When you think of fast food, fresh, nutrient-packed salads may not be what comes to mind, but at Panera, that’s precisely what you’ll find. This popular quick-service restaurant has 14 salads, ranging from lighter, meatless options to protein-packed and flavorful salads loaded with chicken, grains, and bursts of flavor from ingredients like pickled veggies, cheese, and fruit.
While all of the salads at Panera will help you get a serving of leafy greens and other veggies, not all of them are exactly “healthy.” Of course, health is subjective, and we all have our own definition of what’s healthiest for us. Still, you’ll find considerable and surprising nutritional differences in the salads at Panera. We reviewed each salad on the menu and ranked them from unhealthiest to healthiest after accounting for the fat, sodium, fiber, protein, and various ingredients you get from each.
Read on, then check out Every Panera Sandwich—Ranked by Nutrition.
Greek Salad With Chicken
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 540
Fat: 38 g (Saturated fat: 10 g)
Sodium: 1,700 mg
Carbs: 19 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 32 g
While there are worse things on the menu than the Greek Salad with chicken, it takes the spot as the least healthy salad at Panera thanks to its high amount of saturated fat, excess sodium, and low fiber. Ingredients like olives, pepperoncini, feta cheese, and the Greek dressing help get this salad to 1,700 milligrams of sodium, or 74% of the recommended daily value.
Greek Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 420
Fat: 36 g (Saturated fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 1,130 mg
Carbs: 17 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 8 g
While the Greek Salad without chicken has less protein, it also has less sodium and fat, bringing it down just a notch from its heartier partner. If you’re looking for a salad to fill you up, this may not be it since one serving has just 8 grams of protein.
Caesar Salad With Chicken
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 540
Fat: 32 g (Saturated fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 1,440 mg
Carbs: 26 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 36 g
This classic Caesar Salad with chicken is filling and delicious but isn’t going to add much to your veggie intake for the day. With just romaine, chicken, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and dressing, this meal provides 4 grams of fiber and way more sodium than a single meal should have—63% of the recommended daily limit.
Caesar Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 410
Fat: 30 g (Saturated fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 870 mg
Carbs: 24 g (Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 12 g
The plain Caesar Salad has less sodium than the salad with chicken, but without the protein from the chicken, it won’t be as filling and may leave you hungry not long after eating. And don’t forget—the only vegetable you’re getting is lettuce.
Balsamic Greens With Grains Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 460
Fat: 27 g (Saturated fat: 6 g)
Sodium: 760 mg
Carbs: 47 g (Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 11 g)
Protein: 11 g
Even though the Balsamic Greens with Grains Salad doesn’t have a main protein like chicken, it still comes with 11 grams of protein from ingredients like pumpkin seeds, avocado, and farro. This is one of the more satisfying and filling meatless options on the menu.
Balsamic Chicken Greens With Grains Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 580
Fat: 29 g (Saturated fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 1,330 mg
Carbs: 49 g (Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 12 g)
Protein: 36 g
The Balsamic Chicken Greens With Grains Salad has nutrient-dense ingredients like farro, rice, avocado, and pumpkin seeds. You’ll get 29% of the daily value of fiber, 36 grams of protein, and 1,330 milligrams of sodium, over half the recommended daily amount.
Ranch Cobb Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 440
Fat: 35 g (Saturated fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 930 mg
Carbs: 18 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 15 g
In a salad as loaded with ingredients as the Ranch Cobb Salad, you’d expect more fiber than 3 grams. If you’re not a chicken fan, this salad has 15 grams of protein with ingredients like bacon and hard-boiled eggs and has 40% DV of sodium for a whole salad, which may seem like a lot but is relatively low for a salad at Panera. The ranch, bacon, and eggs add up to 9 grams of saturated fat, just under 50% of the recommended daily limit, which may be too high if you’re trying to limit your fat intake.
Mediterranean Chicken Greens With Grains Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 670
Fat: 40 g (Saturated fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 1,410 mg
Carbs: 45 g (Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 34 g
We love the 7 grams of fiber and nutrient-dense ingredients in the Mediterranean Chicken Greens With Grains Salad. Hummus adds a rich, creamy texture and healthy fats—making it easy to use less dressing to cut calories and fat from your meal. Farro, a tender, chewy whole grain, adds a generous serving of fiber and filling carbs and a fun variety in texture. What we don’t love, however, is the 1,410 milligrams of sodium that come with it.
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 550
Fat: 32 g (Saturated fat: 6 g)
Sodium: 960 mg
Carbs: 36 g (Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 22 g)
Protein: 30 g
A little sweet and a little savory, the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad has less than 1,000 milligrams of sodium and 30 grams of protein, which we love. However, most of the sugars in this one are added, not naturally occurring. Instead of fresh apples, you get corn syrup-sweetened dehydrated apple chips and sugar-laden white balsamic apple vinaigrette.
Mediterranean Greens With Grains Salads
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 540
Fat: 38 g (Saturated fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 850 mg
Carbs: 43 g (Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 6 g)
Protein: 10 g
Skipping the chicken in the Mediterranean Greens With Grains Salad cuts 560 milligrams of sodium and 130 calories but drastically reduces the protein. The healthy fats and fiber may help you feel full, but with just 10 grams of protein, this salad may not be enough for a balanced meal.
Green Goddess Cobb Salad With Chicken
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 480
Fat: 27 g (Saturated fat: 6 g)
Sodium: 1,160 mg
Carbs: 22 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 10 g)
Protein: 40 g
If you’re hoping to maximize your protein intake, the Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken has an impressive 40 grams from ingredients like grilled chicken, bacon, eggs, and avocado. Combined with the 6 grams of fiber and 21 grams of healthy fats, you’ll feel full and satisfied after eating this balanced and filling salad. It does have 50% of the daily value of sodium, which you can drastically cut down by getting the chopped bacon on the side or skipping it altogether.
Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 650
Fat: 45 g (Saturated fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 1,040 mg
Carbs: 34 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 10 g)
Protein: 31 g
The Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad is bursting with fresh flavors and has an impressive 9 grams of fiber. Most of the fiber comes from avocado, which has 13.5 grams, or 48% of the daily value, in a single fruit. All that avocado adds a boost of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well. While this salad has more calories than many other options, it also has all the protein, fiber, and fat to keep you full for hours.
Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 240
Fat: 11 g (Saturated fat: 1 g)
Sodium: 140 mg
Carbs: 35 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 25 g)
Protein: 4 g
The Strawberry Poppyseed Salad is the freshest option on the menu and also the lowest in sodium, with only 6% daily value. Thanks to the fresh blueberries, pineapple, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and pecans sprinkled on top, it’s low in calories, sodium, and saturated fat and high in fiber. Even so, you may want to eat this salad alongside another order since the whole salad has just 4 grams of protein, not nearly enough for a meal.
Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
Nutrition (Per whole salad):
Calories: 370
Fat: 13 g (Saturated fat: 2 g)
Sodium: 710 mg
Carbs: 36 g (Fiber: 6 g, Sugar: 26 g)
Protein: 29 g
The Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad is the healthiest salad at Panera, thanks to the nutrient-dense ingredients, 6 grams of fiber, and 29 grams of protein. While it has 26 grams of sugar, most are naturally occurring sugars in the fruit, with just 6 grams of added sugars in the poppyseed dressing. To reduce the added sugars, ask for the dressing on the side and drizzle just as much as you need.
