Hot & Sour Soup

What's in the Hot & Sour Soup?

At 150 calories per serving, the Hot & Sour Soup represents about 8% of a 2,000-calorie daily intake. On the macronutrient side, roughly 24% of those calories come from protein, 42% from fat, and 40% from carbohydrates — a profile typical of P.F. Chang's's Soup section. Sodium is often the line to watch with sit-down chain entrees, and this dish delivers 1810mg, or about 79% of the FDA's daily reference value. If you're watching salt, pairing the Hot & Sour Soup with a side salad (dressing on the side) and water rather than a sweetened beverage is the standard mitigation. Like most items at P.F. Chang's, the dish is built for shareable portions and is plated at restaurant scale rather than a strict single serving. Boxing half of it before you start is one of the simplest ways to bring the per-meal calorie load down meaningfully without giving up the experience.

How this fits a 2,000-calorie day

One serving of the Hot & Sour Soup supplies 150 calories, which represents roughly 8% of a 2,000-calorie reference day. That is on the lighter side for a sit-down restaurant entrée and gives a comfortable margin to add a starter, a side, or even dessert without crowding the day's caloric budget.

The macronutrient split lands at roughly 23% protein, 38% carbohydrate and 40% fat by calorie share — a useful frame because raw gram counts often understate how much of a dish's energy actually comes from fat. Protein delivery at 9g is in the ordinary mid-range for the category — enough to anchor a meal, not high enough to be the dish's selling point.

Sodium clocks in at 1810mg, or about 79% of the FDA's 2,300mg daily reference value. That is on the higher end for a single restaurant serving. It still fits a normal day if other meals are light, but two restaurant meals in a row at this sodium level will add up quickly.

Allergen profile

Wheat Eggs Soy

The Hot & Sour Soup is flagged for Wheat, Eggs and Soy in the chain's posted allergen panel. Wheat exposure typically comes from breading, pasta, the bun or batter; chains that publish gluten-friendly menus list specific substitution paths. Egg appears most commonly in the pasta, the breading wash or the mayonnaise-based dressings rather than as a stand-alone ingredient. Soy normally arrives via soybean oil used for frying or via soy lecithin in commodity sauces, both of which are common across the casual-dining segment. Cross-contact in a shared kitchen is always possible, so when in doubt, ask the floor manager.

How it stacks up against the casual-dining category

Across the 14 Soup entries we track in this category — averaging 253 calories and 1,287mg sodium per serving — the Hot & Sour Soup at P.F. Chang's sits roughly 41% lighter than the category average. It also delivers 523mg more sodium than the typical Soup item we list, which is the more useful number if you're cross-shopping menus on the way to a reservation.

For direct cross-shopping, here are the closest Soup matches we track at competing chains:

Ordering strategy

If the Hot & Sour Soup is the entrée you want, the highest-leverage adjustments are usually the ones that change the surrounding meal rather than the dish itself. Because the entrée itself is moderate, you have headroom for an appetizer or a starter side without dropping into restrictive territory — useful for a longer dinner where the goal is to stretch the meal rather than minimize it. Sauces, dressings and finishing oils are routinely the largest hidden source of calories on a casual-dining plate; getting them on the side gives you direct portion control without changing the dish you actually want to eat.

Ingredients summary

Tofu, mushrooms, bamboo, spicy-vinegar broth

The bottom line

The Hot & Sour Soup from P.F. Chang's is a light entry on the chain's menu at 150 calories and 1,810mg of sodium per serving. Protein content is on the lower side for an entrée — pairing with a protein-forward side or starter is the obvious adjustment. Anyone tracking sodium specifically — including most people on blood-pressure medication — should weigh this dish against the chain's lower-sodium options on the same menu before committing.