Healthy eating at Panera: the healthiest options on the Panera menu (2023)

All menu item images are propertybread maker

When it comes to eating healthy, most people don't consider fast food restaurants a viable option.

But if you're looking for a healthy takeaway, Panera can be a fantastic option! In fact, this is one of my favorite macro options to find when traveling.

The Panera Bread menu offers plenty of options, so we'll break down the entire menu to find the best options to order.

Remember: there are no clearly defined "good" or "bad" menu items to order and they all have different food options. We'll just break down the Panera menu to help you decide which menu item works best for your diet, and give you some tips on how to create the perfect custom order for healthier options.

Does Panera use healthy ingredients?

While the term "healthy" is certainly subjective, it's clear that the Panera is a great choice in the fast-casual realm.

Some fast food restaurants, such asTaco BelloWendy'syou've had questions about the quality of your ingredients, but Panera Bread Company is doing everything they can to keep those questions at bay.

Panera's personal guarantee is that they will only use ingredients they believe to be 100% pure. What does that mean exactly?

According toSitio Web Panera Bread, "pure" means food free from artificial preservatives, sweeteners and flavorings, as well as colors from artificial sources. They almost made a list100 ingredientsThey don't allow food because of a promise.

If you're looking for whole, whole-food ingredients, Panera Bread is a great choice. With bread containing whole grains, eggs and avocados containing healthy fats, and plenty of fresh vegetables, there are plenty of healthy options available.

But what if your definition of "healthy" describes something that is low in calories, low in fat, or something else? Well, let's break down the menu to see which items suit your diet best!

Use- If you want additional nutritional information such as sodium, sugar, net fibre/carbs, cholesterol, etc., please check the Panera website for full nutritional information for each menu item.

Panera Breakfast Menu Calories and Nutrition

Panera serves breakfast before 10:30 and they have plenty of sandwich options on the breakfast menu.

All sandwiches are served in a brioche bun, ciabatta bun, multigrain bun or wrapped.

With any Panera Bread breakfast sandwich, you can replace the bread with any bread! If the sandwich isn't appealing, you can choose any bagel Panera has that day.

If you want to save calories on any sandwich, you also have the option of swapping scrambled or too easy egg for egg whites!

And of course, if breakfast sandwiches aren't your thing. Panera bread also offers soufflés and oatmeal to shake up.

Panera breakfast sandwich with the lowest calorie content

Avocado, egg white and spinach: 350 calories | 14g fat | 39g of carbohydrates | 19g of protein

If you want to cut calories, a protein sandwich is a great option. This sandwich is served on a flat sprouted bagel that has fewer calories than a typical bagel. Overall, at just 350 calories and still an impressive 19 grams of protein, it's a great option.

High-calorie Panera breakfast sandwich

Sausage, Egg and Cheese on an Asiago Bagel:770 calories | 47 g of grease | 60 g of carbohydrates | 29g of protein

At 47 grams of fat, it is easily the most caloric breakfast sandwich in Panera. If you're craving a sausage breakfast sandwich, sausage, egg and cheese on a ciabatta is the way to go. At 590 calories, it's still relatively high in calories, but contains almost 200 fewer calories than this option.

How to save calories on any breakfast sandwich

If you're looking for a breakfast option that fits well with your particular diet, you can make substitutions to create the perfect breakfast sandwich.

Since Panera offers a protein breakfast sandwich, you can swap the egg for any protein sandwich. 1 serving of proteins contains only 30 calories and 6 grams of protein, while scrambled eggs contain 90 calories and 8 grams of protein.

In addition, you can order any sandwich on a flat bun which contains just 180 calories compared to an asiago or regular bun of 310 and 280 calories respectively.

Whether you want to spice up your breakfast sandwich or just enjoy a bagel with cream cheese, Panera has plenty of amazing bagels to choose from!

Although they are most famous for theirCrispy Cinnamon Bagel(look at mecopied recipe), they have a wide range of options.

Bagel with less calories in panera

Flat bagel with grain sprouts: 180 calories | 2g fat | 34g of carbohydrates | 7g of protein

Panera bagels are similar to the "Bagel Thins" you may have seen at the grocery store, and are a great option if calories are an issue. While a flat roll may not be as filling as a full roll, it will save you over 100 calories.

The highest calorie bagel in Panera

Crispy Cinnamon Bagel: 420 Calories | 7g of lubricant | 84 g of carbohydrates | 9g of protein

It should come as no surprise that the sweetest option is also the most caloric. The Cinnamon Crunch Bagel is baked with pieces of cinnamon and vanilla and sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar topping, making it also the highest carbohydrate content.

Panera Bagel with the highest protein content

Asiago bagel: 310 calories | 3g of lubricant | 63g of carbohydrates | 12g of protein

If high protein is your goal, an asiago cheese bagel is the way to go. With a layer of Asiago cheese baked on top of this bagel, it adds an extra protein boost over other bagel options.

Panera Sandwiches Calories and Nutrition Information

Bread is the glue that holds the sandwich together, and there's no shortage of sandwich options at Panera.

A popular way to order at Panera is the "pick two" option, which allows you to choose half a sandwich paired with a cup of soup or half a salad.

The nutrition facts here are for a full sandwich, so if you choose the "pick two" option or just want to order a half sandwich, I'd just split the whole thing in half.

Panera sandwich with the lowest calorie content

Signature Take a Chicken Sandwich: 570 calories | 29g of grease | 41g of carbohydrates | 36g of protein

For example, you wouldn't expectfried chicken sandwichit may be low in calories, but it's actually the lowest calorie complete sandwich on the Panera menu. In fact, no other sandwich has less than 600 calories.

The next lowest calorie sandwich would be the turkey sandwich, which has exactly 600 calories per whole sandwich. If you order half a sandwich, it's only 300 calories, which is a very low calorie option.

Sandwich with more calories in Panera

Bravo sandwich with turkey and bacon: 1000 calories | 41g fat | 104g of carbohydrates | 54g of protein

You won't often find options over 1,000 calories in Panera, but Turkey Bacon Bravo is a monster. The amount of protein in this sandwich is impressive considering it contains roasted turkey, smoked apple bacon, and Gouda cheese, but those 54 grams of protein come at a high calorie price.

Panera sandwich more macro-balanced

medium roast steak and white cheddar cheese: 470 calories | 23g fat | 43g of carbohydrates | 23g of protein

Finding a balanced macro option in Panera may be more important to you than finding the lowest calorie option, and the steak and cheddar sandwich is a really solid option. While a full sandwich is quite high in calories, ordering a half sandwich makes for a truly balanced meal, especially when paired with another healthy option.

A very similar option is the turkey and avocado BLT, which contains the same amount of calories and 22 grams of protein.

vegetarian sandwich option

Mediterranean vegetable sandwich: 640 calories | 14g of grease | 106 g of carbohydrates | 23g of protein

The Mediterranean veggie sandwich is one of my favorites in Panera and it's meat free. Fresh vegetables are paired with feta and hummus and the tomato basil bread really compliments it.

Panera Soup & Bowls Calories and Nutritional Information

Nothing goes better with a sandwich than a bowl of hot soup! Panera has a few rotating soups that come and go as the seasons change, but for the most part they stick to staples.

We include macaroni and cheese here because it needs room to live in this menu division, but I won't compare it to apples to apples with soup because it's obviously higher in calories!

All the nutritional values ​​listed here are for a bowl of soup (or macaroni and cheese), but you also have the option of ordering the soup in a "cup" portion. A cup is about 2/3 the size of a bowl for these purposes.

For example, a bowl of turkey chili contains 300 calories, and a cup of turkey chili contains 200 calories.

Panera Low Calorie Soup

Sopa De Pollo Con Fideos: 100 Calories | 1g of lubricant | 13g of carbohydrates | 9g of protein

If you want to be low in calories, look no further than the classic noodle soup! While this may seem like a typo, it's true that a full bowl of Panera noodle soup contains only 100 calories, meaning a cup of this soup contains only 60 calories.

With 9g of protein to add to those 100 calories, chicken noodle soup is a really solid choice.

The highest calorie soup in Panera

Broccoli Cheddar Soup: 370 Calories | 21g fat | 25g of carbohydrates | 13g of protein

While this soup is certainly not high in calories, it's technically the most caloric option on the menu, so it's worth mentioning. I'm surprised this soup has more calories than turkey chili, but that's often the case when the base of the soup is cheese sauce.

Panera Bowl with the highest protein content

Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Bowl: 600 calories | 16g fat | 70g of carbohydrates | 46g of protein

If you're looking for a protein-rich option, a bowl of teriyaki chicken and broccoli is your best bet. At 600 calories and a whopping 46 grams of protein, this bowl is one of the highest protein foods on the entire Panera menu.

If you need a nutritious option with plenty of protein, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option.

Calories and nutritional information for Ensaladas Panera

As with the sandwiches, you have the option to order half a salad at Panera if you want the "pick two" option.

Whether you choose a salad because you want to cut calories, want micronutrients, or just because you think salad is delicious, there are some great options.

In my personal opinion, the Fuji apple salad (with grilled chicken breast) is one of the best salads.

And it's worth mentioning that I'm including a flat bread pizza along with salad options, but of course these are VERY different options!

For the sake of brevity, I've included them here, but we won't directly compare them to salads because pizza and salad are quite different things.

Salad with less calories in Panera

Caesar salad: 330 calories | 25g of grease | 18g of carbohydrates | 10g of protein

Are you surprised to see that a Caesar salad contains fewer calories than a Greek salad? I sure am! Anytime you have a cream-based dressing, the calories tend to be very high, but that's not the case with just over 300 calories for a whole salad.

If you're on a low-carb or keto diet, Caesar salad without croutons will be one of the best options on the menu for you.

Salad with more calories in panera

Citrus Crispy Asian Chicken Salad: 620 calories | 33g fat | 46g of carbohydrates | 36g of protein

While this salad is the highest-calorie option, it's also the highest-protein salad, so it's certainly not a terrible choice. If you want to save some calories, I recommend ordering the dressing on the side.

Because this salad is topped with tangerine-soy-ginger dressing and then topped with an extra drizzle of teriyaki, most of the calories come from the dressing. When you order the dressing on the side, you're in control of how much you add, so you'll likely save quite a few calories.

Calorie and Nutrition Information for Panera Bakery

Unlike other sections of Panera's menu, I don't think the division into the "healthiest" pastries is fair for two reasons:

1. When it comes to sweets, you probably just want to indulge in a treat without worrying too much about calories.
2. Each bakery product is SO different that it is very difficult to compare.

That said, one item really stands out at Panera: the chocolate chip muffin.

The Panera Muffin is a muffin top that contains almost half the calories of a regular muffin. While a regular blueberry muffin contains 510 calories, a chocolate chip muffin contains only 340 calories. If you're craving a delicious treat but want to keep your calories under control, this is a great option!

Not shown in the menu above there are also mini scones which are a great option at Panera. Although quite small, each mini roll contains only 150-180 calories, making them a great dessert for anyone on a low-calorie diet.

Panera calorie saving tips

No matter what you order from Panera, there are plenty of substitutions and substitutions you can make to save a few extra calories.

1)change the bread

When ordering a sandwich for breakfast or lunch, you can replace the bread with another type from the menu. If the ciabatta contains too many calories, you can opt for a flatbread instead!

2)wear on the side

Asking for salad dressing on the side is one of themeasiest calorie saver. By adding the dressing yourself or dipping the salad in the salad dressing, you will often use much less than if it were served on top of the salad.

3)Skip the heavy sauces

If you order a sandwich with mayonnaise, ranch, or any other milk-based sauce, it's going to be high in calories. I usually skip them in my sandwich and instead opt for a much lower calorie condiment like mustard, hot sauce or salsa.

4)Skip the bread bowl

Don't get me wrong, I think bread bowls are absolutely delicious, but they can add a ton of unwanted calories to your meal. If you order soup that has 300 calories but serve it in a bread bowl, it adds an extra 670 calories! This means your soup will now have nearly 1,000 calories.

5)Be aware of your secondary choices

It's not uncommon for lunch to come with a French baguette or a serving of French fries, but there are other options available that may be more appealing, not to mention more filling. You can order an apple or banana, a cup of fresh fruit, or Greek yogurt for fewer calories.

6)Share your baked goods

Everything at Panera Bakery looks amazing so I don't blame you if you're craving a chocolate chip cookie, muffin, cinnamon roll, croissant or whatever for breakfast. While there's nothing wrong with ordering these items, it's worth being careful because onechocolate chip cookiecontains almost 400 calories. If you want to try them, it's worth sharing with someone!

7)Take advantage of the "You choose two" option

You choose two means you choose two options half a salad, half a sandwich or a cup of soup. By consuming several smaller portions, we often eat more slowly, which in turn gives us a chance to realize that we are full and more satisfied. While I can easily finish a whole sandwich in about 2 minutes, if I eat half a sandwich with a small salad, I'm bound to eat much slower.

Is the Panera menu healthy?

If you want to eat healthy on the go, Panera is a fantastic option.

Sure, there are some menu items that may not support your dietary goals, but there's no shortage of substitutes and substitutions you can make to create a meal that works for you.

Panera's calories are on par with many other restaurants, but based on our breakdown in this post, it's clear that it depends entirely on what you order.

With fresh, high-quality ingredients, Panera is a great healthy eating option, especially if you're on the go and need something quick.