Quick Answer: Panera can be healthy, but its most popular orders are among the saltiest in fast casual. Broccoli Cheddar Soup in a bread bowl is 950 calories and 2,170mg of sodium, 94% of a day. Half a Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken is 290 calories with 20g of protein, and a grab-and-go Turkey & Cheddar Wrap is 460 calories with 32g.
Is Panera healthy? Its ingredient standards are real: Panera publishes a "No No List" of artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors and colors it keeps out of its food. Clean ingredients don’t make a meal light, though. Cream soups, bread, cheese and full-size dressed salads push a lot of Panera orders past 1,500mg of sodium.
Every number below comes from Panera’s Nutrition Guide, effective April 8, 2026. Recipes change, so check the current guide for your order.
Broccoli Cheddar and Mac & Cheese, by the numbers
Broccoli Cheddar Soup is Panera’s most-searched menu item, at about 7,900 U.S. searches a month, followed by Mac & Cheese at 5,800. The size you order matters more than anything else about them.
| Order | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli Cheddar, cup | 280 | 8g | 1,010mg |
| Broccoli Cheddar, bowl | 420 | 12g | 1,520mg |
| Broccoli Cheddar, bread bowl | 950 | 35g | 2,170mg |
| Mac & Cheese, cup | 490 | 16g | 1,150mg |
| Mac & Cheese, bowl | 980 | 32g | 2,300mg |
| Mac & Cheese, bread bowl | 1,160 | 43g | 2,310mg |
The bread bowl adds 530 calories to a bowl of Broccoli Cheddar. A bowl of Mac & Cheese reaches 2,300mg of sodium, a full day’s worth. If you want either one, the cup is the order: 280 calories for Broccoli Cheddar, with about two-thirds of the bowl’s sodium.
The healthiest orders at Panera
We went through the full guide for orders that stay moderate in calories and still bring protein. These are the ones worth ordering.
| Order | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad, half | 210 | 13g | 740mg |
| Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, half | 290 | 20g | 990mg |
| Garden Avo & Egg White on Multigrain Bagel Flat | 340 | 19g | 720mg |
| Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup, cup | 120 | 10g | 1,050mg |
| Turkey & Cheddar Wrap (grab-and-go) | 460 | 32g | 1,160mg |
| Frontega Chicken Wrap (grab-and-go) | 450 | 30g | 1,170mg |
The two grab-and-go wraps carry the most protein, around 30g, and 12g of fiber each. Half a Green Goddess Cobb Salad gets you 20g of protein for 290 calories. For breakfast, the Garden Avo & Egg White is 340 calories with 19g of protein.
A cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle is only 120 calories, but at 1,050mg of sodium it’s not the light soup it looks like. Every soup cup in the guide carries at least 760mg.
Salads: the size is the trap
Panera’s whole salads are full meals, and most of them carry more sodium than a sandwich.
| Whole salad | Calories | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad | 410 | 27g | 1,480mg |
| Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken | 580 | 40g | 1,980mg |
| Caesar with Chicken Salad | 700 | 34g | 2,290mg |
| Greek Salad with Chicken | 760 | 30g | 2,630mg |
| Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains Salad | 900 | 33g | 2,330mg |
The Greek Salad with Chicken has 2,630mg of sodium, 114% of the FDA’s daily value, in a dish most people order as the light choice. Ordering any salad as a half cuts calories and sodium roughly in half, and dressing on the side lets you use less.
The You Pick Two math
You Pick Two sounds portion-controlled, but the classic pairing adds up. Half a Turkey & Cheddar on Country Rustic Sourdough (390 calories, 980mg) plus a cup of Broccoli Cheddar (280 calories, 1,010mg) comes to 670 calories and 1,990mg of sodium. Take the side portion of French baguette (180 calories, 450mg) and you’re at 850 calories and 2,440mg, more than a day’s sodium in one lunch.
A lighter pairing: half a Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad with an apple as your side. That’s 290 calories and 740mg of sodium. The apple is 80 calories with no sodium; the kettle chips are 150.
The bakery case
Treat it as dessert. The Kitchen Sink Cookie is 810 calories, and the Orange Scone is 550 with 860mg of sodium. Plain cream cheese adds 140 calories to a bagel.
Compared with a meal from our kitchen
Our Basic Chicken Breast & Sweet Potatoes is 300 calories with 40g of protein and 580mg of sodium, according to our nutrition page. Next to a bowl of Broccoli Cheddar, that’s 120 fewer calories, 28g more protein and 940mg less sodium.
If you want lunches with the numbers already worked out, filter our Build-a-Meal Plan by "Weight Loss" or "XL – High Protein." To see how Panera compares with seven other chains, see our healthiest fast food ranking.
FAQs
Is Panera healthy?
It can be, but its most popular orders are high in sodium. Broccoli Cheddar in a bread bowl is 950 calories and 2,170mg of sodium. Lighter picks include half a Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken (290 calories, 20g of protein) or a Turkey & Cheddar Wrap (460 calories, 32g).
What is the healthiest thing to order at Panera?
For protein, a grab-and-go Turkey & Cheddar or Frontega Chicken Wrap: about 450 calories and 30g of protein. For the lowest sodium, half a Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad with an apple: 290 calories and 740mg.
How many calories are in Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
A cup is 280 calories with 1,010mg of sodium, a bowl is 420 calories with 1,520mg, and a bread bowl is 950 calories with 2,170mg, according to Panera’s April 2026 nutrition guide.
Is Panera Mac & Cheese healthy?
Not as a meal. A bowl is 980 calories with 2,300mg of sodium, a full day’s worth. A cup is 490 calories and 1,150mg.
Does Panera still have the Mediterranean Bowl?
It isn’t in Panera’s April 2026 nutrition guide. The closest item is the Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains Salad, which is 450 calories as a half and 900 as a whole, with 2,330mg of sodium in the whole.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical or personalized nutrition advice.
