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This Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup recipe features a rich blend of butternut squash, pumpkin, and carrots. This creamy soup is perfect for cooler months and will quickly become a fall favorite.
If you love butternut squash, try this 5-ingredient butternut squash soup, butternut squash lasagna, or butternut squash pasta sauce next.
Table of Contents
- This Panera Autumn Squash Soup Is:
- Grab These Ingredients
- How to Peel and Dice Butternut Squash
- How to Make Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Two Ways to Blend the Soup
- Video: Watch How to Make Autumn Squash Soup
- Autumn Squash Soup Toppings
- What to Serve with Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Storage Instructions
- More easy copycat recipes
- Panera Autumn Squash Soup Recipe
If you love Panera Bread, especially in the fall when they release their Autumn Squash Soup, then you’re going to love this recipe!
This creamy combination of pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, and apples tastes like fall in a bowl.
This Panera Autumn Squash Soup Is:
- A quick meal for a busy day.
- Full of rich and cozy flavors like cinnamon and a hint of curry.
- Even better the next day (leftovers!).
- The perfect fall soup.
Grab These Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup recipe. Most are pantry staples, easy, and affordable to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Yellow onion: grab a small one if you can and roughly dice it.
- Butternut squash: this is the base of the whole soup recipe and makes it taste a little sweet. It also adds creaminess when it’s all blended together.
- Carrots: this isn’t particularly noticeable when it’s done, but it adds depth and color.
- Vegetable stock: Use this to thin out the soup. You can also use a low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Apple juice: I try to get unsweetened juice or juice with no added sugars. You could also use apple juice concentrate.
- Warm Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and curry powder.
- More spices: onion powder and garlic powder.
- Pumpkin purée: canned pumpkin puree is best here! Make sure you don’t buy pumpkin pie filling.
- Butter: You could also use coconut oil or a plant-based butter.
- Cream cheese: Adds creaminess without the coconut flavor. To keep it vegan, use a plant-based cream cheese (like Kite Hill).
- Heavy cream: a splash of this adds richness. Swap it for full-fat coconut milk to keep it dairy-free.
- Maple syrup: Just a touch of maple syrup that compliments all the fall flavors and sweetens it just a bit. I decided to opt for a refined sugar-free option, but if you have brown sugar on hand you can use that too. You could also swap it for honey!
How to Peel and Dice Butternut Squash
Peel and cut: Start by cutting both ends off of the butternut squash with a sharp knife. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the thick layer of skin. You may need to go over it a few times to get it down to the yellow flesh. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.
Scoop and dice: Use a spoon to scoop out the seedy centers. Then carefully use a sharp knife to cut it into strips then dice it into cubes. This soup is being blended, so the dice don’t have to look perfect. However, you want them mostly uniform in size so they cook evenly.
This is exactly how you dice it to make roasted butternut squash or roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash.
How to Make Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This copycat Panera autumn squash soup is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
Simmer the veggies: Saute the sweet yellow onion in olive oil until soft then add the squash, carrots, broth, and apple juice in a large pot. Bring them all to a boil over high heat then turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Or until the squash and vegetables are fork-tender.
Stir: Next, add the pumpkin puree, butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and maple syrup and mix to combine with a spoon over medium heat.
Blend: You’ll either use a handheld blender or a traditional blender to blend all of the ingredients to make it smooth and creamy.
Serve: pour the soup back in the stock pot and keep it warm over very low heat. Serve it right away with a drizzle of heavy cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and/or toasty pumpkin seeds.
Two Ways to Blend the Soup
Regular blender: If you have a large, heat-safe blender like a Vitamix you can blend the soup in that. You need to work in batches so it all fits! I tried it both ways and found the Vitamix (we love this Vitamix) made it silky smooth.
Immersion blender: an immersion blender is great for making creamy soups like this one. They range from $30 – $100 and are great to keep the cleanup to a minimum. Keep the immersion blender down in the soup and move it around the soup to break it up until it’s smooth and creamy. Avoid pulling it out of the soup or you could splash hot soup everywhere.
Video: Watch How to Make Autumn Squash Soup
Autumn Squash Soup Toppings
- We love topping it with roasted pumpkin seeds for an added crunch!
- We also added a sprinkling of extra spices and a touch of fresh cracked black pepper.
- More options: croutons, a swirl of heavy cream
What to Serve with Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
- Salads: soup and salad goes hand in hand and we love this kale salad with goat cheese, shaved brussel sprout salad with apples or this autumn pear salad.
- Sandwiches: if you’re post-Thanksgiving, these leftover turkey sandwich sliders would be delicious or you can serve it with curry chicken salad sandwiches.
- Main dishes: this pairs well with a light fish like blackened salmon or a show stopper like stuffed flank steak or roasted beef tenderloin. It would also make a great veggie option at Thanksgiving!
Storage Instructions
Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm back up on the stove.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More easy copycat recipes
- Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi (3 Ingredients)
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (Dairy Free)
Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and diced (6-7 cups)
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced (1 – 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or stock
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: cinnamon, curry powder, and onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese or plant-based cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Toppings: roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh cracked black pepper, or extra spices
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Once it's hot and shimmering, add the diced onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until transluscent.
- Stir in the squash, carrots, vegetable broth, and apple juice. Bring them all to a boil over high heat then turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. The squash and vegetables should be fork-tender.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, all of the spices, and maple syrup. Stir well until the cream cheese is melted into the soup.
- Carefully transfer the soup to a large, high-speed blender. I like to spoon out the veggies and then carefully pour the broth in next. Blend on high speed until it's smooth and creamy and no chunks remain. Alternately, keep the soup in the pot and use a handheld immersion blender.
- Carefully pour the soup back into the stock pot. Serve immediately with a drizzle of cream, pumpkin seeds, and a dash of cinnamon. Soup stays fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Lare pot
- High Speed Blender or Immersion Blender
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe blew me away, hubby who is not a soup person LOVED this one! Perfect for fall too, one of my favorite WMM recipes to date! 🤍
Thank you so much!!! What a compliment!
Made this today….easy and delicious! I used frozen butternut squash (chunks) as I don’t have the strength in my hands anymore to tackle a butternut. Used a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar as I had no maple syrup on hand. I did use a dairy free cream cheese that I wasn’t too keen on (I’ve been experimenting with dairy free items recently)….had tried another brand recently which I’ll definitely use in the future….far superior than what I used here but the soup did turn out great nonetheless….guessing it will be even better when I make it again with the better brand! Wish I could have used fresh squash but am grateful to be able to find frozen….sometimes I can find fresh that’s cut up already but unfortunately it looks like the store won’t be carrying it until next fall…..sigh.
Thanks for sharing your recipe with us….it’s a keeper!
Hi Carol,
Just wanted to share a method I learned for roasting the butternut squash whole. I adjust the time based on the purpose I’m using the squash for. If I’m using it in soups, then I let it go for 60-80 minutes, depending on how big it is. If I want it for roasted veggies and just need the skin softened for easy peeling, then I may only leave it for 45 minutes. Line a pan/baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Roast the whole squash at 400F until you can pierce the thickest part with the tip of a knife and it slides in easily. Then scoop out the seeds & stringy bits and discard. Finally, scoop out the flesh or dice it if it’s still firm enough.
So good! I accidentally added 1tsp cinnamon, curry powder and onion powder and it turned out great even still 🙂
This is the best butternut squash soup recipe I have ever made! It is so flavorful and delicious. Such a comforting soup on a cold day. My 8 month old ate it with gusto too! I will definitely make this again. Fantastic job on the recipe!
I think I may make it, leave it chunky, and add sausage one day too… I think that would be a really hardy meal.
Followed the recipe exactly but it doesn’t taste quite like Panera’s. It’s good. But not quite there. Panera’s autumn squash is my fave soup ever so I guess I’m just really particular.
I had some of the Panera’s squash soup for lunch and then made this for dinner today and I just can’t agree with you… I can’t tell a difference in the taste. The texture is different because my blender doesn’t get it as smooth and I like mine a little thicker, but the taste is absolutely spot on to me.
WOW! This is it! I was a hit skeptical at first about the ingredients but when the aroma hit my nose, I knew it was right. I LOVE this soup!
Better than Panera! I think paneras is a little too sweet, this recipe was perfect. I used cider instead of apple juice. I think next time I might double the cream cheese. Thanks for a great recipe.
Love the addition of cider!
Is this not smartphone friendly? I can only find ads extra words of Jabber. Where is the recipe? I’ve been scrolling up and down. SOS
Hey Valerie! The recipe is always at the very bottom of every post. I include step by step photos and information by how to make it, how to store it, etc. That is what you’re scrolling through! There’s also a “jump to recipe” button at the very top of the page if you’d like to skip the blog post. The ads are there because that is how I make a living share free recipes with everyone. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do what I do and you wouldn’t have the recipes! Thank for understanding.
I wonder if I could use my Pampered Chef Deluxe Blender that purees and cooks at the same time? Hmmmmm
Hey Kelly! I think it could work! I’ve used a similar recipe with the Ninja Foodi blender that blends and cooks at the same time. Worth a try!
What a faker! You offer ingredients and photos to make Panera copycat Autumn soup… but NO amounts or directions and the promised PRINTED RECIPE only download another BROWSER FULL OF ADS. GAH! I have all the ingredients, but no monitor in my kitchen to follow the photos.
Sorry you’ve had such trouble. Go to http://www.whatmollymade.com and you can find the recipe there. It’s worth it!
I have been searching for the perfect copycat recipe for a long time now.. and you nailed it! I made it using dairy free butter and cream cheese, and full fat coconut milk. Thank you for sharing this delicious soup recipe!
Always try to cut on a flat surface. Squash are especially tricky because they are round AND hard. Unless you actually need diced squash, split it, scoop out the seeds, then cook it in the microwave or oven. Scoop out the cooked squash and proceed with soup. Much, much safer and quicker. Professional Cook.
This was delicious. I did not add any cream or coconut milk and it was still delicious and taste like Panera version to me. Served with a little plain Greek yogurt swirled on top.
Wow! This literally tastes exactly like the Panera soup, which is one of my favorites! I made this dairy free with dairy free cream cheese and coconut cream. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
OMGoodness Molly, I just made your copycat recipe for Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash soup. It is absolutely the best!! I am amazed how it tastes just like Panera’s. I made a double recipe and I am going to share it with friends and neighbors. I had to give it 5 stars, it really deserves 10!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I did not have carrots and honestly, didn’t miss them. I added 2 cloves of garlic and some chopped sage with the onions, and feel it added some great flavor. I used spiced cider instead of unsweetened apple juice and ommited the maple syrup. This is truly delicious, thank you!
Can the Butternut Squash soup be frozen?
Shelley, she has a note about freezing this delicious soup. She says it can be frozen up to 6 months. That’s what I’m going to do with mine.
I love Panera’s squash soup and have been on a quest to find a recipe that is similar. I’ve tried several versions but I will look to further. This soup is fabulous!
I completely left out the butter and coconut milk (and their substitutes) and it was still creamy and amazing. This will be my go-to recipe from now on. YUMMY!!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Kelly! This is the best compliment.
Super good soup! Pretty close to Panera soup. To make it more like Panera’s I sweated my finely chopped sweet onion in a separate pan. When the soup was all blended up, I added the onions. I just love finding those little onion bits in Panera’s soup!
Delicious! I roasted my squash and it tastes just like the Panera version. Definitely will make again!
Can I freeze the leftovers??
Hi,
Is there anyway to use something different than roasting a butternut squash? Is there a puree jar of it to buy?
I didn’t roast mine. I let them cook with the broth and apple cider.
Would love to hear how that turned out!
Hi, Molly.
Thank you for sharing this! Ican’t wait to try it! It’s my favorite from Panera, too! You recommend canned pumpkin puree, but can you use fresh cooked pumpkin? How would that affect the outcome?
Hey Amy! I haven’t tried this with fresh pumpkin, but I’d image it would work! Soup is much more forgiving than baking with pumpkin.
Super delicious soup! I doubled the recipe. I chose to use pure Irish butter(Kerrygold) and cream cheese insread of the coconut. This will be a saved recipe! Thank you very much. The only thing I did different was to simmer my small diced veggies 15 mins longer with the lid on.
In step 2 there was no mention of adding curry.
Amazingly yummy and easy! Perfect Panera soup dupe. I roasted my squash, onion and garlic. I used the butter and cream cheese substitutes. Also I didn’t have apple juice or sauce but used the juices from canned pears. It turned out great.
Please define small onion into cups please!
Hello just wantef to know if you used Thai Kitchen unsweetened coconutncream or sweet???
So good and really simple to make. I love the addition of pumpkin purée. Such a good balance of flavors!
Delicious soup. Easy to make. Tastes just like Panera! Highly recommend this recipe.
Perfection! I absolutely love it. I used apple cider instead of apple juice and did not add maple syrup. This recipe will be on repeat this fall. Thank you!
Delicious soup! Decadent. My only issue with this recipe is that the carrots take way longer to cook than the method suggests. Especially if you are using an immersion blender, there will be chunks of hard carrot in your soup. If you want a smoother soup, I recommend sautéing the carrots with the onions and then adding the rest of the ingredients to boil.
I diced the carrots small and let them simmer,covered fo 15 mins longer.
Cooking times for any recipe can vary with differing elevation and weather elements or even something as simple as the type of pot or stove one uses which is why I believe the recipe’s author stated to ensure the vegetables are fork tender prior to blending them.
As with all recipes, the time it takes for prep and cooking is an estimate as they cannot know how long a different person may take to slice and dice things or factor in things like weather and the other factors I mentioned.
I’m glad you liked the recipe. Panera’s Butternut Squash soup is one of my mother’s favorite so I’m appeciative to the author and the comments for choosing the right recipe as a surprise for her.
Make this now! Creamy, salty, sweet comfort in a cup.
Absolutely spot on to Panera’s soup! Soo yummy!
Make it a little thick and use it as a sauce over butternut squash ravioli (found in refrig section of supemarket)
OMG!! Awesome.
I can’t wait to try this! Wanted to let you know though that your image of ingredients says shredded chicken instead of broth lol
OOPS!! I need to change that!!
This is so delicious!! And it’s just like Panera’s — really! I love that it uses and entire butternut squash rather than just part of one (those little leftover bits don’t always get used). I didn’t have apple juice on hand so I used sweetened applesauce and omitted the maple syrup at the end (it didn’t need any more sweet). Cracked pepper, pepitas on top — most comforting soup. Keeping this one.
When you say “coconut cream”, do you mean the canned stuff? Like Goya Cream of Coconut/crema de coco? It threw me off when you said it wouldn’t have the coconut flavor, because my husband and I use this stuff to make coquito and it definitely tastes coconutty.
So excited to try this recipe! I used to go to Panera solely for this soup!
Hey Sarah! It’s the cream from the top of the can. We like to use the Thai Kitchen brand. We can’t taste the coconut flavor at all and several people have made it and said they love it without commenting on any coconut flavor. Hope that helps. Thanks!
This would be the equivalent of coconut milk, not cream of coconut but the “cream” part is the top layer that sits above the coconut milk in the can. If you live in wamer weather and tend to keep it in the pantry, putting the can in the refigerator first tends to help and you can just scoop up the top layer with something like the correct size spoon or rubber spatula.
This is one instance when you would not want to shake the can first before opening it.
As a Hispanic, I got thrown off by the English wording for coconut cream the first time I saw it in a recipe too as “cream of coconut” means something different to me so yes, something like Goya or Coco Lopez regarding the sweet version it makes me think of but that’s made differently and is in fact sweet and full of coconut flavor.
Based on the recipe and what it’s being used for, I tend to know what they mean especially if the recipe says something like “full fat,” as the lighter coconut milk does not tend to yield as much of the ingredient this recipe is referring to.
Great and easy recipe. Thanks .
Thanks, Patti!
I used fresh ginger about a 1 inch piece cut into slices. This soup tasted just like Panera’s.
Best compliment, Shelly! Thank you! If you have a second I would love for you to rate the recipe by giving it a star rating! Thanks!