Home » Recipes » Soups » Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Best Copycat!}
By Taylor Stinson | 17 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
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This Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is the best copycat! It’s easy to make and so delicious and creamy – plus, it's freezer-friendly, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – a light cooking oil such as olive oil can be used instead.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also be good.
- Celery – a little crunch is nice in this soup, but feel free to swap this out for more carrots or another veggie of your choice.
- Carrot – use a bag of shredded carrots to cut down on prep time.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Flour – gluten-free flour or cornstarch will also help thicken the soup.
- Milk – swap out the milk for any non-sweetened, plant-based milk of your choice. Extra broth will also work.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Broccoli – you can use a bag of pre-chopped broccoli to make things easier.
- Cheddar cheese – the best cheeses for soups are high in moisture and have a lower melting point. Sharp cheddar, fontina, Gruyere and Swiss all melt well, and each adds a different flavour to the soup.
How to make broccoli cheddar soup
Step 1: Sauté the veggies.
Heat butter in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, sauteing for 5 minutes until veggies are tender.
Step 2: Add in the seasonings.
Add in garlic and salt & pepper, stirring for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Whisk in the flour, milk and broth.
Whisk in flour, tossing veggies to coat, then slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth.
Step 4: Stir in the broccoli.
Bring to a boil, then add broccoli. Allow soup to cook for 8-10 minutes until broccoli is tender, stirring often.
Step 5: Add the cheese.
Remove from heat, then whisk in cheese until fully melted and combined.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Ladle into bowls and dig in.
Variations of this soup
One of the benefits of making the Panera broccoli cheddar soup at home is that you can customize it to your liking! Here are a few different variations of this delicious soup:
- Vegetarian: Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Cheese: Cheddar cheese is the classic option but you could also try Colby Jack, Swiss or white cheddar for a different flavour.
- Instant Pot: For a faster option, try making this recipe in the Instant Pot.
- Lighter Version: To cut down on calories, use skim milk and swap out the butter for olive oil.
- Bread bowl: Scoop the bread out of a round loaf of sourdough or make your own bread bowl to serve the soup in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you serve on the side?
If you want to keep things light, serve your Panera broccoli cheddar soup with a garden salad or some crusty bread. If you're looking for a more filling meal, serve your soup with mini grilled cheese sandwichesor thisPanera Bread chicken avocado melt.
How many calories are in Panera broccoli cheddar soup?
At Panera Bread, one serving of their broccoli cheddar soup has 360 calories. My recipe shaves off calories by using lighter ingredients, so there are only 244 calories per serving.
Can you use frozen broccoli?
I find that fresh broccoli is best because it prevents the soup from getting watery, but frozen broccoli will work if it's all you have on hand.
Why is my soup gritty?
If you find that your soup is gritty, the cheese likely didn't melt properly. Make sure you whisk the cheese in the soup until it's fully melted and combined before stirring, or the soup will have a gritty texture.
Can you make this recipe in the crockpot?
You can definitely try! I'd suggest adding everything but the milk and cheese to the crockpot and cooking on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Stir in the milk and cheese during the last 30 minutes of cooking time, then serve and enjoy.
Storing and reheating
Any leftovers of this Panera broccoli cheddar soup can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can reheat your soup on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often; or in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Can you freeze broccoli cheddar soup?
Whether you have leftovers or want to cook a batch ahead of time, this Panera broccoli cheddar soup recipe is great to freeze.
Let the soup cool to room temperature, then pour it into a large freezer-safe container or several smaller freezer bags and freeze it for up to 2 months. You can then reheat it from frozen in the microwave, or defrost it in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal.
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Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Best Copycat!}
This Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup is the best copycat! It’s easy to make and so delicious and creamy – plus, it's freezer-friendly, too!
5 from 40 votes
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 244kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced `
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 head broccoli, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
Heat butter in a large pot over med-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, sauteing for 5 minutes until veggies are tender.
Add in garlic and salt & pepper, stirring for 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, tossing veggies to coat, then slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, then add broccoli. Allow soup to cook for 8-10 minutes until broccoli is tender, stirring often.
Remove from heat, then whisk in cheese until fully melted and combined. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Cut down on prep time by using a bag of shredded carrot and pre-chopped broccoli florets.
Try making this soup in theInstant Pot.
To make this recipe vegetarian, swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
Serve withmini grilled cheese sandwichesor aPanera chicken avocado melt.
Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Freeze this soup for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as normal.
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal (12%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 12g (24%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 44mg (15%)Sodium: 759mg (33%)Potassium: 558mg (16%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 2857IU (57%)Vitamin C: 98mg (119%)Calcium: 315mg (32%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
Reader Interactions
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Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!
Rebecca says
Wow. I don’t know that it tastes EXACTLY like Panera’s, but it is ridiculously good! I added a bit of dry mustard and a hit of dry sherry at the end (because I always use sherry in cream soups). I texted my daughter to say that she can have some for lunches this week, but she’d best get here fast!Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! 😀 You are generous to share hahaha
Reply
Ilse Epple says
Just made this soup and it was even better than the real thing! I followed everything as written, except I had leftover asparagus, which I needed to use up (we don’t waste any food ever) and added that with the broccoli. It was yummy – my husband and I love, love, loved this soup. Thanks for a great, or better, Copycat!!!Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Reply
Sam says
If I used chicken broth instead of chicken stock, what would the difference in flavor be? I know using broth is ok, I’m just wondering what the difference would be in taste.
In my local store they have stock in either full flavor or no sodium, but no low sodium. They have low sodium broth though.Reply
Taylor Stinson says
From my understanding, chicken stock is very similar to chicken broth except it has no or little added salt. You shouldn’t notice any difference in flavour no matter what you use besides it potentially being less salty. I would season with salt and pepper to taste once the soup is finished.
Reply
nancy wheeler says
Very basic without anything intriguing, unique or worth while. Printing 30 pages of blah, not worth it.Reply
Taylor Stinson says
Lol ok…
Reply
Rebecca says
You are aware of the “print recipe” option, right?
Reply
Morgan says
Very flavorful. I personally like to roughly blend it but that’s just a texture preference.Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m happy you like it and good call on the blending!
Reply
Michelle says
We loved this! I made it twice in the weekend, once gluten free and once regular, both were apparently awesome (per my husband that eats both my GF foods and gluten-containing foods). Our 6 year old absolutely loved it and is the reason I had to make a second batch after my husband ate all the leftovers and the six year old got none from batch one! 🙂 I may try it this weekend using cauliflower just because. 🙂Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Reply
Cyndi says
OMG I made this tonight and it was so good and easy to make! The only thing I did different was add frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh since that’s what I had. I just let the broccoli thaw in the fridge for a while before adding it, and honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe.Reply
Taylor Stinson says
So glad to know frozen broccoli also works! Happy you enjoyed 🙂
Reply
James says
Taylor,
I tried your broccoli cheese soup recipe and, W-O-W! was that scrum-diddly-licious! I did add a third cup of chicken broth because our boys eat a lot! This soup was shockingly easy and quick to put together, and really took the winter chill out of our Michigan air. This soup recipe is a keeper!Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it 🙂
Reply
