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.
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.
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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.
How to Make Panera Autumn Squash Soup
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1
First, prepare the vegetables. Then add all of the ingredients (minus milk) to slow cooker.
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2
Stir ingredients together, cover, and cook in a slow cooker/crockpot for 5 hours on LOW or 3 hours on HIGH.
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3
When soup is finished cooking, use a hand-immersion blender or high-powered blend and puree soup until a smooth consistency.
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4
Serve with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, and additional seasonings.
Extra Soup Tips
Our Favorite Hand-Held Blender
velvety soup in seconds
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.
If you click this link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.- 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.
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:
- 30-Minute Leek and Potato Soup
- Creamy Roasted Broccoli and Cheese Soup
- Healthy Tomato Basil Soup
- Healthy Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
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
- 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.
- Cook: Add all of the ingredients (except coconut milk) to slow cooker/crockpot – vegetable broth, onion, garlic, 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.
- Puree soup: after soup has cooked, use a hand-immersion blender or high-powered blender to blend soup until creamy and smooth.
- 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.
First of all, I doubled the recipe. I used two bags of refrigerated, cut up squash and roasted in the oven with the carrots, onion garlic. added to a pot on the stove with the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for an hour and then put in my vita mix to blend. It was delicious! I always roast my vegetables for soups. It totally enriches the flavor.
So sorry to hear!
I love the Autumn Squash soup at Panera, and this tastes exactly like it! We loved it.
This recipe was easy to follow and make. I learned I am not a butternut squash soup person, added butter and brown sugar still wasn’t the biggest fan. However, everyone I served it to loved it. Sometimes it is about making others yummy food I guess! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for sharing Rachael, I’m glad your guests enjoyed it!
This is the absolute best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. I made it as written except doubled the cayenne. Soooo good. I freeze it for easy to grab lunches.
Thank you so much, Miriah! Love to hear it!
What is the serving size?
Hi Stephanie, the serving is roughly measured around a cup size!
I followed this exactly and it was pretty awful. It was completely lacking in flavor. I’ve never reviewed a recipe before, but this was so off it needed to be said.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! I’m not sure what went wrong, but I apologize!
What volume of soup does this make? (Asking so I know how large of a container I need to store it in the fridge)
I just made this soup and loved it. My husband did too and I didn’t tell him it was vegetarian! I used low sodium stock, adding all four cups and used the whole can of pumpkin. I had a pretty large squash so I thought it was good to add the extra. Used brown sugar and probably a little extra cinnamon and pepper as I didn’t measure those. I opted to not add the coconut milk in the whole soup, instead adding some to each bowl. It’s great with and without it and I used a low-fat version. This soup is pretty close to Panera’s and a lot healthier!
Absolutely delicious and VERY easy! Tried the Autumn Squash Seasonal soup @ Panera Bread and just had to have a recipe! My husband loved it! And this is perfect for gluten free, dairy free eating!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! I love the silky, melt in your mouth texture. I did add a chopped Granny Smith apple and some curry powder like some other recipes, and sautéed the onion, apple and garlic before adding it to the crockpot. Then cooked the rest on low for 5 hours. Thank you for a great, easy recipe!
Thanks so much, Sydney! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Curry powder is a great addition to this soup too!
Made this for a potluck and it was a big hit. I did up the sugar a bit, but I appreciate that it started out on the less sweet side. Thanks Bethany!
Thank you, Colleen! That’s wonderful to hear. Thanks so much for sharing!
Tried this recipe and loved it. It was really flavorful, smooth and delicious. Easy to make, great for a fall or winter nights dinner.