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!
What is the serving size? I see the nutritional values and I want to figure up the Weight Watchers Points Plus. Sounds sooooo yummmm!
Serving size is about 1/8 of the recipe – I don’t have an exact measurement for that. Hope you love it!
Just made this recipe exactly as is and it is amazing! I loved it. Super delish!
So glad you like it! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Hello! I just made up a big batch of butternut squash purée. Any idea/suggestions on how much purée to use in place of the fresh cubes? Thank you!
Hi Allison! I haven’t made it with puree but soup is pretty forgiving. I’d start with about 4 cups and see how it tastes.
How many servings does one batch make?
6-8 servings depending on how big your bowls are. ;)
Ive made several varieties of butternut squash soup. I picked your recipe to try based on the ingredients that are most palatable to me. I varied it slightly. I doubled the recipe, so I could have leftovers. I cut the curry in half, I doubled or more the cinnamon. I used the pumpkin puree, grass-fed butter, light brown sugar, 1/2 the apple cider, added 1 granny smith apple.I added a favorite, fresh ginger, 1/2 approximately 1/2 teaspoon. (I often don’t measure, and I’ll modify to taste). I am dairy free and gluten free. I dI’d not use the heavy cream or cream cheese. I used 1/2 cup full fat (healthy) organic coconut milk. This will be my forever go to butternut squash soup recipe. Everyone complimented it. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your adaptations!
Im sorry but this was terrible. Way too much vinegar. It tasted like straight bread and butter pickles
Sorry. Im retarded. I used apple cidar vinegar. Im sure it would have been amazing
Oh no! I don’t think you’re the first one to make this goof, unfortunately.
Do you think I can freeze this? I’m a vegetarian so I make different meals than my family but I don’t know if I should make a half of this recipe or not. Thanks!
I have frozen this many times, works splendidly.
This soup is amazing!! Absolultely love it! I do have one question…I accidentally added too much salt…what can I do to counteract that?
Oooh that’s a tough one to fix. You could try adding more pureed squash if you have it on hand.
Tried this recipe last night as part of our Octoberfest Dinner Party. It was fantastic! It took much more time to cook the squash to soften. Regardless the soup was excellent.
So glad you liked it!
Just made this tonight, and followed your recipe to a T. I can honestly say that this soup is even better than Panera’s. I cannot wait to have a bowl of this every night this week. I’m so happy I found your recipe!
Oh that makes me SO happy to hear! Thank you for taking the time to comment. Enjoy the soup, and your weekend!