This copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe, loaded with tender broccoli florets, shredded carrots, and onions, makes the perfect comfort food for chilly days. Even better, now you can make it at home so you can enjoy it any time the craving strikes.
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If you’ve never experienced the delicious flavors of Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup, then you have been missing out! Each bite is so rich, flavorful, and packed with pieces of broccoli and the sharp tang of cheddar cheese. Oh, I love it. It’s one of my favorite things to order when we go to Panera.
It took several attempts to make this copycat recipe for Panera cheddar broccoli soup! But I’ve finally hit the mark. It has the same texture and flavor as the original, and I think it might even taste a little bit better.
It starts with a creamy base for the soup. Then, we add in sharp cheddar cheese, broccoli, and carrots, along with some onion and a kick of Slap Ya Mama sauce for just a touch of spice. All of it comes together to create a rich, creamy, and oh, so cheesy broccoli soup that will have everyone begging for more.
Love the creamy flavors of cheese and broccoli? You’ve got to try this broccoli, cheddar, and potato soup next!
Why You Will Love This Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
- Make Homemade Instead of Takeout. Instead of taking a drive to the closest location to indulge in a bowl of Panera soup, now you can enjoy it at home. A budget-friendly option to eating out or ordering takeout.
- Minimal Effort. This is an easy soup you can make in about 45 minutes using simple ingredients.
- Great Flavor and Texture. This cheddar broccoli soup hits all the high points! It’s creamy, thanks to the heavy cream and cheese, flavorful, and oh-so-satisfying!
Ingredients
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this delicious copycat recipe. Chances are, you have most or all of them in your kitchen already.
- Broccoli florets: Use fresh broccoli for the best flavor and texture. Make sure to cut them up into smaller pieces that can easily be eaten in a bite.
- Onion: Fresh onion is sauteed to give the soup more body and depth of flavor.
- Shredded carrots: Shredded carrots cook faster than diced and give the soup the signature texture of the original.
- Butter: Used for cooking the vegetables at the start. It’s richer in flavor than using oil, so it’s highly recommended not to swap it.
- All purpose flour: This creates a roux at the start of cooking which helps thicken the soup as it cooks.
- Vegetable broth: I’m using vegetable broth to keep this soup vegetarian but you can also use chicken broth or stock for similar results.
- Dairy: We will be using a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. This gives the soup its silky, thick texture. Using dairy with less fat will effect the outcome of the soup.
- Seasoning: I love adding a touch of Slap Ya Mama for a punch of spice along with salt and pepper to round things out.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: This cheese has a more robust flavor and tanginess. But it’s up to you, whether you choose mild cheddar to strong, extra sharp cheddar, you’ll still get that classic flavor, but it can be as mild or as bold as you want it to be.
Variations
It’s so easy to play with this recipe to create other delicious soups for your family. All it takes is a few tweaks in the ingredients or the way you serve it to really stretch out this recipe.
- Add Protein: This soup is so good as it is, but you can kick it up even more by adding your favorite protein to it. Consider adding in some shredded chicken, pork or beef. If you want to keep it vegetarian you can add in some white beans or chickpeas.
- Gluten Free: Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken soup without flour. Use a 1 to 1 ratio of cornstarch and cold water and blend it together well. Add this mixture along with the other ingredients when making the soup base. It will thicken as it cooks. You can always mix up another small amount of slurry at the end as well to thicken it up a bit more if needed.
- Use Frozen Broccoli: My preference is fresh but if you want to use frozen, it’s best to thaw it first. If you add the broccoli frozen to the soup it may take longer to cook and any ice crystals on the broccoli will add more liquid to the soup, chaing the consistency.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Making this delicious soup is just as easy as gathering up the ingredients for it. It only takes a few simple steps, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time.
- Step 1: Sautee Vegetables. Cook the the onions and carrots in melted butter in a large pot until the onions are tender.
- Step 2: Make the Soup Base. Sprinkle the vegetables with flour and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the vegetable broth, milk, heavy cream and seasonings to. the pot. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Step 3: Finish the Soup. Reduce the heat and add the broccoli to the pot. Simmer until the broccoli is tender. Add the cheese and stir until it’s melted. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper, to taste.
Expert Tips
This is a very simple recipe, but I do have some tips that will help you make it the best broccoli soup that it can possibly be.
- Preparing the Broccoli. Be sure to cut the stalks or stems off of the broccoli. These pieces won’t cook up as tender but you can save them to use in a stir fry or another dish later in the week. Cut the florets so that your broccoli pieces are all the same size for uniform cooking.
- Use Block Cheese. Use freshly shredded cheese from a block rather than pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded stuff has added ingredients to keep it from clumping which can interfere with how smoothly they melt.
- Skip the Low Fat. Whole milk and heavy cream are both preferred to lower-fat varieties. They give the soup its extra-rich texture and flavor.
What to Serve with Broccoli Cheese Soup
This soup is absolutely delicious, and it’s even better when you pair it with other tasty sides.
We love it in a bread bowl! Bread bowls are always a great choice for thick soups, especially this one. This broccoli cheese soup is even more delicious when it’s served up hot and steamy inside a big crusty bread roll.
Enjoy some bread on the side. Everything from garlic bread, homemade breadsticks, or a crusty loaf of bread.
Just like at Panera, it pairs great with a sandwich. Try it with a classic Club Sandwich or this juicy Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese.
It makes a great starter for meals served with your favorite dinner main dishes from chicken, to pork and beef. Dishes like this thin sliced chicken breast or sausage and potatoes sheet pan dinner pair well!
Storage
- Store: You can store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags.
- Reheat: Reheat individual bowls in the microwave or in a saucepan until hot, stirring frequently. If. thesoup is frozen, place it in the fridge overnight to thaw or simply place it fully frozen in a pot and heat it over medium-low heat until it defrosts and heats through.
Recipe FAQs
High-quality cheddar cheese is the way to go for any cheese-based soup. Sharp cheddar is my top recommendation to get that classic bold flavor. I also prefer using block cheese and grating it yourself for the ultimate creamy melted cheese.
This usually happens if you cook the soup on heat that’s too high. When this happens, the proteins in the soup compress and squeeze out the fat, leading to a grainy, curdled consistency. To prevent this from occuring, be sure to cook the soup at a low temperature. If your soup is too hot when you get ready to add the cheese, remove it from the heat for a couple minutes to let it cool slightly before you add the cheese.
Yes, of course! Cook the vegetables, broth, milk, and cream on low for four hours. Next, make a roux of flour and butter on the stovetop. Then, add the shredded cheese to the roux and stir until melted. Add the cheesy roux to the slow cooker, and cook on low until bubbly.
Yes, this works great. Saute the vegetables in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting as you would in a pan. Then, add the stock, vegetables, and seasonings and cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Use quick release and mix a roux of cornstarch and water. Set the Instant Pot to sauté, add the roux, and cook until the soup is bubbly and thickened. Turn of the Instant Pot and slowly stir in the cream and milk and then the cheese.
This tasty copycat Panera Bread® broccoli cheddar soup is so easy and so delicious, you need it in your life – even if you don’t know it yet. It’s a quick, hearty soup that will satisfy the entire family, and it goes so well with so many other dishes. Serve it up as a side or a main course! However you choose to serve it, I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again.
More Delicious Cheese and Broccoli Recipes
And, here is a delicious Ham Broccoli Rice Casserole from our other blog, Great Grub, Delicious Treats, that you might enjoy as well.
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Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Panera Copycat
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut into small pieces
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Slap Ya Mama
- 1½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onions and carrots and saute until onions are tender.
- Sprinkle flour over onions and carrots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Slowly pour vegetable broth, milk, heavy cream, and seasonings into the pan, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add broccoli.
- Cook until broccoli is tender, sprinkle with cheese, and stir until melted.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Preparing the Broccoli. Be sure to cut the stalks or stems off of the broccoli. These pieces won’t cook up as tender but you can save them to use in a stir fry or another dish later in the week. Cut the florets so that your broccoli pieces are all the same size for uniform cooking.
- Use Block Cheese. Use freshly shredded cheese from a block rather than pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded stuff has added ingredients to keep it from clumping which can interfere with how smoothly they melt.
- Skip the Low Fat. Whole milk and heavy cream are both preferred to lower-fat varieties. They give the soup its extra-rich texture and flavor.
