Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup

This Panera autumn squash soup is the perfect fall recipe! It has a velvety smooth consistency, is made completely in a slow cooker, and is filled with some of the best fall produce.

Orange autumn squash soup in a white bowl with pumpkin seeds and cinnamon on top, with a spoon in the bowl. The bowl of soup is sitting on a wooden background with pumpkin seeds scattered and a napkin arranged next to it.

If you know me at all at this point, you know I love soup! I could eat it for every meal and be completely happy.

Soup is such a seasonal food and can be made year-round in so many different variations as the produce changes. And this butternut squash soup is perfect for the fall season! It’s filled with some of the best fall produce such as pureed pumpkin, butternut squash, carrots, and onions.

This recipe came about after trying Panera Bread’s classic squash soup. I thought it was too delicious to not try and whip up my own version of it!

The flavors of this recipe are sweet & savory, the consistency is perfectly creamy, and it’s all made easy in a slow cooker. You’ll find it not only delicious but very easy to make! All around a win-win situation.

Ingredients You Need

You’ll need just 10 ingredients to make this slow-cooker soup happen. Here’s everything you need: carrots, pureed pumpkin, vegetable broth, yellow onion, coconut sugar, salt & pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic cloves, coconut milk, and butternut squash.

Ingredients for butternut squash soup arranged on white counter.

How to Make Panera Autumn Squash Soup

  • First, prepare vegetables. Then add all of ingredients (minus milk) to slow cooker.
  • Stir ingredients together, cover, and cook in a slow cooker/crockpot for 5 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH.
  • When soup is finished cooking, use a hand-immersion blender or high-powered blend and puree soup until a smooth consistency.
  • Serve with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, and additional seasonings.

Extra Soup Tips

Tip
hand immersion blender

velvety soup in seconds

Our Favorite Hand-Held Blender

Save yourself the hassle of having to transfer your hot soup into a blender. This hand-held immersion blender is SO easy to use and safely blends your soup right in the pot within seconds! We use it in soups, sauces, and so much more.

  • Use homemade broth: whenever I have it on hand, I love using homemade vegetable broth in this recipe to elevate the flavor even more.
  • Use a blender to puree soup: if you don’t have a hand-immersion blender, use a high-powdered blender to puree the soup (you may have to do several batches depending on the size).
  • Additional spices you can add: to add a little bit more herbs and spices to your soup we recommend a pinch of curry powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, or ground ginger.

A hand holding a spoon in a bowl of orange autumn squash soup that's in a white bowl. The soup is sitting on a wooden background with pumpkin seeds and a napkin arranged around it.

How to Store Leftovers & Freeze

Keep leftovers fresh: store soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days for ultimate freshness.

Freeze: store cooled soup in an airtight container or freezer-friendly ziplock bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat.

Serving Suggestions

This soup goes wonderfully with homemade bread – like our no-knead cranberry walnut bread or cinnamon raisin! You can also serve it with a seasonal fall salad like our Apple Pomegranate Harvest Salad or Warm Brussels Sprout Salad – you can’t go wrong with either!

Other Delicious Soups to Try:

If you tried this Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup recipe or any other recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more crave-worthy content.

A white bowl on a brown wooden board with orange butternut squash soup in it with pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.

Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup

4.8 from 44 votes

This Panera autumn squash soup is the perfect fall recipe! It has a velvety smooth consistency, is made completely in a slow cooker, and is filled with some of the best fall produce.

Servings 6 people
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 hrs
Total Time: 5 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Tags: butternut squash soup, panera autumn squash soup, slow cooker butternut squash soup
Freezer Friendly: Yes
Calories: 102 kcal
Author: Bethany Kramer

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1 medium-large butternut squash peeled and cubed
  • 2-3 carrots peeled and chopped (or a little over 1 cup)
  • 1/2 15 oz. can organic pumpkin puree
  • 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch of cayenne *optional
  • pumpkin seeds for topping *optional

Instructions

  1. Prepare vegetables: peel squash and cut into 1-2 inch cubes. Cut heads of carrots off and slice into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Peel onion and slice into pieces.

  2. Cook: Add all of the ingredients (except coconut milk) to slow cooker/crockpot – vegetable broth, onion, squash, carrots, pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pinch of cayenne, and salt & pepper. Mix ingredients together. Set slow cooker time for 5 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH.

  3. Puree soup: after soup has cooked, use a hand-immersion blender or high-powered blender to blend soup until creamy and smooth.

  4. Season to taste and serve: before serving soup, taste it and adjust with salt & back pepper or additional spice if desired. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut milk and then serve with pumpkin seeds, cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of coconut sugar if desired.

Notes

Keep leftovers fresh: store soup in airtight container in fridge for 3-4 days for ultimate freshness.

Freeze: store cooled soup in an airtight container or freezer-friendly ziplock bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat.

Nutrition Facts
Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 102 Calories from Fat 5
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.6g1%
Saturated Fat 3.6g18%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 746.2mg31%
Potassium 7mg0%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 2.6g10%
Sugar 8.6g10%
Protein 1.5g3%
Vitamin A 93IU2%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Bethany Kramer

Bethany Kramer is the cook and photographer behind A Simple Palate. She found a deep love for food and nutrition after learning to cook from her mom at eight years old. Since then she’s been developing and sharing recipes from her own kitchen that are bold in flavor and nourishing to the body!

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