This Copycat Panera Squash Soup tastes just like the original, but I made it a bit healthier!
Remember last week when I was talking about my homemade mild curry powder and I said I really truly made it for this soup? Well, here it is!
We were at a church event not too long ago and my pastor’s wife asked me if I had a squash soup recipe on my site. I said yes I have a creamy butternut squash soup with smoked paprika, and a really old post about squash soup with sage. But she was looking specifically for a copycat Panera squash soup.
I don’t blame her – it is delicious!
I made efforts to reduce the calorie content a bit while still keeping the flavors rich and slightly indulgent. I think I found a good balance, but if you’re looking for an exact replica, feel free to add more butter, cream, and sugar.
If you read the recipe closely, you’ll see this squash soup also contains carrots and pumpkin. They give it extra sweetness and depth of flavor. If you don’t have pumpkin or don’t want to add pumpkin, just use a little less vegetable broth. Remember you can always add more at the end to make it thinner but it’s more difficult to make it thicker.
I’d recommend using carrots with the squash because they really do add great natural sweetness, and they help achieve the beautiful color of the soup. Plus, Panera squash soup also has carrots in it.
I garnished my Copycat Panera Squash Soup recipe with roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds). Their crunch and color add a nice contrast, don’t you think? You could also garnish it with chopped, fresh herbs like sage or parsley, or homemade croutons.
Important note: This soup calls for two cups of apple cider, NOT APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. If you can’t find apple cider (sometimes it’s hard to find if it’s not fall), use a natural (100% juice) apple juice. If you use vinegar by accident, your soup will NOT turn out and will definitely NOT taste like Panera’s.
PS: This isn’t my first rodeo with making a Panera copycat – make sure to check out my Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese! People LOVE it!
Copycat Panera Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 pounds chopped butternut squash (about 6 heaping cups)
- 3 small carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups apple cider or apple juice (do NOT use apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ounces low-fat (neufchatel) cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, more to taste
- salt to taste
- heavy cream, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, stirring frequently.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 small yellow onion, diced
- Add squash, carrots, vegetable broth, apple cider, and spices.2 pounds chopped butternut squash , 3 small carrots, chopped, 3-4 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups apple cider or apple juice, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of nutmeg
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until squash and carrots are soft. Remove from heat and add pumpkin puree, butter, cream cheese and brown sugar. Puree with a hand (stick) blender or in batches in a normal blender. Blend until very smooth.1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 ounces low-fat (neufchatel) cream cheese, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, more to taste
- Taste soup and add salt as desired. You may also add extra brown sugar or honey to achieve a taste closer that of Panera’s. You can also add a little heavy cream if you want a more decadent soup. If desired, add more vegetable broth to thin soup.salt to taste, heavy cream, optional
- Return to burner over medium-low heat, if needed to heat the soup back up, and then serve immediately.
Notes
- If you want it to be just like Panera squash soup – add more brown sugar and/or honey to taste. Adding more cream will also give it a richer flavor.
- This soup calls for two cups of apple cider, NOT APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. If you can’t find apple cider (sometimes it’s hard to find if it’s not fall), use a natural (100% juice) apple juice. If you use vinegar by accident, your soup will NOT turn out and will definitely NOT taste like Panera’s.
- To reduce sodium, use low sodium or no salt added vegetable broth.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Looks delicious! Yum!
I’ve never had Panera’s squash soup, but this is a great recipe. I tweaked the amount of spices to my tastes (used more) and didn’t use the pumpkin, butter or heavy cream. I also just used an apple juice box we happened to have instead of cider so there wasn’t 2 cups worth. All that and still yummy. So, if you are a cook who’s afraid to deviate from a recipe, don’t be! This is a great base to play around with.
So glad you liked the soup — and I love the changes you made. I agree – the best part of cooking is the flexibility to have fun!
This was an amazing recipe!!! Way better than Panera’s in my opinion. The best butternut squash recipe ever. Thank you!!!
I just made this recipe to a T and it tastes nothing like the one from Panera….it’s still good, but even with the added sugar and cream it can’t come close.
Just to let anyone who wants to make a copy of Panera’s soup, this isn’t what you’re looking for, but even still it’s delicious
Thank you . That’s good to know .
I felt the same way. I’m eating it now, and while it’s good, it isn’t the same as the Panera Autumn Squash soup.
I reduced the calorie count significantly which does slightly alter the taste (Panera’s has 230 calories per cup and twice as much fat as this recipe). If you added additional cream, butter, and sugar to this recipe it would taste more like Panera’s version. I’m glad you still like it. :)
I got so excited when I saw this! This is my favorite thing at Panera, and I can’t wait to make it at home. Yay!
Oh goodness, this looks great. It’s finally chilly here and I’m so ready for a big giant bowl of this.
Love a good squash soup for this time of year!
I am sure your homemade version is so much better than the one at panera, love it and can’t wait to try it!
I’m thrilled to see this soup recipe! I love love squash soup and you rated it easy on the difficult scale which is great news for me as well. We live in southeast Texas so it is barely cool outdoors yet but i’m lovin all the great soup recipes that signal this awful heat will soon be gone. Thanks a million, will let you know my family’s review.
I had the Panera soup a week ago, so this is perfect!
How can you make this dairy free? If i omit the cream cheese would that make or break the recipe? is there a substitute?
It would change the flavor, but it would work! You could try a few pureed white beans to add creaminess without dairy or just omit completely. Let me know how it works out!
I make this soup with a can of full-fat coconut milk and it is amazing! Almost like it better than with cream!
That sounds amazing!
I too use coconut milk and coconut oil to suit our dietary needs. This recipe is outstanding!!!!! It’s great for the rainy day freezer stock as well!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I just made this without the cream or cheese and it was amazing.
So happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Came back to add, that I froze this soup also and it was just as good. Coupe other changes I made–I didn’t have apple cider or juice so I used my homemade apple sauce (no sugar added) and added more broth. I used homemade turkey stock
Great info – thanks Emily!