Summer 2026 · Breakfast
Broccoli Cheddar Frittata
$5.98The best numbers of the fall drop: lightest hot new item with real protein, and the lowest sodium of the new hot lineup.
New at Panera · Fall 2026 drop September 2
New at Panera: What's Worth Trying This Fall (2026)
Every food site announces the new menu. Nobody tells you what to order. These are the new and limited-time items, each with a price, the numbers, and a verdict: try it, or skip it. New items earn their place against the standing menu they are measured against. On this page, ‘new’ means launched in the last twelve months or back as a seasonal return: fall items launched September 2, 2026, and the pumpkin lineup launched August 19, 2026.
Allrecipes covered the fall drop with descriptions and no numbers. Tasting Table tasted the pumpkin items with no prices. Southern Living listed the summer refresh with no verdicts. This page does the missing step: 20 items verified against the 9-city price menu numbers and Panera's official Nutrition Guide dated September 2, 2026, each judged TRY IT, ONLY-IF or SKIP IT. Four newer names do not have confirmed prices or nutrition yet, so they are listed by name only, with no verdict.
Sept 2, 2026 Fall drop
Aug 19, 2026 Pumpkin lineup
June 2026 Market Bowls
20 verified 4 pending
How to read this board: TRY IT means the numbers support the order. ONLY-IF means the item is good under one condition, and the condition is on the card. SKIP IT means the verified numbers argue against it, usually sodium or dessert calories in a meal costume. Verified prices are 9-city averages checked September 30, 2026. Seasonal end dates are labeled typical where Panera has not confirmed them.
The verdict board
Try it, only-if, or skip it
Three lanes, no neutral cards. Every verified card shows price, calories, protein and sodium together, because a new item judged on taste alone is how 3,200mg of sodium ends up in a grain bowl.
TRY IT
Order with confidence
Summer 2026 · Breakfast
Five Cheese & Bacon Frittata
$5.98Two more grams of protein for 20 calories: the heartier twin, same price, still the lightest sodium lane for a hot breakfast.
Fall drop · Sept 2, 2026 · Bakery
PB&J Cookie
$3.09The nostalgia buy: cookie calories, honestly labeled, at the lowest bakery price of the fall drop.
Summer 2026 · Bakery
Asiago Croissant Twists
$1.99The smart pastry: cheapest verified item on this board with a real protein number. Southern Living reported $1; the verified price is $1.99.
Summer 2026 · Drinks
Island Mango Energy Refresher
$4.27The light drink of the new lineup: lowest sodium on the board. A caffeine drink, not a protein source, and priced like one.
Summer 2026 · Salads
Ultimate Garden Steak Salad
$13.37Steak salad with the numbers to match: highest price here, but 33g protein at the lowest sodium of the premium salads.
Returning · Bakery
Chocolate Chip Bagel
$1.98The returning value: 10g protein for $1.98. It anchors the new-vs-classic comparison below for a reason.
ONLY-IF
Good under one condition
Fall drop · Sept 2, 2026 · Soups
Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup
$8.84Only if you want the comfort and know the numbers: 33g protein is real, but this is a lasagna decision at soup prices. See the classic comparison below.
Summer 2026 · Market Bowls
Carnitas Elote Market Bowl
$13.07Only if protein is the whole goal: 44g is the most of any bowl, paid for with the highest bowl calories and sodium over the daily limit.
Summer 2026 · Market Bowls
All-In Veggie Market Bowl
$9.82Only if value is the goal: cheapest bowl and lowest bowl sodium, but 910 calories for 14g protein is a flavor order, not a light one.
Pumpkin · Aug 19, 2026 · Drinks
Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee
$4.19Only if pumpkin flavor is the point: gentle sodium, dessert-level calories for a coffee, almost no protein. A seasonal treat, priced fairly.
Pumpkin · Aug 19, 2026 · Bakery
Caramel Pumpkin Slice
$4.07Only if you order it as dessert: the moderate pumpkin bakery pick. Fewer calories than the roll, more protein than the cookie.
Fall drop · Sept 2, 2026 · Bakery
Cinnamon Croissant Bites
$2.03Only if it is a shared snack: lowest sodium of the fall bakery, lowest price too, but 360 calories of pastry with 4g protein.
Returning · Soups
Autumn Squash Soup
$8.84Only if fall flavor outranks lightness: the gentlest sodium of the returning fall soups, still a full-meal calorie count.
Returning · Soups
Rustic Baked Potato Soup
$8.84Only if you skipped the sandwich: the heaviest returning soup. Comfort first, and the sodium says so.
Returning · Salads
Harvest Medley Chicken Salad
$12.86Only if you want a meal, not a side salad: 34g protein earns the price. The word salad is doing no calorie work here.
April 2026 · Salad Stuffers
Farmhouse Crunch Salad Stuffer
$9.02Only if the roll is the meal: gentlest sodium in this lane, but 790 calories in a handheld format needs a deliberate appetite.
SKIP IT
The numbers argue against it
Summer 2026 · Market Bowls
Sesame Ginger Chicken Market Bowl
$11.97The saltiest new item verified: 3,200mg is 139% of the 2,300mg daily limit in one bowl. The 38g protein does not rescue it when the Carnitas bowl offers more protein for less sodium.
Pumpkin · Aug 19, 2026 · Bakery
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll
$3.94650-calorie dessert, order deliberately or not at all: nearly double the Chocolate Chip Bagel at the same counter. Compared head to head below.
Pumpkin · Aug 19, 2026 · Drinks
Pumpkin Spice Frozen Java
$5.29A milkshake wearing a coffee name: the priciest pumpkin drink and the heaviest. If you want coffee, the iced coffee above is 250 fewer calories.
Why three skips matter
A board where everything is a try is a press release. These three skips share one shape: the headline hides the trade. A grain bowl hiding 3,200mg sodium, a roll hiding 650 calories, a coffee hiding 490. The verified numbers surface the trade before you pay for it.
Shrimply Baja Salad
Summer 2026 premium salad, per Southern Living reporting. Shrimp back at Panera after a decade (typical). Price and nutrition are not confirmed yet, so none is shown here.
Price/nutrition not confirmed yetChicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper
Returning with the fall Ciabatta Dippers, per fall menu reporting. The menu list tracks a Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper sandwich at other sizes, but this dipper format does not have confirmed numbers yet.
Price/nutrition not confirmed yetSteakhouse Salad Stuffer
New Salad Stuffer from April 2026 (typical), priced in the $8 to $13 stuffer range typical. The specific build does not have confirmed numbers yet.
Price/nutrition not confirmed yetSanta Fe Salad Stuffer
New Salad Stuffer from April 2026 (typical). Any salad can go in an Italian Stuffer Roll per the launch reporting, but this named build has no verified price or nutrition yet.
Price/nutrition not confirmed yetWhat did not get a card: the returning Pumpkin Cookie and Pumpkin Spice Latte, the Snickerdoodle, Hazelnut Mocha and Rocky Road iced coffees, and the Blackberry Hibiscus Herbal Iced Tea are named in summer and pumpkin reporting but are not in the verified new-item set above. They appear on the drinks page and nutrition table where verified numbers exist. Mix & Match at $4.99, February 25, 2026 per Panera PR via PR Newswire, is a value menu rather than a food item, so it is judged on the deals page instead of this board.
The comparison nobody runs
New vs classic
New items are judged against the classics they sit next to on the menu board, at the same counter, for the same lunch. That is where the fall drop gets honest.
New · Fall 2026
Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup
880 cal
$8.84 · 33g protein · 2,290mg sodium. Verified, Nutrition Guide 9/2/2026.
vs
Classic · Soups
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
180 cal
$8.13 · 14g protein. Verified, the lightest real meal on the full menu.
Same soup decision, five times the calories. The lasagna soup gives you 19g more protein for 700 more calories and about the same price. That trade can be worth it on a comfort day. It is only a trap when the word soup makes it sound light. Full soup rankings are on the soups page.
New · Pumpkin 2026
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll
650 cal
$3.94 · 8g protein · 510mg sodium. Verified.
vs
Classic · Bakery
Chocolate Chip Bagel
330 cal
$1.98 · 10g protein · 430mg sodium. Verified, returning this fall.
Double the calories, less protein, double the price. The roll wins on pumpkin flavor and nothing else. If the bakery case is a breakfast decision, the bagel is the order. If it is a dessert decision, order the roll as dessert and enjoy it. The bagel check ranks every flavor around it.
New · Summer 2026
Market Bowls
$9.82 to $13.07 910 to 1,100 cal
Three bowls verified: 14g to 44g protein, 1,700mg to 3,200mg sodium.
vs
Classic · Format
You Pick Two
2 halves your call
Half sandwich plus half salad or soup. Half numbers are estimates and labeled as estimates.
Bowls are a variety play, Pick Two is a control play. A bowl locks you into one flavor at 910 to 1,100 calories. Pick Two lets you pair a light soup half with a protein half and land lower. Choose the bowl when the specific flavor is the point, Carnitas Elote for protein or All-In Veggie for value, and choose Pick Two when you want to steer the total.
Read before your second visit
The sodium footnote
Calories get the headline on every other site. On the new menu, sodium is the pattern that actually separates the lanes. New items run 2,140 to 3,200mg of sodium at the heavy end, against a 2,300mg daily limit. One bowl can spend the whole day.
Heaviest · SKIP lane
Sesame Ginger Chicken Bowl
3,200mg
139% of the daily limit in a single bowl. The saltiest verified new item, and the reason this board exists.
The fall soup band
Returning fall soups
2,140 to 2,390mg
Autumn Squash at 2,140mg, Lasagna Soup at 2,290mg, Rustic Baked Potato at 2,390mg. Fall comfort is a sodium commitment, every time.
Lightest · TRY lane
The frittatas
1,090 to 1,120mg
Broccoli Cheddar at 1,090mg and Five Cheese & Bacon at 1,120mg. If sodium is your thing, the frittatas are the lightest hot items of the new lineup.
The full sodium picture, all 247 verified items ranked and flagged, is on the nutrition page. The rule that survives every season: new does not mean light, and the sodium number is where you find out.
What is live, what left, what is next
The seasonal calendar
Nobody tracks this, so items get reviewed as if they are permanent and then vanish. Dates below are launch dates from reporting, with availability status labeled honestly.
| When | What launched | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25, 2026 | Mix & Match value menu, $4.99 | Live now | Per Panera PR via PR Newswire. Judged on the deals page, not this board. |
| April 2026 | Salad Stuffers | Live now | Any salad in an Italian Stuffer Roll (typical). Farmhouse Crunch Stuffer verified at $9.02. |
| June 2026 | Market Bowls, premium salads, frittatas | Summer season | Per Southern Living. Bowls and frittatas verified above. Summer availability varies, confirm in app. |
| Aug 19, 2026 | Pumpkin lineup | Live now | Per PR Newswire reporting. End date typical typically early January, not confirmed. |
| Sept 2, 2026 | Fall drop | Live now | Per Fast Company, Restaurant Magazine and Allrecipes. Lasagna Soup, PB&J Cookie, Cinnamon Croissant Bites new. |
| Expected Nov 2026 | Holiday menu | Typical | Expected (typical), labeled and not promised. This page updates when verified numbers land. |
How to use this calendar: if an item above matters to you, order it while its status says live now, and confirm in the Panera app on the day. Seasonal menus rotate without fixed end dates in the sources checked here, so this page separates confirmed launch dates from reported expectations instead of blending them.
Where your next question leads
Not sure if the new item beats a classic? Compare it against the proven orders worth your money. Checking whether it fits your goals? Look up the full nutrition numbers first.
Questions, answered
Frequently Asked Questions
The fall drop launched September 2, 2026: Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup, PB&J Cookie and Cinnamon Croissant Bites are new, with Rustic Baked Potato Soup, Autumn Squash Soup, Chocolate Chip Bagel and Harvest favorites returning. The pumpkin lineup launched August 19, 2026. Summer brought Market Bowls and frittatas, Salad Stuffers arrived in April, and Mix & Match at $4.99 launched February 25, 2026. The verdict board judges each one.
By the verified numbers it is a comfort order, not a light one: $8.84, 880 calories, 33g protein and 2,290mg sodium, nearly five times the calories of Chicken Noodle Soup at 180. Our verdict is ONLY-IF: order it when you want lasagna comfort and you already know the numbers. The new vs classic section puts the two soups side by side.
Fall items are seasonal and limited time. No fixed end date was published in the sources checked for this page, so confirm availability in the Panera app before you travel. The seasonal calendar tracks what is live now.
Typically, pumpkin items typically run into early January, but Panera has not confirmed an end date for the 2026 lineup in the sources checked here. Treat early January as a guide, not a promise, and confirm in the app.
It depends on the bowl. Carnitas Elote has the most protein at 44g for $13.07, with 1,100 calories and 2,650mg sodium. All-In Veggie is the value at $9.82 with the lowest bowl sodium at 1,700mg, but only 14g protein. Sesame Ginger Chicken carries 3,200mg sodium, so we rate it SKIP IT. All three are judged on the board.
Broccoli Cheddar Frittata: $5.98, 280 calories, 15g protein and 1,090mg sodium. It is the lightest hot item of the new lineup with real protein. The Five Cheese & Bacon Frittata is close at 300 calories and 17g protein. The healthy options page puts both in the full-menu context.
Keep deciding
Where the new-item decision goes next
This page owns what is new and whether to try it. These pages own the full category behind each lane.
Every soup, ranked
The lasagna soup against all ten soups, including the 180-calorie classic it is compared with above.
Soups guideFrittatas in context
The full breakfast lineup, where the two TRY IT frittatas sit against bagel stacks and egg sandwiches.
Breakfast guidePumpkin drinks decoded
Caffeine, calories and the full drinks menu behind the pumpkin iced coffee and Frozen Java.
Drinks guideAll 247 items, one table
Search and filter every verified item by calories, protein and sodium, new items included.
Nutrition table