Panera Bread [Gluten Free Menu Updated 2024]

Hi friends,

We’ve given this post a 2024 makeover, clearing out any menu items that are no longer on the menu. The calorie counts got a little tweak, and I’ve got all the updated details right here.

Since writing my post on the Top 10 Allergy-Friendly Fast Food & Casual Restaurants For Your Road Trips, friends have asked about gluten-free options at some of the national chains. So today I’ll provide you with the latest nutritional info for one of the most popular chains, Panera Bread.

Contents

1 What is Panera Bread?
2 Can Celiacs Eat at Panera Bread?
3 What does gluten-conscious mean at Panera Bread?
4 Gluten Free Menu Options for Breakfast at Panera Bread
5 Breakfast Sandwiches without the Bread Could Be a Gluten-Free Option (Egg only)
- 5.1 Coffee & Breakfast Smoothies to try if you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity:
6 Panera Breakfast Foods To Avoid if You’re Sensitive to Gluten
7 Panera’s Gluten-Free Menu Items For Lunch & Dinner
8 Panera: Nutritional Information
9 Related Posts from MyFearless Foodie:
- - - 9.0.0.1 Pat S

What is Panera Bread?

Panera Bread is an American casual restaurant that began as a bakery chain in St. Louis, MO by founders Ronald Shaich and Louis Kane in 1987. The original bakery was called the St. Louis Bread Company, which is still in operation. The St. Louis Bread Company started as a humble community bakery whose primary product was the sourdough bread baked fresh daily. Today there are over 2,000 Panera Bread locations in 48 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada.

Panera’s menu offers customers good food, food you can feel good about, served in a warm, welcoming environment by people who care. Now Panera offers so much more than fresh baked bread. Local restaurants today offer breakfast sandwiches, wraps, fresh salads, warm soups, and fresh baked goods along with coffee, teas and smoothies.

Can Celiacs Eat at Panera Bread?

Panera Bread has a variety of menu items made without gluten-containing ingredients for their customers who embrace a gluten-free lifestyle. According to Panera’s website, as long as you don’t have celiac disease, heightened gluten sensitivities or a wheat allergy (in which case you should check with your doctor), Panera is a great restaurant for you.

If you have a gluten allergy, a severe food allergy or medical issue with wheat, you should not eat at Panera. Panera also has a disclaimer online stating that menu items are prepared in the same kitchen as their gluten-containing menu items. Therefore, they can’t guarantee that there won’t be cross-contamination between ingredients. If you are gluten sensitive, allergists recommend that restaurants keep a separate area for food prep, so be sure to ask Panera staff about any concerns you have when ordering.

What does gluten-conscious mean at Panera Bread?

Panera offers a ‘gluten-conscious’ menu with gluten-free items. In an interview with the Seattle Times paper, Ron Shaich, Panera’s CEO and founder reportedly said that he practices a gluten-free lifestyle. In other words, Shaich prefers gluten-free options not because of a gluten or wheat allergy. His belief is that gluten tends to be a leading indicator of carbs, so he balance his carbs, proteins, and fats to stay healthy.

Shaich candidly admits that Panera’s lawyers won’t allow the restaurant to say gluten free when describing gluten-containing food on their menu, so gluten conscious was the “stupid name” they settled on. On Panera’s Gluten Conscious Diet page, Panera highlights more than 10 gluten-containing foods. This menu includes breakfast options, soups, salads, warm bowls, and a nice variety of delicious smoothies made with Greek yogurt, almond milk, purées, and juices.

My hope is that by sharing this guide, it will help you plan for your next road trip if you have someone in your family who may be looking for a gluten-free meal at Panera.

Gluten Free Menu Options for Breakfast at Panera Bread

Gluten-Free Options from the Breakfast Favorites Menu:

For breakfast, you’ll see a couple of options listed on Panera Bread’s Gluten Conscious menu. These include:

Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries Parfait (250 Cal)
Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans (360 Cal)

The Steel Cut Oatmeal is only available before 10:30 am, so next time you’re there early enough, you may want to order it if you like a nice hearty oatmeal with fresh fruit. The only thing you may want to be aware of is that I found a note in their allergen information guide that stated ‘May Contain’ next to this menu item.

Therefore if you allergic to gluten, you should steer clear of the Steel Cut Oatmeal due to the risk of cross contamination.

Breakfast Sandwiches without the Bread Could Be a Gluten-Free Option (Egg only)

You may also get your protein fix by ordering a breakfast sandwich without the bread! This may vary by your local restaurant. The nutrition information lists the following egg styles and calorie count:

Over Easy Egg (70 Cal)
Scrambled Egg (90 Cal)
Egg White (30 Cal)

Fun Fact! When I did a quick Google search about Panera’s eggs I found some good news for Panera customers. In 2018, Panera made a lot of noise proudly announcing that they were adding fresh eggs to their new breakfast sandwiches. Why was this news such a big deal? It exposed the fact that most restaurants and national chains don’t serve 100 percent real eggs. Many breakfast options are shipped frozen to restaurants and reheated before serving. This makes it necessary for restaurants to add preservatives to their eggs. So Panera’s announcement in 2018 shook up the entire restaurant business forcing them to think about what they wanted to serve their own customers.

Panera redefined what it means to have real eggs at breakfast as freshly prepared: cracked shell eggs and/or egg whites with no preservatives or unhealthy additives.

Coffee & Breakfast Smoothies to try if you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity:

Panera Bread has great options when it comes to coffees and drinks for your gluten-free menu for breakfast.

For the GF eater who may want a breakfast on the lighter side, or a healthy snack some time later in the day, Panera offers several low-calorie smoothies on their gluten-conscious menu all day long.

These gluten free options include:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie (250 Cal)
Green Passion Smoothie (230 Cal)
Mango Smoothie (300 Cal)
Peach & Blueberry with Almond Milk (200 Cal)
Strawberry Smoothie (260 Cal)

Panera also offers a wide variety of coffee for your caffeine fix or want to enjoy the taste of coffee with several decaf options.

A recent visit to Panera reminded me that it has become a preferred remote workspace for many who no longer want to go into the office, but don’t want to work from home.

Panera Breakfast Foods To Avoid if You’re Sensitive to Gluten

There is no gluten-free bread at Panera at the time of this posting. If you are allergic to food items that contain wheat flour, you will want to stay away from all of their baked goods. You’ll also want to stay away from their egg soufflés and breakfast sandwiches. You can find more information on what to avoid in their allergen guide I’ve attached at the bottom of this post.

Panera’s Gluten-Free Menu Items For Lunch & Dinner

For lunch or dinner, you can choose from a variety of items with gluten-free ingredients. Here are some GF options you can try to enjoy a delicious meal at Panera.

Salads that are Gluten Free on Panera Bread’s Menu

If you want a salad, you can try any of these gluten-free menu items from their gluten-conscious menu.

One of their most popular salads is their fresh Greek Salad made with romaine, juicy grape tomatoes, feta, red onions, Kalamata olives, with a dash of salt and pepper tossed in Greek dressing with pepperoncini.

The good news is that this salad packs a healthy punch but only has 400 calories and 7 g carbs. With 8 g protein you can also customize it further with chicken and avocado.

Greek Salad With & Without Chicken (400 Cal)
Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken (480 Cal)
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad With Chicken (550 Cal) & Fuji Apple Salad (Without Chicken)

Salad Dressings and Sauces that are Gluten Free at Panera:

You have a good selection of salad dressings and sauces at are gluten free. According to the Panera Bread Allergen Guide, the following dressings are gluten free. I’ve included their whole calorie count. You can split it in half if you order the half salad sized portions:

BBQ Ranch (70 Cal)
Creamy Caesar Dressing (90 Cal)
Greek (230 Cal)
Asian Sesame (90 Cal)
Green Goddess (80 Cal)
White Balsamic Apple Flavored (160)
Chipotle Sauce (100 Cal)
Apple Cider BBQ Sauce (20 Cal)
Mayonnaise (130 Cal)
Horseradish Sauce (100 Cal)
Signature Sauce (90 Cal)
Spicy Brown Mustard (10 Cal)
Hummus (60 Cal)
Garlic Aioli (110 Cal)
Salsa Verde (90 Cal)
Lemon Tahini (70 Cal)

Soups and Warm Bowls to Try at Panera Bread without Gluten-Containing Ingredients:

You have great options when it comes to warm soups that don’t use gluten ingredients. Some of their warm bowls are also gluten free.

A healthy option is the Mediterranean Bowl. With 15 g of protein, this delicious bowl comes with cilantro lime brown rice and quinoa, arugula, juicy grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, fresh cucumbers, hummus, lemon tahini dressing, feta cheese and Greek Yogurt.

Here is a list of Panera Bread soups that are also gluten-conscious:

Turkey Chili (300 Cal)
Baja Bowl (620 Cal), Baja Bowl with Chicken (680 Cal)
Mediterranean Bowl (520 Cal)
Mediterranean Bowl with Chicken (570 Cal)

Gluten Free Panera Bread Sides/Snacks—Yes, Panera Chips are Gluten Free:

Panera Potato Chips (140 Cal)
Fresh Fruit Cup (60 Cal)
Apple (80 Cal)
Banana (90 Cal),
Hard Boiled Eggs, 2 Pack (150 Cal)

Panera Foods to Avoid at Lunch and Dinner if You’re Gluten-Sensitive

My fearless foodie, Lily, who has several food allergies, reminded me that it’s important to emphasize what to avoid when going out to eat because ingredients are always changing. If you have gluten sensitivities, you should steer clear of all Panera sandwiches, some salads, several soups, their mac and cheese, flat breads, and anything using their bread bowls.

Here is the list I compiled based on the Panera Allergen Guide on their website.

Stay Away from Panera Sandwiches For a Gluten-Free Diet:

If you have gluten allergies you will want to steer clear of all sandwiches, a few of their soups, a couple of their salads, all flatbreads, and their popular Panera broccoli cheddar mac and cheese.

These following Panera menu items are all made with wheat-based ingredients:

Panera Bakery Menu Items to Avoid if You’re Gluten Sensitive:

Gluten-containing Panera bagels: Cinnamon Crunch, Asiago, Everything, Plain, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Swirl, Sesame, Sprouted Grain
Gluten-containing Panera breads: French Baguette Loaf, Classic Sourdough Loaf, Country Rustic Sourdough, Sourdough Bread Bowls, White Whole Grain, Tomato Basil Bread, Black Pepper Focaccia, Brioche Roll, Artisan Ciabatta Loaf, Classic White Miche, Asiago Cheese Focaccia
Gluten-containing Panera cookies: Chocolate Chipper, Tulip, Lemon Drop, Candy, Oatmeal Raisin with Berries, Kitchen Sink
Gluten-containing Panera soufflés: Spinach & Bacon, Four Cheese, Spinach & Artichoke
Gluten-containing Panera scones: Orange, Blueberry, Minis

Gluten-containing Panera muffins: Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin, Cranberry Orange
Other gluten-containing Panera pastries: Pecan Braid, Brownies

Avoid These Panera Salads and Salad Dressings With Gluten-Containing Ingredients

Salads: Caesar Salad (remove croutons to avoid wheat) and Asian Sesame Salad with gluten containing ingredients
Dressings: Tangerine Soy Ginger Dressing and Teriyaki Sauce with gluten-containing ingredients

Avoid These Foods With Gluten-Containing Ingredients at Panera

Pasta: Mac & Cheese, Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese have gluten ingredients
Warm Bowls: Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli contained gluten
Flat Bread Pizzas & All Panera Bread Bowls: All Flat Breads and Panera bowls are not gluten free
Panera soups with Gluten: Ten Vegetable, Bistro French Onion with Cheese & Croutons, Home-style Chicken Noodle, Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice, Vegetarian Creamy Tomato with Croutons, Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Next time you visit Panera Bread, here are a few links that are helpful in planning.

Although they don’t have a great nutrition calculator like other large chains, they do offer gluten conscious, vegan, high protein, sodium conscious, and climate friendly menus I’ve included below.

Panera: Nutritional Information

Allergen & Nutrition Statement	https://www.panerabread.com/content/dam/panerabread/documents/nutrition/allergen-and-nutrition-statement.pdf
Vegetarian	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/vegetarian.html
Vegan	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/vegan.html
High Protein	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/high-protein.html
Gluten Conscious	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/gluten-conscious.html
Sodium Conscious	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/sodium-conscious.html
Climate Friendly	https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu/nutritious-eating/diet/climate-friendly-meals.html
Nutrition Link to PDF:	https://www.panerabread.com/content/dam/panerabread/documents/nutrition/Panera-Nutrition.pdf

As always, please make sure you double-check the menus and labels when you order and speak to your server as information is ever changing. I hope this guide is helpful to you!

Thanks for reading and for stopping by!