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
Awesome simple delicious recipe! Thank you from this pregnant momma ❤️
Thank you!
I’m pregnant with all day morning sickness and Panera’s broccoli cheddar soup is all I can keep down. I finally made this tonight and it’s amazing! It might even be better than Panera. I doubled the recipe and made enough to take for lunch (and then some) everyday this week. I followed the recipe to a T and it’s perfect. Thank you for saving this sick mama!!
Oh hang in there! So glad you liked this!
Broccoli cheddar soup is my husband’s favorite and this recipe didn’t disappoint. lt was so easy to make and delicious! The longest part was prepping the veggie. I doubled the recipe and froze half for us to enjoy later.
Glad you liked it.
Can I freeze this? I have a large broccoli to cook and my hubby is going into nursing home today for six weeks?
Thanks for your recipe!
Sure! You can!
I use mashed potato flakes to thicken soup if it needs to gluten-free.
This recipe was okay. The written instructions varied quite heavily from the video. 1.) There are only 2 times that a heat / temperature that your stove should be on are mentioned; the second time stating to “reduce to low heat” while it never implicated for you to turn the heat up. 2.) You did not mention in your written instructions to cover the pot. luckily, i have cooked many soups in my time and did it upon instincts. These corrections are not hard to make, just sad that it was not reviewed heavier.
Made this for the first time. Delicious is an understatement! I put about 1/2 c chopped celery with the onions. Next time maybe add a bit of garlic only because I like garlic. I will put this recipe among my favorite handwritten recipes so I can always find it.
I absolutely adore your recipe! Didn’t do much to it but add a dash of garlic. Making it right now for the uncountable time for this blizzard we are in! ❤️❄️
So I did add a few spices suggested in another comment, but with those additions, this was BETTER than Panera’s soup. So good. I’m really picky with new recipes, especially copycats, but the first time I made this it was a banger.
Followed instructions in this recipe.
Added 1/2 teaspoon salt to softening onion
Right before flour, I added 1/4 teaspoon dried ground thyme, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, the 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Taste midway, generously add salt and pepper.
Thank you for this!
Have made this 5 times already. Have to double the recipe because everybody wants it . Put In containers and they just need to heat it up. My husband favorite. And I love it!!!! We prepare it together . Quality time In the kitchen. Thanks
Thank you for your feedback and so glad you liked it!
Excellent recipe. Hit all the right notes. Used vegetable stock to make it vegetarian and added just a dash of white pepper. My picky 11 year old loves it. This is going to become a household staple. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
I’ve made this soup many times. And I’ve made sure it was from “the girl who ate everything”. Her recipe of this soup is “spot on”. EXCELLENT!! A must to add to your recipe file.
Just wanted to thank you for a tremendous Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe. It’ll always be made by this recipe, ALWAYS. Thanks so much. The potato leek soup is also wonderful 😊.
aww thank you!
The soup turned out delicious but the recipe does not tell you when to add your cheese I added mine with the broccoli and carrots I added half and then at the end I added the other cup
In step 4 it says to stir in the cheese. Hope that helps.
This was my first time making Broccoli and Cheddar soup… Oh my, was it delicious… 🤤 I received rave reviews… It’s a keeper.
Thank you so much.
I don’t even know where to start…
This whole page is a mess. The recipe reads like it was written by AI, the video doesn’t match the written instructions, the video shows very poor technique which directly contradicts the written recipe. The level of less than amateur culinary knowledge and skill on display here is staggering for how many positive ratings this recipe has.
Firstly, the video. Why even include it if it doesn’t match your written instructions? You start sweating your onions in one pan, then go to an entirely different pan to start your roux. Where in the directions does it say this is necessary. And your roux looks absolutely garbage by the way, all crusty and crumbly. That is not what a roux should remotely look like. It is by definition equal parts flour to butter BY WEIGHT, not volume. If you have that wrong good luck, you might as well start over. I’d say don’t include a video if all your doing is confusing your audience and demonstrating very poor technique.
Your recipe. It calls for “1/4 cup melted butter”, yet in your instructions you state “melt the butter in the pan” or something like that. If you’re melting the butter in the ingredient list as part of the cooking process, then just list it as BUTTER. “melted butter” implies the state of the ingredient is melted upon adding to the pan.
What a nasty response to a free recipe. It is possible to give constructive feedback without being plain mean. Nobody is forcing you to follow the recipe. There are hundreds of similar recipes online. Scram.
Because I’m sure a Michelin star chef right?! You can take your Debbie Downer comment elsewhere or rather yet, keep it to yourself.
I made as directed I had no half and half so I added milk app 1cup and a half had no real carrots used canned cooked everything and did bring to a gentle boil I never left the stove just kept stirring I took a cup out put it in my little blender worked fine most be don’t no this from experience don’t add cheese till the soup has cooled a little bit. perfect as I’m eating a bowl the the nutmeg was a delightful taste
Thank you Betty!
Very good- I doubled recipe for larger group- it made it easier one carton of chicken broth, one carton of heavy cream, one onion, and one stick of butter, in addition to the broccoli and carrots
Thank you Kathleen.
I followed every step and this came out delicious! So satisfied I found this recipe. I will bookmark it!
Thank you Christy D!
Thank you A!
Excellent recipe. Definitely will make again.
Thank you Pam!
Instructions skipped the cheese
Instructions and recipe card CLEARLY state 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese’
I had a hard time finding out when to add the cheese, too. Step 4.
It’s in step 4
Solid copycat recipe on Panera’s broccoli and cheese soup. Double the portion, process the veggies down further to get the correct blend, definitely needs more cheese, and don’t be stingy on the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
You said better!! That’s exactly what i did myself.
Easy to make and Delicious
Thank you!
Wonderful soup!
Thank you!
Excellent, made it for my family
Thank you!
i love this soup. i am making this for church this week. my only negative comment is that the serving size needs to be doubled at least. y’all eat like birds.
Haha that’s a good sign
Loved it. Thanks! Recently tried another from the top Google reviews, then decided to try this one because it was easier… so much better. My new go-to.
Thank you!
How long can the recipe be stored in the fridge?
I would say up to 5 days.
This recipe is so tasty! I love the creaminess.
Approx. how many cups is one serving?
about 1 1/2 cups
I have high blood pressure and made a low sodium version of this and it’s super yummy!
Thank you!
i read many of the comments and can’t find any reference to doing this in a crock pot. Any thoughts? putting all sauteed onion, flour mixture in crock with remaining ingredients and leave on low for 8 hours???
8 hours would be too long. You should only need four hours but sometimes the broccoli can brown too much
This soup is so simple and delicious! This was my first time to make, but it was a big hit. After reading some of the comments, I did add in a few more spices like the smoked paprika and thyme, but wow did the nutmeg bring this up to a new level. I will be adding this to our dinner rotation 🙂
Absolutely delicious!
Great recipe! The recipe is easy to follow and it came out delicious!
thank you!
Your secret spice additions were perfect! I also added a pinch of turmeric for color.
thank you!
I cracked the code! My Panera broccoli cheddar soup turned out EPIC thanks to some secret seasoning magic. Along with the classic 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, I added a touch of smoky depth with 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika and a subtle peppery kick with 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. But the real game-changer? A hint of savory garlicky goodness from just 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. First bite? Flavor explosion! #ChefLevelUpgrade #CopycatCracked
Your secret spice additions were perfect! I also added a pinch of turmeric for color.
Made it ‘ALMOST to a T but took WAY longer than 20-25 minutes for my broccoli and carrots to cook! Also needed more spices and i added more slurry mix as it wasn’t thick enough for us. Would make again with maybe steamed broc
2nd time making this recipe. This is my wife’s favorite style of soup. I try to keep just a tad of cruchiness to the broccoli and carrots. For the stock I use the vegetable peelings and onion skin to make a veggie stock. I do add a pinch or two of ground cayenne to zing it up just a bit. Great recipe!
thank you!
This is delicious! I didn’t have any carrots so I used sweet potato instead, Wow!
This is the best broccoli cheddar soup I’ve ever had!
I added some slawed cabbage w the broccoli and carrots. 👍
Better* than Panera’s soup! The perfect solution to the below zero degree weather we have in Chicago.
Me in Chicago making this now. It smells so good I can’t wait. I added fresh thyme and dill too.
Made the soup as directed, I thought it was really good before adding the cheese. I added the cheese and think it’s just a tad to cheesy, next time I’ll add half the amount of cheese. For those that think it doesn have enough favor it might be the chicken broth not being flavorful enough , you could try stock but even that is sometimes not flavorful enough. I’ve had that problem before. I rarely use broth/stock, I use chicken base (get it at Gorden Food Service (GFS)). My dad is a chef and he says to always use some sort of base (chicken, beef, ham, vegetable) when adding water to a recipe. I like being able to control how much flavor to add, also watch to sodium content on the base and adjust additional salt according to taste.
Absolutely delicious! Wouldn’t change one thing. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
thank you!
To the folks saying “its bland” or “veggies were hard”… you should know that you need to season your food, cook longer if needed.. it baffles me that people use a recipe and don’t understand to do those basic things
Sharp cheddar says 8 oz but two cups in parentheses. 8 oz is one cup. Am I missing something? I did in between 🤷🏼♀️ I’ll see how it tastes, I guess
8oz *of liquid* is generally one cup. Surely you can see that shredded cheese is less dense than water and thus the same weight takes up more volume?
Turned out spectacular, we fried some homemade 🥓 and chopped it up added that crispness in and OMG yummy
Made this for friends returning from holiday to cold Scotland and they absolutely loved it.
I don’t know about y’all but that nutmeg is on another level. Hell yeah brother.
Mine was better than Panera I think it was really good. Lots of work but it was worth it.
Forgot- I also added a teaspoon of ground mustard while the broccoli and carrots were cooking.
Great base recipe! For those who stated it was bland…I did a teaspoon each of Better than Bouillon brand chicken base, seasoned vegetable base, and onion base. If you only have chicken base in hand just do a couple teaspoons of that. I put those into the onion/butter mixture until it was incorporated. Then about 30 seconds before I added the flour, I added a couple cloves of garlic. After adding the milk/stock, I seasoned with seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Used about 12oz of cheese instead of 8oz. Once the cheese was in, I hit the soup with a couple healthy splashes of red Tabasco. The Tabasco adds flavor, not heat. Turned out amazing.
I agree. I feel the same although my roux did a good job and it did turn out creamy, but tasteless. I used my emulsifier and went a little wild with it, will learn how to use that thing one of these days. Bland recipe. I’m not sure what to use to “kick start” it.
The next time I make it I will not use sodium free chicken stock, and I will use bone broth. It was tasteless; I tried doctoring it up but I didn’t want it too salty. It did taste better once it cooled and sat. I followed the recipe to the tee even adding the nutmeg. Any suggestions to get flavor out of broccoli? lol
I made this recipe to the letter. It’s wonderful! Only tip I have if you’re a novice cook is to keep the heat low while you’re simmering the broccoli and carrots. You don’t want a boil. And keep stirring. Also, wait till the end and taste it. Then add a decent amount of salt. My guess is that anyone who thought this tasted bland didn’t add enough salt. I served it with a toasted beget and it felt like we ordered out.
This recipe is not good if you don’t know how to cook. Following the recipe perfectly results in a bland soup.. I added fresh garlic, a LOT more cheese and seasonings and it turned out great. Taste as you go and add what you feel like needs to be added!
After my grandfather came out of the hospital this morning we haven’t been able to get him to eat. I had the ingredients on hand so made a huge pot of this. He ate about 5 coffee cups full, and was just what we needed to see this holiday season. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
We had a bunch of beautiful, fresh broccoli from the garden and carrots as well, and it has been so chilly lately so a broccoli cheddar soup sounded like the perfect way to use these veggies. I picked this recipe because of the simplicity of ingredients and instructions and it turned out very tasty and wholesome. I only had regular Tillamook cheddar cheese, but I didn’t miss any cheesy flavor. My husband ate 2 bowls and my 2 year old (who doesn’t always eat his veggies) also ate 2 small bowls of it. I served it with butternut squash cornbread (recipe on Food.com) and it was the perfect winter flavor combo. I do think nutmeg is a very strong flavor, so I would caution people to start with a small sprinkle and add as desired. The recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon but that seemed like it would be overpowering so I only added about 1/8 tsp. That was definitely enough to taste it without it overpowering the soup. I would make this again!
Thank you!
Soup is good but too thick, is there a way to thin it out and not take away the flavor
add a little chicken broth. It shouldn’t take away from the flavor.
Fyi precut and baby carrots get soaked in bleach, better to take the time and cut them yourself.
Please fact check this, then make the choice that works for.
DELICIOUS. I added in a small clove of garlic with the onion and on top of everything else, this recipe was perfect. I used better than bouillon, used a bit of havarti cheddar along with 7oz sharp cheddar, and at the end blended it halfway with an immersion blender. Could not be happier with this recipe, it’s SO similar to Panera’s
So good! Served with some homemade (sourdough) bread and literally can’t get enough!
thank you for sharing all your recipes.this one is great. I make it often.
Thank you!
Can I freeze this soup?
I haven’t but some have with success
My family and I did not enjoy this. I was so sad because we LOVE Panera’s soup. This didn’t taste anything like it. I am not certain that it wasn’t something I did wrong though. I am at a loss! I followed the recipe exactly but something about the taste was way off. It didn’t taste cheesy but like bitter? Maybe that isn’t the right word. After every bite, it was just a weird aftertaste. My family said maybe sharp cheddar was the wrong way to go, maybe a mild would be better?
The veggies were soft, the half and half didn’t curdle or didn’t seem to have any issue mixing. Any tips on what I could’ve done wrong? I don’t see any other comments saying about the weird taste?
I wish I saw your comment before I made this. My family doesn’t care for it either, it’s not terrible but it’s not great. Definitely NOT Paneras recipe.
This was such a great recipe! I’ve tried a bunch of copycat recipes and this by far has been the best. I tried tasting it without nutmeg at first and i loved it. However i figured i’d give it a try with it. It’s good but i prefer it without the nutmeg. Regardless very good recipe! This is my go to now!
It was delicious. I wasn’t sure how to cook it exactly with the half and half in it…simmer it, stir it, keep the lid on or off? I erred on the side of putting it on low (it was still bubbling) with the lid half on and stirred it occasionally. I also had to almost double the flour to get the thickness at my altitude 6000 feet.
Only use fresh broccoli. Rather than removing some and blending, I used my hand mixer in the pot. Heavy cream rather than half and half is best. Overall, this is delicious.
Thank you!
This soup is sooo good!! It’s so simple and easy. I didn’t add the nutmeg at first because I was curious on the difference it made and it absolutely pulls everything together and makes the soup pop in all the best ways!
Definitely try this recipe out!
This soup is amazing and so easy! The first time I made it I didn’t have half and half so I substituted a can of cheddar cheese soup and one cup milk. The second time I made it exactly according to the recipe and it was even better! Both times it satisfied my craving. It’s going into the rotation for sure.
My favorite soup recipe
Soup was bland so I added some garlic. If you’re in hurry, steam your broccoli and carrots first. I cooked this recipe exactly how the directions said but the carrots and broccoli didn’t soften.
Cooking involves reasoning skills. If veggies aren’t done. You cook it longer.
I love this comment. You’re so correct.
Definitely the best cheddar broccoli soup I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe other than I used half the onion and I did 2/3 heavy cream to 1/3 milk. (Didn’t have half/half on hand). I did add a heaping teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a bit of water at the end to thicken it. I like it thick 😈. Served with some crusty Italian bread. Big Winner!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe, but only used a half teaspoon of nutmeg, which I thought was the perfect amount. I also used gluten free flour and it thickened up perfectly. We will definitely add this to our fall/winter soup rotation. Thanks!
Thank you!
I made it for my kids, they love panera. I wasn’t sure about the nugmet, but I took the risk . Soup was delicius. 5 stars out of 5 according to my son.
Thank you!
So delicious and easy!
Better than Panera. Super easy and super delish. Keeper recipe!
Thank you!
Delicious! I kept the heat on low and worried that the broccoli wouldn’t be tender enough but you were right and it turned out perfectly! No grainy feeling just soothing and delicious!
Thank you!
you are welcome!
if I want to make 12 serving is it okay to double the recipe
Yes absolutely!
Absolutely delicious! A suggestion…add the cheese a 1/4 cup at a time and stir until melted so it doesn’t clump.
Not like Panera’s soup… blending it made it grainy, not the heat. I’m not sure why this recipe had all of the stars. It tasted alright but its no where what was expected from the reviews.
So, you…being the odd person who is a debbie downer, doubts everyone else’s reviews? Laughable. I bet you are divorced and miserable. The person wait staff cringes at when you walk through the door.
You should be embarrassed by that comment Tony. she can have an opinion. that’s the point, they shared their experience with the recipe just like everyone else can. what a weirdo thinking those comments are acceptable, especially on a recipe website that allows for reactions to the recipe…
Can you omit the carrots?
You can but they give it a sweetness