It appears Panera's new era is here with an updated lineup of sandwiches, salads, and sides. The Panera menu got a massive facelift at the beginning of April 2024 with new items and OG faves that feature never-before-seen recipe enhancements.
“We are getting back to Panera at its best with these menu updates that are centered completely on our guests and what they love about us,” said Alicia Mowder, SVP of Product Strategy & Insights at Panera Bread. “We’ve listened to thousands of guests on our path to unveiling more than 20 new or enhanced menu items and are thrilled to bring these products to Panera bakery-cafes nationwide.”
With promises of more satisfying portions and better value, I truly cannot wait to experience the rejuvenated Panera menu! It's looking mighty tasty. Scroll for everything that's new to the Panera menu and available to order now!
All-New Items On The Panera Menu
Chicken Bacon Rancher
This new sammie features slabs of grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, aged white cheddar, and ranch dressing on Panera's Black Pepper Focaccia bread, and it looks divine. I'm not entirely big on bacon, but I think this stack has the perfect balance between ingredients. That focaccia, though!
Ciabatta Cheesesteak
I could really go for one of these right now. With this newcomer sandwich, strips of tender marinated sliced steak, provolone cheese, garlic aioli, caramelized onions, and a pile of zesty-sweet Panera Peppadew™ peppers are layered between bodied slices of ciabatta.
Toasted Italiano
The Toasted Italiano is everything you could ever want from an Italian sub. Black Forest ham, soppressata, provolone, romaine, red onion, sliced pepperoncini peppers (YUM!), garlic aioli, and Greek dressing meld miraculously together on Panera’s toasted French baguette bread.
Tomato Basil BLT
This sandwich is the result of when a classic BLT meets fresh Italian flavors like tomato and basil. It boasts strips of applewood smoked bacon, crisp mixed greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic aioli, and salt and pepper all slathered onto Panera's Tomato Basil Miche bread.
Bacon Mac & Cheese
Oh wow. This mac makes we want to act up! Sultry, stringy white cheddar sauce hugs every single inch of the shell pasta included in this bowl. You can also order it in a cup as a side dish or in one of Panera's famed bread bowls. The cheesy goodness gets topped off with crispy bits of applewood smoked bacon. I'm drooling, honestly.
Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad
All the vibrant colors of this salad are calling to me! This Southwest-inspired salad highlights a bed of romaine tossed in ranch dressing with grilled chicken, chipotle aioli, fresh avocado, grape tomatoes, fire-grilled corn, fresh cilantro, and blue corn tortilla strips joining in on the delicious fun.
Ranch Cobb Salad
There's nothing like a Cobb salad, TBH. This brand-new take from Panera features romaine and mixed greens tossed in ranch dressing, which gets topped with grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, applewood smoked bacon, feta cheese, and a hard-boiled egg – a classic!
Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains
It's nice to see that Panera's boosting their salads with more grains, a la Sweetgreen or CAVA. This dish takes on Mediterranean flavors, hosting a medley of farro, red rice, grilled chicken, hummus, feta, red onions, zesty sweet Peppadew™ peppers, sliced cucumbers, and a sprinkle of Panera’s Mediterranean shawarma seasoning. Is it lunchtime yet?!
Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains
Balsamic lovers, rise up! This fresh new fare from the Panera menu has romaine, mixed greens, farro, red rice, sliced cucumbers, pepperoncini peppers, fresh avocado, feta, pumpkin seeds, and a dose of balsamic vinaigrette and Green Goddess dressing.
Panera Menu Items That Got Upgraded
Bravo Club Sandwich
There are 13 items on the Panera menu that received recipe enhancements alongside the newly-debuted dishes. According to Debbie Roberts, the Chief Operating Officer at Panera Bread, the upgrades resulted from customer and employee feedback.
“Panera’s New Era is incredibly exciting, not only for our guests, but also our associates, who will be able to renew their focus on our core menu and serve our guests more efficiently with enhanced portions and better value,” said Roberts. “We are eager to get back to our roots within these core categories and unveil these delicious new menu innovations, all while providing an exceptional guest experience.”
The first menu item that got a facelift is the Bravo Club, which features oven-roasted turkey breast, Black Forest ham, applewood smoked bacon, aged white cheddar, crisp mixed greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, signature Bravo sauce, and salt and pepper on Tomato Basil Miche bread.
Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
Next up is the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, and it looks insanely good. The balance Panera has created between smoked chicken, aged white cheddar, fresh sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, zesty sweet Peppadew™ peppers, and chipotle aioli in this sandwich is super impressive. It's all laid atop their Black Pepper Focaccia!
Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich
If mozzarella is involved, I'm 1000% there. This enhanced sammie has it all: smoked, pulled chicken, fresh mozz, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onions, fresh basil, chipotle aioli, and salt and pepper all inside Panera's Black Pepper Focaccia.
Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt
You really can't go wrong with Buffalo flavors, but it appears Panera has leveled up even more with the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt! Smoked, pulled chicken, American cheese, red onions, and spicy Buffalo sauce get piled onto a toasted French Baguette for a heavenly bite filled with cheesiness, crunchiness, and spice.
Smokehouse BBQ Chicken Sandwich
One of the more simplistic items on the Panera menu, this sandwich has a nice mix of chicken, BBQ sauce, red onions, and aged white cheddar on ciabatta.
Grilled Chicken & Avocado BLT
I fear I could eat one of these every day, it looks so yum. Grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, aged white cheddar, crisp mixed greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh sliced avocado, garlic aioli, and salt and pepper layer in between Panera's Country Rustic Sourdough bread in this dish!
Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich
The new-and-improved Turkey & Cheddar Sandwich isn't just turkey and cheddar. This pick features the classic meat and cheese combo alongside stacks of fresh tomato, mixed greens, onions, and garlic aioli – all stacked high between sourdough bread slices.
Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad
This one's for the girls and guys who eat their greens! Fitted with a hearty (but still light) mix of romaine, mixed greens, Green Goddess dressing, grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, pickled red onions, fresh avocado, applewood smoked bacon and a hard-boiled egg, this salad definitely lands on the more satisfying, filling side of things.
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Apples on salad are ahh-mazing! The enhanced Panera menu is embracing the savory-sweet flavor combo with this chicken-filled salad topped with crisp apple chips. It highlights a bed of romaine and mixed greens that is tossed in a sweet white balsamic vinaigrette, then topped with grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, red onions, toasted pecan pieces, feta crumbles, and the apple chips.
Caesar Salad
Panera's transformed their Caesar salad to have an even better value with this round of menu enhancements. You can get this pick with or without chicken. The greens get doused in Caesar dressing, then get topped with grilled chicken, shaved parmesan cheese, black pepper, and sea salt croutons for crunch.
Greek Salad
The all-new Greek Salad can also be ordered with or without chicken. It has a classic medley of romaine, Greek dressing, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, sliced cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, sliced pepperoncini peppers, and salt and pepper for flavor.
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Photos via Panera.
