Panera Bread is one of those great, go-to spots for a casual, quick meal that’ll deliver better ingredients and higher quality meals than your run-of-the-mill fast food joint. People love Panera for its sandwiches, salads, soups, and bakery items. It’s good food you can get for a good value, and still feel good about eating.
With popular menu options like their signature You Pick Two and delicious bakery creations like their flavored bagels and sweet pastries, Panera has grown into a fan favorite since it opened its doors in St. Louis back in 1987. Now the breakfast and lunch chain has thousands of locations throughout the US and Canada.
Panera generally offers clean, wholesome food, with several menu items that fit different dietary needs. So how vegan-friendly is the menu overall, and what can you order there as a vegan? We’ve got you covered with the complete list of vegan food and drink options at Panera so you know exactly what to order next time you take yourself out to lunch.
Vegan food items available on the Panera menu
Unlike many other fast casual restaurants, Panera actually offers dietary-specific sections of their menu that act as helpful guides for ordering according to various dietary needs. These include vegan menu selections and possible modifications along with sections for vegetarian, gluten conscious, high protein, sodium conscious, and climate friendly.
Panera officially defines their vegan menu food as food with no animal sources: “no meat, fish, shellfish, milk, egg or honey products, and no enzymes and rennet from animal sources are allowed”. They do note, however, that all of their items are prepared in the same kitchen, so there will always be a risk of cross-contact with dairy or animal products.
While Panera’s vegan-as-is selections are slim, there are easy modifications that can be made to several of their menu items to make the meals vegan or vegetarian. Here’s everything you can order based on the current Panera menu, along with any necessary modifications.
| Vegan Breakfast Items | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans | |
| Fresh Fruit Cup | |
| Bagels [Plain, Everything, Blueberry, Sesame] | |
| Vegan Salads | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Greek Salad | No feta |
| Citrus Asian Crunch Salad | No chicken |
| Asian Sesame Salad | No chicken, no wontons |
| Fuji Apple Salad | No chicken, no gorgonzola |
| Vegan Bowls | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Baja Bowl | No feta, no Greek yogurt |
| Mediterranean Bowl | No feta, no Greek yogurt |
| Vegan Sandwiches | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich | No feta, sub vegan bread (list below) |
| Vegan Breads | Notes + Required Modifications |
| French Baguette | |
| Black Pepper Focaccia | |
| Artisan Ciabatta | |
| Classic Sourdough | |
| Country Rustic Sourdough | |
| Sourdough Bread Bowl | |
| Vegan Sides + Snacks | Notes + Required Modifications |
| French Baguette | |
| Fresh Fruit Cup | |
| Apple | |
| Banana | |
| Kettle Cooked Potato Chips | |
| Avocado |
Vegan drink items available on the Panera menu
Panera doesn’t just serve up salads and sandwiches – they are also a bakery and cafe by design. They’re no Starbucks when it comes to drink selections and customizations, but they do have plenty of beverages on the menu. Luckily, whether it’s coffee, tea, smoothies, or signature drink creations, many of these are vegan-friendly or can be made vegan with simple modifications.
Panera offers almond milk as a dairy-free option, which makes an easy substitution in drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and smoothies. Almond milk is the only non-dairy milk alternative they currently offer, so unfortunately you won’t be able to order a drink with soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
Here are all of the drink options you have at Panera if you’re ordering vegan, along with any simple modifications needed.
| Vegan Coffee Drinks | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Cafe Blend Dark Roast Coffee (Hot or Iced) | |
| Cafe Blend Light Roast Coffee | |
| Decaf Coffee | |
| Hazelnut Coffee | |
| Espresso | |
| Americano | |
| Caffe Latte (Hot or Iced) | Sub almond milk |
| Cappuccino | Sub almond milk |
| Cold Brew | |
| Madagascar Vanilla Almond Cold Brew | |
| Iced Madagascar Vanilla Latte (Hot or Iced) | Sub almond milk, no whipped cream |
| Cinnamon Crunch Latte (Hot or Iced) | Sub almond milk, no whipped cream |
| Vegan Smoothies | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Peach & Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk | |
| Green Passion Smoothie | |
| Vegan Beverages | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Soda | |
| Tea (Hot or Iced) | |
| Passion Papaya Green Tea | |
| Agave Lemonade | |
| Charged Lemonades [Strawberry Lemon Mint, Fuji Apple Cranberry, Mango Yuzu Citrus] | |
| Vegan Syrups | Notes + Required Modifications |
| Madagascar Vanilla | |
| Cinnamon |
Many of Panera’s bagels are vegan, but not all of them! Some contain honey or dairy. The vegan-friendly bagel varieties to stick to are Plain, Everything, Blueberry, and Sesame.
Panera has several types of breads that are vegan, and can be substituted on any sandwich. Panera’s vegan bread varieties are their French Baguette, Black Pepper Focaccia, Artisan Ciabatta, Classic Sourdough, Country Rustic Sourdough, and Sourdough Bread Bowl.
Unfortunately, since Panera removed the Ten Vegetable Soup from the menu, they do not currently offer any vegan soups.
None of Panera’s pastries, muffins, scones, or desserts are vegan; nearly all of their bakery items contain dairy or honey. The only vegan items in the bakery section are bagels.
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