Copycat Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash Soup (vegan, Paleo and gluten-free)
*Post was updated 10/4/14 to include updated photos.
Madelyn and I had dinner at Panera Bread {her favorite mac ‘n cheese} a couple of weeks ago and I decided to live on the wild side and change up my normal Black Bean Soup order and enjoy the seasonal Autumn Squash Soup. This was a VERY good decision! I still love the Black Bean soup, but no soup can quite compete with the lovely lightly sweetened creaminess that is the Autumn Squash Soup.
Ever since my Panera Bread visit, I was craving the squash soup, plus I had a Costco-sized carton of already chopped organic butternut squash {love that stuff} to use up. I searched the Panera Bread website to see if they had a recipe for the soup online {sometimes they post recipes}. No such luck! I did come across other people’s copycat squash soup recipes; most of which included butter, heavy cream, whole milk and/or vegetable oil. I decided to take my chances with creating a butternut squash soup that may not taste like Panera’s Autumn Squash soup, but would hopefully at least taste good.
The description of the Vegetarian {mine’s vegan} Autumn Squash Soup on Panera’s website is as follows; a blend of butternut squash and pumpkin, simmered in vegetable broth with honey, apple juice, cinnamon and a hint of curry, then finished with sweet cream and topped with roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. I figured that I could use what I had on hand to closely resemble Panera’s recipe. I included the squash, vegetable broth, cinnamon and curry. I replaced the apple juice with a real apple and the sweet cream with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I didn’t use any pumpkin and I left out the honey because my soup was sweet enough… I think from the apple.
Copycat Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash Soup (vegan, Paleo and gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 4 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash, roasted
- 1 large apple, peeled, cored and cubed (I used a Honeycrisp. If you want your soup less sweet, you may want to use a Granny Smith.)
- 1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon curry powder*
- 3.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup almond milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- 1 tsp salt + a few extra dashes
- a few dashes of cinnamon
Instructions
- Roast cubed butternut squash that has been seasoned with cinnamon and salt for 30 mins at 425 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med-high heat, sauté apple and onion in coconut oil with curry powder and a few dashes of salt for about 10 mins and until softened.
- Add broth, milk, and squash to the large skillet with the apple and onion and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 mins. Stir in salt to taste. I used 1 tsp of salt.
- Use an immersion blender or transfer soup to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until soup is smooth and creamy.
- Enjoy with crusty bread or a grilled cheese!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I am absolutely thrilled with how flavorful my soup came out and what do you know it was so similar to Panera’s squash soup that now I can’t even recall what Panera’s squash soup even tasted like. 😉 I’ve been eating the soup with grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches and it is my new favorite meal.
Something to think about….
Have you ever tried making a copycat a recipe?
What food have you had at a restaurant, that you would love to recreate at home?
Do you ever eat at Panera Bread? If so, what do you like to eat when you go?
I’ve got so many Fall-inspired recipes to share with you, so join me back here tomorrow for another one! What would you rather see….. no-bake pumpkin cookies or applesauce bread?
Be sure to follow on Instagram for more Fall-inspired recipe ideas!
If you love Copycat recipes, don’t miss these favorites!
Copycat Starbucks Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl
Copycat Trader Joe’s Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
I stumbled upon this recipe and tried it a couple times, it’s wonderful! I’ve made some for my family as well and they love it too! Thank you for the delicious recipe. ?
So happy you enjoyed!
I’m dreaming of a soup like this today! Yum!
It’s delish! I need to make it again soon!
Hi! I found your recipe this week and bought the ingredients but when I clicked today, the ingredients and instructions weren’t there. Did I go back to the wrong place? SOS? Help?
I’m sorry. We’re still working on getting the recipes from my old site to transfer over. My recipage has all of the full recipes, though. Here is the link to this one. https://www.kimscravings.com/recipes/?recipe_id=6066655
I love this recipe, but it seems to have disappeared from your site. Can you send it to me?
I’m glad you love this soup as much as I do! Unfortunately, we’re still working on transferring recipes from my old site to the new one. All of my full recipes are available on my recipage, though. Here is the link https://www.kimscravings.com/recipes/?recipe_id=6066655
I made this for my family and we all LOVED IT! It tastes just like the soup at Panera Bread. It was fun to make, too. I doubled the batch to freeze for another time. I also used 1 tsp of curry and it tasted perfect – not strong at all. Thanks for the recipe!
We absolutely loved this recipe!!! We’re not curry fans, so we left that out; and we still devoured the soup because it was so delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe. We are looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
I’m so glad you loved the soup and it’s good to know, you really don’t need curry for it to be delicious! 🙂
Hi, i just made this soup and it is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing it!
The only things i did differently were add a little extra butternut squash (not much), use 1tsp Curry, and i used Original unsweetened almond milk.
I love it!
Thanks so much for your comment, Beth! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the soup… it’s one of my favorites!
Great recipe. I subbed in something called “meat masala” for the curry powder which you can get in an Indian store. Yum! and I think it does taste very close to Panera and is probably more healthy 🙂
Thanks so much, Diana! Yes, this recipe is much healthier. I’ve actually compared the nutritional value.
This soup is phenomenal! Thank you so much for coming up with this and posting it! I love Panera’s soup, but I am so happy to be able to make a healthy version at home. I have been raving about this recipe and passing it along…so delish!
This recipe looks so awesome! I may add some quinoa to mine to give it some added protein and make it extra filling. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I just made this soup and I am literally eating it while writing this comment! Wow! This was such a great recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. I am saving this and will definetly be using it again in the future! I added a bit of milled flax seeds to mine to get some omegas in my dinner! Perfect recipe for fall time. I also had a tiny glass of silk egg nog on the side. Oh man, do I love the holidays! Thank you again!
THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS! I used 1/2 cup of coconut milk instead of the almond milk and used a bartlett pear instead of the apple. I also only used 1/2 tsp of curry. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for sharing!
I made this recipe last night and LOVED it! I subbed Lite Coconut Milk for the Almond Milk and used the full 2 tsp of curry. It turned out great. I just came across this blog while searching for Panera’s squash soup recipe and so thankful it led me to your blog- I can’t wait to make some of the other recipes you’ve posted! Thank you so much!!
How big of a butternut squash (or how many) did you use to get the 4 cups? I want to make this but am not sure how big I should get or if I should get more than one.
One medium to large will work. If you can find precut, it’s super convenient. Enjoy!
This Butternut Squash soup is fabulous!!! I added Tan-Tan Moroccan Seasoning rather than standard curry, as well as coconut milk rather than almond, and was completely wow’ed! Like you, I didn’t add any sweetener. Thank you, Kim for an incredible recipe!
Thank you so much for your comment! That seasoning sounds like something I need to try!
THIS IS THE FIRST RECIPE FOR THIS SOUP, THAT I HAVE TRIED, THAT ACTUALLY WORKED. THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!
I never comment on recipes, but I am in the process of making this one right now and I just wanted to say the 2 tsp of curry powder really makes the recipe for me. It reminds me more of the Boudin SF butternut squash soup. . .which I actually prefer. Looking forward to the finished product.
Thanks for the great recipe, my boyfriend should love it.
I just wanted to drop you a line to say that I made this soup last night. We didn’t try it then because it was meant for lunch today. This afternoon I received a text from my husband saying how much he liked it! Which is a rare thing because he normally doesn’t text about lunch. So he actually loved it. Then just now I had my own bowl of soup and man, was it good! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I love how easy it is to make. 🙂
Thanks so much for your comment!!!! I’m so glad that you guys loved the soup as much as I do; which reminds me, I need to cook some up soon! 😉
Great recipe- The best copy cat, and by far the healthiest one of all. I roasted apples, onioins, and squash all together and blend it in a nutri bullet with the stock. Also added red pepper flakes for added heat- Love it- keep up the good work!!
I added about 1/4 cup of cream to this substituting for half of the almond milk and it came out AMAZING. The squash I bought was way too big, so looks like I’ll be making this again real soon!!
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m glad that you loved as much as I do!
Hello,
Is there a recipe posted that I missed?
I can’t see it either. I’ve made it before and it’s fantastic, but this time I don’t see the recipe. 🙁
Blog is all fixed now…. so sorry for any inconvenience.
Sorry for any inconvenience…. the blog is fixed now and you should be able to view the recipe.
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing!! I’m sharing your recipe/website with everyone! I’ve had Panera’s soup twice this month. Your version tastes better and I think healthier. Do you have a recipe for Black Bean soup?
Thanks so much, Cathy!!! I don’t have a black bean soup recipe, yet, but I do love the recipe from detoxnista.com. I reference it here… https://www.kimscravings.com/2013/09/11/what-i-ate-on-the-conscious-cleanse-round-2/
I am so glad I found your recipe! I just made this and it was delicious (not to mention healthy and low calorie). I didn’t have any curry powder so I just used pumpkin spices. Next time I make it I will be sure to have the curry powder. Now I’m off to look at your other recipes. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!! Hope you find something else that you like!
I can’t stop thinking about Panera Bread’s autumn squash soup! When my four boys are at school I would sneak out for lunch to satisfy my craving. But it is expensive, and, I’m lactose intolerant so I would regret it later! Your recipe was perfect! Now I have a stash in my freezer for when I just have to have some! I added a little honey to make it a little sweeter. I passed your recipe to my vegan friends, thanks! I’m going to try your other recipes now!
I love this! I don’t know if it’s because I used the unsweetened original almond milk instead of vanilla, or if I added too much curry, but mine was lacking in the sweetness area (or it’s just my sweet tooth lying to me again). So, I ended up adding a bit of real maple syrup. Thanks for the recipe!
Maybe your apples weren’t very sweet. Just a thought. 🙂
Yum! Thanks for the recipe. I made this for dinner tonight and my picky boyfriend even had some. I tweaked the recipe a bit and added a small can of pumpkin puree and it turned out amazing.
Yay…. I’m so glad that you guys liked the recipe!
I made this tonight and it was incredddddddible! Can’t wait for my leftovers tomorrow! 🙂
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the soup as much as I do!! Thanks so much for your comment!
I just made this for dinner tonight……Oh, am I in heaven! I also have a spaghetti squash and think this would be wonderful on top….THANKS & keep the great Fall eats coming 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad that you loved it. I agree, spaghetti squash would be a great topper!
Thanks for the recipe. I had the soup at Panera a few weeks ago and have been addicted since. I tried making my own version of it. It tasted great on its own, but was really nothing like the Panera bread recipe. I’ve actually had the soup at Panera few more times, to try and deconstruct what they’ve done. I never thought about the apples. I’ll need to try that ASAP, but I will say that I most definitely tasted cardamom in their soup. I noticed that you didn’t use cardamom in your recipe but rather a combination of curry powder and cinnamon, which may have brought a similar sweet and savory flavor.
Also, I was wondering about the use of almond milk. Is there a vegan/non-dairy way to bring up the viscosity/thickness of the soup? Weird question, I know… but I’ve been on a ~70% vegan diet (to lower my cholesterol), and have been trying to cut back on saturated fats. Would hate to have to cut the almond milk with heavy cream.
Anyway. Great recipe, I’ll try it out tomorrow.
Even with the use of almond milk, the soup was super thick. I think just from the squash. No need to cut the almond milk… it’s vegan and I didn’t use any heavy cream.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I do want to add pumpkin to the recipe though, would you have an idea of how to incorporate that into the ingredients?
I would replace 1-2 cups of the butternut squash with pumpkin. I hope you love it!
I absolutely love the Autumn Soup from Panera and I am so excited because this recipe really comes close to the original. I purchased organic Balti Curry from Wholefoods and I used 1 teaspoon. I think this was the perfect amount. This was also the first time I used curry OR coconut oil. (Used refined exeller pressed coconut oil — again Wholefoods– and it didn’t have any coconut taste at all). This is a wonderful recipe!! Thank you!
Thanks so much for your comment!! I’m so glad that you loved the soup as much as I did. Great to know 1 tsp of curry did the trick. 😉
Thanks for the recipe! I also found your blog while searching for a copycat recipe for the Panera version. I made this on Sunday and I also had a curry issue. I am not sure why but mine was very strong with the curry. I think next time I will reduce to 1/2 tsp!
Thanks for sharing and re-creating recipes. I have wasted endless hours on your blog since I found it last week!!!
Thanks for letting me know… maybe I just like curry a whole lot. 🙂 I’ve edited the recipe to not include so much curry. Keep wasting time on the blog!!
I have been obsessed lately with the Autumn Squash Soup at Panera, so thanks for giving me a way to create for myself. I have a Fall-themed picnic coming up and this might just be my contribution.
My all-time favorite dish at Panera is their Chopped Chicken Cobb with Avocado salad – oh my gosh, so yummy!!!
That would be perfect! I love the chopped chicken cobb salad too!
hope you don’t mind but i linked to you to share your awesome recipe in my own blog!
http://midnightmindness.blogspot.com/2013/10/panera-vegetarian-autumn-squash-soup.html
Not at all…. thanks for sharing!
Love the Panera version so much that I searched til I found your recipe and can’t wait to try it. I’m allergic to coconut so will replace the oil with another (olive oil?). Thank you for putting this out there.
I hope you love it as much as I do! I think olive oil would work perfectly.
Made this yesterday and it was very, very good. My curry powder may be more potent than yours, as the final product was heavy on curry flavor – spicier than the Panera version, so I will reduce next time. It is a wonderful recipe – my new favorite, and my husband loves it too!
My curry was a little old, so you may be right. I’ve edited the recipe to not include so much curry. Thanks so much for your comment and I’m glad that you liked it despite the strong curry flavor. 😉
Thank you for your response. I do love curry, but I really wanted a recipe that tastes like Panera’s because I like the complexity of the flavors. I have another butternut squash soup recipe that is heavy on curry and it’s yummy, but I value this recipe because of all the flavor nuances 🙂
Anyway, I made it again today and cut the curry in half and I think it’s a wonderful result. The other thing that I love about this recipe is that it tastes great but doesn’t have nearly the fat that the Panera version has. Little did I know that each of their servings has 18 grams of fat. Hasn’t kept me from stopping in to have it though 🙂
I had this soup for lunch today, and I believe I may have developed an immediate addiction. 🙂 Found your blog when I searched for a recipe to replicate the Panera soup. Thank you so much for taking the time to come up with a healthier (and I have no doubt just as tasty) version. Looking forward to preparing it myself!
I hope you love it as much as I do! Do let me know what you think, if you get a chance to make it.
I love the soba noodle and shrimp salad from panera! Must make an at-home copycat recipe 🙂 I didn’t pack my lunch for today so I’m going to stop by panera and see if they have this soup! I’d make it but I won’t have time before I fly to minneapolis 🙁 One I’m back though!
I need to give that salad a try…. sounds good!
YUMMY- I love panera black bean soup and right now I am all about soup and crusty bread! Need to make this
I do too! If you like a sweeter soup, this one is really delicious too!
Love how hearty and delicious this one looks and love the idea of having apples in it 🙂
Thanks! The apples are great because they give it a slightly sweeter taste.
Ohmigosh, Kim, THANK YOUUUUU! I love love love that soup at Panera. One bite in, I was planning to google copycat recipes (but then forgot until seeing this post). 🙂 Can’t wait to try this!!
I hope you get a chance to give it a try!!
That looks awesome Kim! I had the butternut squash soup at Panera when we were all in Minneapolis and I really, really liked it. I love the apple addition!
Thanks, Sam!
I just made a butternut squash soup also, but it has red lentils as well. I love bns and really want to try this soup, thanks!
Yum…. that sounds really good too!
I have never tried the Panera version, but this sounds amazing!! I LOVE that it is vegan, too! 🙂
It’s really tasty if you like a slightly sweeter soup. Goes great with crusty bread. 😉
Looove the bowl it’s in and the soup looks delicious too 🙂
Thanks, Jessie. I got a really good deal on the bowls at Micheal’s.
This looks amazing! Love the apple added in there too. I bet it makes it amazingly sweet 🙂
Thanks, Danielle! It does!
Mmmm your squash soup looks DELICIOUS! I’ve never really eaten at Panera Bread before but every time I walk by I think “Maybe I should eat there one time…” haha. Not good for their business I guess! I remember one time I even walked in to look at what they had… but still didn’t buy. Ah well!
Haha…. you need to give it a try! They have really good sandwiches, soups and salads and if you’re living on the wild side, their cookies and pastries are to die for! 😉
I love the combination of apples and squash in soup, and yours came out looking amazing — sooo creamy and decadent. I’ve never been to Panera so I can’t speak to their soups, but one thing that I’d really love to recreate is the burrito bowl from Chipotle — I need some way to kill the cravings while Chipotle takes its sweet time getting up here!
That’s a great idea!!!
I love butternut squash soup and we just had some last week that was really good. I’m going to have to try this one though with the apples, great idea!
I saw your butternut squash and it looked wonderful!
Oh my, that Panera soup is SO delicious! I’m pinning this recipe right now!
Hope you love it as much as I do!
I’m loving all the squash soup recipes lately!! They are perfect for the fall. I’ve never had the Panera bread but my co workers go all the time. I should definitely try it out!
You so should…. it’s really good and they offer such a variety.
I love squash soup! I actually posted a recipe really similar to this one on my blog today too. I haven’t been to Panera in far too long, I didn’t even know they had a squash soup on their menu.
Great minds think alike!!
Oh that sounds amazing! It’s a squash soup kind of day it seems 🙂
It’s raining here and getting cold (9° Celsious, eek!) so this would be so perfect!
I had an Eggplant Lasagne on vacation and I NEED to remake it, it was SO good!
Lots of squash soups being posted today! Love soup or chili on a cold rainy day. Eggplant lasagna is so good…. you should totally create a recipe for it.
Between this recipe & your ab recipe you linked to my post yesterday, you’ve become my idol! I was JUST telling my mom on Monday how I miss Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup we ate before Joshua & I’s flight left that evening. Now I just need to find some butternut squash & I’m golden!
p.s. I’m making your ab tomorrow once I pick up some almonds. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Haha…. you’re too funny! I hope you love the almond butter recipe…. and I hope you come across some butternut squash!