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!
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker all day vs in a pot? Maybe cooked on low. I have frozen chicken/turkey stock that I make when I have the bones for stock. Can I use that instead of vegetable broth. I’m thinking about pressure cooking the squash first to help get the squash out of the shell. Then putting everything back into the pot to slow cook until I get home from work. This sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to to try it. Hubby won’t eat it so it’s something that I would like to have ready for me when I get home from work and he’s leaving for work.
I think that should all work fine! Let me know how it goes!
how many ounces of soup does this recipe yield? 8 servings .. but what size are they? Thank you
Each serving will be about 1 cup.
I tried Panera’s squash soup to see if I’d like it (oh yes!), so I searched for a recipe so I could make lots more. This is absolutely delicious, and now I need to figure out if I can freeze it. It makes a lot and I’m the only one eating it. Soups are my cold weather meal, and I’m so happy to have found this recipe! Thank you, Rachel!
You can definitely freeze it!
Thank you so much for this. I’m trying to cook my own rather than eating out. It’s great.
Glad I could help!
Thanks so much! Went to Panera today and considered ordering it, but then thought…I’ll make it myself. Great recipe.
So glad to hear it!
I decided I needed to cut myself off from going to Panera for their Autumn Squash soup 3x a week so I knew I needed a copycat quickly! This recipe did not disappoint. Delicious flavors and very similar to Panera’s. Very easy recipe to follow. I used a food processor in batches, as I do not own an immersion blender or standing blender. It definitely could have been creamier if I had the right tools but the food processor did the job to get my fix in!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve made this several times now, and it’s my favorite recipe. Always comes out tasting amazing! Thank u so much for sharing this delicious recipe.. I’cant get enough of it.
I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it means so much to me!
Love, love this recipes! I love Panera’s and think it tasted just like it. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Great soup but I added 1 tsp cinnamon and the addition of 1/2 tsp ginger , 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp black pepper. The additions really elevated the flavors.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Tastes nothing like Panera’s BUT is much healthier I’m sure and pretty tasty. It’s also possible the secret is in the curry. I swear I taste garlic and more ginger in Panera’s version. I used the liquefy setting on the blender and got the perfect consistency.
I agree that the secret is in the curry. It gives it that little something-something. I’m glad you liked it.