Although there aren’t lots of vegan options at Panera Bread, there are still enough items to choose from so you don’t leave hungry. And frankly, the bean soup for lunch and the steelcut oatmeal for breakfast has always managed to put a smile on my face as well as filling the gap!
The company has come a long way with the introduction of healthier ingredients and even a “no-no list” of things they don’t use in their food, so it’s satisfying to also be supporting one of the fast food chains moving in the right direction!
There are a couple of customizations too that can work with their non-vegan orders, we point these out after the vegan items at the bottom of the list.
Vegan Options at Panera Bread
Bagels and Bread
The below are all vegan. Just be careful not to order whole wheat and whole grain as these are sweetened with honey and so not vegan.
Bagels:
- Plain Bagel
- Blueberry Bagel
- Everything Bagel
- Sesame Bagel
Bread:
- Black Pepper Foccaccia
- Sea Salt Foccacia
- Ciabatta
- Country
- Rye
- Sesame Semolina
- Sourdough
Soups
- Black Bean
Only the black bean soup is vegan and served in a bread bowl – be sure to point out that you are vegan so the bread bowl they are serving it in is one of those vegan breads above (or just have it in a bowl, of course).
Breakfast
- Steel cut oatmeal with Strawberries, Pecans and Cinnamon
- Summer Fruit Cup
Salads
- Seasonal Greens
- Watermelon Arugula with Almonds
Outside of these vegan options, you can always customize a few items by leaving out the non-vegan ingredient:
- Garden vegetable soup with pesto, but ordered without the pesto
- Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie, but without the yoghurt)
- Mediterranean Veggie sandwich, but order without the feta and with one of the vegan breads above
You are also able to order avocado and quinoa as sides, so you could combine this with the green salad or with other salads with meat just swapping it out for the meat. This is probably the best idea when looking for something more filling without bread.
We’ve begun to see real movement in food chains start to create vegan menus or at the very least start to label clearly those meat-free or healthier options. You can read our guides to eating vegan at Taco Bell and vegan options at KFC so you’re prepared when walking in!
