If you follow a paleo diet, your options are certainly more limited when you dine out or stop by your favorite restaurant chain, like Panera Bread – but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a few things on the menu to enjoy once in a while.
Since Panera has such a wide offering of food and drinks, you’ve got some options that will help you stick to your paleo diet. Similar to the keto or mediterranean diet, the big things to stay away from on the paleo diet are processed food and added sugar. But once you know which items are in the clear, it’s fairly easy to order yourself a paleo-friendly meal.
We’ve got the complete list of paleo-friendly items and customized orders that you can make at Panera Bread next time you pop in for a quick bite.
Paleo-friendly food available on the Panera menu
There are a handful of main food groups and ingredients to be avoided on the paleo diet: grains and legumes, dairy products, starchy vegetables, and highly processed ingredients or added sugar. Instead, the focus is on foods that existed or were accessible in the Paleolithic Era, like fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meat and fish, eggs, and healthy oils.
At Panera, that means you’ll need to stay away from any bakery items – whether bagels, muffins, or sweet baked goods – as well as remove the bread from any sandwich orders. It also means you’ll need to avoid most sauces and dressings on the menu, since most of them include ingredients that are considered more unnatural, like sugar or certain additives and preservatives (although there are a couple options that are more paleo-friendly).
One gray area on the paleo diet is dairy. While some completely eliminate any dairy products from their diet, others choose to include certain types of dairy or do so on an occasional basis. Ultimately, that decision is up to you depending on the specific diet guidelines you follow.
There are plenty of menu options made with meats and vegetables that you can easily modify for a paleo-friendly meal at Panera. To define an item as paleo-friendly, this list sticks to lean and less-processed meats, vegetables, and more natural ingredients. Meanwhile, the list avoids anything with sugar, additives, red or processed meats, or dairy to fall in line with the traditional paleo diet.
Below is the complete list of menu items you can order, and the modifications required to make them paleo-friendly.
| Paleo-Friendly Breakfast | Necessary Modifications |
| Avocado, Egg White, Spinach & Cheese | No bagel, no cheese |
| Scrambled Egg & Cheese | No brioche / ciabatta, no cheese |
| Chipotle Chicken, Scrambled Egg & Avocado | No ciabatta, no chipotle sauce |
| Paleo-Friendly Sandwiches | Necessary Modifications |
| Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT | No bread, no bacon, no mayo |
| Toasted Frontega Chicken | No bread, no chipotle sauce, no cheese |
| Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt | No bread, no peppers, no chipotle sauce, no cheese |
| Deli Turkey | No bread, no mustard |
| Mediterranean Veggie | No bread, no peppers, no cheese |
| Paleo-Friendly Salads | Necessary Modifications |
| Southwest Caesar Salad (with or without chicken) | No tortilla strips, no aioli, no cheese, sub for paleo-friendly dressing |
| Asian Sesame Salad | No wonton strips, sub for paleo-friendly dressing |
| Green Goddess Cobb Salad (with or without chicken) | No bacon, no pickled onions, no cheese, sub for paleo-friendly dressing |
| Greek Salad (with or without chicken) | No cheese |
| Fuji Apple Salad (with or without chicken) | No apple chips, no cheese, sub for paleo-friendly dressing |
| Paleo-Friendly Sides & Spreads | |
| Apple | |
| Banana | |
| Seasonal Fruit Cup | |
| Pickle Spear | |
| Hard Boiled Eggs | |
| Paleo-Friendly Sauces & Dressings | |
| Greek Dressing | |
| Lemon Tahini Dressing | |
| Salsa Verde |
Paleo-friendly drinks available on the Panera menu
As far as beverages on the Panera menu, there are a decent amount of items to choose from since coffee and tea is allowable on the paleo diet. To keep your order paleo-friendly, remember to stick to unsweetened beverages, and avoid any sugary drinks or those that include dairy products like milk or cream.
While drinks like sweetened or flavored lattes, lemonades, and smoothies contain too much sugar to be paleo-friendly, you have others to choose from at Panera’s cafe.
Here’s the complete list of paleo-friendly beverages that you can enjoy at Panera Bread.
| Paleo-Friendly Drinks |
| Coffee / Decaf Coffee |
| Cafe Blend Dark Roast Coffee (Hot or Iced) |
| Cafe Blend Light Roast Coffee (Hot or Iced) |
| Hazelnut Coffee |
| Espresso |
| Americano |
| Cold Brew |
| Hot Tea |
| Iced Tea |
A great paleo-friendly order at Panera is the Greek Salad. This item requires the least modifications, as it’s made with romaine lettuce, olives, tomatoes, red onions, and pepperoncini, and even the dressing is more paleo-friendly than most options. The only customization required is to remove the feta cheese, and you have the option to include chicken.
Unfortunately none of Panera’s current soup offerings qualify as paleo-friendly, since they all contain one or more ingredients that are to be avoided on the paleo diet – like dairy, sugar, legumes, and grains.
Panera does not offer a lettuce wrap option on their menu; however you can order any of their sandwiches without the bread. If you ask your local Panera to wrap the sandwich with lettuce instead, most locations will be able to accommodate the request.
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