Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup is comfort food at its best and tastes just like Panera. This soup is an easy dinner that hits the spot and quick enough for a weeknight.
This broccoli cheese soup competes for the #1 soup recipe on this blog with this crockpot potato soup.
BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
I know this Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe has made the rounds around the blogs but my job is to share recipes that I really love and this is one of them.
The reason I know that this recipe tastes just like the delicious Broccoli Cheddar soup at Panera is because I ate this at least once a week during my last pregnancy.
It was the ONLY thing that I looked forward to eating and I’m sure the peeps at Panera knew me by name. They serve this Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup with a warm crusty baguette. Oh my goodness.
It almost makes me want to get pregnant again.
I once was in charge of making soup for 250 women. Guess which soup went first? Nope. Not the chicken noodle.
Yes, you guessed it. The Broccoli Cheddar soup. I mean who doesn’t like broccoli and cheese? Not only is it a healthy broccoli cheese soup recipe, it’s only 417 calories a serving.
You’ll need about 3 cups of broccoli chopped into bite sized pieces. You’re supposed to julienne a carrot. I cook a lot and I do not have the patience to do that.
They sell “matchstick” carrots in the produce section. Save yourself some sanity and time and just buy those.
It’s important to use sharp cheese here in this Panera’s Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe as it gives it more flavor than a milder cheese.
Then eat a couple of bowls of this delicious broccoli cheddar soup. After all, it is the first day of fall today.
Is this Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar Soup gluten-free?
Part of the thickening agent in this soup is the flour in the roux. There’s only 1/4 cup and you can definitely leave it out but your soup will not be as thick.
You can thicken it at the very end if needed by creating a cornstarch slurry.
Add a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to a small bowl and add water until it forms a paste. Whisk in this mixture at the end of cooking to thicken up the soup.
HOW TO MAKE PANERA’S BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
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Met the 1/4 cup butter and sautee the onions in it until soft. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
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Whisk in the half & half and chicken stock.
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Add the broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
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Add salt and pepper. You can leave the soup chunky or blend about 1 cup of the soup and stir it in for a smoother soup (that’s what I do). Return to low heat and add the cheese. If your heat is too high your soup can get grainy. Stir in the nutmeg if desired.
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Serve with crusty bread.
OTHER SOUP RECIPES:
- Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Easy Tomato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sausage and Tomato Cauliflower Soup
- Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Egg Drop Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 medium chopped onion
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 lb broccoli, (about 3 cups), chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 cup carrot, , julienned (can buy matchstick carrots in produce section)
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, (optional but brings out the flavor)
- 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, (2 cups)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt the 1/4 cup butter and sautee the onions in it until soft. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Whisk in the half & half and chicken stock.
- Add the broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
- Add salt and pepper. You can leave the soup chunky or blend about 1 cup of the soup and stir it in for a smoother soup (that's what I do). Return to low heat and add the cheese. If your heat is too high your soup can get grainy. Stir in the nutmeg if desired.
- Serve with crusty bread.
I love soups. Even in the summer. The first time I made this to the directions and found it to be too cheesey, if that is possible, hence the four stars. I used extra sharp cheese. I LOOOOVE cheese too so I find it odd that I am mentioning it to be too cheesey. I made it a second time and cut the cheese quantity in half. I also reduced the 1/2 + 1/2 to one cup, and then used 1 cup heavy cream. PERFECTION! I used low sodium chicken stock and let people add s+p to taste. This is my go to recipe from now on. I’ve been searching for years for a good broccoli cheddar soup and you cracked the code! I don’t know why other people are having issues with their veggies. Mine were perfect and tender. I would recommend to those people having veggie issues is to add the dairy last, and to cook the broccoli on medium in the chicken stock. Adding the dairy last will prevent it from scolding when cooking at medium. Add the cheese, stir to melt, then serve.
This recipe is so infuriating. Followed the directions to a tee – but the broccoli and carrots were absolutely rock hard after 25 min on low. I even cut them in very very small pieces. I have now upped the heat and been cooking this for 2 hrs and the vegetables are STILL hard. Are you joking??? We are absolutely starving and waiting around for this soup to cook is maddening. Do not follow this recipe if you ever want to actually eat it bc it never cooks.
I don’t know what kind of veggies you used, but that’s not normal 🤷
I buy a head of broccoli and chop it myself and use a cheese grater to shred the carrots. It takes about 15 minutes for it to finish but I let the liquid thicken before I put those in for about 6-8 mins.
Sorry I have no idea why the veggies are still hard. That is very strange
“Bite-size pieces”. My suggestion woukd be to chop the brocoll a little smaller, and julienne the carrots finer ( there a numerous instructional videos on YouTube on how to julienne carrots, I do them super small for this recipe. I bring to a low boil on slightly higher heat, then turn the heat down to medium-low, just to a gentle bubble, and check/stir frequently. Hope you will try again, because this soup is fabulous.
This is an amazing soup recipe. I doubled it, or fed our family of 7 plenty and we used the last bit of leftovers on a baked potato 😋 yum!!
happy to hear that
I would absolutely recommend NOT cooking this on low for 20-25mins. The broccoli was still hard and not cooked…and let’s not mention all the carrots which took over the soup! The flavor was nonexistent and had to add a ton of pepper/salt to make it edible. We had French bread to help us get through this awful disaster. We will not be cooking this again nor adding this to our rotation of things to cook for dinner.
I can already see what kind of cook you are, this soup cannot be spoiled, it is delicious if you can season it well.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes!
Forgot to drop 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you!
I would rename this BETTER THAN Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup! Delicious.
MAKE IT!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So very good.
This soup is absolutely wonderful. I’ve made it many many times and I always have to double it because it’s so delicious! I use heavy cream instead of half and half to make it a little richer. Otherwise it is perfect as is!
Thank you!
Forgot to give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you!!!!
I am not sure what some in the comments are doing wrong, but this soup is perfection. Tonight is the second time I’ve made it and really the only thing different I do is double it because it’s so good. Lol I do use extra sharp block cheddar (just what I prefer) and grate it myself. The chicken stock I use is the Better Than Bouillon base. And I omit the carrots because I’m not a huge fan. Maybe trying different brands of cheese and stock will help! But this is fantastic and is just like Panera’s! Great recipe ♥️
Is there any way to cut down on the sodium?
I like to use low sodium chicken broth, but the store may even carry no sodium.
I always use low-sodium better than bouillon base.
Very tasty! Definitely had to cook for longer than 20 minutes. But it was worth it!
I noticed some of the comments about cooking the broccoli first, I didn’t find that necessary. If you cut the broccoli pieces small enough it works out perfect. The liquid ratio was perfect, flavor was great. I did add a bit of cayenne, fresh thyme, paprika and a bit extra black pepper. You HAVE to cook the flour for a couple of minutes to get it a bit thicker, just like stated in the recipe. Delicious!
Thank you Tracy!
My daughter recommended we have this tonight and it was great.
Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
I made this soup tonight and it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing this with us!
You’re welcome Gloria!
Made this tonight, super yummy and easy to prepare. Will be adding to my regular recipes!
Thank you!
Wonderful soup, I leave out the onion, but it’s sooooo good.
Thank you!
Recipe is great! Can confirm though that soup will take HOURS to make if you don’t pre cook the broccoli and carrots before adding them. Soup was still cold after the 25 minutes recommended cook time at low heat. Kept it at medium and the vegetables did not soften until almost hour 3 of cook time. Recipe tastes great, really recommend it, but calculate in ALOT of cook time if you follow word for word like I did.
I just made this delicious soup and I recommend it wholeheartedly. The directions must be followed with the roux or the soup will taste like flour. I am delighted with the creamy texture this recipe produces. This soup is easy to make. I had my ingredients prepped and ready and it was a breeze. I used julienne carrots, purchased at the grocery store. I finely chopped the broccoli crowns and my veggies were perfectly cooked. I also used my immersion blender about 10 minutes before cooking time was up and made the soup as smooth as my family desired- this along with the small size of my veggies contributed to them being cooked on time. My soup was creamy, delicious and flavorful- using the ingredients listed and served with garlic sticks, fresh from the oven. This soup will be made often in our home.
Thank you for this recipe, it is wonderful!!
You’re welcome!
Sorry mine never takes that long. 3 hours for veggies to soften sounds like something is wrong
Delicious! Does it freeze well?!
Yes!
Omg so very good. I did not blend mine and used extra shape cheese. Perfection indeed
Thank you!
Would’ve been 5 stars in my book, except in m my opinion , it should direct to cook veggies first, then adding milk. I actually add a healthy pouring of heavy cream in mine. I also take a bit out, blend it, and add it back in. Delicious!!!
Can you use gluten free flour to thicken it?
Yes, or xanthum gum
i added some bacon pieces on top, it added a lovely flavour to it.
I added a ton of extra cheese and more flour to get the right consistency for Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Very good base however.
Was delicious..but think cooking veggies before adding milk.would be better..carrots didn’t get soft at low heat
Yes definitely cook longer if they are not tender
Delicious.. i love the broccoli cheddar soup from Panera and it tastes just like it.. my only problem was I’d like to have it a little thinner. It was very thick. What can I add to thin it? Thanks
You can definitely add more chicken broth or milk
The soup part is good, but even leaving the broccoli and carrots cooking on low for an extra 5 minutes, they still weren’t soft. What should I do differently, or are they intended to be kind of firm?
No. they should be soft. Either up your heat just a bit or cook longer.
This is absolutely delicious but SUPER think. I followed the recipe perfectly. Is there a way to thin it? Should I just add more cream and broth? I know. Silly question, but I don’t want it mess up the flavor. It’s SO good!
Hi Tanya, I just made this recipe and it was thicker than I prefer as well. You can add more heavy cream for a creamier soup, or add more chicken stock for a thinner soup. I did about half a cup of chicken stock and it was perfect.
I know not everyone has one but I use my instant pot to get my veggies soft first.
Oh my gosh this was incredible!!! I actually just used an immersion blender on it and pulsed it a few times and the soup was perfect and still chunky! Made home made bread bowls with it and it just couldn’t have been better
Sounds delicious!
You said 8oz of cheddar but never said which stage to add it so I assumed it was when you add the cream and let it melt before adding broccoli and carrots. Save some of the cheese for garnish.
Step 4 says to return to heat and add the cheese.
Absolutely amazing! I didn’t have half and half cream so I substituted with light cream. I also added garlic, Thyme and celery to the recipe. Overall very good! Thankyou
You’re welcome!
Oh. My. God.
Delicious times a million!
THank you!