Panera publishes a full nutrition guide for its US bakery-cafes, effective September 2, 2026, so every item below can be compared before you order. The spread is wide: the lightest hot entree is a cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup at 120 calories, and the heaviest sandwich is the Toasted Italiano at 1,330 calories with 4,110 mg of sodium. This guide covers the full menu’s calories, protein and sodium — sodium only where Panera’s guide publishes it, and the gaps are marked rather than guessed. The full menu with prices is in the Panera Bread menu guide.
Panera’s guide lists calories, protein, carbs, fat and sodium for every item. This article carries calories, protein and sodium — the three numbers most people compare — and says where sodium is not published for an item. Saturated fat, sugars and fiber are in Panera’s official guide on request and are not repeated here, because no consistent current source lists them for every item. Where two trackers disagree with the official guide on a calorie figure, the range is shown. The current deals are in the Panera Bread coupons guide.
Sandwich Nutrition
Whole sandwiches run from 520 calories for the Mediterranean Veggie to 1,330 for the Toasted Italiano. The most protein in a sandwich is the Toasted Italiano at 58 grams, followed by the Bacon Turkey Bravo at 47 and the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt at 46. Sodium is the number to watch: the Toasted Italiano alone carries 4,110 mg — more than a full day’s worth — and most whole sandwiches carry 1,900–2,400 mg. The French Ciabatta Dipper, not in the table below because it is a limited-format item, has the most protein of any item on the menu at 66 grams for 1,240 calories.
| Sandwich (whole) | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toasted Italiano | 1,330 | 58g | 4,110mg |
| Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt | 930–1,000 | 46g | – |
| Toasted Steak & White Cheddar | 940–1,050 | 44g | – |
| Chicken Bacon Rancher | 990–1,010 | – | – |
| Toasted Frontega Chicken | 860 | 40g | 2,430mg |
| Bacon Turkey Bravo | 830–860 | 47g | 2,430mg |
| Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT | 860 | 41g | – |
| Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich | 840 | 40g | – |
| Grilled Cheese | 810 | 32g | – |
| Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich | 630 | 27g | – |
| Tuna Salad Sandwich | 590 | – | – |
| Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich | 520 | 18g | – |
Three conflicts to flag. The Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt is 930 calories in the official guide and 1,000 in a second tracker checked in late October 2026. The Toasted Steak & White Cheddar is 940 in one source and 1,050 in another. And the Bacon Turkey Bravo is 860 in the official guide and 830–840 in trackers. Half sandwiches run about half the calories: a half Toasted Frontega Chicken is 430 calories, a half Bacon Turkey Bravo is 430, and a half Toasted Italiano is 670. For the sandwich chains, see the Subway nutrition guide.
Soup Nutrition
Soups are the lightest entrees at Panera. A cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup is 120 calories with 10 grams of protein, and a bowl is 180 with 14 grams — the lowest-calorie hot entree on the menu. The bread bowl is what changes the picture: a Broccoli Cheddar bread bowl is 930 calories against 370–420 for the bowl, because the sourdough bowl itself adds roughly 510 calories.
| Soup | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Bowl) | 370–420 | 12g | – |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Bread Bowl) | 930 | 29g | – |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Bowl) | 180 | 14g | 1,570mg |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup) | 120 | 10g | 1,050mg |
| Creamy Tomato Soup (Bowl) | 340 | 4g | – |
| Bistro French Onion Soup (Bowl) | 300 | 10g | – |
| Ten Vegetable Soup (Bowl) | 200–260 | – | – |
The Broccoli Cheddar bowl is 420 calories in the official guide and 370 in a second tracker, so the range is shown. Sodium is published for the chicken noodle only in the sources checked — 1,570 mg a bowl, 1,050 mg a cup — so the other soups read “–” rather than a guessed figure.
Salad Nutrition
Whole salads run from 270 calories for the Strawberry Poppyseed without chicken to 630 for the Greek. The Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken is the protein standout at 40 grams for 530–580 calories, though it also carries 1,980 mg of sodium. The Asian Sesame Chicken Salad is 530 calories whole, or 440 without the nuts — and the half without nuts is 220 calories, one of the lightest half portions on the menu.
| Salad (whole) | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad | 530–580 | 40g | 1,980mg |
| Caesar Salad | 530 | 14g | – |
| Greek Salad | 630 | 8g | – |
| Fuji Apple Chicken Salad | 560 | 30g | – |
| Asian Sesame Chicken Salad | 440–530 | 26g | 1,900mg |
| Strawberry Poppyseed Salad | 270–350 | 5–28g | – |
The Green Goddess Cobb is 580 calories in the official September 2026 guide and 530 in a second tracker, so the range is shown. The Strawberry Poppyseed range covers the plain salad at 270 calories and 5 grams of protein against the version with chicken at 350 calories and 28 grams. The Greek Salad is the heaviest salad relative to its protein — 630 calories for 8 grams — because the feta and the dressing carry most of the number.
Mac & Cheese Nutrition
A bowl of Mac & Cheese is 980 calories with 32 grams of protein, and the Bacon Mac & Cheese bowl is 1,050 with 36 grams. The cup is exactly half the bowl at 490 calories, which makes it the sensible order if you are pairing it with a sandwich.
| Mac & Cheese | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac & Cheese (Cup) | 490 | 16g | – |
| Mac & Cheese (Bowl) | 980 | 32g | – |
| Bacon Mac & Cheese (Cup) | 520 | – | – |
| Bacon Mac & Cheese (Bowl) | 1,050 | 36g | – |
Breakfast Nutrition
Breakfast runs from 260 calories for the Classic Avo Toast to 620 for the Sausage, Egg & Cheese on Croissant. The Steak and Wake is the protein pick at 32 grams for 520 calories, and the Garden Avo and Egg White Sandwich is the lightest sandwich at 350 calories.
| Breakfast | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese on Croissant | 480 | 22g | – |
| Sausage, Egg & Cheese on Croissant | 620 | 26g | – |
| Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans | 330 | 8g | – |
| Garden Avo and Egg White Sandwich | 350 | – | – |
| Steak and Wake | 520 | 32g | – |
| Classic Avo Toast | 260 | 6g | – |
Sodium is not published for breakfast items in the sources checked, so the column reads “–” throughout — the figures are not guessed.
Bakery & Drinks Nutrition
The bakery case runs from 390 calories for the Chocolate Chipper Cookie to 580 for the Cinnamon Roll. Coffee is the lowest-calorie item on the whole menu at 5 calories for a 16 oz Cafe Blend. A 20 oz fountain Pepsi is 250 calories.
| Bakery / Drink | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Chipper Cookie | 390 | 4g | – |
| Cinnamon Roll | 580 | 7g | – |
| Chocolate Croissant | 410 | 7g | – |
| Blueberry Muffin | 530 | 7g | – |
| Pumpkin Muffin | 570 | 8g | – |
| Cafe Blend Light Roast Coffee (16 oz) | 5 | 1g | – |
| Cafe Blend Iced Coffee (20 oz) | 5 | 0g | – |
| Pepsi (20 oz) | 250 | 0g | – |
Highest Protein, Lowest Calorie, Highest Sodium
The most protein in one item is the French Ciabatta Dipper at 66 grams (1,240 calories), followed by the Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper at 59 grams (1,010). The best protein per calorie is the Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken at 40 grams for 530–580 calories, and the Spicy Steak Asiago Bagel Stack at 39 grams for 630 calories. The lowest-calorie orders are a cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup at 120 calories, a half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad without nuts at 220, and a half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken at 290. The highest sodium is the Toasted Italiano at 4,110 mg, followed by the Toasted Frontega Chicken and the Bacon Turkey Bravo at 2,430 mg each. The best low-calorie meal is a cup of chicken noodle soup with a half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken: about 410 calories and 30 grams of protein.
Allergens
Panera publishes a full allergen guide alongside its nutrition guide, and the chain flags the eight major allergens — milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish — across the menu. The risk points are the ones you would expect: the Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich carries tree nuts, the Caesar Salad carries fish (anchovy in the dressing) and egg, and nearly every sandwich carries wheat and milk. Items may come into contact with common allergens in the bakery-cafe kitchen, so if you have celiac disease, a wheat allergy or another serious dietary restriction, confirm the latest allergen and ingredient information directly with Panera before ordering.
How to Eat Lighter at Panera
Order soup in a cup instead of a bread bowl and you save roughly 510 calories. Pick a You Pick Two with a cup of chicken noodle soup and a half salad — about 410 calories with 30 grams of protein for the Cobb pairing. Skip the bread bowl, hold the dressing on the side, and ask for double protein in place of croutons. The Mediterranean Veggie at 520 calories is the lightest whole sandwich, and the half version at 260 is the lightest sandwich portion on the menu. The full menu with prices is in the Panera Bread menu guide, and the off-menu builds are in the Panera Bread secret menu guide.
Reviews
Panera holds a middling aggregate rating of about 3.8 out of 5, based on an editorial analysis of public Google Reviews, Yelp and Reddit posts. The most common praise is the Broccoli Cheddar Soup in a bread bowl and the Mac & Cheese. The most common complaints are that Panera is expensive for fast casual and that portions have shrunk over the years. No per-reviewer star ratings are published in the sources checked, so this guide carries the aggregate and the themes rather than a star slider.
Panera Bread Nutrition Facts
- Panera’s official US nutrition guide is effective September 2, 2026, and covers every item in this guide.
- The lightest hot entree is a cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup at 120 calories.
- The heaviest sandwich is the Toasted Italiano at 1,330 calories.
- The Toasted Italiano also has the highest sodium on the menu at 4,110 mg.
- The most protein in one item is the French Ciabatta Dipper at 66 grams.
- The Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken has the most protein of any salad at 40 grams.
- A cup of Mac & Cheese is exactly half the bowl: 490 calories against 980.
- The sourdough bread bowl itself adds roughly 510 calories to any soup.
- The best low-calorie meal is a cup of chicken noodle soup with a half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken: about 410 calories and 30 grams of protein.
- The Mediterranean Veggie is the lightest whole sandwich at 520 calories.
- A half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad without nuts is 220 calories — one of the lightest half portions on the menu.
- The Bacon Mac & Cheese bowl is 1,050 calories, the heaviest bowl on the menu.
- The Greek Salad is 630 calories for only 8 grams of protein — the feta and dressing carry most of the number.
- Coffee is the lowest-calorie item on the whole menu at 5 calories for a 16 oz Cafe Blend.
- Sodium is not published for every item in the sources checked — the gaps in this guide are marked “–” rather than guessed.
- Half sandwiches run about half the calories of the whole: a half Toasted Italiano is 670 calories.
Panera Bread Nutrition FAQs
What is the lowest calorie item at Panera?
A cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup at 120 calories. The lowest-calorie sandwich portion is a half Mediterranean Veggie at 260 calories.
How many calories are in a Broccoli Cheddar bread bowl?
930 calories with 29 grams of protein. The bowl alone is 370–420 calories — the sourdough bowl adds roughly 510.
What has the most protein at Panera?
The French Ciabatta Dipper at 66 grams (1,240 calories). Among regular sandwiches, the Toasted Italiano has 58 grams and the Bacon Turkey Bravo has 47.
Why do some items show a calorie range?
Because the official September 2026 guide and a second tracker checked in late October 2026 disagree — for example, the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt is 930 in the guide and 1,000 in the tracker. The range is shown rather than picking one.
Does Panera publish sodium for every item?
No. Sodium is published for some items in Panera’s guide — the Toasted Italiano at 4,110 mg, the Frontega and Bravo at 2,430 mg, the Green Goddess Cobb at 1,980 mg — and this guide marks the rest “–” rather than guessing.
Conclusion
Panera’s nutrition story is a wide spread: a 120-calorie cup of soup on one end and a 1,330-calorie Toasted Italiano on the other, with sodium as the number to watch. The best orders are the ones that pair a light soup with a high-protein salad, and the worst value is the bread bowl upgrade, which adds roughly 510 calories to any soup. Use the ranges in this guide where the sources disagree, and check the Panera app for your cafe’s exact numbers. For the full menu with prices, see our Panera Bread menu guide; for the off-menu builds, our Panera Bread secret menu guide; and for the Sip Club and current deals, our Panera Bread coupons guide.
