After doing some behind-the-scenes work on my blog last week, I noticed that many people find my blog by searching for gluten-free Panera Bread information.  Panera Bread has offered gluten-free choices for years, but they have never had any gluten-free baked goods on the menu.  I emailed them last week to get the current list of their menu items that are free of gluten and will be sharing them below.  Since Panera Bread has predominantly bread items, there is a risk of cross-contamination. 

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This is the response I received from Panera:

Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for contacting Panera Bread. I have included below a list of our menu items that do not contain gluten-containing ingredients. However, because we bake fresh bread daily in our bakery-cafes and bread is core to our menu, we simply cannot ensure that there has been no contact between these items, or any other menu items, and gluten.

Not all of the items listed are currently on our menu and some new menu items have not yet been evaluated for the purposes of inclusion on this list. However, you can find complete ingredients listings for current menu items on our website. (When you choose a menu item in our online Nutrition Calculator, click on the "ingredients" link for ingredients information for that item.)

Please note that nutritional information on our website is updated periodically. New products may be available in our bakery-cafes before a periodic update of this site. In addition, some menu items may be available only on a regional, test or seasonal basis. Nutritional information about these menu items is available at the participating bakery-cafes. Tests of new recipes of existing products may be conducted from time to time in certain markets. These new recipes may contain different/additional ingredients, including allergens, as compared to the original version. For the most update-to-date information, please call or visit your nearest bakery-cafe to speak with a manager.

Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your business and value your comments.
Sincerely,
Casey
Customer Comment Coordinator

PRODUCTS WITHOUT GLUTEN CONTAINING INGREDIENTS– Panera Bread **
**Although we try to meet your special requirements, we cannot ensure that these items have not come into contact with gluten in our bakery-café.
** Gorgonzola and bleu cheeses are commonly made with mold incubated on wheat. Some may choose to avoid these cheeses for this reason and you may substitute another cheese if you prefer. Items containing these ingredients are indicated below with (G) or (BC).
Salads: (including the salad dressing) (source of modified food starch is corn)
• Greek Salad
• Caesar Salad (without croutons)
• Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (without croutons)
• Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (without Won Ton noodles)
• Classic Cafe Salad
• Fuji Apple Chicken Salad & Roasted Turkey Fuji Apple Salad (G)
• Chopped Chicken Cobb Salad & Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado Salad (G)
• BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad
• Seasonal Fruit Cups
• Chopped Steak & Blue Cheese (without crispy onions) (BC)
• Thai Chopped Chicken Salad (without wontons, vinaigrette, and peanut sauce)
• Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad
Salad Dressings:
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Caesar
• Greek/Herb Vinaigrette
• Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
• White Balsamic Fuji Apple Vinaigrette
• BBQ Ranch
• BBQ Sauce
• Cabernet Sauce
• Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
• Light Buttermilk Ranch
• Fat Free Poppyseed Dressing
Soups:
• Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean
• Creamy Tomato (without croutons)
• Low Fat Chicken Tortilla with or without the tortilla strips
• Vegetarian Summer Corn Chowder
Beverages:
• Coffee- all varieties
• Juice, both apple and orange
• Lemonade
• Milk
• Soda, fountain and bottled
• Brewed Tea, tea bags, Chai Tea (hot & iced) and green tea
• All lattes, espresso drinks & Frozen beverages
• Low-Fat Smoothies
• Hot Chocolate
Spreads:
• All Cream Cheese Spread flavors
MISC:
• Panera Bread Potato Chips
• All meats (including roast beef, ham, turkey, roasted turkey, salami, bacon, ABF citrus pepper chicken, smoked chicken, Salmon [seasonal], Lobster [select areas only], all natural sausage patty).
• All cheeses (see gorgonzola and blue cheese reference above)

I haven’t had any issues getting glutened when eating Panera, though it is not something I do often.  When I do eat at Panera, I always speak with the manager on duty to make sure that the employee handling my food changes his or her gloves and is subsequently the only employee to handle my food.  I love the Chai Tea Lattes, Low-Fat Vegetarian Black Bean soup, and Greek Salad! 

Do you eat at Panera Bread gluten-free?  What is your favorite menu item?