Keto-friendly, low-carb, and Panera Bread—these are three words you won’t think of using in just one sentence.
After all, how can you expect to find low carb options and keto-friendly meals in a restaurant with a name that has bread on it?
Before you totally dismiss the idea of eating keto at Panera bread, hear us out first!
In this article, we’ll share with you some of the Panera Bread meals that are surprisingly keto-friendly and low in carb.
So Which bread has the least amount of carbs? Read our guide to find out the best low carb options at Panera Bread!
The Basics of Making Your Panera Orders Keto Friendly
Before we reveal to you the best dishes for eating low carb at Panera, let us first give you a few pointers on how you can order keto at Panera.
Here are some ordering tips that you should know about:
1. Get Your Sandwich Breadless.
Panera Bread is known for offering an extensive selection of sandwiches. Too bad, you can’t eat bread on a keto diet, right?
Well, we have amazing news for you. You can order their sandwiches breadless!
When you do this, you’ll be left with the contents—meats, cheeses, and veggies—which are all low carb but also extremely filling.
2. Ask For a Lettuce Wrap.
If you feel as if something is missing from your breadless sandwich, you can ask them to turn it to a lettuce wrap instead.
In this way, you get to eat the contents the same way you eat your sandwiches. The best part? The added lettuce can also help boost your fiber intake which you need to fight off constipation associated with keto. (*)
Or better yet, get a low carb salad.
If you’re after increasing your fiber consumption, it would be best to get a salad as it contains more greens.
3. Avoid Toppings and Dressings as much as possible.
When ordering or customizing your salads, don’t forget to consider the type of dressing or toping that you’ll get as most of the salad dressings contain too much sugar or carbs.
When in doubt, it’s best to skip the dressings and toppings so you’re sure that your meal is low carb.
4. Hold The Pickled Onions.
When you first think about it, it may seem as if these onions are keto-friendly. But don’t be fooled; this add-on is not as low carb as you think it is so make sure to hold these when ordering your meals.
5. Check out Their Nutritional Calculator.
You’ll love Panera Bread because they actually have a nutritional calculator on their website that you can use to determine the macronutrient content of the dishes that you plan to order.
The Best Panera Low Carb Options For Keto Dieter!
Now let’s get to the fun part—choosing your meals.
Here are some of the amazing dishes that you can eat low carb at Panera.
Low Carb Panera Breakfast Sandwiches:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so you should never miss it. (*) Fortunately, you have plenty of keto breakfast options at Panera Bread.
The breakfast sandwiches at Panera are tasty and healthy because they use freshly cracked and at times, cage-free eggs!
Bacon Egg and Cheese
Bacon, egg and cheese—the ultimate breakfast trifecta!
The good news is all of these are keto-friendly, except for the ciabatta bread which you should not get.
Even without the bread, the bacon egg cheese sandwich can be an extremely filling breakfast since the bacon is high in fats. (*)
- Nutrition Information: 340 calories, 28g fat, 21g protein, and 2g net carbs
Avocado, Egg White Spinach
If you wish to keep your sandwiches healthier, the Avocado Egg White Spinach sandwich is the best option that you have.
Featuring avocado slices, perfectly cooked egg white, white cheddar, tomato slices, and baby spinach, this meal will give you good amounts of healthy fats and fiber along with other vitamins and nutrients.
Since it doesn’t contain any meat, it’s low carb and low calorie.
Just make sure to get this without the bagel and you’re all good to go!
- Nutrition Information: 170 calories, 12g fat, 12g protein, and 3g net carbs
Chipotle Chicken, Scrambled Egg, and Avocado Wrap
This wrap’s explosion of flavors will certainly help jumpstart your day. This includes grilled chicken, avocado slices, and scrambled eggs.
It also has chipotle aioli and Peppadew peppers that will give you that spicy kick you want.
Get this without the tortilla wrap to stay on keto.
- Nutrition Information: 290 calories, 24g fat, 20g protein, and 2g net carbs
Steak, Egg Cheese
Steak for breakfast? Why not!
At Panera Bread, you can enjoy your favorite meat early in the morning!
The steak egg cheese dish features thinly sliced steak with cheddar cheese and scrambled or sunny-side-up eggs, making you feel full for long.
- Nutrition Information: 550 calories, 19g fat, 34g protein, and 56g net carbs
Turkey Sausage, Egg White Spinach
Do you want to enjoy a healthier version of their Sausage egg and cheese sandwich?
You should try Panera’s Turkey Sausage, Egg White and Spinach Sandwich—minus the bagel, of course!
In addition to the egg, baby spinach, and turkey sausage, it also includes tomato slices and white cheddar cheese, giving it more flavor.
- Nutrition Information: 380 calories, 11g fat, 17g protein, and 40g net carbs
Ham Egg and Cheese
And of course, there’s the classic ham egg and cheese sandwich that has become a stable in most breakfast menus. This dish stands out because they used a smoked ham which pairs with their white cheddar cheese pretty well.
- Nutrition Information: 340 calories, 15g fat, 23g protein, and 26g net carbs
Sandwiches:
Panera Bread offers the best and freshest sandwiches so you don’t want to miss out on their sandwich offerings. A gentle reminder to hold the pieces of bread if you want to stay on keto diet.
Roasted Turkey Avocado BLT
What we liked most about this Roasted Turkey Avocado BLT sandwich because they actually use turkeys raised without any antibiotics!
This is not a common practice for most restaurants so it’s great to see Panera Bread making a conscious effort to keep their meals healthy.
Its main highlight is the roasted Turkey which is complemented by bacon, tomato slices, avocado slices, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo.
Pro Tip: Drizzle the contents with Greek dressing for added flavor.
- Nutrition Information: 640 calories, 33g fat, 38g protein, and 44g net carbs
Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
Their Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt contents are similar to that of the Chipotle Chicken, Scrambled Egg, and Avocado Wrap. The main difference is this has cilantro but doesn’t contain eggs.
- Nutrition Information: 770 calories, 43g fat, 43g protein, and 50g net carbs
Heritage Ham and Swiss
This is probably the simplest bread in the Panera Bread menu, but it delivers a blend of flavors that will keep you coming back for more. Their delectable Heritage ham is perfectly complemented with Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, and greens.
- Nutrition Information: 410 calories, 30g fats, 32g protein, and 3g net carbs
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Tuna fans need to try their homemade tuna salad spread, paired with tomato, emerald greens, and red onions. It may seem awkward to eat this without the bread, but you can easily do so with the use of a fork—as if you’re just eating a salad.
- Nutrition Information: 635 calories, 35g fat, 29g protein, and 53g net carbs
Steak and Arugula Sandwich
In addition to thinly sliced steak strips, the sandwich also has garlic, tomatoes, arugula, pickled onions, and cream cheese spread.
The steak sandwich seems bare without the bread. That’s why we recommend asking them to put the sandwich’s contents over a bed of lettuce. Also, don’t forget to skip the pickled onions.
- Nutrition Information: 470 calories, 16g fat, 33g protein, and 47g net carbs
Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich
The flavors and nutritional profile of the Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich from Bread Panera will have you shouting bravo. It contains oven-roasted turkey breast. An applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, emerald greens, their signature sauce, and smoked Gouda.
- Nutrition Information: 630 calories, 24g fat, 56g protein, and 54g net carbs
Salads:
To get your daily dose of fiber, here are some of the low carb salads that you can order on keto:
Caesar Salad with Chicken
Just like your typical Caesar salad, this comes with parmesan, Caesar dressing, and romaine lettuce. They added roasted chicken toppings made of antibiotics-free chicken.
However, please be warned that the Caesar salad with chicken also comes with focaccia croutons so make sure to order the Caesar salad with no croutons.
- Nutrition Information: 470 calories, 28g fat, 34g protein, and 17g net carbs
Greek Salad
If you don’t want a salad with meat, the Greek Salad is the best choice for you. The meatless Greek salad includes feta cheese, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, Greek dressing, red onions, grape tomatoes, and romaine lettuce.
The dressing is low carb so there’s no need for you to skip it.
- Nutrition Information: 390 calories, 36g fat, 6g protein, and 7g net carbs
Green Goddess Cobb Salad
Here’s another salad with chicken. This Cobb Salad with chicken may not be your first option as most cobb salads in fast food restaurants contain too much carbs, but this one’s safe to eat on keto diet if you’ll just consume half and order.
The Green Goddess Cobb salad features grilled chicken breast, romaine, arugula, baby kale, grape tomatoes, pickled onions, fresh avocado slices, applewood smoked bacon, Green Goddess dressing red lettuce blend.
Remember to skip the pickled onions to keep the salad low carb.
- Nutrition Information: 550 calories, 33g fat, 42g protein, and 17g net carbs
Low Carb Salad Dressings:
As mentioned, not all salad dressings are keto-friendly. If you wish to stick to your keto diet, here are some of the best options that you have:
- Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
- Caesar Dressing
- Lime Rojo Ranch
- Green Goddess Dressing
Meals You Should Not Order at Panera Bread.
The keto diet is a low-carb and high-fat diet, so not all the dishes on the fast-food menu can be suitable for you. To help you stay on the keto track, here are some of the meals you should not order at Panera Bread.
- Ten Vegetable Soup
- Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Flatbread Pizzas
- Mac and Cheese
- Bread Bowl
- Mediterranean Bowl
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Baja Bowl with Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Bowl
- Mediterranean Bowl with Chicken
- Baja Bowl
- All Souffles
- Summer Fruit Cup
- Oatmeal with Pecans and Strawberries
- All their Bread
- Fruit Smoothies
- Frozen Drinks
- Iced Tea
In Summary
Eating keto at Panera may seem difficult as their menu comprises mainly of bread and other dishes rich in carbs. But with just a few tweaks, you can make their dishes low carb.
Armed with this knowledge, you’ll realize that they actually have quite an extensive keto-friendly menu. However, it’s important to note that while eating out on keto is possible. It’s not advisable to do it all the time.
After all, the best keto-friendly meals are those that are homemade.
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