Panera Bread is a fast-food chain known for its healthier alternatives compared to McDonald’s or Burger King. You’re there all the time, and after recently trying Panera’s coffee, you’re eager to learn more. Where does the coffee come from?
Panera Bread only serves 100 percent premium Arabica coffee sourced from South and Central America. The strong flavor makes this coffee a favorite among consumers. If you want to brew your own at home, you can buy Panera coffee on their website.
Oh, and did we mention that Panera Bread has its own coffee subscription service? That’s right! Ahead, we’ll talk about that and a lot more to do with Panera coffee. You’ll learn what the consensus is on this coffee, what types of coffee are brewing at the restaurant, and what you might pay to drink some. Keep reading!
What Type of Coffee Does Panera Bread Serve at Its Restaurants?
It doesn’t matter which type of restaurant you visit; even if the drink menu is varied, you go straight for the coffee. If you’ve fallen in love with Panera Bread’s coffee, you might wonder what exactly goes into each delectable cup.
Unlike many other restaurants, Panera doesn’t keep this information guarded. They have a page on their website dedicated to their coffee-making process for complete transparency.
According to that page, the coffee cherries that will eventually become Panera Bread coffee grow in South and Central America, which are popular locales for such an activity. Panera states that their coffee bean farmers are conscientious and always select the cherries precisely when they’re ripe.
Those cherries, by the way, produce 100 percent premium Arabica beans. Panera serves both dark and light roast coffee made from Arabica beans. They even explain their brewing process on their website.
Panera says that all coffee served at their restaurants is brewed fresh that same day, be that light roast or dark roast coffee. The Panera restaurants feature their own four-chamber purification systems to filter water for optimal brewing conditions and temperature.
Is Panera Bread Coffee Good?
That’s very fascinating information, but if Panera doesn’t make a mean cup of coffee, you’re not all that enchanted about their coffee-brewing process. Well, worry not, as Panera coffee is widely beloved.
The flavors of the light roast coffee are fruity, sweet, and delicate, which is an ideal mix to wake you up and put a smile on your face for the rest of the day.
Panera dark roast coffee has stronger flavors, including notes reminiscent of chocolate. Again, the coffee is sweet, but not too sweet, striking that ideal flavor balance.
Mashed, in an article about the best coffee from fast food establishments, ranked Panera’s coffee at number four out of 15. Panera beat out Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, Jack in the Box, Tim Horton’s, Krispy Kreme, Sonic, Whataburger, Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s, and Dunkin Donuts.
Winning out over Panera was McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks. There’s no shame in that!
Of course, we should note that taste preferences are subjective. We’ve seen online opinions that highly revere Panera’s coffee as well as those that say it’s just okay. We recommend trying Panera’s coffee options yourself to form your own opinion.
Panera Bread’s Coffee Menu – What’s There to Drink?
All this coffee talk has got you mighty thirsty. You might just cruise over to your local Panera today to try some of their coffee offerings. What are you going to find on the menu?
As we always do in these posts, we must note that the items on the menu can vary seasonally and geographically. If you want to know if the following coffee drinks are on your local Panera menu, check their website, send an email, or stop by!
Here is a sample Panera Bread coffee menu:
- Iced 100 percent Colombian dark roast coffee – 10 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- 100 percent Colombian dark roast coffee – 15 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Hazelnut coffee – 20 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Café blend light roast coffee – 20 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Decaf coffee – 20 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Cold brew coffee – 10 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Madagascar vanilla cream cold brew coffee – 190 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Madagascar vanilla almond cold brew coffee – 90 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Frozen caramel cold brew coffee – 490 calories
- Frozen chocolate cold brew coffee – 450 calories
- Caramel crunch latte – 280 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Caramel latte – 410 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Chai tea latte – 290 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Madagascar vanilla latte – 260 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Chocolate latte – 380 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Caffe latte – 130 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Cappuccino – 130 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Americano – 10 calories per 16 fluid ounces
- Espresso – 10 calories
- Frozen caramel cold brew coffee – 490 calories
- Frozen chocolate cold brew coffee – 450 calories
- Iced cinnamon crunch latte – 310 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Iced caramel latte – 450 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Iced chocolate latte – 410 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Iced chai tea latte – 290 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Iced Madagascar vanilla latte – 290 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Iced caffe latte – 160 calories per 20 fluid ounces
What Other Drinks Does Panera Bread Offer?
Are you still feeling thirsty? Here are the other non-coffee beverages you can select from on most Panera menus:
- Strawberry banana smoothie – 250 calories
- Green passion smoothie – 250 calories
- Mango smoothie – 290 calories
- Peach and blueberry smoothie with almond milk – 210 calories
- Strawberry smoothie – 270 calories
- Hot tea – 0 calories per 8 fluid ounces
- Iced tea – 10 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Passion papaya green tea – 140 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Agave lemonade – 180 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Plum ginger hibiscus tea – 0 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Prickly pear hibiscus fresca – 110 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Soft drinks – 0 to 240 calories per 20 fluid ounces
- Hot chocolate – 440 calories per 16 fluid ounces
How Much Does Coffee at Panera Bread Cost?
You had never realized how varied Panera Bread’s coffee menu is. They have a beverage of nearly every style on the menu to rival Starbucks!
Whether you’d like to stick to a simple cup of dark roast coffee or perhaps you wish to indulge in an iced Madagascar vanilla latte, how much are you going to pay for a caffeinated beverage at Panera?
First, we must include the disclaimer that restaurant prices vary depending on where in the country you call home. Other factors such as menu availability can also impact price.
According to Panera’s website, coffee prices start at $2.49. That’s the case for the iced Colombian dark roast, Colombian dark roast, hazelnut coffee, café blend light roast, and decaf coffee.
Cold brews cost $3.49 to $4.89, and iced lattes are priced at $4.29 to $4.69 for 20-fluid-ounce servings. From the espresso bar, an americano costs $2.99, an espresso $2.09, a cappuccino is $4.19, and a latte is between $4.19 and $4.69.
You can also buy entire coffee totes such as for an office or a family gathering. The available options are café blend light roast, decaf, 100 percent Colombian dark roast, and hazelnut coffee. Each tote costs $18.49.
Is coffee the most expensive beverage on the Panera menu? Totes aside, no, it isn’t. That distinction goes to the smoothies, which cost $5.39 each regardless of which flavor you order.
Can You Buy Panera Bread Coffee to Brew at Home?
If you’re like many people, you’re hooked on the unique, delicious flavors of Panera Bread coffee. Each morning you brew your own coffee at home, you long for the chocolatey flavors of their dark roast or the light, fruity taste of Panera light roast.
You have plenty of ways to get your hands on Panera coffee so you don’t always have to overspend at the restaurant. Let’s talk about those options now.
Panera Coffee Totes
Although most people don’t order them, totes are available at Panera Bread locations so you can stock up on coffee. The boxed totes include a plastic cap for easily pouring the coffee, and Panera even sells a reusable travel mug for under $5 that’s perfect for drinking on the go.
Before you walk into a Panera assuming they have totes, it’s a good idea to call ahead to be sure.
Panera At Home
If perhaps you don’t need a whole tote full of steaming hot coffee, you can always order coffee in more reasonable quantities using the Panera At Home website.
Panera At Home allows you to recreate the Panera experience from the comfort of your kitchen or dining room. Besides beverages, you can also order soups, entrees, salad dressings, bagels and breads, and even the brand’s beloved chips.
Of course, we’re talking about coffee here, and Panera At Home has it in spades. You can buy any brew of Panera’s pure Arabica coffee, selecting from grounded bags or even K-Cup pods if that’s more your thing.
MyPanera+
For the true coffee lovers out there, we recommend MyPanera+. This monthly subscription service costs only $8.99. Once you’re a member, you can drink as much tea, hot coffee, and iced coffee as you want. Seriously, you have access to unlimited cups.
It gets better, you can select from any coffee flavor or size without paying extra, and your membership is redeemable every two hours. Further, Panera says that MyPanera+ members get rewards and perks that non-members don’t.
To join, you must have a free MyPanera account. Add the subscription to your cart, check out, and you’re ready to enjoy as much coffee as you wish. You can cancel the subscription at any time.
What Type of Coffee Does Cracker Barrel Use?
Cracker Barrel uses its own branded coffee, which is 100 percent pure Arabica beans sourced from South and Central America as well as East Africa. If you can’t get enough of the stuff, you can buy whole bags of Cracker Barrel brand coffee through their website or even at some locations.
To read more about Cracker Barrel’s coffee, click here.
What Kind of Coffee Does IHOP Use?
As of 2019, IHOP serves Royal Cup Coffee, a long-standing coffee brand founded in 1896. Royal Cup works with commercial businesses of all kinds, including convenience stores, restaurants, and offices.
To read more about IHOP’s coffee, click here.
What Kind of Coffee Does Denny’s Use?
Denny’s current coffee menu includes their Signature Diner Blend Coffee, decaf, and cold brew, although the offerings vary depending on your location. The flavor of their coffee is quite renowned among enthusiasts, even being called the best diner coffee.
To read more about Denny’s Coffee, click here.
What Kind of Coffee Does Waffle House Use?
Waffle House uses Royal Cup Coffee, which is the same coffee supplier as rival breakfast chain IHOP. Royal Cup Coffee is an award-winning coffee brand that was founded in 1896. Their website sells coffee blends for home brewing, but it can be a little pricy.
To read more about Waffle House’s coffee, click here.
Final Thoughts
Panera Bread’s pure Arabica bean coffee isn’t everyone’s favorite, but the ones who love it feel very passionately about it. Unlike other restaurants, Panera allows you to drink as much coffee as you can stomach through their MyPanera+ coffee subscription service for $8.99 a month.
That’s less than you pay at a café like Starbucks, and the coffee quantities are unlimited! Even if that’s not your speed, you can always order grounded bags or totes of Panera coffee for brewing at home whenever the urge strikes.