The Free Ingredient Swap You Didn't Realize Panera Allowed You To Make

There are at least 16 Panera Bread menu hacks you need to know, and one of them is this free ingredient swap you might not realize you're allowed to make at the chain. When you order any sandwich or salad, you can swap the chicken out with avocado free of charge. You can try this hack with any protein, as long as you're ordering a sandwich or salad that doesn't already come with avocado. 

To confirm, we customized a Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and removed the chicken, then added avocado. The price of the salad did not change, even though adding avocado usually tacks on a $1.49 surcharge. We also tested this hack on the Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad, which already includes avocado. After removing the chicken, we weren't able to add extra avocado online. If you're ordering in person, try asking the staff at the counter if they can remove the chicken and substitute in extra avocado at no extra cost. If the original already comes with avocado, you're more likely to succeed when ordering directly from a person rather than online or at a kiosk.

In 2024, Panera Bread reimagined a whole new menu (and we tried and ranked each item, by the way). There are many additional dishes you can order and try out this free ingredient swap, and you don't even have to be a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy this avocado ordering hack. For example, you can try Panera's sourdough melts, which won us over with flavor-packed ingredients. Swap out the protein with avocado, free of charge, and you'll have an extra rich and creamy, melty sandwich. 

This hack is worth it because while we feel Panera's new sandwiches are worth the cost, we're skeptical about the cost of its avocado toast. For example, Panera's Garden Avo, or avocado toast with slices of tomato, falls a little flat, according to our taste testers. You're probably better off ordering a Panera sandwich like the flavorful Spicy Fiesta Chicken Sandwich and swapping out the chicken with avocado. But let's say you enjoy the protein in your favorite Panera sandwiches or salads, and don't want to make the swap or wish to pay the $1.49 surcharge for added avocado. You can always take the dish to go and add in ripe avocados from your pantry once you're home.