Panera Bread’s Broccoli Cheese Soup is always a treat. Usually, the only time I have this soup is when I’m meeting a friend for lunch. Good memories, good friends, good food, what more could you ask for? I began experimenting with different broccoli cheese soup recipes, mixing them together, adding and subtracting ingredients, to create a Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe that would be just as good-or even better-than the original. This soup meets all the qualifications; thick, rich, and cheesy.

Copycat Panera Bread Soup Recipe

Serve this soup with crusty bread, a half of a sandwich, or a salad to feel just like you’re at Panera. This is a good dish to serve guests because it’s quick, easy, and wonderful for potlucks. You’ll bring home an empty bowl.

How to Make a Quick Roux

The traditional “roux” is found in Creole and Cajun cooking. It usually includes a fat, either butter or olive oil, mixed with flour. This mixture is cooked over low heat, stirred constantly by hand, and cooked for 30 to 40 minutes until it turns a deep brown. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to make the quick version that takes around 5 minutes. Here’s how:

• In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring continuously, for two to three minutes, or until the mixture makes a paste. This is the basic “roux” mixture.
• Add the chicken broth slowly, stirring well after each addition to prevent clumps from forming. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. This allows the soup to thicken.

Good Additions and Substitutions:

• Replace the frozen broccoli with frozen cauliflower.
• To prepare a gluten-free version of this dish, replace the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of gluten-free all-purpose baking flour.
• If you prefer thicker chunks of broccoli in your soup, either puree half of the broccoli in the recipe and chop the rest into 1/2 inches pieces or chop all of the broccoli into 1/2 inch pieces.
• To prepare a vegetarian version of this soup, substitute the chicken broth with an equal amount of vegetable broth.
• You can use fresh broccoli in the soup but it will require a longer cooking time.

Good Toppings

Use any (or all) of the following:

• cooked crumbled bacon
• additional cheese-preferably a sharp blend, like sharp cheddar, parmesan, or asiago
• chopped green onions
• garlic and cheddar croutons or croutons of your choice (you can find our recipe for easy homemade croutons here)

Can you freeze the Broccoli-Cheddar Soup?

Unfortunately, soups with dairy products do not do well frozen as they tend to change the texture and to separate. Place this soup in an airtight storage container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Printable Recipe

Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

Recipe by Pam

Servingsservings

Prep timeminutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calorieskcal

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided into 2 equal portions

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 (14.5-ounces each) cans chicken broth

• 1 (12-ounce) package frozen broccoli

• 2 carrots, shredded

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste)

• 1 teaspoon regular mustard, optional

• 1 (15-ounce) can prepared cheese dip, like Cheez-Whiz or Tostino’s Cheddar Dip OR use 2 cups Processed Cheese, cut into small cubes (like Velveeta)

Directions

• In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and place the onion mixture in a small bowl.
• Return the skillet to heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly, until the mixture makes a paste. Pour in the chicken broth slowly, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
• Puree the broccoli in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, carrot, salt, pepper, and ground mustard to the soup. Stir until blended.
• Add the half-and-half, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the processed cheese or the cheese dip. Simmer, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

This copycat Panera Bread soup is a great way to end a cold winter day, but it’s good enough to eat any day of the year. What is your favorite copycat recipe? If you’ve tried the soup, let us know. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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