Panera is adding a second wave of fall food to its menu, and this one goes well beyond pumpkin spice.
Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, Panera bakery-cafes nationwide are adding a new Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup, PB&J Cookie and Cinnamon Croissant Bites while bringing back several seasonal favorites, including Autumn Squash Soup, Rustic Baked Potato Soup, Ciabatta Dippers and the Chocolate Chip Bagel.
The Sept. 2 launch follows Panera’s earlier fall beverage and bakery rollout, which arrived Aug. 19 with pumpkin-flavored drinks and desserts.
Quick Take
- New menu launch: Sept. 2, 2026
- New soup: Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup
- New bakery items: PB&J Cookie and Cinnamon Croissant Bites
- Returning soups: Autumn Squash Soup and Rustic Baked Potato Soup
- Returning favorite: Chocolate Chip Bagel
- Also returning: Ciabatta Dippers and Harvest Medley Salad
- Availability: Panera bakery-cafes nationwide
What’s New on Panera’s Sept. 2 Fall Menu?
The biggest new savory item is the Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup.
Instead of serving lasagna as a traditional baked pasta dish, Panera turns the familiar flavors into a soup with Italian-style sausage, lasagna ribbon pasta and Parmesan in a ricotta-tomato broth. It is finished with Asiago cheese.
That makes it noticeably different from the lighter soups already found on much of Panera’s menu and puts it firmly in the comfort-food category Panera is emphasizing for fall.
There are also two new bakery additions.
The PB&J Cookie combines a soft peanut butter cookie with grape jelly inside and powdered sugar on top.
The Cinnamon Croissant Bites are mini croissants baked with Panera’s cinnamon crunch-style topping and served with icing.
Both arrive Sept. 2 along with the rest of the new food lineup.
Which Panera Soups Are Coming Back?
Two seasonal soups return alongside the new lasagna option.
The Autumn Squash Soup is one of Panera’s established fall items. It combines butternut squash and pumpkin with ingredients including honey, cinnamon and curry, then finishes the soup with sweet cream and roasted pumpkin seeds.
The Rustic Baked Potato Soup is also returning. It features pieces of potato, bacon and chives in a creamy broth, with additional bacon on top.
Together with Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup, the returning options give customers several distinctly cooler-weather choices as Panera shifts further into its fall menu.
The Autumn Squash Soup is also notable for shoppers looking for a meat-free seasonal option. Panera identifies it as vegetarian.
The Chocolate Chip Bagel Is Back
One of the simpler additions may generate just as much interest as the new recipes.
Panera is bringing back its Chocolate Chip Bagel.
The sweet bagel has appeared on Panera menus before but is being reintroduced as part of this year’s seasonal lineup.
It joins a bakery case that already received several fall additions in August, including the Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll, Caramel Pumpkin Slice and returning Pumpkin Cookie.
For customers who are not interested in pumpkin flavors, the Chocolate Chip Bagel and PB&J Cookie provide two alternatives on the sweeter side of the fall menu.
Ciabatta Dippers Are Returning Too
Panera’s Ciabatta Dippers are also returning for the season.
These combine a warm sandwich with a smaller serving of soup specifically intended for dipping.
There are two versions in the Sept. 2 lineup:
- French Ciabatta Dipper, paired with Bistro French Onion Soup
- Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Dipper, paired with Creamy Tomato Soup
The format sits somewhere between ordering a sandwich by itself and choosing a more traditional soup-and-sandwich combination.
Panera is bringing the Dippers back alongside its existing warm sandwich lineup, which includes options such as the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, Toasted Italiano and Chicken Bacon Rancher.
What Else Is Returning for Fall?
The Harvest Medley Salad is another returning seasonal item.
It includes mixed greens and arugula along with pumpkin seeds, mandarin oranges and crunchy beet strips.
That gives the fall rollout a lighter option among a menu otherwise heavily focused on soups, warm sandwiches and baked goods.
Panera says the Sept. 2 items will be available through its usual ordering methods, including dine-in, delivery, Rapid Pick-Up and drive-thru where available.
Individual menu availability can still depend on the cafe.
Didn’t Panera Already Launch Its Fall Menu?
Yes, which could make the timing slightly confusing.
Panera began its 2026 fall season earlier, on Aug. 19, with a separate group of beverages and bakery items.
That first release brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte and Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte while introducing drinks including:
- Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee
- Pumpkin Spice Frozen Java
The Aug. 19 bakery launch also included the new Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll and Caramel Pumpkin Slice.
The Sept. 2 release is effectively an expansion of that fall lineup, focused more heavily on soups, sandwiches, salads and additional bakery items.
So customers visiting after Sept. 2 should see items from both stages of Panera’s fall rollout rather than an entirely separate replacement menu.
When Can You Order the New Panera Fall Items?
The new items and returning favorites become available Sept. 2 at Panera bakery-cafes nationwide.
Panera says customers can order through participating cafes for dine-in, delivery, Rapid Pick-Up or drive-thru where available.
The company has not announced one nationwide end date for every item in the seasonal collection.
Because several products are specifically described as seasonal, availability may eventually change as Panera moves toward its later fall and holiday menus.
For anyone especially interested in the new Three-Cheese Lasagna Soup, the returning Chocolate Chip Bagel or the PB&J Cookie, Sept. 2 is the date to remember.
Sources
Panera Bread via PR Newswire, Sept. 1, 2026, corrected fall menu announcement. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cooler-days-cozy-cravings-panera-season-is-here-with-fall-menu-drop-of-seasonal-soups-warm-sandwiches-and-nostalgic-bakery-treats-302865562.html
Panera Bread, Aug. 5, 2026, “Pumpkin Season Arrives Early: Panera Drops New Fall Bakery and Beverage Lineup on August 19.” https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/press/press-room/pumpkin-season-arrives-early-panera-drops-new-fall-bakery-and-beverage-lineup-on-august-19.html
Allrecipes, Sept. 1, 2026, “Panera Just Added 3 Brand-New Items to Its Fall Menu and Brought Back a Fan Favorite.” https://www.allrecipes.com/additional-panera-fall-menu-2026-12074115/
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