Copycat Panera Squash Soup Recipe – Vegetarian [with VIDEO]
Posted: 10/21/2015
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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 three: A shortcut squash soup (ready in twenty minutes!), a creamy butternut squash soup with smoked paprika, and a really old post about squash soup with sage with terrible photos. 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!
servings
This Copycat Panera Squash Soup tastes just like the original, but I made it a bit healthier!
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
Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 1162mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 16g
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.
Husband’s take: He never tried this. Squash soup isn’t really his thing.
Changes I would make: None are necessary.
Difficulty: Easy.
Meeps says
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while, and unfortunately it just didn’t turn out as I was hoping it would. Followed the recipe to the letter and it came out tasting acidic instead of the buttery squash flavor that the Panera soup has. Not sure if it was too much onion or apple cider, but looking at the Panera ingredients list it says that onion and apple cider only make up 2% or less of the ingredients. Fortunately it’s at least still edible, just didn’t taste as close to the Panera soup as I was imagining it would.
Will likely try again but next time I’ll roast the squash first and use less apple cider and onion.
Rachel Gurk says
It sounds like you may have used apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider (which is similar to juice). I made several notes in the post and recipe card to help people avoid making this mistake, but it still seems to be a common mistake.
Apple cider should make the soup sweet if anything, definitely not acidic. Apple cider vinegar, however, will give the soup an extremely acidic taste (especially in that amount!).
I hope this helps and you give it another try!
Melanie says
Is the butternut squash in the soup yo br cooked before making the soup?
Rachel Gurk says
No, it cooks in the broth.
Robin says
For you autumn squash soup can you substitute cream cheese with heavy whipping cream
Rachel Gurk says
Yes, that will work :)
Marilyn Lazarus says
This was good, but it was my first time making it and it was a little sour. I think the next time I will use less veg broth. I used 4C. I might use a little more pumpkin, cream cheese and butter. I did add extra brown sugar, but I guess not enough. I will try again. I wish my husband liked butternut squash.
Rachel Gurk says
Just to confirm, did you use apple cider or apple juice and NOT apple cider vinegar? The soup should not be sour at all.
James says
This is an excellent recipe thank you, a solid blend in a countertop blender gives a fantastic consistency.
After a couple of attempts, I used 4 cups of stock and 1 cup of apple juice, I found 2 cups of juice made it a little sweet, 1 cup is about right, I seasoned with about 1.5t of salt and finished with 1/8-1/4c cream.
Next time I am going to add stock concentrate to boost the body more and reduce the final salt.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
Kathy L Pelletier says
Loved this. So comforting. I added a splash of hot sauce. Just loved it.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
Emily says
Really loved the recipe! Perfect amount of flavor, added some extra sugar and cream cheese. The cream cheese is also something I never would’ve thought of, just be sure to soften before adding because it clumped a bit. Family enjoyed it and would make again!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
John Aleksak says
I had about 2 pounds of leftover mashed sweet potatoes and decided to swap the squash for the sweet potatoes and give this recipe a try. I made a few minor tweaks to the spices for personal preferences, left out the pumpkin puree and the heavy cream. This soup was delicious with great flavor. It is replacing my autumn squash soup recipe that I’ve used for many years. Thanks for a wonderful, simple, and healthy recipe Rachel.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed!
Victoria Murray says
Could I substitute coconut cream instead of the cream cheese here?
Rachel Gurk says
That should work fine!
Raina Connors says
Amazing! So flavorful and tastes like Panera’s. I roasted the butternut squash. And I added powdered onion instead of chopped onion. And added some all spice and added 4 oz cream cheese as well as a splash of heavy cream and some salt and pepper. I took my immersion blender and blended it and crock-potted it on low for 4 hours. I added a bit more chicken stock and gave it a whirl after the 4 hours. So, so good!!
Rachel Gurk says
Looks perfect! Thanks for sharing a photo!
Mary Sue HIlker says
I was so excited to find this recipe. After making it, not so excited. I followed the recipe eactly, no cream was added. This did not taste anything like Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup. Very disappointed. Spent lots to get all ingredients, now I have huge pot of soup that is just not very good, I did add more sugar and a little more cinnamon but not a noticeable improvement.
Rachel Gurk says
You might want to try adding cream. This is a healthier version of the restaurant’s soup, which is why I made the cream optional. However, if you’re looking for that exact restaurant taste, you’ll find adding the cream adds that richness you might be looking for.
deborah stemp says
Try adding a bit more nutmeg and brown sugar.
Thea says
followed the recipe with the only change being I roasted the butternut squash first. The flavor is somewhat flat. I went over the recipe a few times looking to see if I missed something. It needs a little something to make the flavor pop, but not being a very creative cook, I’m not sure what to recommend. I havent’ tried Panera’s soup to make a comparison- just commenting on the end product. I did add some half and half to make it taste a bit richer. With that being said, a warm soup on a chilly rainy day is never a loss.
Rachel Gurk says
Thank you for your review. I find when things taste a little flat, salt always helps. Try adding a little salt, and if you’re a spice fan, you might like a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for some heat.
Camille says
Just like Panera-Finally! Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
Hooray!
DWC says
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it, it is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly but doubled the brown sugar and added some whip cream to taste. I will be definitely be making this again. Thanks Rachel for a great recipe!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!
Siddhi says
AMAZING – I made this soup for a thanksgiving potluck and it was a hit!! Thankfully was pretty simple to make too – I roasted the butternut squash though before boiling it. Thanks Rachel!
Rachel Gurk says
Roasting the squash is always a good idea – yum!
Siddhi says
This recipe was AMAZING! I made this soup for a thanksgiving potluck and it was a hit!! Lots of people complimented it and said it tasted just like the Panera soup. Thankfully was pretty simple to make too – I roasted the butternut squash though before boiling it. Thanks Rachel!
Rachel Gurk says
So happy you liked it! Thanks for the review!