Fall into Autumn with our Panera's Autumn Squash Soup copycat recipe. It's a velvety smooth butternut squash soup with a warming blend of intriguing spices that will surprise you with facets of flavor!
The sprinkle of roasted Pepita seeds, swirl of cream, and smoked paprika take this hearty soup to a whole new epicurious level.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Panera Autumn Squash Soup is just the warm and satisfying meal you need to get through your hectic days. It's full of vibrant, warm flavors like butternut squash, a hint of curry, fragrant sage and nutmeg, and smoky paprika - it will instantly soothe both your stomach and spirit.
Cook up a hearty bowl for lunch or dinner today to give yourself a much-needed break from all the hustle and bustle around you!
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Ingredients
With warm spices like curry, cinnamon, and nutmeg combined with autumn favorites such as squash and pumpkin, this soup is sure to become a much requested staple at all of your cozy dinners. Let's get started by gathering up all the delicious ingredients you'll need!
Ingredients needed to make Panera's Autumn Squash Soup:
- Butternut squash - fresh cut, frozen cubes. 6 cups is about 2½ lbs frozen, or 1 medium sized fresh butternut squash peeled, cored, and cut.
- Carrots -
- Pumpkin puree - any canned pumpkin, even Gerber Pumpin puree, you will only need ½ cup.
- Onion - diced.
- Leek - one leek, cut up the green part as well as the white.
- Garlic - one clove, minced or grated.
- Butter - you can also use any oil.
- Apple Juice - or Apple Cider.
- Broth - use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Brown Sugar - you can also use maple syrup.
- Cream - you can also use coconut milk, or any plant based milk or cream.
- Curry - use the typical yellow colored curry powder.
- Nutmeg - use ground nutmeg, or grate fresh from a whole nutmeg.
- Cinnamon - use regular Cassia cinnamon, it is better for savory cooking than sweeter Ceylon cinnamon.
- Cayenne - use ground cayenne pepper.
- Salt - salt to taste.
- Pepper - to taste.
- Pepita seeds - for garnish. Saute raw pepitas in a warm skillet with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and lightly toast first, then salt.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Panera's Autumn Squash Soup
Try out our copycat Panera's Autumn Squash Soup recipe! With an irresistible velvety texture and subtle sweetness made even more flavorful when topped off with roasted pepitas and sweet cream, you are sure to be delighted by this savory seasonal favorite. Comfort food never felt so good!
Step 1. Saute the Onion, Leek, and Garlic
Heat the butter or oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat on your stove top. Saute the onions, leek, and grated garlic until tender and soft.
Sprinkle in the curry powder, ground cinnamon, grated or ground nutmeg, and cayenne the last minute to cook the spices and bloom the spice flavors.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 2. Add the Butternut, Carrots, and Pumpkin
Add the butternut squash cubes, chunked carrots, and pumpkin puree to the pot.
Pro Tip: If you have the time, roasting the butternut squash cubes and carrot chunks will lend extra roasted caramelized flavor to your Autumn squash soup! Spread the cubes out on an oiled sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then add to your soup pot.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 3. Mix in the Broth and Simmer
Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth, apple juice, and the brown sugar. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the butternut squash and carrots are soft and tender.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 4. Puree and Finish with Cream
Using a stick blender on the low setting, puree the soup right in the pot until smooth and velvety. Stick blenders are very inexpensive, and much safer than using a blender.
Remove soup pot from the heat and stir in the heavy cream very last before serving. Garnish each serving with drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of toasted pepita seeds.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this copycat Panera Autumn squash soup with a crisp green salad like our 3-Ingredient Bagels or a Caesar Salad, and a chunk of crusty warm bread. This hearty butternut squash soup is also a great starter course for a meal of Herb Roasted Prime Rib, Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham, or a simple Chicken Salad Wrap.
For more favorite Panera soup copycats, see our Panera Tomato Soup, Panera Chicken Noodle Soup, and Panera Summer Corn Chowder recipes!
Variations
You can vary this Panera autumn squash soup recipe simply by increasing or decreasing the curry, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Vegan Butternut Soup - instead of sauteing the onions in butter, use olive oil. Instead of adding heavy cream at the end of the cook process, use coconut cream or coconut milk.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this dish.
- Dutch Oven
- Stick Blender (Emersion Blender)
Storage
Store leftover Paneras autumn squash soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Tips for Success
- To reduce sodium, use low sodium broth, no salt added broth, or make your own broth.
- Use homemade broth to elevate the flavor even more. I have an easy Instant Pot Chicken broth recipe that is perfect for many of my soup recipes also!
- Apple cider and apple cider vinegar are totally different ingredients. Be sure to use apple cider or apple juice only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it does! Store leftover cooled soup in an airtight container or freezer Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat.
Butternut squash is sometimes referred to as a starchy vegetable, just like potatoes, because it contains higher amounts of carbs than, say, broccoli or cauliflower. One cup of cubed butter squash has 16 grams of carbs, while the same serving of chopped broccoli has 6 grams.
Pepitas and pumpkin seeds seem so similar, you might think they are the same thing. But while they are not exactly the same, they are closely related. Pepitas have no shells and are a green shade. Pumpkin seeds are a tan with a hard shell.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Panera's Autumn Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups Butternut squash cubed, fresh or frozen - 1 medium butternut or 2½ lbs cubed.
- 3 large Carrots peeled, trimmed, chunked
- ½ cup Pumpkin puree from a can
- 3 tablespoon Butter or olive oil
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 medium Leek minced, both white and green top
- 1 clove Garlic grated or minced
- 1 cup Apple juice or apple cider
- 4 cps Broth chicken or vegetable
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Cream plus 1 tablespoon per serving to garnish with.
- ½ teaspoon Curry , ground
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon , ground
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg , ground
- ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne , ground
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Pepitas seeds for garnish
- smoked paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the butter or oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat on your stove top. Saute the onions, leek, and grated garlic until tender and soft.1 Onion, 1 medium Leek, 1 clove Garlic, 3 tablespoon Butter
- Sprinkle in the curry powder, ground cinnamon, grated or ground nutmeg, and cayenne the last minute to cook the spices and bloom the spice flavors.½ teaspoon Curry, ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne
- Add the butternut squash cubes, chunked carrots, and pumpkin puree to the pot.6 cups Butternut squash, 3 large Carrots, ½ cup Pumpkin
- Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth, apple juice, and the brown sugar. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper.1 cup Apple juice, 4 cps Broth, 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Salt, Pepper
- Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the butternut squash and carrots are soft and tender.
- Using a stick blender on the low setting, puree the soup right in the pot until smooth and velvety. Stick blenders are very inexpensive, and much safer than using a blender.
- Remove soup pot from the heat and stir in the heavy cream very last before serving. Garnish each serving with drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of toasted pepitas seeds and smoked paprika.½ cup Cream, Pepitas seeds, smoked paprika
Notes
- If you have the time, roasting the butternut squash cubes and carrot chunks will lend extra roasted caramelized flavor to your Autumn squash soup! Spread the cubes out on an oiled sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F. Then add to your soup pot.
- To reduce sodium, use low sodium broth, no salt added broth, or make your own broth. Our Instant Pot Chicken broth recipe is perfect for many of my soup recipes also!
- Apple cider and apple cider vinegar are totally different ingredients. Be sure to use apple cider or apple juice only.
Nutrition
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