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!
Sadly mine didn’t come out good.I cubed the butternut squash and carrots and cooked them 3x as long as you recommended.They were still hard.I used a hand mixer .Maybe I should have tried my blender.Publix didn’t have deshelled pumpkin seeds so I had to deshell them.What a mess.Cost me $15 for ingredients.I am a 50 year knowledgeable cook.I don’t really know why this recipe failed but it did♀️
A hand mixer or an immersion blender? A mixer definitely wouldn’t blend this up enough.
I have made this in that past. Absolutely, love this soup! I usually double the recipe then freeze half. If I’m going to make a mess I may as well get the fruits of my labor. I’m a meat guy, so I add ground turkey to the soup. Doesn’t take away from the flavor. Thanks to all the other reviewers for their input.
Smart to add meat and make a double match!
I made this and it is awesome! I think I’m missing something…how much soup is the nutritional information for? 1 cup or how much??
Yes, about 1 cup.
So very good! I added extra pumpkin which made it sweeter so no brown sugar.
A little cream makes it smooth & rich! Added pepitas just like Panera’s, yummy!
Thanks for the this recipe!
So glad you liked it! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review!
I’m so excited to make this! I live alone, so I was how long it’ll keep in the fridge? Do you think it would freeze well?
It will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge but it freezes great! You might want to freeze it in individual portions to easily thaw out one serving. :)
I did not have apple jc or cider on hand so I cubed 2 Granny Smith Apples as a substitute. I love the flavor!! Next time I will cook the carrot slices until soft before adding the other stuff, as I could not get them to fully soften. Maybe the acidity of the apples was the reason? In any case I do not mind some texture to the soup. It tastes superb and is good for you. Think of all the Vit A !!
So glad you liked it! thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Looks good. I really like the Panera version and will certainly try your recipe.
I hope you love it!
I followed your recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful! My family loves Panera’s squash soup and I feel this couldn’t be closer! So happy I tried your version!
Oh I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
This turned out very, very sweet. I think 2 cups of apple juice is too much. Maybe apple cider would be better, but my store didn’t have any left. I think I’ll substitute more stock for the juice next time and see how that turns out.
It probably also depends on what kind of apple juice you buy. I always get the 100% juice kind, which tends to be less sweet. Some people think this recipe isn’t sweet enough so I guess I can’t win them all. ;)
I have made many recipes but this one is the best. I used a little more apple cider and a cinnamon stick. Huge hit.
So glad you liked it!
I love, love, love butternut squash soup. I just made this for the first time and it’s delicious! I added some ginger for additional warmth. I did use 4 cups of veggie broth so it’s a bit thinner than I’d like but I can adjust that. Next time I make it, I’ll add some heavy cream and a bit more brown sugar for sweetness. I’m looking forward to dinner! Thank you, Rachel. I’ve bookmarked your site … glad I found you!
So glad you liked this soup! Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment, it means so much to me!
Best soup ever. I subbed the pumpkin with apple sauce cause it’s what I had. I’ve made this several times now (with the pumpkin too) and it always comes out perfect. Thank you for your recipes, always the best!
So glad you like the soup! Thank you so much for the kind words!