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Panera Autumn Squash Soup

Panera autumn squash soup is a velvety orange blend made with butternut squash, pumpkin puree, and warm spices simmered until tender. Cream and cream cheese are blended smooth, then finished with a short simmer for a silky, spoonable texture.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butter
  • 2 tbsp butter For sautéing the onion and garlic.
Onion
  • 1 medium onion, diced
Garlic
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
Butternut squash
  • 4 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
Pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
Carrot
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
Apple cider
  • 1 cup apple cider
Vegetable broth
  • 3 cup vegetable broth
Honey
  • 2 tbsp honey
Curry powder
  • 0.5 tsp curry powder
Ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
Nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
Salt
  • 1 tsp salt
Heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
Cream cheese
  • 2 oz cream cheese
Roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish Use for topping.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the diced onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add the minced garlic for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant (visual cue: onion looks translucent).
Simmer the soup base
  1. Add butternut squash, pumpkin puree, chopped carrot, apple cider, vegetable broth, honey, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 25-30 minutes until the squash is very tender (visual cue: squash breaks apart easily when pressed with a spoon).
Blend and finish
  1. Add the heavy cream and cream cheese, then blend until completely smooth (visual cue: no visible chunks, glossy orange color).
  2. Simmer the blended soup for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adjust seasoning to taste (visual cue: slight thickening and gently steaming surface).
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with roasted pumpkin seeds. Finish with a drizzle of cream before serving (visual cue: seeds sit in a small pile at the center of each bowl).

Notes

For the smoothest texture, blend while the soup is hot and work in batches if needed; keep the lid slightly vented to prevent splatters. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth or cream if it thickens. Freezing is not recommended due to the dairy, but you can make it dairy-free by swapping heavy cream and cream cheese for unsweetened coconut milk and a dairy-free cream cheese alternative.