The healthiest high-protein order at Panera is the Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad: a whole salad has 40 g protein for 580 calories, the best protein-to-calorie ratio of anything that clears 30 g. The newer Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl (38 g), Ultimate Garden Steak Salad (33 g) and Carnitas Elote Market Bowl (44 g) also get you past 30 g, but they’re bigger meals, so portion size and dressing matter more. Below are the best picks, how to order them, and which popular items to treat with care.
Calories are the counts Panera posts on its U.S. menu, and protein comes from Panera’s published figures or nutrition databases that match them. Menus and recipes change and can vary a little by location, so check the Panera app for your cafe.
Healthy Panera options at a glance
| Order (whole) | Calories | Half portion | Protein | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad | 580 | 290 cal, 20 g protein | 40 g | Best overall pick |
| Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl | 930 | 470 cal | 38 g | A warm grain bowl |
| Ultimate Garden Steak Salad | 800 | 400 cal | 33 g | Steak lovers |
| Carnitas Elote Market Bowl | 1,100 | 550 cal | 44 g | Most protein, big appetite |
The best high-protein salads
1. Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad
Whole: 580 calories, 40 g protein. Half: 290 calories, 20 g protein.
My pick for the healthiest Panera order. Grilled chicken, egg and bacon do the heavy lifting on protein, while greens keep the volume high, so you get about 7 g protein per 100 calories. It’s the one item here where the whole salad stays under 600 calories. If you want it lighter still, ask for the dressing on the side and use about half. Curious how the eggs contribute? Our guide to protein in eggs breaks it down by size.
2. Ultimate Garden Steak Salad
Whole: 800 calories, 33 g protein. Half: 400 calories.
One of Panera’s newer premium salads, and the best choice if you’d rather have steak than chicken. It clears 30 g protein, but at 800 calories it’s a full meal, not a light lunch. Dressing is the easiest place to trim, so get it on the side and add it gradually rather than tossing the whole portion in.
High-protein Market Bowls
Market Bowls are Panera’s newer warm grain bowls, sold in whole and half sizes. They’re filling and well balanced, but they run higher in calories than the salads, so the half size is worth considering if you’re not very hungry.
3. Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl
Whole: 930 calories, 38 g protein. Half: 470 calories.
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Herbed brown rice and arugula with grilled chicken, edamame, cucumber, red cabbage, grilled broccoli and candied almonds. It has plenty of fiber-rich vegetables and two protein sources. The sesame ginger dressing comes on the side, which makes it easy to use only part of it; the candied almonds are the other add-on worth going light on.
4. Carnitas Elote Market Bowl
Whole: 1,100 calories, 44 g protein. Half: 550 calories.
The most protein of any pick here, from slow-roasted pork, but also the most calories. For most people the half bowl is the smarter order: it lands at 550 calories with roughly half the protein. Save the whole bowl for days you’re very hungry or training hard.
Lighter sides and add-ons
These won’t hit 30 g protein on their own, but they pair well with the picks above or work as a lighter meal:
- Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup: 120 calories for a cup, 180 for a bowl. Skip the bread bowl, which brings it to 770.
- Garden Avo & Egg White Sandwich: 350 calories, one of the lightest breakfast sandwiches on the menu.
- Everything Protein Bagel: Panera lists 23 g protein, a useful add-on if you want more protein with a salad.
- Shrimply Baja Salad: Panera lists 27 g protein for the whole salad, just under our 30 g cutoff.
Popular items to order with care
Panera’s sandwiches are high in protein, but most whole sandwiches land between 820 and 1,010 calories, so the half size is usually the better choice. Posted counts: Bacon Turkey Bravo 850 whole / 430 half, Toasted Frontega Chicken 860 / 430, Turkey & Cheddar 830 / 410, Smokehouse BBQ Chicken 820 / 410, Grilled Chicken & Avo BLT 940 / 470, Chicken Bacon Rancher 1,010 / 510. The Caesar Salad with Chicken is 670 whole / 340 half, more than the Green Goddess Cobb. Protein for the current versions of these items wasn’t consistent across the sources checked, so it’s not listed here.
High-protein Panera combos
- Whole Green Goddess Chicken Cobb + cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup: 700 calories, at least 40 g protein (the soup adds a little more).
- Half Green Goddess Chicken Cobb + half Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl (You Pick Two): 760 calories, at least 20 g protein from the salad alone, plus the chicken and edamame in the bowl.
- Half Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl + cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup: 590 calories.
- Half Green Goddess Chicken Cobb + cup of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup: 410 calories, at least 20 g protein.
Combo totals don’t include bread on the side, chips or drinks. If you want similar meals at home, our low calorie high protein meals are all under 400 calories, and our healthy fast food guide covers the best order at other big chains.
How to order healthier at Panera
- Go half-size. Every salad and Market Bowl here comes in a half portion at about half the calories, and You Pick Two lets you pair a half with soup.
- Get dressing on the side. Dressings and sauces are where calories add up quickly in salads and bowls; use part of the portion.
- Rethink the side. The bread or chips that come with a meal add calories without much protein, so skip them or swap for a lighter side if your cafe offers one.
- Skip the bread bowl. A bowl of chicken noodle soup is 180 calories; in a bread bowl it’s 770.
- Check the app before you order. Panera’s app shows nutrition for your exact build, including any customizations.
How these picks were chosen
Every pick is on Panera’s regular U.S. menu and has at least 30 g protein in its whole portion. Picks were ranked by protein per calorie, then by total calories. Calories are the counts Panera posts on its menus, as shown on its delivery listings; protein comes from Panera’s own menu announcement or from nutrition databases whose calorie counts match Panera’s current posted numbers. Where sources disagreed or only matched an older recipe, the number was left out. Combo totals were added up and double-checked. Lestta isn’t affiliated with Panera, and this isn’t medical advice; if you’re managing a health condition, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Sources
- Panera: New Market Bowls and premium salads
- Panera menu with posted calories (Postmates)
- Panera: Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl (Postmates)
- Allmenus: Panera Bread menu
- FatSecret: Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, whole
- FatSecret: Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken, half
- MyNetDiary: Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl
- MyNetDiary: Carnitas Elote Market Bowl
- MyNetDiary: Ultimate Garden Steak Salad
