What should I order at Panera for high protein?
A whole Toasted Italiano sandwich carries the most protein on the menu, 58 g. For a smaller appetite, a half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken is 20 g for 290 calories, one of several half portions in a similar range.
Key takeaways
- Panera sells half portions as a real, separately listed menu option, which makes it easier here than at most chains to land on a smaller protein number without estimating.
- A whole Toasted Italiano sandwich tops the menu at 58 g of protein, but also carries 1,330 calories.
- Half sandwiches and half salads mostly land in the 18 to 22 g range for 290 to 430 calories, a consistent band across several different options.
- Bread bowl soups and catering-sized portions are left out of both lists here because they're multi-serving formats, not a single order.
- The whole Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, not the half, is the best protein-to-calorie order on the entire menu outside the sandwiches: 40 g for 580 calories.
Panera's menu is unusual for offering half portions as a real, separately listed order rather than something you'd have to estimate yourself.
The highest protein items
58 g proteinToasted Italianowhole sandwich, 1330 kcal
52 g proteinChicken Bacon Rancher Sandwichwhole sandwich, 1010 kcal
52 g proteinCiabatta Cheesesteakwhole sandwich, 1160 kcal
51 g proteinSpicy Fiesta Chickenwhole sandwich, 940 kcal
48 g proteinGrilled Chicken & Avo BLTwhole sandwich, 940 kcal
47 g proteinBacon Turkey Bravowhole sandwich, 860 kcal
High protein, low calorie: better for a smaller appetite
Half portions and salads are where this menu's best ratios turn up, mostly clustered in a fairly narrow calorie band.
27 g proteinStrawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad1 salad, 410 kcal
22 g proteinSmokehouse BBQ Chickenhalf sandwich, 410 kcal
20 g proteinGreen Goddess Cobb Salad with Chickenhalf salad, 290 kcal
20 g proteinToasted Frontega Chickenhalf sandwich, 430 kcal
20 g proteinTurkey & Cheddarhalf sandwich, 420 kcal
18 g proteinCaesar with Chickenhalf salad, 340 kcal
Swap this for that
- Swap the whole Ciabatta Cheesesteak for the whole Bacon Turkey Bravo: similar protein for 300 fewer calories.
- Swap the half Toasted Frontega Chicken for the half Green Goddess Cobb Salad: the same protein for 140 fewer calories.
- Swap the whole Grilled Chicken & Avo BLT for the whole Spicy Fiesta Chicken: +3 g protein for the same calories.
If Subway is more often on your route, the Subway high protein menu works the same way.
If you're managing a GLP-1 prescription and unsure how a heavier order fits your plan for the day, that is a question for your prescriber or dietitian rather than a menu page.
More questions about Fast food
What's the highest protein item at Panera?
A whole Toasted Italiano sandwich, at 58 g of protein for 1,330 calories. The Chicken Bacon Rancher and Ciabatta Cheesesteak are close behind, both around 52 g.
What should I order at Panera if I'm on a GLP-1 medication?
A half sandwich or half salad rather than a whole one: a Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, half portion, is 20 g of protein for 290 calories, and several other half options land in a similar range. Check bigger changes to how you eat around your prescription with your prescriber or dietitian.
Is a half sandwich actually half the nutrition of a whole one?
Close to it, since a half is its own menu item rather than a whole sandwich cut in the kitchen. It won't always land exactly at half, because of how bread and fillings are portioned, but it's a real order you can place, not a guess.
