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!
Wow, talk about yum . It was a hit in my house.
Wow, excellent recipe, didn’t change a thing and it was a hit in my house! Thank you!
Love this recipe, very tasty and easy to make. I followed your recipe exactly and it turne out great!
If I have frozen broccoli vs fresh, can I steam and add when noted in recipe or should I wait till the end to avoid them getting mushy?
I would add it in the end since it will already be cooked 🙂
Iam going with another suggestion to use corn starch in stead of flour, and also to steam veggies first, iam going to make this tomorrow, it will go great with the sourdough bread I baked today, thanks!
Can you use pre shredded cheese or do I need to shred myself? Sometimes bagged cheese gets too stringy
I’ve done both ways, and it’s totally up to you! It’s a little thicker with pre shredded (as I think maybe there is cornstarch in it??)
Can you please tell us if it will freeze well??????
I have not tried to freeze this soup, my family gobbles it up too quickly!
Do you cook the broccoli first?
Nope!
I made this soup tonight for dinner no cold rainy day in New England. It was delicious and SO easy to make!
It’s one of our favorites 🙂
Had anyone tried to freeze this?
Soooooooo GOOD! And super easy to make! This one is a new family favorite.
I am concerned that at the beginning of this recipe the butter will burn. Any suggestions?
it won’t
Can this be frozen?
My daughter is a fan of this soup I will need to try it gf because she can’t eat at Panera due to her food allergies just diagnosed.
Can I do this on crock pot? How long should I leave it there for? Should I leave the soup slow cooking adn add cheese later?
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious! My kids loved it. We will be making this again for sure!
Just made this soup omg delicious!!!
Thanks for the recipe
It’s a staple around here, since it’s so easy and everyone loves it!
Made this several times and sooooooo yummy!
So I made the soup and loved it. I added potatoes to it by boiling the potatoes carrots broccoli and onion, then I made the sauce aside and poured it into the pot of ingredients that were already boiled.
Made this for my family and they absolutely loved it. I’m now tripling the recipe to have it for a birthday party to go with some sandwich sliders. I love how simple it is to make and my family sings mom’s praises. Thank you for the recipe!!
Have you ever had issues with the flour clumping up?? I was wisking pretty hard to get the flour to mix in to the soup.
I haven’t. But you can whisk the flour into the butter first…and then continue if that helps (making more of a roux).