How to Order at Panera Bread.

Image courtesy of Panera

Panera Bread has plenty of ways to build a Balanced Meal, but the healthiest-sounding item is not always the most balanced one. Some of the salads are excellent starting points, while Market Bowls can stack rice, corn, sweet potato and other Complex Carbs into the same meal.

Start with Quality Protein and vegetables, then decide which Complex Carb you actually want.

Build Your Meal

Quality Protein
Grilled chicken
Steak
Shrimp
Hard-boiled egg
Turkey
Larger appetite or higher protein needs: add extra protein where available

Non-Starchy Veggies
Mixed greens
Romaine
Arugula
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Red cabbage
Pickled red onions
Other vegetables included in your salad or bowl

Healthy Fats, pick two
Avocado
Pecans or almonds
Feta or gorgonzola
Your dressing, on the side

Complex Carbs (Optional), choose one
Sweet potato
Corn
Brown rice
Apple or apple chips
Croutons
Bread or baguette

Skipping the Complex Carb?
Skip the bread, chips, rice or crunchy toppings and choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one.

Make It Your Own

Ultimate Garden Steak
Mixed greens and arugula with marinated steak, sweet potatoes, grilled broccoli, roasted corn, grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, cilantro and crispy onions with Creamy Garden Herb Dressing. This is one of my top picks. Keep the sweet potato or corn as your main Complex Carb, skip the crispy onions and get the dressing on the side. Panera’s current nutrition guide lists the whole salad at 33g protein. 

Shrimply Baja
Romaine with shrimp, avocado, feta, red cabbage and grape tomatoes. This is another strong starting point because you already have Quality Protein, vegetables and Healthy Fats. Get the dressing on the side and skip the automatic bread or chips if you are skipping your Complex Carb. Panera currently lists the whole salad at 27g protein. 

Green Goddess Chicken Cobb
Mixed greens and romaine with grilled chicken, tomatoes, pickled red onions, avocado, bacon and hard-boiled egg with Green Goddess dressing. This is already protein-forward with plenty of Healthy Fat, so you do not need to add much. Get the dressing on the side and choose a Complex Carb only if you want one. 

Fuji Apple Chicken
Chicken with greens, apple, pecans and other salad toppings with White Balsamic Apple Flavored Vinaigrette. Keep the apple as your Complex Carb, use the pecans as one of your Healthy Fats and get the dressing on the side. Skip the automatic bread or chips if you do not want another Complex Carb. Fuji Apple Chicken remains on Panera’s current menu documentation. 

Caesar Salad with Chicken
Romaine, grilled chicken, parmesan and croutons with Caesar dressing. Keep the croutons as your Complex Carb if you want them, or skip them if you are skipping your Complex Carb. Get the dressing on the side and skip the automatic baguette or chips. 

Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl
Chicken and brown rice with vegetables including arugula, cucumber, red cabbage and grilled broccoli, plus edamame and almonds with Sesame Ginger dressing. This is my first choice among the current Market Bowls because it gives you substantial Quality Protein and plenty of vegetables. Keep the rice as your main Complex Carb and get the dressing on the side. 

You Pick Two®
This can be one of the easiest ways to order at Panera. Choose a half protein-forward salad and pair it with a cup of soup if you want one. If the soup already contains noodles, rice or another Complex Carb, skip the baguette or chips rather than automatically stacking another one. Panera continues to feature You Pick Two as a current lunch option. 

Watch Out For

• The automatic side. A baguette, chips or another side can turn into an extra Complex Carb without you really choosing it. If you want the baguette, have it and make it part of the meal.

• Market Bowl carb stacking. Panera’s current Market Bowls are Sesame Ginger Chicken, Carnitas Elote and All-In Veggie. Depending on the bowl, they combine brown rice with ingredients such as corn, sweet potato or tortilla strips. They can work, but I prefer starting with the protein and vegetables and simplifying the starches where modifications are available. 

• Bread bowls. If you want soup, order it in a regular bowl rather than automatically turning the container into another large serving of bread.

• Salad Stuffers. Panera now lets you put salads inside an Italian Stuffer Roll. If you want one, have one, but for an everyday Balanced Meal I would rather keep the salad as a salad and choose the Complex Carb intentionally. 

• Dressing on autopilot. Get it on the side so you decide how much you actually want.

• The healthy-sounding name. “Market Bowl,” “veggie” or “salad” does not automatically tell you how a meal is built. Look at the Quality Protein, vegetables, Healthy Fats and Complex Carbs instead.

Notes

• For the general rules, see how to order at a restaurant for weight loss.

• You do not automatically need extra protein. Choose the portion that fits your appetite and needs.

• Skipping your Complex Carb? Skip the bread, chips, rice, croutons or other starch and choose an additional Healthy Fat if you want one.

• Soup can absolutely be part of a Balanced Meal, but not every soup provides enough Quality Protein to function as the protein portion of the meal.

• Panera’s current Market Bowls are available in half and whole portions. 

• Menus vary by location. Panera specifically says to check the nutrition and allergen information for your individual bakery-café. 

• If you have celiac disease or a food allergy, check Panera’s current allergen information. Panera says it uses shared equipment and cannot guarantee that menu items are allergen-free. 

• This is your No B.S. Salad, built at a counter.