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!
Very good. Frozen sliced carrots and butternut squash used but carrots didn’t blend as well with immersion blender, a few big pieces left. Used 1 cup cider and 4 cups veg broth, plenty. Did use a full cup of pumpkin puree. Madras curry powder must have lost it’s punch as I had to add quite a bit more. Didn’t have pumpkin seeds but did add toasted coconut chips, which tasted great. Will make again.
Love the idea of using coconut chips! Sometimes carrots can do that if they don’t get cooked until they are super soft. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi to
Taste NOTHING like Panera. Don’t make this recipe! So disappointed…
Most people love this recipe! Could it be you mismeasured something along the way or omitted an ingredient?
I thought I put five stars!
Wonderful! I put an extra spoonful of pumpkin to thicken it. I used a scoop of Greek yogurt as well. I did not need extra sugar or any honey. I just wish I had the seeds to put on top like they do!
I’m so glad you like this recipe as much as we do! You can buy the seeds at the grocery store or online! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment – means a lot to me!
Hi Rachel, Thanks for sharing this with us! I obsessed with this soup recently, but I know to make it delicious, Panera adds some extra stuff in it. I tried it tonight with apple juice, the color looks like the same as Panera’s, but it is quite sour. I did not put apple cider vinegar. Do you know why?
It isn’t overly sweet as written – I don’t eat a lot of sweets so to me, it doesn’t take much to make something seem sweet. You could try adding more brown sugar or some maple syrup to get it to the right taste for you personally.
PS: I’m glad you mentioned that you didn’t use vinegar otherwise I definitely would have said that was the culprit. ;)
Thank you for this WONDERFUL recipe! I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Followed the healthier recipe and definitely didn’t need to add the optional cream or extra sugar.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know – it means so much to me!
I have made this soup twice now. The first time I followed the recipe and added t’s bit more sugar, pumpkin puree, and butter to suit my taste. I did use a Greek yogurt and cream cheese blend. Absolutely delicious. It has saves me money since I didn’t go to Panera when I made this. This has become one of my staple recipes.
So happy to hear that!
Tastes nothing like Panera’s- more than disappointing because I made it tonight for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and it definitely won’t make the cut in my family! Please please don’t tell people it tastes like Panera’s . I cannot serve this tomorrow.
Perhaps you got mixed up with the recipe? So many people love this one! You didn’t use apple cider VINEGAR did you?
Hi Rachel-
I am making this for thanksgiving (a big group) so was going to use whole butternut squash, roast it and scoop it out. If I do that does it alter the time that it should simmer with the carrots? Wasn’t sure what your recommendations were?
Thanks!
Colleen
Hi Colleen! I would saute the carrots with the onions to give them a head start and then simme just as long as you need for the carrots to soften. If you cut them fairly small, it won’t take too long, but you want them to be nice and soft so that they puree with the rest of the soup when you blend it. You can put the squash into the soup when you normally would in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi Rachel-
Thanks so much, I will give that a try! Excited to try the soup!! :) I had one more question, how many oz is your serving size based on?
My nutrition information isn’t calculated that exactly since this recipe size can vary a lot based on size of the squash, carrots and how much broth you use in addition to other factors. It’s for roughly 1/8th of the recipe. Sorry I don’t have a more clear answer but things vary a lot based on how the recipe is prepared.
Ok great that helps! With the additional cream if desired how much do you recommend adding if you wanted to add the cream?
For the whole pot, I’d start with 1/4 cup and go up from there based on taste and preference.
Hi, I didn’t read through all of the comments, but I wondered if anyone recommended pairing this soup with anything. My personal serving size doesn’t allow for anything else, but my children and guests who like it but not enough for it to stand on its own require me to make something to go with it. Any suggestions for lunch or a light dinner?
I love it with grilled cheese — it’s not fancy but it makes for great dipping! I also love it with a salad for some crisp freshness. It’s also not too bad topped with bacon. ;)