Panera Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Custom, Allergen, and Vegan Options

Updated April 2024! A few years ago, Panera Bread announced the end of its dairy-free milk beverage upcharge. They were the third brand under the JAB Holding Company to give dairy-free coffee drinkers a break. The first two were Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Pret A Manger. The executives at Panera have also vowed to expand their plant-based offerings over time. They haven’t delivered on that latter promise. In fact, a big 2024 menu update has paired down their menu significantly. The goodness is, there are still many dairy-free options with basic custom orders, for breakfast and lunch. We’ve outlined them below for your quick reference.

Panera Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Custom Order & Vegan Options

The BIG menu below is for their dairy-free options specifically. If you have vegan needs, jump ahead to our custom made Panera Vegan Menu.

Kids Menu: We didn’t break out the Kids Menu for Panera because it is quite big and is just smaller portions of many of the menu items below. The ingredients and components appear to be the same.

2024 Menu Update: Panera launched a big menu update, which reduced the number of items they make. They no longer offer warm bowls (aside from dairy loaded mac and cheese). And they’ve done away with the flatbread pizzas, which we don’t miss since the flatbread contained milk. The guide below reflects the new options.

More Allergen & Special Diet Notes: All of the following items are peanut-free by ingredients. All are also tree nut-free by ingredients, except the items with nuts specifically in the title, and the Fuji Apple, and Strawberry Poppyseed (which can each be ordered without nuts). All of the breads, bagels, smoothies, and specialty coffee drinks listed below are egg-free by ingredients. For egg-free baked goods, breakfast items, and customizing sandwiches and salads without eggs, use the sauce, spread, topping, and dressings listed on the Vegan Menu. Their chicken noodle soup contains egg, and cannot be customized.

Bread

• Artisan Ciabatta
• Black Pepper Focaccia
• Classic Sourdough Bowl
• Country Rustic Sourdough
• French Baguette
• Tomato Basil Miche Bread
• Whole Grain Lahvash Wrap

Heads Up! In addition to their cheesy bread, the Classic White Miche and Brioche Roll at Panera do contain dairy.

Bagels

• Everything
• Plain
• Multigrain Bagel Flat

Heads Up! Most of the sweet bagels at Panera do contain milk, including the Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Crunch, and Cinnamon Swirl & Raisin.

Baked Goods / Pastries

Heads Up! Panera’s Pumpkin Muffins were dairy-free, but they reformulated their recipe to include a butter blend and natural flavors that contain milk. They no longer have any dairy-fee pastries available, but you can make our Panera Copycat Vegan Wild Blueberry Scones at home – they’re easy!

Breakfast

• Chipotle Chicken, Egg & Avo Sandwich (no cheese)
• Ciabatta Bacon, Egg Sandwich (no cheese)
• Ciabatta Egg Sandwich (no cheese)
• Ciabatta Sausage, Egg Sandwich (no cheese)
• Garden Avo & Egg White Sandwich (no cheese)
• Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans
• Summer Fruit Cup

Heads Up! The Scrambled Eggs and Egg Whites at Panera are made without dairy ingredients and are cooked in canola oil, not butter. But, as always, managers or franchise owners can take liberties at individual locations. Always make sure no dairy butter is used on your order.

Soup

• Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Heads Up! All of the creamy and cheesy soups at Panera do contain milk in the base soup. Also, the French Onion Soup contains butter in the soup itself, in addition to the cheese on top.

Lunch Sandwiches

• Bacon Avo Melt (no cheese; see Melt Note below)
• Bravo Club (no cheese)
• Chicken Bacon Rancher (no cheese, sub dairy-free dressing)
• Chipotle Chicken Avo Melt (no cheese; see Melt Note below)
• Ciabatta Steak (no cheese)
• Grilled Chicken & Avo BLT (no cheese)
• Mediterranean Veggie (no cheese)
• Smokehouse BBQ Chicken Sandwich (no cheese)
• Toasted Frontega Chicken (no cheese)
• Toasted Italiano (no cheese, no soppressata; see Heads Up below)
• Tomato Basil BLT
• Tuna Salad
• Turkey & (no) Cheddar (no cheese)

Melt Note: There is no “melt” since you’re holding the cheese, but you can still order these toasted.

Heads Up! We haven’t been able to confirm if the lactic acid starter culture in the soppressata is derived from milk. You can inquire at your location, if interested. The Buffalo Sauce at Panera contains milk, so the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt isn’t dairy-free, even when ordered without cheese.

Salad

• Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains (no cheese, no green goddess dressing)
• Balsamic Greens with Grains (no cheese, no green goddess dressing)
• Caesar Salad (no cheese; see Heads Up below)
• Caesar Salad with Chicken (no cheese; see Heads Up below)
• Cobb Salad (no cheese, sub dairy-free dressing)
• Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (no cheese)
• Greek Salad (no cheese)
• Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad (sub dairy-free dressing)
• Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains (no cheese)
• Mediterranean Greens with Grains (no cheese)
• Southwest Chicken Salad (sub dairy-free dressing)
• Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad

Dairy-Free Salad Dressings: Balsamic Vinaigrette, Caesar Dressing (see Heads Up below), Greek Dressing, Poppyseed Dressing, White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette

Heads Up! Panera Croutons are made with their Black Pepper Focaccia, and are made without any milk ingredients. Their Frizzled Onions are also made without dairy. The Caesar Dressing contains “nisin,” which can be derived from dairy, but in this case, the company told us it is not dairy derived.

Sides

• Apple
• Banana
• French Baguette
• Hard Boiled Eggs (in grab & go case)
• Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips
• Summer Fruit Cup

Paradise Bakery Desserts (Omaha and Dallas)

• Ginger Molasses Cookie
• Snickerdoodle Cookie
• Sugar Cookie

Sauces, Spreads & Dressings

• Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Bravo Sauce / Signature Sauce
• Caesar Dressing
• Chipotle Aioli
• Garlic Aioli
• Greek Dressing
• Hummus
• Poppyseed Dressing
• Shawarma Seasoning
• White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette

Heads Up! You can order the dressings above on sandwiches at Panera, too. Their Buffalo Sauce, Green Goddess Dressing, and Ranch Dressing also contains milk.

Smoothies

• Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Heads Up! The Mango, Strawberry, and Strawberry Banana Smoothies are each made with Greek yogurt. Some locations will allow you to substitute almond milk for the yogurt, but keep cross-contamination in the blender in mind.

Specialty Coffee Drinks

• Caffe Latte – hot or iced (sub almond milk)
• Chai Tea Latte – hot or iced (sub almond milk)
• Madagascar Vanilla Latte – hot or iced (no whip, sub almond milk)

Heads Up! The Madagascar Vanilla Syrup and Cane Syrup for their coffee drinks is dairy-free, but the Caramel Syrup is not. Cinnamon and Sugar toppings are also available.

Vegan Menu for Panera Bread

We have outlined the vegan options in categories and included custom order variations.

Vegan Breads & Bagels

• Artisan Ciabatta
• Black Pepper Focaccia
• Classic Sourdough Bowl
• Country Rustic Sourdough
• French Baguette
• Everything Bagels
• Plain Bagels
• Multigrain Bagel Flat

Vegan Breakfast

• Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries & Pecans

Vegan Sandwiches

• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (no cheese, sub vegan bread)

Vegan Salads

• Balsamic Greens with Grains (no cheese, no green goddess dressing)
• Fuji Apple Salad (no chicken, no cheese)
• Greek Salad (no cheese)
• Mediterranean Greens with Grains (no cheese)
• Strawberry Poppyseed Salad (no chicken)

Vegan Sides

• Apple
• Banana
• French Baguette
• Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips
• Summer Fruit Cup

Vegan Sauces, Spreads & Dressings

• Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Greek Dressing
• Hummus
• Poppyseed Dressing
• Shawarma Seasoning
• White Balsamic Apple Vinaigrette

Vegan Smoothies & Coffee Drinks

• Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
• Caffe Latte – hot or iced (sub almond milk)
• Madagascar Vanilla Latte – hot or iced (no whip, sub almond milk)

Heads Up! The Chai Tea Concentrate, Whole Grain Breads, and Tomato Basil Bread at Panera are egg-free, but contain honey. Some locations will allow you to substitute almond milk for the yogurt in the smoothies.

This Post is for Informational Purposes Only

Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.

There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.

Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.

Where to Find Panera Bread Company

Panera Bread Company has over 2000 locations, and they are all located in the United States and Canada. See their website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.

Website: www.panerabread.com

Quality food

September 28, 2023

Small portions, good quality products.

Mike Argy

Thorough

April 2, 2023

Love how thorough this is. Made ordering easy. Thank you!

James

items thatare dairy free

January 27, 2023

appreciate the list of foods that are dairy free

Dotty

Dairy free

May 15, 2022

Dairy free

Thank you for having dairy free choices on your menu. I can’t have almonds so I would prefer an Oatmilk choice

Janet Rajek

Location specific

February 17, 2022

Panera aka Bread Co. here in St. Louis Mo, is usually an excellent restaurant locally. I have never had a bad experience at the one closest to me. Though I was heart broken when they changed the pumpkin muffin recipe, but thankfully the change was pointed out to me when I was ordering. Outside of St. Louis its been a very mixed bag of whether or not its safe. Worst experience was “you can just pull off the cheese”

Laura

Found a vegan meal.

July 18, 2021

Came to Panera Bread yesterday for lunch the first time. As a vegan, I wasn’t sure what I would find to eat. After a few questions to the order taker, I had the ten vegetable soup. It came with a big piece of bread, and was very good. I’m here to double check, and I’m still pleased with the meal I had there.

Joanne

Poorly informed

March 26, 2021

I called ahead to ask dairy free options. The sandwich I ordered not only had cheese on it, but also the bread I was told was dairy free is not. My daughter is lactose intolerant and it was her sandwich. I am most angry that I purposely called and was given dangerous misinformation. Panera’s staff needs to be better versed with information like this.

Mike Gabriel

Pretty Accurate!

March 2, 2021

I have worked at Panera Bread for 3+ years now and a couple months ago when I went dairy free I found our nutritional information binder at the cafe and wrote a list of everything that is dairy free and it matches up with yours well! As to the dressings, it is hard to regulate what allergens they are exposed to. Ideally, to-go dressing cups wouldn’t normally be contaminated with other allergens, but this isn’t always the case. If you are really sensitive to dairy (or anything allergy-wise), I’d advise someone to tell the cashier/online order that there is an allergy, because the people in the kitchen are much more cautious with what they touch/what things are put on the food when they are informed of an allergy.

On another note, I am seriously impressed by the variety of menu items you listed, as our menu varies every couple months, it’s nice to see a lot of variety in what we have!

Kell

Salad dressings

October 13, 2020

I can’t find the list of safe salad dressings? You used to have one I thought.

Lexi

Response from Go Dairy Free

The dressings for the salads listed above are dairy-free. We can’t say what is “safe” for any one person. Unfortunately, they no longer list their salad dressings separately, so we will have to research that.

For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!