Single crystals of EuPd $ _3$ Si $ _2$ were grown using a high-temperature EuPd-flux method. The material was structurally and chemically characterized by single-crystal x-ray diffraction, powder x-ray diffraction, Laue method and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The structural analysis confirmed the orthorhombic crystal structure (space group $Imma$ ) but revealed differences in the lattice parameters and bond distances. The composition is close to the ideal 1:3:2 stoichiometry with an occupation of 7% of the Si sites by Pd. The heat capacity, electrical resistivity, and magnetic susceptibility show two magnetic transitions indicating magnetic ordering below $T_\textrm{N1} = $ 61 K and a spin reorientation at $T_{\textrm{N}\textrm{2}} = $ 40 K. The orthorhombic material shows magnetic anisotropy, with anisotropy constants $K_1 = 7.1 \times 10^5\,\text{J m}^{-3}$ and $K_2 = 4.2 \times 10^5\,\text{J m}^{-3}$ , for field applied along the three main symmetry axes, which is summarized in the temperature-field phase diagrams. The susceptibility data hint to an alignment of the magnetic moments along $[100]$ between $T_\textrm{N1}$ and $T_{\textrm{N}\textrm{2}}$ . Below $T_{\textrm{N}\textrm{2}}$ the magnetic structure changes to an arrangement with moments canted away from $[100]$ . The single crystals investigated in this study are suggested to show antiferromagnetic order below $T_\textrm{N1}$ instead of ferromagnetism that sets in at higher $T_\textrm{C1} = 78\,\textrm{K}$ which might originate from certain differences in the structure, composition or defects that have an impact on the dominant coupling constants of the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction.