Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes! The perfect bowl of comfort food without leaving your house!
I created this recipe many years ago, and you’ll see by the recipe reviews how loved it’s become. I hope it becomes a staple in your weeknight dinner rotation too!
This recipe was originally published in January 2017. The recipe notes have been updated in February 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture – Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with tender broccoli, just like the Panera favorite.
Ease of Making – Quick and easy, ready in under 30 minutes.
Cooking Method – One-pot stovetop soup for a simple, comforting meal.
Aimee’s Top Tip – Use an immersion blender for a smoother texture, or keep it chunky for more bite. Frozen broccoli works too!
My family doesn’t love traditional fast food. Which I suppose is a good thing, except when I’m looking to just pick up a quick, on the go meal I’m limited by their taste buds!
Fortunately (or not) for us, our Panera Bread has a drive through, and it’s one of the “fast food” choices we all love. Except it’s pricey. They don’t have a dollar menu!
My goal with my blog has been to create a database of recipes that my family loves.
Things like Starbucks Lemon Loaf, Panera Mac and Cheese, and Hostess Cupcakes. If my kids are craving it, I can probably recreate it!
With today’s Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe, we may never have to actually go to Panera again.
When I can make Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup at home, I know I’m saving us some money and a trip out.
Love easy soup recipes? Be sure to try my Chicken Taco Soup for a family favorite dinner. Or try my hearty Lasagna Soup recipe!
Featured Review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“My picky son finally let me make him this soup for him and he loved it!” -Corrie
Easy Ingredient List
From start to finish, this Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe takes less than 30 minutes.
Real talk: It will probably take less time to make this soup at home than it would to get everyone in the car and drive to Panera. Not to mention the drive back home!
Broccoli: You can always use fresh broccoli to make Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, but it’s ok if you want to reach into the freezer for a bag of frozen broccoli florets.
Broth: Keep this soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
My Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe makes 3-4 decent sized bowls of soup…but you can easily double the recipe if you have hungry eaters, and this is your main dish.
You could also serve this soup as a side alongside sandwiches. Try my Turkey Cheddar Sliders or, if you want to mix favorites from different restaurants, Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwiches.
How to Make Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
Want less chunks in your soup? Use an immersion blender to smooth it out! Our family loved this soup, it’s a great recipe for busy weeknights!
Instant Pot: Today’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup can also be made in the Instant Pot! Dinner in under 30 minutes! Loaded with vegetables and cheese, you’ll love this easy, creamy Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe!
Slow cooker: Use my slow cooker broccoli cheddar soup recipe for a great, fix it and forget it meal!
More Copycat Panera Recipes
Does your family love Panera as much as mine does? Lucky for you, I have a whole list of recipes I’ve recreated from Panera.
In addition to the Broccoli Cheese Soup, our family loves
Serving Suggestions
Easy, buttery Beer Bread goes perfect with this soup! Also great to cube into bite sized pieces and use for dips!
Of course my 5 minute Artisan bread is a great side for this soup.
Are you looking for a fluffy, delicious Dinner Roll? These No Knead Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls will please the whole family!
Easiest side dish ever. Whip up a batch of these Puff Pastry Bread Sticks to dunk in your soup!
You can also go to most bakery sections in the grocery store and find a great homemade bread bowl!
More Easy Dinner Ideas
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Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup diced onions yellow or white
- 1 cup shredded carrots I used matchsticks that I cut into half inch pieces
- 2 1/2-3 cups broccoli florets chopped small
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk I use skim/fat free
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or more as desired
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Add in onions, carrots and broccoli. Cook to soften about 5 minutes (may be more or less depending on the size vegetables you cut).
- Slowly add in broth, milk, and cream. Sprinkle with flour and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and heating over medium heat until thickened. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Once thick, add cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Serve soup and enjoy!
Notes
- Easily double the ingredients to make more of this delicious soup!
- Use a good quality cheddar cheese for best results. And shred the cheese yourself for the creamiest results.
- Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze soup in airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat on stovetop.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks and directions on how to make in slow cooker and Instant Pot.
Video
Nutrition
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes! The perfect bowl of comfort food without leaving your house!
So so so very good! I always make a new recipe verbatim the first time and when I make it again (oh yeah… there will be another time because it’s so good) I will cut the salt in half. I used low-sodium broth, but I think the cheese tends to be salty so that’s why I will decrease it. I prefer to use hand-shredded cheddar rather than Velveeta because that tends to be even more salty – just a personal preference. Delicious!
My picky son finally let me make him this soup for him and he loved it!
This soup was delicious!! I love broccoli cheddar soup and even my 7 year old ate it up!! It was a little too thick at the end for my liking – any suggestion on how I could thin it out next time and not lose the flavor??
You can a little more chicken broth or milk to thin it out! I have used both ant different times and they were perfect!
Excellent soup. I make it using frozen broccoli florets. My husband and I love it. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Just made & it was delicious. Store out of fresh broccoli so had to use frozen & it turned out great. Next time & there will be a next time I’ll add the flour once veggies cooked & let it cook a few min just to eliminate that raw flour taste. Also added additional seasoning for my taste. Overall a great recipe!!!
Could you make this in the crockpot?
Yes! Here ya go: https://www.shugarysweets.com/slow-cooker-broccoli-cheese-soup/
Very good……made several times.
I love this soup!! Is there a way to do it in a crock pot instead?
Great soup, but you want to boil the broccoli florets in the chicken stock only, for about 15 min. The recipe calls for cooking it in butter but that’s no way to cook broccoli, and after adding the heavy whipping cream and milk it boils over easily.
If you chop the broccoli super small, it definitely can cook it.
I have made this a few times and each time I love it more. Is it freezable?
Yes it is. 🙂
Soup was AMAZING never had Panera bread but I bet this is way better
Hi Aimee, I tweaked the recipe a little bit I had a ham bone and slow cooked it till the ham fell off , I then used the ham broth instead of vegetable broth and added the ham and the rest of ingredients.. so good with the broccoli and cheese.
Love these tips, thank you 🙂
Hi Aimee, I usually don’t leave reviews but this soup was awesome. I give it 10 stars.
Making this today! Sounds soooo good thank you 💖
I made this soup and making it again today for company. I added potatoes to it too! Delicious!!
Potatoes sound like a delicious addition!
This soup is amazing! It’s better than Panera bread!
This soup was SO good! We doubled it and added a rotisserie chicken to it!
Made with bacon crumbles into as well no leftovers must be I did it correctly
This soup is amazing! Only used 1 cup of finely shredded sharp cheddar and it had lots of flavor and made it a little healthier;)
I have made this soup several times the only thing different is the cheese I use velveta it melts better and is so smooth and everyone I make it for loves it
Delicious 😋
I made it vegetarian by swapping vegetable broth for chicken and made it gluten free by using Cup for Cup gluten free flour..Glad I doubled it cause my family ate it up! Thanks for the great recipe