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. 
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BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
This broccoli cheese soup competes for the #1 soup recipe on this blog with this crockpot potato 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 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 all made in one pot with simple ingredients.
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 on the stove-top 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 broth. You can also use heavy cream.
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Add the broccoli florets and carrots. Cook over medium-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 with an immersion blender 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:
- Lasagna Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Easy Tomato Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Sausage and Tomato Cauliflower Soup
- Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Chicken Stew
- Egg Drop Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 medium chopped onion
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 2 cups low-sodium 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)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, (optional but brings out the flavor)
- 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese, (2 cups)
- salt and pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt the 1/4 cup butter and sautee the onions in the butter 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. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.
- Add the broccoli and carrots. Cook over medium-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.
Video
Is that 8 oz or 16 oz of cheese?
It says 8 ounces in the recipe.
wouldn’t it make more sense to cook the broccoli in the stock and add the cream later. This would insure you don’t overcook the cream reducing the chance of curdling.
I’ve never had it curdle but you could definitely do that but I’m not sure it would be as thick if the cream didn’t reduce.
I swear I can taste white pepper in Panera Bread’s broccoli soup. Going to try your recipe but add a bit of white pepper on a spoonful. Has anyone tried white pepper in their recipe?
Definitely could be true.
I checked Panera’s website, and there is white pepper in the recipe.
I made the Broccoli Cheddar Soup and it was amazing and easy. You’re right, it is better than Panera!!
Aww thank you!
I made this recipe and substituted the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour because my boyfriend is gluten free. It was absolutely delicious!! I’ll definitely be making this again! It turned out perfectly and was very delicious!
So good to hear that gluten-free was a success!
Looks amazing! I’m confused though. It says 2 cups and 8 ounces. But 2 cups is 16 oz. How much should I be using? Thanks!
2 cups of cheese equals 8 oz.
This my favorite soup. Always delicious and perfect results every time.
Thanks Patti!
Just made this and it tastes great! Plz note that I can ruin anything, but this recipe was easy to follow and tastes amazing. I froze 6 small containers to take for lunch during our cold winters.
So awesome to hear that Stacy.
Best broccoli and cheese soup ever! And it doubles easily. Idk how I read it wrong but i thought it called for heavy cream,instead of half and half so that’s what I use.
Perfect! I’ve done it with heavy cream and half and half is better.
This soup did not taste good at all. I should have known when it appeared to be so simple and quick. Did not like the consistency or the flavor.
Sorry Melia. 300 people do not agree with you and love this.
To quote my husband, “This is better than Panera!”
The recipe is perfect! Thank you!
Awesome compliment.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
I don’t love frozen broccoli but you can.
This recipe is one of my favorites!
So glad you liked it!
Can you freeze the broccoli Cheddar soup?
I don’t love freezing soups with flour in them but that’s just me.
This was quite good! I like the addition of the carrots. I think next time I will reduce the amount of roux (flour/butter) and puree a bit more broccoli for thickness. Very good flavor. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
So glad you liked it!
Thanks for this. I had a recipe that called for milk and 1/2 and 1/2 (no stock). Very rich. No wonder I only made it once or twice. This is going to be much better. 🙂
Ha good to hear. Sometimes more cream isn’t good which you would think it would be.
Can you use heaving cream in place of half and half?
Yes, it will be a little richer. Or just make your own half and half with half milk/half cream.
1st and foremost… this recipe is awesome. I do add less cheese, but other than that, I follow it to a T and ALWAYS double the batch because it is literally gobbled up immediately.
I do have a question. If I am making it for a gathering tomorrow, should I still be adding the cheese today and then heating the whole thing up in a crock pot for tomorrow’s festivities??
How do you typically instruct people to serve this soup the day after??
Thanks!!!
I would definitely hold off on the cheese until tomorrow and you may need to add some liquid(milk) to thin it out.
This was OH so yummy! The whole family gobbled this up in 10 minutes! It’s a must try guys! & totally easy to follow. Thank you for this delicious recipe.
You’re welcome!
I’d work the carrots and broccoli more as to your recipe doesn’t clarify on the “softness” of the veggies.. steaming them would be a better option than just adding them. Plus it will take less time.
Yes, you should cook them until soft.
I made this today and it’s delicious!! I didn’t add or delete anything. This is a winner!!
Thank you!
I just made this today and it was delicious! So creamy and I will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed this!
I would triple this recipe if you are ACTUALLY TRYING TO SERVE SIX PEOPLE. The recipe says 6 servings, but I have a family of 6, 4 kids and 2 adults, was barely enough to feed the kids. Other than that, good recipe. But poor judgment on servings.
Sorry Adeana. Serving size is 1 cup so there are 6 cups. That’s where the info comes from.
This was absolutely the best! Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Today I made the Tomato soup and the Brocolli cheese soup, awesome we loved both, so easy to make and inexpensive .
So glad you liked them!
I made this and it was really good, I did use heavy creme instead of half and half, also I added about a tablespoon of better than bullion, and it had an excellent flavor, I’m not big on the nutmeg, bit to each their own 😊
Yes, you can leave it out!
Can I use chicken broth instead of chicken stock?
Yes of course!
This soup was amazing my family loved it. DEFINITELY making this again!
We make it once a week!
Sadly I’m with the minority and was left a little disappointed. Followed the recipe to a T and the carrots and broccoli were still crunchy, even after 45 minutes of simmering with the broth. While prepping, I even put the broccoli in the food processor because I thought this might be a problem…turns out I should have cooked both them and the carrots with the onion before. The one saving grace was the broth, I added garlic, a little cayenne, Tapatio and some tarragon and it was fantastic. Too bad the veggies were still crunchy. I imagine this will be great leftover since the veggies have time to really marry with the broth in the fridge.
Mandy, what size pan did you use? There’s no way the veggies should be hard after 45 minutes? You should cut the broccoli smaller and use a deeper pan so that the broth covers the veggies.
Pan? would this be a pot?
Yes, pot would be better. I’ve made it in a big saucepan with a high edge.
This was easy and delicious!
I don’t understand the flour/butter part. It just turned into a dough-like clump the never would mix into anything.
Yes, the clump part is the start of a roux. Then you whisk in the chicken stock. The roux thickens the soup.
I hate both broccoli and carrots, but still made this soup for hubs. Oh my lands, it is fabulous!! I actually ate all of it and didn’t “dig out” anything. And to think that when I was a kid, I would sit at the dinner table for hours refusing to eat these veggies … mom will be proud of me! Thanks so much for posting the recipe!!
You’re welcome!
Just wanted you to know that I’ve made this dozens of times, always DELICIOUS…..thank you…..it’s a shame that there are some people that have nothing better to do than leave a nasty comment……..the soup is the BOMB….if it’s not that’s on you……thanks again
Thank you!! I appreciate it.
Can you use frozen broccoli for this soup
Yep! You can use frozen broccoli.
Thank you
Thank you! Thank you! This was a huge hit! Especially with the husband! He never says much either way but all I heard was mmmm, wow, this is really good and he had seconds.
I love hearing that!
This soup was absolutely delicious. I did not have any nutmeg and we did NOT miss it. As good as Panera’s. Next time I may try to slim down on the calories. Use low fat cheese and less half & half and some low fat milk but it was outrageously good
Thanks! So glad you liked it.
I love this soup 😍
It’s so good!
I just made this ,love it , followed the recipe, expect i did not add the nutmeg, didn’t have in pantry. I plan on making again and adding the nutmeg, I wonder how it will improve this recipe. Very tasty . Oh, I put all of it in blender for a few seconds, I prefer smooth consistenty. I served with yellow corn bread muffins. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. Nutmeg is commonly used in cream sauces to bring out the flavors.
Very good, surprisingly good. I could do without the nutmeg but that’s because I just don’t like nutmeg. I do feel like there is something missing like a dash of a spice but I can’t put my finger on it. Hands down, though, one of the best recipes the mimic panera’s.
Thanks Lorry! Maybe garlic? I don’t know. We love it.
Make this recipe all the time.. I don’t change a thing and comes out great everytime.. my family is big on soups, so I make a variety of different soups and freeze them in freezer containers for my children to come and raid the freezer. Only thing I do change is, tripling the recipe 😊
Me too! I seriously make it once a week!
I used instant potato flakes instead of flour and butter to thicken the soup and also had a no salt chicken stock. I guess it will be a few less fat calories, gluten free, and reduced sodium. Came out great
Only one HUGE problem…it doesn’t make enough! 😉 So very delicious and I will definitely double the recipe next time!!!
Hahaha Sorry!
Nowhere in the recipe or accompanying text are we told how many servings this recipe makes. We are told how many calories per serving. Thanks for a thoroughly delicious,decadent soup.
Sorry. Unless I measure out the soup after made. It makes 4-6 servings.
I will definitely make it again!
Delicious, I used fat free half and half and frozen broccoli plus a pinch of cayenne. Using a stick blender I was able to break up any pieces of broccoli that were still too chunky after cooking and got the perfect consistency.
Ooh! Yummy! I made it tonight too.
Tastes good but way too thick. I kept adding chicken stock and milk and it still was like a paste almost.
Did you add too much cheese? Or cook too long? You definitely can add more broth to think it out.
This soup is absolutely amazing! Thick and yummy. Better than what they are serving now at Panera. (A relative who works there says that newer version is more watered down than the original recipe.) I used a Braun electric hand held blender to puree some of the broccoli and carrots right in the pot and it gave the soup a perfect texture.
I did double the recipe so we would have some leftovers for lunches. If you reheat it the next day, you may want to add extra broth as it gets incredibly thick and stays that way after it cools.
Just made the shop. Very good. I would make this again.
I love the name of your blog 🙂 The soup looks amazing; I am going to tweak it though so that it is gluten free (corn starch instead of flour).
I get this soup all the time at Panera. I made it exactly as the recipe stated (except I doubled everything so I could freeze the extra) and it was great!
This soup was totally delicious. Made it on a cold 6 degree winter day. It hit the spot. Will definitely make again.
How many servings does this make?
About 6
Outstanding! Followed exact recipe as stated.
Thank you!
Double the recipe or you will regret it.
Hahaha~
Made this recipe for the first time – really one of the best soups I’ve made in a long time!! I added 3 bay leaves (cause everything savory is better with bay leaves!) but otherwise followed as directed. Will make this again and again!! Thank you!
Ooh. I’ll have to try bay leaves.
I’ve made this before but grated the carrots and never used the matchstick. Tried it today and won’t be using them again. The carrot was too overpowering. I give it 5 stars with the grated carrot. 2 with the matchstick.
This is a solid broccoli cheese soup. Anytime I make a roux I constantly am watching/whisking. This soup took me about an hour with prep/cook time and my eyes were on it the whole time and it paid off. I’ve learned from past recipe failures that if you don’t follow directions – surpise – something might go wrong.
I followed the recipe with the exception of frozen broccoli and a little more broth. It is very thick and delicious!
I saw someone post something about this not being healthy which I find funny because no one should be looking up a cream/cheese based soup if they’re looking for something healthy lol. This soup is meant to be indulgent and it certainly is.
Very, very good!!
Haha. Thank you. Great point. Cheese soup – yeah, hard to be healthy.
The way you write your fractions made this a little bit of a common sense guessing thing. However, it turned out delicious! I made this recipe totally “clean.” Everything was either organic or GMO free. My half and half was raw cream and raw milk from my local dairy farm. My chicken stock was bone broth made with the bones of a chicken that is range free, antibiotic free, and only fed organic grain when needed. Chicken was also grown locally. I used non-bromated flour. Thank you for a recipe that was easy on my food choices!
You’re welcome! I’ll have to check out my fractions!
So yummy! I am in my third trimester and this is satisfying my cheese craving. I used a Colby jack mix cheese because that’s all I had on hand and it taste great! I’ve made three other recipes that called for way more ingredients but this is my new favorite.
thanks Kym and good luck with your baby.
Thank you, thank you! My family and I live in Peru and while we love the food here, we do miss some of our favorites from back home. When we are in the states my teenage daughter and I love to go to Paneras for broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl. This soup was spot on, we can’t get cheddar cheese here but there is an Andean cheese that is pretty close. Thanks for bringing us a little taste of home. (Now if I can only figure out the bread bowl 😋)
Oh that makes my heart smile! Thank you!
This soup is right on the spot~tastes just like it!!!! Thankyou for sharing and for $10.00 I can have an entire potfull instead of just a cup!
Yes, totally!
Made this tonight for out-of-town guests It went down really well. I doubled the recipe, but stuck with just the 8oz of cheese. It was excellent.
So glad you loved it!
Also has anyone made this in a crockpot?
I have. The only issue is that the broccoli gets too cooked for me. It gets soft but then starts smelling weird like when you cook it too long.
I have made this before and used an immersion blender and it turned out very gritty and had a very poor consistency…any suggestions?
Did you happen to cook it over too high of heat. As soon as the cheese is melted you should keep it on low heat.
As a follow-up – the next day, I stirred quite a bit of whole milk into the soup as I was reheating it and then once warm I added more sharp cheddar. This helped it quite a bit – although I had to add quite a bit of soup to thin it and smooth it out. But, at least the leftovers were much better!!
This soup sounds and looks, so good! Can’t wait to try this recipe. I will be sharing a link to your recipe in my upcoming post, Easy Healthy Lunch Ideas (on a Budget). I am sure my readers will love your recipe too!
Thank you for sharing Tina.
Cleaning out the freezer and made this with a frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix – SOOOOO good!!! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
This looks delish and i’m going to try it. If you look on the ingredients from panera tho they have mustard and paprika and tumeric and some other ingredients. Do you miss all that in yours? Just wondering. I don’t even know what Tumeric tastes like- I’m going to try yours this week tho.
I’m not a fan of tumeric but I could go for the mustard!
Has anyone made this yet? Any feed back?
Made it last night and was grainy and had no flavor….not sure what I did wrong!
Usually grain is a result of overheating and the cheese and milk start to break down.
Not sure what I did wrong, my cheese essentially didn’t melt. The best way to describe it is that it blanched and basically looked curdled. It still tasted good but I missed out on the creamy texture. Feedback?! I would like to try again, but not sure what went wrong.
Was the rest of the soup warm? That’s really odd. You could also grate your own cheese since they put additives on the preshredded cheese to keep it separated.
I kept if VERY low after I added the veggies – I took it off of the heat after I added the cheese
Maybe that would help?
Yes, I agree!
Thanks for the recipe. I was delish. My family loved it! I has too much dairy but hey that’s my own opinion. I don’t tolerate much dairy but still had it and loved it! I did it once and we had it for dinner but before I could sit down to enjoy it I had to stqrt making it again. But this time I doubled the recipe. I ran out of beed stock (I didn’t have chicken stock) so I used 1 cup water and 1 cup milk (still tasted good). Now I want to freeze the rest.
Thanks for leaving your feedback!
can I freeze this soup
I have not tried so I cannot tell you for sure.
Can this be frozen?
I have not tried it. I’m so sorry. I never have any left to freeze.
Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe! I prepared it this afternoon and am enjoying right now! I’ve never eaten Panera’s soup, so I can’t compare but I can say with certainty that this soup is delicious. I’ve tried several broccoli cheese soup recipes on Pinterest and yours is head and shoulders above the rest. In fact, I just deleted all of the other recipes I saved!
woo-hoo! So nice to hear from someone who has tried them all.
This recipe was terrible. I through it in the trash. Panera’s soup doesn’t have sauted onions or nutmeg!
Sorry you felt that way. SO many others have loved this.
Actually Panera does have nutmeg in the soup my son worked there.
thanks Jodi!
We made this tonight in the Instant Pot – start to finish it was about 25 mins!!
My wife said that it was a little off from Panera’s, we sat and talked about it for a few minutes and figured out that it needed just the smallest dash of Curry Powder (just a hint of that sweet syrupy flavor) – that nailed it!
We’ll be making this on a regular basis.
Interesting. I would never think to put that in! Glad it works!
Came over to your blog from Stone Soup for Five blog. And so glad I did! I made the soup tonight (I can’t have any since I can’t eat gluten and dairy) and my family loved it! My son said it was the best thing I’ve ever made 🙂 I’m glad I doubled the recipe!
So glad you loved it!
You could sustitute the flour for another thickener and i read that you could use the coconut fat from coconut milk. And almond milk. I’m wondering how it would taste. I think delicious but probably different. If you make it with substitutions let me know. If I make it I’ll let you know.
This is now one of my “go to” recipes. I substitute the half and half for almond milk to make it lighter in calories. Tastes fabulous to me!
Thank you. Yes, you can definitely get away with making it lighter.
Sooo yummy 💓😃I just made this for lunch your recipes never dissappoint! Thank you for another hit 😍
Delilah,
Awww. Thanks!
Well, even with my screw up (with the flour globbing and having to scoop it out) it still thickened up nicely. I blended half and added the cheese and cream. It’s thicker and creamy just like I like. The nutmeg is a nice touch. If you can still let me know what I did wrong with the other questions I had I would appreciate it. It’s a nice soup and I’d like to make again, but correctly.