love These Rangoons
- Brownie meets lava cake a gooey middle inside a shatter-crisp shell.
- No test market needed make them wherever you live.
- Make-ahead friendly fold them, freeze them, fry from frozen.
- Party sized one batch makes two dozen.
- Air fryer option for a lighter, less messy night.
What Are Panda Express Triple Chocolate Rangoons?
This is Panda Express's first dessert rangoon, made in collaboration with Ghirardelli. Instead of the savory cream cheese and scallion filling, the crispy wonton holds a chocolate cream cheese center made with semi-sweet chocolate chips and sweet ground chocolate and cocoa. Then it gets a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Panda describes the middle as somewhere between a fudgy brownie and a lava cake, and that's exactly what I aimed for here: warm and molten, not runny.
Can you buy them? Panda Express is testing them for a limited time in 10 markets: Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and West Palm Beach, through January 11. Availability varies by restaurant, so check the Panda Express app.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Cream cheese: full-fat block cream cheese, softened. Spreadable tubs are too loose for frying.
- Sweet ground chocolate and cocoa: it's the one Panda names, and it's sweeter than plain cocoa. With unsweetened cocoa, add a little extra powdered sugar.
- Mini chocolate chips: semi-sweet, for the third layer of chocolate.
- Wonton wrappers: the square ones from the refrigerated produce or tofu section. Keep them under a damp towel while you work.
- Chocolate sauce: any thick chocolate dessert sauce, warmed so it drizzles.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Soft cream cheese only. Leave it out for an hour first. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy and the cocoa won't blend in.
- Mini chips melt faster. Regular chips can stay firm in a 2-minute fry. Minis go soft and gooey, which is the whole point.
- Don't overfill. Two teaspoons feels small, but more than that and the purses burst in the oil. I learned this the messy way, with chocolate leaking into the pot and spitting at me.
- Watch the oil temperature. At 350°F the shell crisps before the filling bursts. Too cool and they soak up oil; too hot and the wrappers brown before the middle warms.
- Air fryer version. Spray the purses with oil and air fry at 370°F for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway. They're less blistered but still crisp.
- Freeze ahead. Freeze folded, unfried rangoons on a tray, then bag them. Fry straight from frozen, adding about 30 seconds.
Panda Express Triple Chocolate Rangoons
12
servings (2 each)25
minutes15
minutes210
kcal55
minutesA copycat version of the Panda Express Triple Chocolate Rangoons: wonton wrappers filled with a chocolate cream cheese filling made with cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips, fried until crisp, then drizzled with chocolate sauce and dusted with powdered sugar. Makes 24 rangoons.
Ingredients
- For the Chocolate Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened ground chocolate and cocoa powder (or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon extra powdered sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch fine salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
- To Assemble and Fry
24 square wonton wrappers
1 small bowl water, for sealing
2 inches neutral oil, for frying
- To Finish
1/4 cup chocolate sauce, warmed
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, ground chocolate, vanilla and salt until smooth, then stir in the mini chocolate chips. Chill the filling for 15 minutes so it is easier to scoop.
- Lay out a few wonton wrappers at a time (keep the rest covered) and spoon 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each.
- Brush the edges with water. Bring the four corners up to meet in the middle and pinch all the seams together to make a little purse, pressing out any air.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F. Fry 5 or 6 rangoons at a time for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
- Lift them onto a wire rack and let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes; the filling is very hot.
- Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce, dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
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More Panda Express and Rangoon Copycats
Make it a full Panda night with my Panda Express orange chicken, Panda Express fried rice and chow mein, or go for Beijing beef. If you love the savory kind, my lobster rangoon uses the same folding method, and you'll find more takeout favorites in my Chinese recipes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Panda Express Triple Chocolate Rangoons?
They're Panda Express's first dessert rangoon, made with Ghirardelli. Panda describes a crispy rangoon with a chocolate cream cheese filling made with semi-sweet chocolate chips and sweet ground chocolate and cocoa, drizzled with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.
Where can I get the Panda Express chocolate rangoon?
Panda Express launched them as a limited-time test in 10 markets: Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and West Palm Beach, running through January 11. Check the Panda Express app for your nearest restaurant.
Can I use Ghirardelli chocolate at home?
Yes. Ghirardelli sells semi-sweet chips, a sweet ground chocolate and cocoa, and chocolate sauce in many supermarkets, so you can use the same brand. Any good semi-sweet mini chips and cocoa work well too.
How do I keep the filling from leaking?
Chill the filling, use only 2 teaspoons per wrapper, keep the edges clean, and press the air out as you pinch the seams. Wet every edge so it sticks.
Can I bake them instead of frying?
Yes. Brush with oil and bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. They're crisp on the edges and a little softer than fried.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Keep them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days, because of the cream cheese. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the sauce and sugar.
