Panera Bread Menu
Independent guide to Panera menu prices and calories Not affiliated with Panera Bread
Independent guide Not affiliated with Panera Bread
Menu Read August 2026
Eating Healthy at Panera Bread: Every Meal Under 500 Calories
55 of them, priced and counted
Every figure here is read from the menu at 2,235 US bakery-cafes, not typed in. 55 meals come in under 500 calories, 17 of them under 300, and the lightest is a 90-calorie cup of soup for $5.57.
55
Meals Under 500 Cal
17
Under 300 Calories
90
Lightest Meal, Cal
$5.57
What It Costs
The Whole List
Panera Menu Under 500 Calories, With Prices
Every meal-shaped item on the menu that comes in under 500 calories, grouped by how light it is. Bakery items and drinks are left out on purpose: a slice of bread at 140 calories is not lunch, and counting it would pad this list without helping anybody. Prices are the national average across 2,235 cafes.
| Item | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bean Soup (Cup) | 90 | $5.57 |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup) | 120 | $5.57 |
| Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad | 140 | $6.25 |
| Black Bean Soup (Bowl) | 140 | $8.59 |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Bowl) | 180 | $8.60 |
| Bistro French Onion Soup (Cup) | 200 | $5.57 |
| Half Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad | 210 | $8.05 |
| Mexican Street Corn Chowder (Cup) | 220 | $5.57 |
| Creamy Tomato Soup (Cup) | 240 | $6.96 |
| Greek Yogurt with Mixed Berries Parfait | 250 | $5.95 |
| Classic Avo | 260 | $3.88 |
| Mediterranean Veggie | 260 | $5.42 |
| Half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad | 260 | $7.32 |
| Half Caesar Salad | 270 | $5.53 |
| Strawberry Poppyseed Salad | 270 | $10.40 |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Cup) | 280 | $5.57 |
| Half Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad | 290 | $8.29 |
| Item | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Half Tuna Salad Sandwich | 300 | $6.33 |
| Bistro French Onion Soup (Bowl) | 300 | $8.60 |
| Green Goddess Avo | 310 | $5.43 |
| Half Greek Salad | 310 | $5.66 |
| Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans | 330 | $6.34 |
| Half Caesar Salad with Chicken | 340 | $7.37 |
| Creamy Tomato Soup (Bowl) | 340 | $8.60 |
| Half Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwich | 350 | $5.89 |
| Garden Avo & Egg White Sandwich | 350 | $6.95 |
| Half Fuji Apple Chicken Salad | 350 | $7.36 |
| Half Toasted Caprese Focaccia | 370 | $6.17 |
| Half Ranch Parm BLT Salad | 380 | $6.27 |
| Half Greek Salad with Chicken | 380 | $7.38 |
| Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Stuffer | 380 | $9.43 |
| Half Tomato Basil BLT | 390 | $5.97 |
| Item | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Half Grilled Cheese | 400 | $5.42 |
| Half Farmhouse Crunch Salad | 400 | $6.20 |
| Half Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad | 400 | $7.99 |
| Half Ultimate Garden Steak Salad | 400 | $8.36 |
| Half Smokehouse BBQ Chicken | 410 | $6.31 |
| Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad | 410 | $13.44 |
| Half Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich | 420 | $6.42 |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Bowl) | 420 | $8.60 |
| Ciabatta Egg & Cheese Sandwich | 430 | $5.53 |
| Ham Croissant Benny | 430 | $6.96 |
| Half Toasted Frontega Chicken® | 430 | $7.37 |
| Half Bacon Turkey Bravo® | 430 | $7.39 |
| Croissant Egg & Cheese Sandwich | 440 | $5.53 |
| Half Shrimply Baja Salad | 440 | $8.06 |
| Half All-In Veggie Market Bowl | 450 | $6.06 |
| Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad Stuffer | 450 | $10.04 |
| Ciabatta Ham, Egg & Cheese Sandwich | 460 | $6.96 |
| Ciabatta Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich | 470 | $6.96 |
| Half Spicy Fiesta Chicken | 470 | $7.25 |
| Half Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl | 470 | $7.35 |
| Half Grilled Chicken & Avo BLT | 470 | $8.00 |
| Croissant Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich | 480 | $6.96 |
| Mac & Cheese | 490 | $6.38 |
55 items in total, out of 124 meals the catalogue prices. The other side of that number is worth knowing too: the heaviest single item on the same menu is the Toasted Italiano at 1330 calories, which is more than 15 times the lightest.
The Order People Actually Place
Healthy Options From Panera: Soup and a Half, Under 500
Most healthy Panera options are not a single item but a pairing: a cup of soup with a half salad or half sandwich is the standard light lunch here, and it is the one combination the menu is built for. 42 of those pairings land under 500 calories. These are the eight lightest, with both halves of the bill added up.
230cal $11.82
Black Bean Soup (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
260cal $11.82
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
300cal $13.62
Black Bean Soup (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
330cal $13.62
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
340cal $11.82
Bistro French Onion Soup (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
350cal $12.89
Black Bean Soup (Cup)
+ Half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
360cal $11.10
Black Bean Soup (Cup)
+ Half Caesar Salad
360cal $11.82
Mexican Street Corn Chowder (Cup)
+ Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
Both figures are added from the two items' own rows, so a pairing costs what the two things cost. Ordering the soup as a bowl rather than a cup adds between 50 and 140 calories, depending on the soup, and about $3.
The Question Behind the Search
Are Panera Salads Healthy? All 18 Light Ones
Not automatically. A salad at Panera can be 140 calories or 710, and the difference is portion and dressing rather than lettuce. These are the 18 that come in under 500, lightest first.
Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
140 cal$6.25
Half Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
210 cal$8.05
Half Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
260 cal$7.32
Half Caesar Salad
270 cal$5.53
Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
270 cal$10.40
Half Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad
290 cal$8.29
Half Greek Salad
310 cal$5.66
Half Caesar Salad with Chicken
340 cal$7.37
Half Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
350 cal$7.36
The half portions are the ones doing the work. A Half Fuji Apple Chicken Salad is 350 calories; the full one is 710, for the same dressing and the same ingredients in twice the quantity.
Cup, Bowl, Bread Bowl
Panera Soup Calories by Size
Panera sells every soup at three sizes and the calorie count roughly doubles between the first and the last. 6 soup cups come in under 500 calories. The bread bowl is where a light order stops being one: the same Broccoli Cheddar is 280 in a cup and 930 in a bread bowl, and almost all of that difference is the bowl itself.
| Soup (Cup) | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bean Soup | 90 | $5.57 |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup | 120 | $5.57 |
| Bistro French Onion Soup | 200 | $5.57 |
| Mexican Street Corn Chowder | 220 | $5.57 |
| Creamy Tomato Soup | 240 | $6.96 |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup | 280 | $5.57 |
Sizes are told apart by price, which separates them cleanly: a cup is about $5.57, a bowl $8.60 and a bread bowl $9.29. The soups guide carries every soup at every size.
The Other Half of the Menu
Healthy Items at Panera Bread That Are Not
The same menu that holds a 90-calorie soup holds these. None of them is a scandal - they are large, hot, cheese-heavy dishes and they read that way - but a few carry more than most people expect, and two of them are salads and bowls.
| Item | Calories | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Toasted Italiano | 1,330 | $13.25 |
| Bacon Mac & Cheese | 1,170 | $10.46 |
| Ciabatta Cheesesteak | 1,160 | $13.36 |
| Mac & Cheese | 1,140 | $9.70 |
| Carnitas Elote Market Bowl | 1,100 | $13.65 |
| Chicken Bacon Rancher | 1,010 | $12.32 |
| Chipotle Chicken Avo Melt | 1,000 | $12.41 |
| Spicy Fiesta Chicken | 940 | $12.21 |
Heaviest size shown for each, since that is the one worth knowing about. The single change that moves the needle most is the container: a soup in a bread bowl rather than a cup is about 650 calories more for the same soup.
Four Things That Actually Change the Number
How to Order Lighter at Panera
Order the half, not the full
This is the biggest single lever and it is on almost every salad and sandwich. Fuji Apple Chicken: 710 full, 350 half. Mediterranean Veggie: 520 full, 260 half.
Cup, not bread bowl
A cup of Broccoli Cheddar is 280 calories. The same soup in a bread bowl is 930. Nothing else on the menu swings that far on a container alone.
Let the soup do the work
6 soup cups are under 500 on their own, and 5 are under 250. They are also the cheapest way to eat here, from $5.57.
Check before you go, not after
Panera prints calories on the board and in the app, so the number is available before you order. The nutrition calculator adds up a whole order.
Still Asked
Eating Healthy at Panera: Common Questions
Answered from the same 2,235-cafe menu snapshot as the tables above.
What is the lowest calorie meal at Panera Bread?
The Black Bean Soup in a cup, at 90 calories and $5.57. It is the lightest meal-shaped thing on the menu at the 2,235 cafes we read. Below it there is only fruit: an apple is 80 calories and a banana 90.
Is eating healthy at Panera Bread actually possible?
Yes, and the menu is unusually good for it: 55 meals come in under 500 calories, 32 under 400 and 17 under 300. The catch is that the same menu holds the Toasted Italiano at 1330 calories, so it depends entirely on which half of it you order from.
Are Panera salads healthy?
18 of them come in under 500 calories, and the lightest is the Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad at 140. But a salad is not automatically light here: the full Fuji Apple Chicken Salad is 710 calories against 350 for the half, and dressing is counted in both. Order the half and the number roughly halves.
What are the healthy options from Panera for lunch?
A cup of soup with a half salad or half sandwich is the standard light lunch, and 42 of those pairings land under 500 calories. The cheapest way in is a cup of soup on its own from $5.57, and the table above prices every combination.
How many calories are in a Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
A cup is 280 calories, a bowl 420, and the bread bowl 930. The bread bowl is the thing to watch: it is more than three times the cup, and almost all of the difference is the bread.
What should I avoid at Panera if I am counting calories?
The heaviest items on the menu are the Toasted Italiano at 1330 calories and the Bacon Mac & Cheese at 1,170. Bread bowls in general are the trap: the same soup in a bread bowl rather than a cup adds around 650 calories.
Which Panera sandwich has the fewest calories?
The Classic Avo at 260 calories and $3.88, which is also the cheapest thing in this guide. The 11 half portions of the larger sandwiches sit between 300 and 470.
Does Panera list calories on the menu?
Yes, on the menu boards and in the app. The figures on this page are read from the same published data across 2,235 US bakery-cafes, so they should match what you see in the cafe. Prices are the national average and will move a little by location.
Written by Marcus Cole
Writes up the Panera menu from the cafe-by-cafe price and nutrition data
Every calorie count and price on this page is read from our August 2026 snapshot of 2,235 US bakery-cafes, not typed in by hand. Prices are the national average and yours will differ by a few cents. Calorie figures are Panera's own published values for the portion named; where an item is sold at more than one size, the size is stated rather than averaged. This is an independent fan guide and we are not affiliated with Panera Bread LLC. Nothing here is medical or dietary advice.
Know the Number Before You Order
55 meals under 500 calories, every one priced from the same cafe data.
