Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes! The perfect bowl of comfort food without leaving your house!
Love easy soup recipes? Be sure to try our Chicken Taco Soup for a family favorite dinner. Or try our hearty Lasagna Soup recipe!
Copycat Panera Recipes
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.
Ingredient Notes
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. We’ve all done it a time or two and they’ll be just as delicious in this soup!
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.
Step by Step Instructions
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!
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! It’s the BEST!
Slow cooker: Use our 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!
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
Easy Soup Recipes
See all Soups and Stews recipes
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Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
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.
Video
Nutrition
Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup is ready in less than 30 minutes! The perfect bowl of comfort food without leaving your house!
Made this weekend, it was sooo good. Used cornstarch to thicken instead of flour & steamed the florets then added them at the end. Everyone loved it!
Can it be made in crockpot
Do you think this will freeze well?
A big hit at our house and friends I shared with. Will be my “go-to ” soup to take to others who need a meal.
I made it just like recipe and my husband added a little sugar. I also used those shedded carrots rather than matchstick, and cooked faster.
Great tips!!!
My kids all loved this soup. Sooo quick and easy . Will definitely double the recipe next time.
Yeah…it goes fast in our house, I have to double it now too 🙂
Very good. Will make this soup again. And easy to make with ingredients at hand.
Awesome to hear 🙂
Can I use all Almond Milk and no cream???
I’m not sure it would thicken properly, and the almond milk will change the flavor for sure!
Shirley, we used almond milk and it turned out amazing ????
Found this recipe on Pinterest and made today while home with a cold. Didn’t feel like going to store so used what I had on hand which ended up being a cup and a half of 2% milk and a half cup of half & half. I didn’t quite have enough cheese, probably ended up with a cup and a half. I also added lots of the red pepper flakes, hoping the spice will help with my cold. lol Otherwise, made exactly per directions and this is very good. Loved how easy and quickly it came together. I really love the extra spice from the red pepper flakes.
OK, so I am making this soup for the first time. With only 1/4 cup butter, the veggies do not soften because not enough moisture. As I had already measured out the liquids into one container to be added, there was nothing I could do but pour all of it into the pot so the begs would cook. Next time I will add the broth after the buttery has melted. Other than this adjustment, this is a great recipe.
Do you have any idea if this soup would freeze well? I’m on the lookout for some good meals to make now before baby #3 shows up 🙂
My son and I used to grab something because we didn’t want to cook or clean up the kitchen. I made a copycat of something, don’t remember what, but the next day we could not eat any fast food, it tasted awful even though it was a favorite. We discovered that home made is best by far!! There’s an endless supply of recipes, 30 minutes or less and a zillion other categories. Now both my sons and some of their 30+ friends go to Pintrest. They share a pic with the recipe and any changes they make. A few of them even use slow cookers for a hot meal when they get home!!
Made this today for the football games. It is already gone & the games haven’t even started! Very popular in my household. I would recommend doubling the recipe.
A
Glad your family enjoyed the recipe!!!
Love this soup..make it all the time!!
Perfect for those winter days when nothing but a yummy, hearty soup will do!
I made this soup today and used half and half instead of cream, and put broccoli and cauliflower in it and Gouda cheese (that’s what I had in the house) and it turned out perfect. I never had the restaurant soup so I had nothing to compare it to. Will try it your way next time.
Broccoli cheese is one of our all time favorite soups! Now I’m totally craving a big bowl!!!
Your soup would taste less ‘flourly’ if you first put your butter and flour in the pan to make the cream sauce. and lightly brown. Use whole milk instead of skim, since you’re using heavy cream. Make the cream sauce then add the broccoli and other ingredients. Lots of flavor when done this way.
I have done it that way too…although, with only 1/4 cup flour, this soup does not taste floury 🙂 As for the milk, I rarely have whole milk in my kitchen so I use skim.
Hi there… how is there 0 net carbs in the recipe?
Thanks for sharing about the flour because I was thinking the same thing. When I make my potato soup I always start with a roux. Cook flour in butter for at least one minute to get rid of raw flour taste. I only use 3 tablespoon of flour and if you don’t do this your recipe can definitely have a raw flour taste to it.
Super YUM! Love this.
This looks awesome! And yes, I agree that Panera is pricey (or spendy as they say in my neck of the woods). I’m not sure about the markup on soup, but having worked in the restaurant industry for a long time, I know restaurants make a ton of money on desserts.
I made this recipe and my daughter liked it so much she ate it for breakfast the next morning! I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Yum – I can’t resist this soup when I eat at Panera. Thank you for recreating a version we can make at home!