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
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!
Can I freeze it?
Can this soup be frozen
What is the serving size? 2 cups?
Absolutely Delish!! I have never made broccoli soup before but I would have to say it was the best I’ve ever had! Thank you for sharing ☺️
Excellent recipe. Will it freeze??
Excellent soup You’re right need to make more next time First time making the Broccoli cheese soup.
I love this recipe. Tastes just like Panera…only maybe even better! So easy to make.
So happy to hear it!!!
I made this soup tonight. We all absolutely love it!!! Thank you so much. This recipe is a keeper for sure!! 😁🥰
Excellent recipe and I have using a very similar one for over 30 years. Whole family loves it, especially my husband! He wants leftovers as he will eat this for breakfast too. I use products that already have sodium in them, like regular butter and chicken stock so I don’t add any more sodium. I have always believed that people should add according to their own liking. I do not like excessive sodium so except for mashed potatoes, I usually never add any extra. Unfortunately it has a lot of carbohydrates so I seldom eat it! I am one of those ol’ carb counting insulin dependent diabetics, NOT using the Keto diet trend. The number of my insulin injections and amount is ruled by number of carbs that I consume, each meal, so I carefully choose which foods that I am willing to use my prescribed carbs on. Sometimes I have to just thin it down a little so I can enjoy!
Made this soup just now. Very easy to make.
Amazingly delicious
Thank you for the recipe
I just made a pot of this soup. Followed the recipe. It turned out thick as can be. Tastes good but pretty inedible as thick as it is. Should I use broth to thin it out? I figured that’s the thinnest consistency. Please let me know so I don’t have to throw the whole pot away. Thanks
I would recommend instead of using one cup of milk and one cup of heavy cream, just use two cups of whole milk. Also, instead of using 1 1/2 cups of broth, up it to two cups of broth. That might help 🙂
I doubled this recipe & still had to add 3 more cups of broth just to get it to a thinner consistency because I also thought it was extremely thick following the recipe. Adding the extra broth actually made it have a velvety texture. Tasted very good!
Yes. It came out pasty after cooling and very thick. I had to add milk when went to heat it later for dinner to thin it out. Needs more liquid- and less flour!!
Thank you for this broccoli cheese soup recipe! I made a pot last night (it’s gone) and will be making more tonight!
I have been making a super cheaters version of this soup. I make a combo cream of potato broccoli version. Go to store and buy one can each Cream of mushroom, Cream of Celery, Cream of chicken. Add whole milk to soups until desired thickness. Dice potatoes very tiny and broccoli florets. Fry bacon strips to crumble for garnish. Cook veggies in a little water before adding soups. Lastly add cheddar and jack cheese to bottom of bowl and pour hot soup over cheese and bacon. Garnish with cheese and bacon. I serve with cheese filled crescent rolls.
This is crazy delicious, cheap and satisfying. To cut salt content, buy Campbell’s Heart Healthy soups
Gross. All those canned soups render it 1. Filled with preservatives, sodium and garbage. 2. Does not constitute a ‘home made’ soup. It totally defeats the purpose. Yuck.
Awesome soup! I usually make just broth and veg but thought I would try something different. I ended up using beef bone broth since it was all I had on hand. Thanks for this recipe!
I made this soup today. I had done fresh broccoli that needed to be used. I LOVE this recipe!
Wonderful soup. It went together so easily. I had everything prepped ahead of time and BOOM !!
I used mostly med cheddar cheese but then added a handful of Monterey jack just for the heck of it.
What type of cheddar is best to use? Mild, medium, or sharp?
My family prefers a sharp cheddar!
This is exactly what I thought too. Make a roux, THEN add liquids. Can’t wait to try!
I have to know where you got those darling bowls! Also, the soup was amazing. Thanks!
Cost Plus World Market 🙂
Any chance this could be adapted for the Instant Pot??
I already have an Instant Pot version…just go in my search on my page and type instant pot broccoli soup 🙂
This is very good. I added a little more cream and chicken broth. If you have more than two people you need to double it. I added cheddar and bacon to the very top when I served it.