Peanut-Free Chinese Food

Overview

Peanuts are not present in every Chinese cuisine, but they can be central in kung pao dishes, cold noodles, sauces, desserts, and some regional snacks. This page is a practical restaurant-ordering guide. It helps identify common risk points, lower-risk starting points, and useful questions to ask before ordering.

Better starting points

• Plain rice and verified simple dishes
• Steamed vegetables without sauce
• Non-peanut sauces if ingredients are verified
• Dishes from restaurants that can distinguish peanuts from sesame and tree nuts
• Orders prepared away from crushed peanut garnish

What to watch for

• Kung pao dishes
• Dan dan noodles
• Cold noodles
• Hot pot sauce bars
• Chili crisp
• Desserts
• Crushed peanut garnish
• Shared garnish spoons

Questions to ask

• Does this dish contain peanuts or peanut oil?
• Is there crushed peanut garnish?
• Is the sauce made with peanut butter or peanut paste?
• Can it be prepared away from peanuts?

Useful phrase

我对花生过敏。请不要放花生、花生酱或花生油。

A phrase can help communication, but it cannot verify ingredients, labels, shared equipment, or kitchen practice by itself.

Ordering strategy

Keep the order simple. Prefer dishes with fewer sauces and fewer mixed ingredients. Mention the restriction before asking for dish recommendations. When the restriction is medically important, ask about preparation, not only ingredients.

Sources and related guides

• FDA: Food Allergies
• FDA: Food allergen labeling guidance