The 16 Healthiest Menu Items at Panera

Panera is one of the most popular fast casual restaurants chains for breakfast and lunch. The chain serves up freshly baked artisan breads, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Since it first launched in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company, the chain has more than 2,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Panera appeals to many health-conscious eaters because it offers many lighter, healthier choices at an affordable price compared to other fast-casual restaurant chains, and this appeal has many customers wondering, "is Panera actually healthy?"

The short answer is yes, Panera can be healthy and fit into your nutrition goals, especially because this chain allows patrons to customize their orders and was one of the first chains to offer the option of purchasing a half sandwich. But, the menu is extensive, and many choices will derail your efforts to eat well, so read on for the healthiest Panera menu picks.

Choosing the healthiest menu items at Panera

When it comes to choosing items that are truly good for you, there's much more to consider than "clean" ingredients. Here are some tips for making more nutritious choices at Panera:

• Lower calorie: Choose options that have up to 650  calories.
• Limit saturated fats: Keep saturated fat intake to less than 12 grams.
• Limit added sugars: Look for choices that keep added sugars to no more than 20 grams (about 4 teaspoons).
• Look for fiber: Find lunch or dinner options with at least 5 grams of filling fiber, and even more if possible.
• Keep dressing on the side: Moderate your calorie and fat intake by asking for dressing on the side.
• Opt for lean proteins: Skip high-fat add-ons like bacon and instead order lean proteins like grilled chicken.
• Skip the sides: Most Panera menu items come with the options of sides or add-ons like extra cheese, avocado, baguette and hummus. To keep calories in check, stick with the basic menu option.
• Order half a sandwich: Since all of the sandwiches will exceed our recommended calorie limit, stick to ordering a half sandwich, which is a perfect size for a healthy meal.

Beyond following those general guidelines, here are the 16 healthiest menu items at Panera. Read on, then check out the 10 Unhealthiest Panera Menu Items.

Breakfast & Bakery

Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries Parfait

This is a great choice for a calorie-controlled yet satisfying breakfast. Even though this parfait has just 250 calories, it packs 16 grams of high-quality protein to keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones in check. Moreover, the probiotics in the yogurt can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome with myriad health benefits. The sugar content appears high, but most of it is from naturally occurring sources like yogurt and fruit rather than a bunch of added sugar.

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Garden Avocado & Egg White Sandwich

This tasty Garden Avocado & Egg White Sandwich is an excellent start to any day. It is made with egg whites, aged cheddar cheese, avocado, and tomatoes and is served on a multi-grain bagel flat. Nutritionally, it's moderate in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, and it has less than a teaspoon of sugar. At the same, this breakfast sandwich provides 6 grams of fiber and 19 grams of protein to help keep you satisfied.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Pecans

Instead of a buttery croissant, pastry, or bagel from the eatery, order Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Pecans. Oats provide beta-glucan, a unique fiber that helps lower lousy LDL cholesterol and has also been shown to help increase satiety to keep you on track all day. Oats are also a protein-rich whole grain, so you'll get 8 grams of protein in this hearty bowl.

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Ciabatta Egg & Cheese Sandwich

For a healthier breakfast sandwich, this Egg & Cheese Sandwich is a crowd-pleaser. It's made with delicious ingredients, including scrambled eggs and aged white cheddar, and is served on an artisan ciabatta roll. We like the moderate calorie and sodium counts, plus it has nearly zero grams of sugar, so for anyone following a high-protein, lower-sugar eating style, this is your perfect pick.

Ciabatta Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich

This protein-packed breakfast sandwich is made with Black Forest ham, scrambled eggs, and aged white cheddar cheese on an artisan ciabatta roll. The combination of ham, eggs, and cheese makes this an excellent option for getting high-quality protein into your first meal. It is higher in sodium due to the ham, but it can still be enjoyed occasionally if your other choices are lower in sodium throughout the day.

 The #1 Unhealthiest Lunch Order at Panera

Multigrain Bagel Flat with Plain Cream Cheese Spread

When visiting Panera, sometimes all you want is one of the chain's award-winning bakery items. The best bet is the Multigrain Bagel Flat with Plain Cream Cheese. This breakfast option is still calorie-controlled compared to most of the other bakery items that weigh in at more than 700 or 800 calories. The bagel flat is a slimmed-down bagel, making it lower in calories. Since it's a whole grain it has an impressive 3 grams fiber and 9 grams of fiber to help keep your blood sugar and cravings in check.

Sandwiches

Half Toasted Garden Caprese

This Mediterranean-style sandwich is made with fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, and vegetables on Ciabatta bread. It is one of the best sandwich options because it is lower in calories, saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates. However, it still provides 16 grams of high-quality protein per half sandwich.

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Half Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich

This chicken sandwich is made with pulled chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes, and onions and is served on black pepper focaccia. While this sandwich has 790 calories for the full sandwich, we recommend ordering a half sandwich to keep calories and saturated fat in check.

Half Toasted Italiano

This Toasted Italiano Sandwich would exceed all our healthy nutrition guidelines as a full sandwich, but if you choose the half order, it's an acceptable option at Panera. It's made with ham, provolone, and veggies and is served on a baguette. It provides an ideal amount of protein, but like most of the menu items at Panera, the sandwich has sky-high sodium counts.

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Half Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich

This classic Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich is made with oven-roasted turkey breast, aged white cheddar, crisp mixed greens, and vine-ripened tomatoes served on rustic sourdough bread. It's a winner nutritionally because it has an optimal amount of protein, and the saturated fat is limited to 7 grams. While the sodium is higher than what is recommended for a lunch meal, it is consistent with any type of deli sandwich. When eating out for any meal, it's important to choose lower sodium options for the remainder of your meals and snacks to balance out your sodium intake.

Half Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt

The Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt Sandwich is made with pulled chicken, aged white cheddar cheese, avocado, and peppers on a black pepper focaccia. It makes our best of Panera list because it is moderate in calories and saturated fat and has 3.5 grams of fiber and 24 grams of protein, which together will help to keep you satisfied.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

 8 Healthiest Fast-Food Sandwiches

Salads

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad

Panera's Fuji Apple Chicken Salad stands out as one of the healthiest salad options on the menu. It's made with mixed greens, tomatoes, chicken raised without antibiotics, apples, onions, and feta tossed with a light vinaigrette. The sugar count appears high because of the apple chips, which do contain some added sugars. With 30 grams of high-quality protein and 5 grams of fiber, this nutrient-rich salad is a great midday or evening meal option.

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Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad

This fresh and delicious Green Goddess Cobb Salad will delight your taste buds, and it's also great for staying on track with your health goals. It provides 40 grams of quality protein along with 6 grams of filling fiber while keeping calories to less than 500, which is perfect for anyone watching their waistline.

Balsamic Greens with Grains

This newer menu item features a mouth-watering combination of fresh, crisp mixed greens, farro, cucumbers, avocado, feta, and pumpkin seeds drizzled with Green Goddess dressing. It's a good choice nutritionally due to its moderate calories, lower saturated fat and sodium count, and high fiber levels.

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Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad

This delicious salad combines fresh greens with sweet fresh fruit, including blueberries, mandarin oranges, and pineapple, with grilled chicken drizzled with a poppyseed dressing. It is one of the lower-calorie salad options but packs in 29 grams of quality protein and 6 grams of fiber. Together, the fiber and protein will keep you fuller for longer.

Soups

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Most of the soups on the Panera menu are cream-based and should be avoided, but this broth-based option is a winner. If you want a soup that tastes like it's homemade, this Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup won't disappoint. It's made with white meat chicken, curly egg noodles, carrots, celery, and herbs. It has higher-than-recommended sodium counts, but that is common for restaurant soups.