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!
This soup was fantastic! I made it exactly as the recipe stated.
So glad to hear it, thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment, it means so much to me!
This recipe was very tasty, thanks so much for sharing! I ran into a few hiccups and wanted to share my solutions with other cooks:
If you’re using a regular blender, use just enough broth to cover the squash and carrots. Add the rest of the broth and apple cider after blending. Otherwise you will have too much liquid and it will take extra time to blend all those batches.
To prevent the neufchatel from curdling, cut it into pieces and put in a separate bowl. Add a few tablespoons of the pumpkin broth at a time, whisking vigorously. When it looks liquid and well-blended, add the neufchatel mixture to the soup.
Add nutmeg at the last minute, off-heat. Nutmeg is a volatile aromatic and will lose some of its flavor after being heated. I used fresh nutmeg.
So glad you liked this recipe! Thanks for the feedback and for your tips!
I made this recipe according to directions, but after it was complete I found that it was not thick enough for my liking so I made a rue and thickened it up.
Once that was done, it was perfect in my opinion!
Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
This soup is so very delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you like it!
I made this using squash I’d frozen last year, and it was absolutely delicious! Well done, Rachel!
Perfect! So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Will this recipe work without the cream cheese? I keep a vegan diet and won’t be able to use any diary.
Definitely! You could also add a little coconut milk or almond milk to add creaminess.
I made this recipe vegan by using cashew milk as a substitute for the cream and omitted the cream cheese. The cashew milk is thick enough to make it creamy. I hope that helps you!
Thanks for the helpful comment!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I do recommend use chicken stock not broth way deeper flavor with stock. I also do add A quarter cup brown sugar a half of cream cheese and a quarter cup heavy whipping cream after I’m emulsify then I put it in my blender for the absolute perfection of creamy texture.
So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Love this soup! I make several batches every fall when squash is plentiful and freeze it so I have it till next fall. I do add a few apples to it as well;, just because I have them. Thank you so much for this recipe!
So glad you like it! Freezing it is a great idea. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it means a lot!
This was amazing! I couldn’t find pumpkin seeds at my grocery store to toast and add and I agree with Stephanie, the bread, but the soup was still awesome! I’m freezing it for whenever I get the itch because I”m the only one in my family that likes squash. I’m so very excited now! Thank you for a great recipe!!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Is this version as sweet as Panera’s? I tried theirs the other day. Wonderful taste but holy cow, I couldn’t even finish it b/c of the sweetness.
If this is just as sweet, what would I cut out besides the brown sugar?
It isn’t as sweet, but you can definitely wait until the end and add the sugar to taste if you want.