Tree-Nut-Free Chinese Food

Overview

Tree nuts are less common than peanuts in many Chinese restaurant dishes, but cashews, walnuts, almonds, and nut garnishes can still appear. 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

• Dishes without nut garnish or nut sauces
• Plain rice
• Verified steamed vegetables
• Simple soups if broth ingredients are known
• Restaurants that can separate peanuts, sesame, and tree nuts in ingredient discussions

What to watch for

• Cashew chicken
• Honey walnut shrimp
• Almond cookies
• Desserts
• Mixed nut garnishes
• Shared garnish containers
• Nut oils

Questions to ask

• Does this dish contain cashews, walnuts, almonds, or other nuts?
• Are nuts added as garnish?
• Are peanuts and tree nuts stored near the prep station?
• Can the kitchen avoid shared utensils?

Useful phrase

我对坚果过敏。请不要放腰果、核桃、杏仁或其他坚果。

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