Go Back
+ servings
close up of Panera Autumn squash soup in a bowl
Print SAVE Pin
5 from 13 votes

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!
Course:Entree
Cuisine:American
Keywords:Autumn squash soup, soup recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories271 kcal
Cost $1.30 per person

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or pressure cooker
  • cutting board
  • knife
  • wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ white onion diced
  • 1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and diced
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash preferably roasted
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree canned
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt and pepper each
  • 2 tablespoon pepitas roasted and salted

Instructions

  • Peel butternut squash with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove seeds and strings using a spoon or ice cream scoop and cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes or chunks.
  • (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 out our tutorial on how to cut and cook butternut squash.
  • 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 in a while. Add the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. 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.
  • Purée the soup with an immersion blender or a kitchen blender until creamy and smooth. 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 avoid developing 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. Serve with pepitas on top.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

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 once 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.
Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Vegan?
On its website, Panera Bread lists sweet cream as one of the soup ingredients and states it is vegetarian. 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.  

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 763mg | Potassium: 592mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 23377IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.