Vegan Handbook to Panera Bread: Simple Dining Out Guide (Updated 2024)

When you’re vegan, eating out can seem a little disappointing at first glance. After all, when you’re excluding several items from your diet, you might ask yourself “well, what’s left that I can actually eat?”

The good news is that, especially these days, vegan and vegetarian options are becoming more widespread at restaurants (as well as grocery stores, for the record).

Places where once I could only hope to order a basket of fries and a meager helping of broccoli, I can now get a full meal (such as a vegan burger), and sometimes even dessert.

Today’s restaurant in this series is Panera Bread. And thank the gods, because we can actually enjoy the namesake of this restaurant as vegans–bread!

Panera Bread has a number of delicious options for us, as I’ll lay out in today’s post. One of my favorite options from this list that I would recommend is the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (minus feta cheese). The peppadew peppers and hummus add delicious flavor to this sandwich, and there are a number of bread options we can enjoy it on.

Read on to discover more of the options we have at Panera Bread:

Breads

• Artisan ciabatta
• Black pepper focaccia
• Classic sourdough (loaf and bread bowl)
• French baguette
• Tomato basil miche
• White whole grain loaf
• White whole grain lavash wrap

Breakfast options

• Steel cut oatmeal with strawberries and pecans
• Fruit cup
• Bagels (blueberry, everything, plain and sesame. ask for peanut butter, jam, or hummus to eat it with)

Salads

• Asian Sesame Salad (request no chicken)
• Green Goddess Cobb Salad (request no chicken, egg or bacon, replace green goddess dressing)
• Fuji Apple Salad (request no chicken or gorgonzola)
• Green Salad (request no feta)
• Southwest Caesar (request no chicken, parmesan, or aioli, replace caesar dressing)
• Vegan dressings include Asian Sesame, Greek, Hummus, Lemon Tahini, Salsa Verde, and White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette)

Sandwiches & Sides

• Mediterranean veggie (request no feta)
• Pickle spear
• Chips
• Apple

Drinks

• Almond milk (can be added to black coffee or cold brew)
• Cold brew
• Americano
• Black coffee (hot or iced)
• Madagascar Vanilla Syrup
• Cane Sugar Syrup
• Agave Lemonade
• Blood Orange Naturally Flavored Charged Splash – Caffeinated
• Fuji Apple Cranberry Naturally Flavored Charged Lemonade – Caffeinated
• Green Passion Smoothie
• Hot or Iced Teas (Unsweetened/Sweetened, Passion Papaya Naturally Flavored Green Tea)
• Madagascar Vanilla Almond Cold Brew
• Mango Yuzu Citrus Naturally Flavored Charged Lemonade – Caffeinated
• Peach and Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk
• Strawberry Lemon Mint Naturally Flavored Charged Lemonade – Caffeinated

Soups

• Vegetarian Ten Vegetable Soup (said to be discontinued at some locations, but some may still have it seasonally. it was my favorite so side-eye to you, Panera -_-)

Warm Bowls

• Baja Bowl (order without chicken, request no feta or greek yogurt)
• Mediterranean Bowl (order without chicken, request no feta or greek yogurt)

Although I wouldn’t say it’s the most diverse set of options for a vegan to have at a given establishment, I would also say you definitely won’t go hungry if you happen to find yourself at Panera Bread.

But most importantly, we can enjoy several of the breads at Panera Bread. I mean if we couldn’t, I’d probably be asking myself what the point is of even going there (and also probably not writing this post).

Please note that this list may not be conclusive, as menus and menu options tend to change on an ongoing basis. I will, however, do my best to update it if need be!

As always, I hope you’ve found this post helpful and that it aids you in your plant-based journey. Until next time, peace 🙂