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!
Hello, thank you for sharing your best practices and your recipes! On my first attempt, it didn’t come out thick enough and with a bit bitter taste. I added some corn starch to obtain a thicker consistency which it worked, but what can I do about the bitter after taste?
Hmm, I haven’t had that experience, could be the squash you sued. I’d just try adding a little heavy cream and more brown sugar. That should help!
Mine came out quite thin.. any tips? Less broth? Also curious if it will freeze well? Flavor was on point! If it was thicker it would be perfection
Definitely less broth next time! With soups, I always start with less and add more afterwards if needed. You could try thickening this batch with a cornstarch slurry or even some dried potato flakes?
How much heavy cream are you supposed to add to the soup? Do you add the cream when you add the other ingredients? Please advise. I am going to make this for the first tine and need a little guidance. Thank you so much!
Add the cream at the end, either off the heat or on low heat. I’d start with 1/4 cup and then taste it, and if you want a richer taste, add a little more. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you like it!
Just so you know, simmering carrots for only 10 monutes is not even close to long enough. I had them going for 30+ and they are still not nearly soft enough to puree. Not the greatest recipe here…
It definitely depends on how large your carrots are and what size you chop them. 30+ minutes should get definitely the job done, but it sounds like you have stubborn carrots. I chop mine quite small and it makes the 10-15 minutes feasible.
Definitely very close to Panera’s version. I omitted the Neufchâtel, brown sugar, and heavy cream and the taste was still amazing. Subbed sweet potato for the pumpkin.
So glad you liked it! Sweet potato is a great sub!
So good, spot on to Panera with the addition of a little cream and additional sugar. The most recent time I made it, I steamed the squash and carrots in the Instant Pot to cut down on cooking time. It worked super well, and the soup is just as delicious this way! We measure spices with our hearts, so the additional water from steaming wasn’t an issue.
Thank you!
Using the Instant Pot is a great idea!
Is there anything else I can substitute for the cream cheese? I am intolerant to it.
You could leave it out and it will still be delicious. Maybe just add a touch more cream. :)
Delish! I added maybe 1/4 brown sugar and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. It was a little tart before doing that. So good!!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot. Extra cream and sugar is never a bad thing. :)
The picture looks so good. Can’t wait to try this out. If I can’t find pumpkin purée, is there something you would recommend substituting or could I just omit it without changing the taste too much?
You can probably just leave it out! :)
Made this today and it was amazing . I like mine sweeter, I took your advice on adding some honey and more brown sugar. And it was PERFECT!!!
Thank you so much!
Me and my husband LOVED it
So glad to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Yum! I didn’t have pumpkin so I substituted with a can of cannellini beans, which worked out well and added some extra protein. Also doubled the Neufchâtel. Great recipe!
That’s a great idea! So glad you liked it!