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Panera Autumn Squash Soup Recipe

Make this vegetarian Panera Copycat Autumn Squash Soup Recipe with butternut squash and pumpkin purée cooked in the Instant Pot, crockpot, or stovetop. It is creamy, hearty, and delish! Save big bucks by making yours at home… and shave off some calories too!

Prep Time
1 hr 10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 271 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ white onion diced
  • 1 granny smith apple peeled, cored, and diced
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash preferably roasted
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree canned
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt and pepper each
  • 2 tablespoon Pepitas roasted and salted

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel butternut squash with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove seeds and strings using a spoon or ice cream scoop and cut into ¾ to 1-inch cubes or chunks.
  2. (OPTIONAL) Roast squash: Place squash into a large baking sheet lined with foil for easy cleaning. Toss them with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper until coated. Bake in a 400 F (200 C) preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until almost tender. Reserve! For further instructions on how to prepare and roast butternut squash, check out our tutorial on how to cut and cook butternut squash.
  3. If making this autumn squash soup in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, press the sauté button and let it heat for about 4 minutes. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. Cancel the sauté function, lock the lid, secure the valve, and set to manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Depending on your pressure cooker, you may have to press the soup button and manually set it to 10 minutes. Once cooked, do a quick release.
  4. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or a kitchen blender until creamy and smooth. If you intend to freeze part of the soup for later use, separate the portion you want to freeze and only add cream once the soup is thawed and reheated. This will avoid developing an unpleasant texture.  But if you intend to consume the soup within the next 3 days, stir in honey, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pepitas on top.
  5. If making it on the stovetop, follow steps 1 and 2 (optional). Then, heat a pot over medium heat. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 15-18 minutes or until squash is tender. Then follow step 4.
  6. If making in the slow cooker, follow steps 1 and 2 (optional). Then, heat a no-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and sauté the onion and the apple for about 3 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add them to the crockpot as well as the (roasted) squash, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, curry, and broth. Stir to combine. Cover and set to high for 3-4 hours. Then follow step 4.

Notes

  • Storage
  • Store Autumn squash soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Because it has dairy (heavy cream), freezing is not recommended because it may turn grainy once thawed and reheated.
  • An alternative would be to separate the amount of soup you want to freeze and only add cream once the soup is thawed and reheated. If you follow this step, you can freeze the soup for up to 2 months. 
  • Either way, reheat soup over low heat on the stovetop, especially if it has cream.
  • Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Vegan?
  • On its website, Panera Bread lists sweet cream as one of the soup ingredients and states it is vegetarian. As Panera’s, our copycat recipe is not vegan either. But you can adapt the recipe and use dairy-free yogurt instead of heavy cream and also maple syrup instead of honey for a vegan version.  

Nutrition Information

Calories 271kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 29g (10%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Cholesterol 41mg (14%) Sodium 763mg (32%) Potassium 592mg (17%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 12g (24%) Vitamin A 23377IU (468%) Vitamin C 25mg (28%) Calcium 89mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271

% Daily Value*

Calories 271kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 29g 10%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 763mg 32%
Potassium 592mg 13%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 12g 24%
Vitamin A 23377IU 468%
Vitamin C 25mg 28%
Calcium 89mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.