Low FODMAP Panera Bread: Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches for IBS

Low FODMAP Panera Bread: Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches for IBS

By Dr. Onikepe Adegbola, MD PhD — Johns Hopkins-trained physician-scientist

Panera is one of the better fast-casual options for IBS patients because they post full ingredient lists online and offer simple, customizable meals. But their soups — Panera's signature — are almost all off-limits due to onion and garlic bases.

Key Takeaways

• Skip ALL soups — even "simple" ones like chicken noodle contain onion and garlic
• Salads are your best bet — customize with safe toppings and oil/vinegar dressing
• Sandwich bread: sourdough is your safest choice (fermentation reduces fructans)
• Their "You Pick Two" combo lets you pair a half salad with a half sandwich
• Digestive enzymes for hidden ingredients in dressings and seasonings

Safe Options

• ✅ Green Goddess Cobb Salad — no avocado dressing, ask for oil and vinegar
• ✅ Caesar Salad — skip croutons, light dressing (contains garlic — use oil/vinegar instead)
• ✅ Turkey sandwich on sourdough — lettuce, tomato, mustard
• ✅ Mediterranean Bowl — customize: skip hummus, keep rice, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers
• ❌ All soups (onion/garlic base)
• ❌ Mac and cheese (cream + garlic)
• ❌ Broccoli cheddar soup (onion base + cream)

Your Best Order

"You Pick Two: half Green Goddess salad with oil and vinegar, half turkey on sourdough with lettuce, tomato, mustard."

Take FODMAP digestive enzymes. For more dining guides, see Chipotle and Subway.

Menu items vary by location. This is educational content only.