Panera Autumn Squash Soup Recipe

Make this vegetarian Panera Copycat Autumn Squash Soup Recipe with butternut squash and pumpkin purée cooked in the Instant Pot, crockpot, or stovetop. It is creamy, hearty, and delish! Save big bucks by making yours at home… and shave off some calories too!

I used to go to Panera Bread every fall to savor a good bowl of this autumn squash soup with a hard-crusted bread… until I found what ingredients go into it.

Panera’s website lists them. That is when I had the idea of creating a copycat version of the soup. I know of other sites that have done the same, but with variations.

Ours is denser because it calls for a fresh apple instead of apple juice-- yet is just as creamy as Panera’s. But I found ours to be even more delicious. Try it and compare!

A real plus is that you can save a lot of bucks and also gain the chance to make it dairy-free if you want or need to.

 Reasons to make this autumn squash soup

1. Good for you: This is a healthy soup recipe full of fiber and vitamins A and C.
2. Mess-free: This soup is one of those one-pot meals, so you won’t wind up with a sink full of pots and pans to wash.
3. Budget-friendly: A single portion costs about $ 1.30, compared to $6.59 at Panera.
4. Fewer calories than the original recipe: Panera Autumn squash soup has about 340 calories while ours has 271 calories per portion.
5. It can be quick and easy to make: it takes about 10 minutes to cook in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. If you skip the roasting process for the butternut squash, you’ll save about 30-40 minutes. Although roasting the squash will make the soup more delicious, it is not required. You will still have a flavorful soup to eat.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The original Panera butternut squash soup calls for more or less the same ingredients as those listed below with slight variations, as follows: 

• Butternut squash – it’s the main ingredient of this soup. The recipe calls for roasted squash but you can skip the roasting step in order to make a quicker meal and still wind up with a tasty soup. For a variation, make this roasted delicata squash to replace the roasted butternut squash.
• Pumpkin purée – we used canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) but you are welcome to use fresh peeled pumpkin. To vary this recipe, you can make Instant Pot acorn squash. Then, instead of stuffing it, simply use the cooked and mashed pulp or flesh instead of pumpkin purée.
• Apple – I used a Granny Smith apple to add a touch of tartness to the soup and balance out the sweetness of the pumpkin and squash. But if you prefer a sweeter soup, use a Honeycrisp apple. Panera’s original recipe calls for apple juice. If you want to use apple juice instead of apple, add about ¼-⅓ cup to the soup. 
• Onion – to boost flavor. Although you can replace it with 2-3 minced garlic cloves, I prefer not to so that it won’t overpower the soup.
• Cinnamon – this adds a warm, cozy touch.
• Curry powder – this adds an earthy flavor that pairs so well with fall and deepens the yellow-ish color of the soup.
• Vegetable broth – this was used to keep the dish vegetarian, but if you are not on a vegetarian diet you may replace it with chicken broth.
• Salt and pepper – they add a savory touch and balance the sweetness.
• Honey – the recipe calls for a small amount. If you prefer yours more on the savory side, just go ahead and skip it. Use real maple syrup for a vegan version.
• Heavy cream – it adds creaminess while balancing sweetness. If you prefer, replace it with Greek yogurt (or with a dairy-free yogurt if you’re on a vegan or dairy-free diet). Although you can use coconut milk, I prefer not to. The canned milk will impart a strong flavor to the soup while the carton coconut milk is not as creamy as heavy cream or yogurt.
• Pepitas – they make a garnish for the dish and add a crunch that contrasts with the creamy soup.

How to peel butternut squash

Is peeling butternut squash necessary for this soup? Yes, because we will be using the flesh to make this Autumn squash soup. Butternut squash is the star of our soup!

But don’t worry! I will show you how simple it is to peel and cut butternut squash, as follows:

1. Wash squash thoroughly using a vegetable brush. This will help to prevent contaminating the vegetable peeler! Then, pat dry to keep from making the peeling process slippery.
2. Next, cut off the ends and slice the squash in half crosswise. This will allow you to place each half upright in a steady position on the cutting board.
3. Using a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, peel off all the skin.
4. Cut halved squash in quarters and then remove both the seeds and attached strings using a spoon or ice cream scoop.
5. At this point, cut the squash into ¾ to 1-inch cubes or chunks.

As for pumpkin, the co-star of this soup, our recipe calls for canned pumpkin purée but if you want to replace it with fresh pumpkin, see how to peel pumpkin easily. 

How to make Panera Autumn Squash Soup

1. Peel butternut squash with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove seeds and string using a spoon or ice cream scoop and cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes or chunks.
2. (OPTIONAL) Roast squash: Place squash into a large baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleaning. Toss them with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper until coated. Bake in a 400 F (200 C) preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until almost tender. Reserve! For further instructions on how to prepare and roast butternut squash, check our tutorial on how to cut and cook butternut squash.
3. If making this autumn squash soup in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, press the sauté button and let it heat for about 4 minutes. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring every once and a while. SEE PIC. 1 Add the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. SEE PIC. 2 and 3 Cancel the sauté function, lock the lid, secure the valve, and set to manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Depending on your pressure cooker, you may have to press the soup button and manually set it to 10 minutes. Once cooked, do a quick release.
4. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or a kitchen blender until creamy and smooth. SEE PIC. 4 If you intend to freeze part of the soup for later use, separate the portion you want to freeze and only add cream once the soup is thawed and reheated. This will prevent an unpleasant texture. But if you intend to consume the soup within the next 3 days, stir in honey, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. SEE PIC. 5 Serve with pepitas on top. SEE PIC. 6
5. If making it on the stovetop, follow steps 1 and 2 (optional). Then, heat a pot over medium heat. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 15-18 minutes or until squash is tender. Then follow step 4.
6. If making in the slow cooker, follow steps 1 and 2 (optional). Then, heat a no-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring  every once in a while. Add them to the crockpot as well as the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover and set to high for 3-4 hours. Then follow step 4.

Is this soup healthy?

Yes! Butternut squash and pumpkin, the main ingredients of this soup, are good sources of fiber, vitamins A and C,  and potassium. This soup has about  23 net carbs per portion and is not so keto-friendly. For a more low carb-friendly version, replace apple with unsweetened apple juice. If you are on a keto diet, you may consume the soup in small amounts.

Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Vegan?

On its website, Panera Bread lists sweet cream as one of the soup's ingredients and states it is vegetarian. Just as Panera’s, our copycat recipe is not vegan either. But you can adapt the recipe and use dairy-free yogurt instead of heavy cream and also maple syrup instead of honey for a vegan version.

Storage

Store Autumn squash soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Because it has dairy (heavy cream), freezing is not recommended because it may turn grainy when thawed and reheated.

An alternative would be to separate the amount of soup you want to freeze and only add cream once the soup is thawed and reheated. If you follow this step, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months. 

Either way, reheat soup over low heat on the stovetop, especially if it has cream.

Other easy soup recipes great for cold weather:

• Black bean soup
• Ham and cabbage soup
• Ravioli soup
• Cabbage soup
• Healthy pumpkin soup
• Cauliflower soup
• Fish soup
• Coconut noodle soup
• Winter soups

PIN & ENJOY!