Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

← All foods / Restaurants / Panera Bread

Panera Bread Mac & Cheese

High histamine

This is macaroni in a rich cheddar cream sauce, and the aged cheddar pushes it high.

Food here is usually assembled to order from components that were prepped earlier in the day, so it tends to be fresher than a drive-through and less fresh than cooking at home. Histamine builds up as protein foods sit, so how long the chicken or beef has been in the warmer matters as much as what is in the bowl. Treat the rating above as a starting point.

Gluten Dairy

It is elbow macaroni coated in a sauce of cheddar, cream, milk, and butter, and the cheddar is what sets the level.

  • Aged cheddar — cheddar is an aged cheese, and aging is one of the main ways histamine accumulates, so it lands high and carries the whole dish.

  • Milder supporting parts — the macaroni, soybean oil, and enriched flour sit only moderate, and the fresh cream and milk on their own are low; the cheddar is the real driver.

Since the cheese is baked into the sauce, there is no easy way to lower this one at the counter.

What's in it

This is a restaurant menu item, so its rating comes from its ingredients. Here is what it is typically made of and where the histamine sits. Tap any whole food for the full detail.

This rating comes from Panera Bread's own published ingredient statement, read on August 23, 2026. Restaurant recipes vary by location and change over time, so always check the current listing: source 1, source 2. How we rate foods →

Panera Bread Mac & Cheese and Panera Bread are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is an independent histamine reference and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the brand.

Related foods

Other high-histamine restaurant foods.

Try Histamine Tracker

Finally understand your histamine reactions. Scan meals with your camera, log symptoms naturally, and see daily insights based on YOUR patterns. Try free for 7 days.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Learn more

Foods With High Histamine Levels Why Freshness Matters More Than Food Lists Why Leftovers Can Trigger Histamine Symptoms What Are Histamine Liberators?

For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.

References

  1. SIGHI Food Compatibility List — SIGHI (2026)
  2. Histamine and histamine intolerance — Maintz & Novak (2007)
  3. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art — Comas-Basté et al. (2020)
  4. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? — Sánchez-Pérez et al. (2021)
  5. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond — Jochum (2024)
  6. Guideline on management of suspected adverse reactions to ingested histamine — Reese et al. (2021)