Lowest Calorie Bread at Subway: All 5 Breads Ranked by Calories

The lowest calorie bread at subway can cut out some calories from just about any sandwich and out of the 5 breads ranked, there’s one bread in particular that’s a clear winner and we’ll also take a look at the lowest calorie subway wraps for good measure.⁷ 

In addition, we cover the lowest calorie sandwiches and discuss which sandwich is the healthiest overall. 

So before ordering your next Subway sandwich, find out the lowest calorie breads, wraps, and sandwich options to stay within your daily limit.  

Winner of the Lowest Calorie Bread at Subway: Artisan Italian Bread

Out of all of the breads subway offers, the classic Artisan Italian Bread is the winner for the lowest calories. Intuitively, this makes sense; most people would think that a plain piece of bread would be the healthiest option, which, evidently, is true.

But altogether, Subway offers many different types of bread and wraps to put their sandwiches on, including:

1. Artisan Italian Bread
2. Artisan Flatbread
3. Hearty Multigrain Bread
4. Italian Herbs & Cheese
5. Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

And while not technically, “bread”, subway sandwiches can also be made on their two wraps:

1. Spinach Wrap
2. Tomato Basil Wrap

The only caveat to note here is that Subway’s mini bread and Hero bread were not included in determining what the lowest-calorie bread was; these bread types are not necessarily available at every location nationwide, so it would not be fair to say that they are objectively the lowest calorie bread at Subway. However, if the Hero bread or mini bread options are available, then they are technically the lowest calorie breads at Subway even though they’re rarely available. 

To this point, it should also be noted that different Subway locations offer vastly different bread choices; for example, according to the Australian Subway website, the available bread options they have include:

• Italian Herb & Cheese
• Multigrain Wrap
• Wheat Bread
• Malted Rye
• Plain Wrap
• Gluten Free Wrap
• White Bread

However, none of these specific options are available when cross-referenced against Subway’s Nutritional Value sheet in the United States.¹ This means that there could potentially be lower-calorie seasonal bread options, but it is impossible to say without more information directly from Subway.

Regardless, now that it has been determined that the lowest calorie bread at Subway is Artisan Italian Bread, it is time to discuss the caloric and macronutrient profiles of the different bread types available at Subway.

How Many Calories Are in Subway Bread (6 Inch & 12 Inch)? All Subway Breads Ranked by Calories

Before going into this list, it should be noted that while Subway offers 6-inch and 12-inch subs on their menu, they also offer the ability to change the subs into a wrap. These wraps come with the same exact topping as a sub would, but on a wrap.

Source: Ilya Mitskavets via Canva.com⁸

For some people, this may be a better choice to restrict caloric intake; the wraps do tend to have lower calories than the 12-inch versions of the subs. But the 6″ versions of all bread at Subway are lower in calories than the wraps. This means that for people trying to stay on a calorie-restricted diet, eating a 6″ sub makes the most sense.

To kick off the list, it is best to start with none other than the lowest-calorie bread at Subway: Artisan Italian Bread.

1. Calories in Subway’s Artisan Italian Bread (White Bread): Lowest Calorie Bread at Subway

For the 6″ version of the Artisan Italian Bread, the lowest calorie bread at Subway, there are the following nutrients:

• Calories: 160
• Total Fat (g): 2
• Carbohydrates (g): 34
• Dietary Fiber (g): 0
• Protein (g): 7

For the 12″ version, these values are simply doubled:

• Calories: 320
• Total Fat (g): 4
• Carbohydrates (g): 68
• Dietary Fiber (g): 0
• Protein (g): 14

This bread has an overall neutral flavor with a flaky exterior. When a person thinks of a stereotypical loaf of bread, this is what they envision: a carb-loaded vessel to fill with toppings. It doesn’t even have any seasoning or spices on it. For people who are aware that many food additives like nitrites and phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors, this is a good option; it contains few additives that could lead to long-term health issues.²

It is also perfect for someone trying to learn how to lose belly fat in 3 days: the minimal amount of additives and low calories can help push a person towards this goal.

2. Calories in Subway’s Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

For the 6″ version of the Jalapeno Cheddar Bread, the nutritional value is as follows:

• Calories: 190
• Total Fat (g): 4
• Carbohydrates (g): 34
• Dietary Fiber (g): <1
• Protein (g): 9

And, of course, doubling these values results in the nutrients in the 12″ version:

• Calories: 380
• Total Fat (g): 8
• Carbohydrates (g): 68
• Dietary Fiber (g): 1
• Protein (g): 18

Subway’s Jalapeno Cheddar Bread is their standard Italian Bread topped with a combination of cheese, Italian herbs, and just a little bit of jalapeno. This is a lot more flavor than their standard bread and is perfect for those who do not mind adding a bit more calories for the sake of adding a lot more flavor.

3. Calories in Subway’s Hearty Multigrain Bread (Wheat Bread) Calories

For the 6″ version of the Hearty Multigrain Bread, the nutritional content is as follows:

• Calories: 190
• Total Fat (g): 2
• Carbohydrates (g): 36
• Dietary Fiber (g): 3
• Protein (g): 7

The 12″ version of the Hearty Multigrain Bread has the following nutritional content:

• Calories: 380
• Total Fat (g): 4
• Carbohydrates (g): 72
• Dietary Fiber (g): 6
• Protein (g): 14

This bread is very similar to the Jalapeno Cheddar Bread in terms of calories and macronutrients. The only difference is that the Hearty Multigrain Bread has a few more carbs and slightly less protein. It is made in a similar way to the Artisan Italian Bread, but has a multigrain mix added. According to research, this significantly improves the quality of the bread, offering better protein, fat, and fiber amounts.³

4. Calories in Subway’s Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread

The Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread has the following nutrition for the 6″ sub:

• Calories: 200
• Total Fat (g): 4
• Carbohydrates (g): 36
• Dietary Fiber (g): <1
• Protein (g): 9

As with all the other bread on this list, the 12″ version of the Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread has double the nutritional content of the 6″ sub. The nutritional content for the 12″ sub is as follows:

• Calories: 400
• Total Fat (g): 8
• Carbohydrates (g): 72
• Dietary Fiber (g): 1
• Protein (g): 18

This bread is extremely flavorful and has more cheese on it than any other on this list. Containing the second most calories of all bread at Subway, the main ingredient that causes this is melted Monterey cheddar cheese.

5. Calories in Subway’s Artisan Flatbread

Last but not least, the Artisan Flatbread has the following nutritional content:

• Calories: 220
• Total Fat (g): 4
• Carbohydrates (g): 40
• Dietary Fiber (g): 1
• Protein (g): 7

For the 12″ version, the nutritional content is as follows:

• Calories: 440
• Total Fat (g): 8
• Carbohydrates (g): 80
• Dietary Fiber (g): 2
• Protein (g): 14

The Artisan Flatbread is one of the healthier options at Subway even though it has the most calories of all the bread. It has more protein than any other bread on the list and only slightly more carbs. The taste is very similar to the Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread but without as much cheese, even though it has a similar name to the Artisan Italian Bread.

One important thing to note is that Subway has inconsistencies when it comes to listing all of their available bread. For example, on the Nutritional Value page that was accessed to acquire the above nutritional information, there was only the bread listed above.

However, on other pages, like their 2019 US Ingredient List, there are other types of bread like the Multigrain Flatbread listed.⁴ These different types of bread that appear may be the aforementioned seasonal types of bread, or could only be available in various geographical areas.

For the sake of consistency, these will not be discussed since their true nutritional values are difficult to ascertain.

What’s the Healthiest Bread at Subway Ingredient Wise?

Using information from the 2019 US Ingredient List PDF available from Subway, the various ingredients inside each of the different types of bread at Subway are seen.

Source: Cristina Alexe via Canva.com⁹

In general, a good rule of thumb when looking at ingredient lists is that the fewer ingredients there are, the better. This rule works because the fewer ingredients there are, the more of an unprocessed food it is, meaning it likely retains the majority of its original nutritional integrity.

Unfortunately, using this rule of thumb makes Subway’s bread types look quite bleak when it comes to ingredient integrity: the Artisan Italian (White) Bread is ultimately the winner because it only contains 10 ingredients, whereas the Italian Herbs & Cheese Bread contains 28 ingredients in total.

For context, a simple sourdough bread recipe can be made with 3 ingredients: bread flour, sea salt, and a sourdough starter. The fact that Subway’s least processed bread still includes 10 ingredients, not even counting many of the additives found in the bread, is a clear sign that Subway’s bread is very processed.

Some ingredients included in Subway’s Artisan Italian Bread include enriched flour, water, yeast, wheat gluten, wheat sourdough, palm oil, cultured wheat flour, sunflower lecithin, and soybean oil. This is a pretty standard recipe for processed bread, but one thing to note is the addition of seed oils.

Seed oils are quite common in processed food nowadays, but there is more and more research coming out discussing how bad they actually are for a human’s well-being. 

One study conducted on mice in 2017 showed that increased consumption of linoleic acid, the main ‘bad’ part of seed oils, led to a massive increase in body weight, increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease (in humans), and impaired memory.⁵

It should also be noted that although this was conducted on mice, mice are actually genetically extremely similar to humans, with the systems that control genes in both humans and mice showing many similarities.⁶

That being said, eating the lowest calorie bread at Subway every once in a while will not hurt a person, but it is unlikely to be a good long-term option for someone trying to get healthier; with the unknown effects some of these ingredients can have on a person’s body, consuming them frequently could even lead to a person giving up on weight loss, which is not a place anyone should be at.

The Lowest Calorie Wraps at Subway

Moving forward, Subway offers two different wraps on its menu; however, the choices may vary from location to location.

1. Spinach Wrap

The Spinach Wrap comes in one size and has the following nutritional value:

• Calories: 290
• Total Fat (g): 8
• Carbohydrates (g): 48
• Dietary Fiber (g): 2
• Protein (g): 9

2. Tomato Basil Wrap

Interestingly enough, the Tomato Basil Wrap has the same exact nutritional value as the Spinach Wrap:

• Calories: 290
• Total Fat (g): 8
• Carbohydrates (g): 49
• Dietary Fiber (g): 2
• Protein (g): 9

Both wraps have a moderate amount of carbs and protein; they would be a good choice to consume for someone who is trying to get into a 1000 calorie deficit or is wondering how to lose weight without trying.

Other Low Calorie Subway Options

Other than discussing the bread at Subway, there are a few different low-calorie options available on their menu.

Lowest Calorie Subs at Subway (Low Calorie Sandwiches)

When someone wants low calorie subs at Subway, it is quite easy to get one: these options are available at all Subway restaurants nationwide

6″ Veggie Delite: 200 calories, 39g carbs, 8g protein

6″ Oven Roasted Turkey: 260 calories, 39g carbs, 19g protein

6″ Black Forest Ham: 270 calories, 41g carbs, 18g protein

Lowest Calorie Sides at Subway

If someone would prefer to instead get a side from Subway that is not too high in calories, they also offer quite a few low-calorie sides.

Applesauce: 45 calories, 12g carbs, 0g protein

Chicken Noodle Soup (8 oz bowl): 100 calories, 12g carbs, 6g protein

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (8 oz bowl): 170 calories, 18g carbs, 5g protein

Lowest Calorie Salads at Subway

Last but not least, with recent changes in the past few years to Subway’s menu, they have completely revamped their offerings when it comes to salads. There are now quite a few salads that offer decent amounts of protein and low overall calories.

Source: Chris Tweten from Unsplash¹⁰

Every single sandwich can be made into a salad now; for the sake of this article, instead of repeating the above three lowest-calorie subs at Subway, here are the next three lowest-calorie options as salads.

Roast Beef: 150 calories, 12g carbs, 18g protein

Rotisserie-Style Chicken: 150 calories, 10g carbs, 14g protein

Subway Club (no olives): 150 calories, 12g carbs, 21g protein

When it comes to low-calorie offerings at Subway, there are quite a few choices. Their recent menu revamp has paid dividends when it comes to low-calorie bread, salads, sides, and subs. When it comes to the lowest calorie bread at Subway, the Artisan Italian (White) Bread is going to be a person’s best bet.