Copycat Panera Squash Soup Recipe – Vegetarian [with VIDEO]
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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! It’s also not the greatest for you, calorie-wise, considering it’s squash soup…which most people may automatically assume is healthy.
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. I won’t judge. Your skinny jeans might but we’re coming up to winter so it’s nothing a big comfy sweater can’t fix, right? RIGHT?
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!
PS: Love butternut squash? Check out my full how to cook butternut squash guide!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 3/4 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.
- Add squash, carrots, vegetable broth, apple cider, and spices.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Verdict: I’m totally obsessed with this copycat Panera squash soup. I love that I can have it all year round now and not just on Panera’s schedule.
Husband’s take: He never tried this. Squash soup isn’t really his thing.
Changes I would make: None are necessary.
Difficulty: Easy.
Leanna says
This was absolutely delicious! I am a fan and it was surprisingly easy to make. I might take some to a friend’s for the holidays.
Can you freeze this soup? If so for how long will it last?
Rachel Gurk says
Yes, this freezes really well! Should keep in the freezer for a couple months. :) Glad you liked it!
Lauri Filar says
I have to tel you that this is my Go to soup for my comfort meals, entertaining, giving to those who’ve had surgery/illness, etc. in the colder months. I have never had Panera’s soup and have no interest in trying it since this is so, so good.  My absolute favorite soup. Been making it for a few years now and wanted to say, “Thank you for sharing! “
Rachel Gurk says
Your comment made me so happy, thank you for sharing!
Susan says
This is awesome! I’m so excited about this soup! Thank you! This will be a regular to our menu!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. :)
Jim says
Really enjoyed this, and so did my wife. I would not change anything about this recipe. Hard not to eat it all at once.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for letting me know!
Fran says
I raised Kabocha squash just to try this recipe. It is absolutely the best! I shared with friends who agree with me that this one is a keeper. I added a pint of cream and 4 TBL brown sugar because…. Well, because I really was looking for a copycat not a healthy soup. (I also put in 2 – 32 oz boxes of vegie broth. It’s soupier than should be and I won’t do that again!) Now I can have Autumn Squash soup whenever I want. Can’t wait to try the Kabocha Soup recipe to compare.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! There is no shortage of squash recipes on my site, that’s for sure! :)
Bre Velez says
Hi there, before I make a recipe I always read the comments first and I have no idea what some of the pickier cooks did but MY soup tasted JUST like the panera bread restaurant soup! I followed the recipe to almost a T. The only thing I did different was use chicken broth and regular cream cheese because that’s what I had. Which its funny to me because I know the panera version is vegetarian. This is also my second time making this specific recipe from your website. There are a couple more that come up when you google panera recipe but your is the top recipe. So the first time I made it I didn’t think it came as close to the panera recipe but I discovered I accidentally used sparkling cider instead of regular. Thank the Lord I didn’t use apple cider vinegar. Praying recovery for all that made that mistake. Thank you very much for posting and God bless!! It was absolutely incredible! 5 stars!!!!!
Rachel Gurk says
Yes, apple cider vinegar is definitely the kiss of death for this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Andrea Tewes says
Wondering if you’ve made this in a more low carb friendly version.Â
Rachel Gurk says
I have not, sorry!
Theresa Johnson says
This was so good! I think it’ really similar to Panera’s – happy to be able to make it at home. Good job!!!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks Theresa! I’m so glad you like it. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Sharon Proia says
Delicios!!
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks so much!
Kami P. says
Just made this recipe. It was almost exactly like the Panera version. I didn’t have apple cider on hand but I did have a box of Alpine brand instant apple cider packets. I prepared 2 cups using two packets. Also added the 2 oz of cream cheese and garnished with pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds from Trader Joe’s). I didn’t add any extra sugar as it was sweet enough as it was ( I think it was due to the extra sugar in the apple cider packets). Will definitely be making this recipe again!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot to me!
Jessica DeFauw says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I had some leftover bread I needed to use up so I made some croutons out of it to serve on top. Perfect meal for a cool night!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Good move with the croutons!
Kayla says
I just made this for my 18 month old toddler and it is absolutely amazing. I’ve been obsessed with this soup from Panera for a while, but this recipe takes the cake. It tastes IDENTICAL and is so easy to make. It honestly serves a lot more than I thought, so I put mine in the freezer for later use :)Â
Rachel Gurk says
It freezes well! I’m so glad you liked it, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Julie says
This was similar to Panera but I found a different recipe that used chicken broth, coconut milk and maybe a dash more curry. I also substituted a gold Hubbard squash. This was a very good vegetarian option!Â
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Tracey Fish says
I made this soup today! It is awesome! Now I used my store bought cumin (I know that if I used your homemade recipe it would have probably been even more AWESOME)! I did not have any pumpkin seeds on hand so I used a few pecans:) I also added a pinch of garlic powder (I love garlic! I think it may be my second favorite spice after cumin).
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Alex says
I’ve  made this soup twice in the last two weeks and it’s a hit. I made it vegan, using the vegan cream cheese for my vegan husband and it’s perfect! Thanks for the recipe.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear it, and I’m glad it works well with vegan cream cheese. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it really means so much to me!
Andrea says
What kind of Vegan cream cheese do you use?