Panera Bread is an American chain of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada. The company is also operating as the brand Saint Louis Bread Company in the Greater St. Louis area with over 100 locations. On their website, the company states their values: “We believe that good food brings out the best in all of us —food that not only tastes good, but leaves you feeling good too. At Panera, we invite you to experience freshly prepared, wholesome meals in a warm and welcoming environment, served by people who care. To us, this is what good eating is all about and why we love what we do. Our approach to good food is guided by our values: We believe in ‘food as it should be;’ we are transparent; we deliver freshness; and we serve food that we feel good about serving our own families.”
What is gluten free at Panera Bread?
In this article and guide, we’ll highlight all the gluten free menu items, sides, and other gf options available at Panera Bread. Want to learn more nutrition and allergen facts about Panera’s foods? Check out their Food Values here.
Panera Bread has a special section on their site dedicated to gluten that is called: Panera Gluten Sensitive Menu Items
The company states:
When you are following a gluten free or gluten conscious diet, it’s important to know what your menu options are before you order your meal. As long as you don’t have celiac disease, a heightened gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy (in which case you should check with your doctor), we’ve got some great Panera menu options that are made with ingredients that do not contain gluten, and could be just what you’re looking for.**
*These menu items contain oats and grains which carry a ‘may contain wheat’ allergy advisory statement due to the cross-contact that may result from customary methods of growing and harvesting crops, as well as from the use of shared storage, transportation or product equipment.
**Given the likelihood of cross-contamination in our bakery-cafe environment, this list is not suitable for people with Celiac Disease, a heightened gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy.
Panera Bread Gluten Free Menu
These are all the gluten free options we could find at Panera Bread. Note all items listed below do not contain wheat or gluten, based on Panera’s menu. These items still have the potential for cross contamination and other traces of gluten, so please keep that in mind. For most menu items Panera Bread adds the statement: ‘Please note that we cannot guarantee that any of our menu items are free of allergens because we use shared equipment and handle common allergens throughout our supply chain and bakery-cafe.’
Notice anything missing or incorrect? Leave a comment below. This article was last updated: April 11, 2021
Salads
These are all of the salad options at Panera Bread that do not contain wheat or gluten ingredients.
- Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
- Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken
- Greek Salad
- Greek Salad with Chicken
- Seasonal Greens Salad
- Seasonal Greens with Chicken
- Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken
- Modern Greek Salad with Quinoa
- Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad
- Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken
- Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken
- Caesar Salad (Customization: Order without croutons)
- Caesar Salad with Chicken (Customization: Order without croutons)
- Napa Chicken Salad (Customization: Order without almonds)
Soups
These are all of the soups and chili options at Panera Bread that do not contain wheat or gluten ingredients.
- Vegetarian Summer Corn Chowder
- Turkey Chili with Beans
- Southwest Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup
- Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup (Customization: Order without croutons)
Desserts
These are all of the dessert options at Panera Bread that do not contain wheat or gluten ingredients:
- Coconut Macaroon
- Triple Chocolate Cookie with Walnuts
- Summer Fruit Cup
Sides and Other Toppings
These are all of the other toppings/sides at Panera Bread that do not contain wheat or gluten ingredients:
- Panera Bread Potato Chips
- Apple
- Banana
- Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad
Beverages
These are all of the beverages at Panera Bread that do not contain wheat or gluten ingredients:
- Coffee, Cold Brew, Tea, Lattes, Espresso Drinks & Frozen Drinks
- Signature Hot Chocolate: Order without marshmallows
- Green Passion Smoothie
- Mango Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
- Peach & Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
- Strawberry Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
- Superfruit Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
- Apple Juice & Orange Juice
- Lemonade
- Milk
- Soda
Photo: Panera Bread Facebook
Summary of Gluten Free Menu Options at Panera Bread
Pro tips and a quick summary of everything gluten free at Panera Bread
- Panera Bread has a long list of salads that can be made gluten free, so if you love salads that’s a good option.
- Panera Bread has some great soups that are free from gluten/wheat too.
- Tell them you have an allergy or Celiac Disease so they take precautions with your meal.
- Most of the beverages are gluten free. It’s a great place to get coffee, tea, cold brews, and espresso.
- Panera Bread has an average rating of 2.5 stars on Find Me Gluten Free indicating a bad experience for most people.
- If you have Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy, it is pretty risky to eat here due to cross-contamination!
Source: Wikimedia
More Information about Panera Bread
Looking for additional information about Panera Bread, their foods, and nutritional/ingredients facts? Here are some resources we’ve found:
- Official Panera Bread website: https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html
- Official Panera Bread Gluten Sensitive page: https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/articles/avoiding-gluten.html
I am so sad to read that you can’t be more positive about being gluten free.
Why can’t you get this going? There are so many people that can not eat gluten and now I know not to even think about you when we are looking for another place to dine or place a take out. Perhaps you could visit other restaurants and see how they eliminate gluten so successfully.
Brenda, could you please tell me of some other restaurants that have successfully gone along with the need of some people who want to eat gluten free? I’m a little tired of going out to eat and having to order usually only a salad in so many restaurants. I long for a gluten free sandwich or dinner roll when I eat out! We can buy delicious gluten free bread at Shoprite so I know it’s relatively easy to get, so why can’t any restaurants, except a few, have it on hand? I’ve even thought of bringing my own bread with me to a restaurant and substituting my bread for their bread so I can finally enjoy eating out.
Chick-fil-A offers a gluten-free bun that you can get with their grilled chicken sandwich.
Yes, it’s sooooo good! More info here: Chick-fil-A Gluten Free Menu Items and Options