Review: Panera's New Soup Is A Glorious Return To Its Roots, Though The 2 New Sweets Are Hit Or Miss

When you think of the iconic duo that is soup and baguettes, Panera is likely the first chain that comes to mind. The eatery has over 2,200 stores throughout the United States, with Florida, California, and New York having the most locations. The company consistently releases new products, many of which I have tried over time. In fact, I tested four new fall items a few weeks ago (only one was a winner), and as of September 2, 2026, there is another batch of autumnal options to pick from. 

This release comes with three menu additions: Three Cheese Lasagna Soup, PB&J Cookie, and Cinnamon Croissant Bites. Color me intrigued. I was interested in returning to the fast-casual chain where I spent most of my college free time — as an employee, mind you. I tried them out, hoping they'd deliver the advertised tasting notes as well as vibrant, cohesive, balanced flavors. Will they produce good results or won't they? Come taste test with me.

As a former Panera employee, I've tried many of the chain's menu items over the years. I have a solid foundation and longstanding knowledge of the restaurant, which I drew on during my tasting. I was seeking exciting flavor most of all. 

Before I tried the items, I identified the qualities I was looking for: a cheesy soup that wasn't overly salty; a cookie that truly tastes like peanut butter and jelly or jam; and croissant bites with a spiced taste and flaky, buttery base. I ordered the three items in-store and ate them right away to ensure their freshness. I used the store as the backdrop for my photos.

I have to admit, I was most interested in trying the Three Cheese Lasagna Soup. The Panera I remember from 10+ years ago was built on its soups, and this version employs Italian-style sausage, Parmesan cheese, ricotta tomato broth, a bit of Asiago added on top, as well as what's described as "lasagna ribbon pasta." As it turns out, this is mafalda pasta, which kind of looks like tiny lasagna sheets. 

Typically, you could just use a lasagna sheet broken into pieces, so this choice is fascinating and just ends up feeling like you added pasta to soup. Totally fine, but a bit different from lasagna soups I'm used to, where the pieces are somewhat larger, with a mix of flavors and curled pieces. I like that the pasta adds some textural dimension, as it is somewhat al dente. 

The soup really hits the spot with a creamy tomato broth that's salted but not intense. The Asiago on top melts into a gooey, rich addition to each bite, adding a bit of cheese pull. It would have been nice to have a dollop of ricotta, but it seems it's directly mixed into the broth base. The sausage chunks add fantastic mouthfeel and something to chew on, as the soup is quite soft otherwise. If you want to be economical, you can make deconstructed lasagna soup at home. Still, I am really pleased with this soup, and that's not an easy achievement. Plus, you get a choice of the classic sides: baguette, apple, or chips.

I was picturing a cookie with peanut butter and jam swirled throughout, but was happy to see it was a peanut butter cookie base with jelly stuffed in the center. This version of a PB&J Cookie yields a clearer distinction between the two flavors. The peanut butter cookie is nutty and moist with a pleasant amount of gooey jelly in the center. 

The grape jelly is made with grape juice concentrate and apples, giving it a fruity flavor that balances the rich peanut butter base. This is one of the best sweet treats I've had at Panera in a long time. It's nothing particularly inventive, but it works. It's sweet as you'd expect from a jelly-filled cookie, but it's not cloying, and you can easily cut the cookie in half or quarters to save some for later. 

The cookie may look compact and nondescript even with its brown hue and smidge of powdered sugar, but the jelly hidden within makes it a memorable option. This is the second slam dunk by Panera for its fall release. It doesn't exactly remind me of autumn, but I can't complain when there are two great new options on the menu. Now let's see if Panera can do it again with its cinnamon-laden new product.

Homemade croissants are delicious but take a while to make because you have to let them rest overnight. It's much more convenient to buy them at a store or bakery. Therefore, I was certainly intrigued by Panera's new Cinnamon Croissant Bites since it mixes various things I really enjoy: buttery croissants and cinnamon. These are available in packs of four or 12, and I'm glad I went with the former. These triangles are indeed very flaky, but in a layered, crispy phyllo-type way, not a rich, buttery croissant way. There's very little butter taste or lamination, and worse yet, they are dry. 

The bite contains butter with natural flavors, but clearly not enough of it. The icing comes on the side and is a standard white, thick, viscous icing that is ultimately too sweet for the tiny flaky bites. I ate one of the croissant bites, nibbling it slowly to really taste it, and it was incredibly underwhelming. It has a generous cinnamon sugar coating, and that's where the interest dies. I brought the leftovers home and will offer one to my toddler after school, but it doesn't inspire me to eat more. I needed a napkin to clean my hands and water to cleanse my palate. I'm so glad I didn't spring for the 12-pack. Given how dry and crisp they are in the morning, I can't imagine how hard they'd be by the end of the day.

I've seen Panera transform over the years and find it has strayed from its roots (with items like smoothies, blended coffees, and avocado toast), but the trio of new items aligns with the Panera I once knew. Soups have always been at the core of its offerings, so I was compelled to try the Three Cheese Lasagna Soup and was very pleased when it delivered. It's a blend of acidic tomato and creamy, salty cheese, but then the fatty, peppery pops of pork provide more flavor and textural dimension. 

The PB&J Cookie is another winner for me, with the dense, semi-firm peanut butter cookie serving as the base for the sweetened grape-apple jelly. It's fun, interesting, and really nails the advertised flavor notes. It's sturdy and flavorful enough to warrant a trip to Panera. The Cinnamon Croissant Bites, on the other hand, were totally boring and didn't have the buttery taste I was looking for. The amount of icing seems disproportionate to the four teensy bites. This time around, Panera fully succeeded in two out of the three new items, and that's actually a great record.

I visited Panera in the San Diego area on September 2 for the premiere day of the new items. The items should be available nationwide, but they are considered seasonal and won't be available long-term. In addition, prices can vary based on your location. The PB&J Cookie costs $3.59 at my location, but you could get a four-pack for $11.99, which is actually a great offer and a purchase I feel I could justify. The cookie has 390 calories, 52 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein. 

The Three Cheese Lasagna Soup bowl was $9.99 at my Panera, and a cup was $7.99. I got a bowl, but the cup has 230 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of protein. A four-pack of Cinnamon Croissant Bites was $1.99, while a dozen cost $5. The four-pack is 360 calories, 65 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein. I assume the icing is factored into the calories here because these are incredibly small and not too sweet, minus the cinnamon sugar exterior — that's to say, using my health science background, the carbs and sugar don't align with the four bites alone.