Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup {Copycat} Â – Rich and creamy cheddar broccoli soup, inspired by the well known Panera Bread restaurant!
My mother makes a mean cheddar broccoli soup. It’s my favorite soup that she makes, always has been. When I was younger and my mother would make her cheddar broccoli soup, she’d always serve it in bread bowls. Have you tried soup in a bread bowl? Wait, you don’t know what a bread bowl is?? Unthinkable! A bread bowl is made from a round loaf of bread with a crispy outside and a soft and fluffy inside. You cut off the top, scoop out the fluffy inside (kind of like pumpkin carving) and fill the bread “bowl” with your favorite soup! It’s delicious. The bonus is dipping the fluffy bread from inside into my soup. How about a how-to on bread bowls? I think I’ll put that on my to blog list.
Unfortunately, I’m a grown gal and don’t live with my mother anymore so I can’t get her delicious cooking at any old time I desire to have it. Fortunately there is take-out from restaurants that have dishes to remind me of my mother’s cooking. Have you been to Panera Bread?? It’s amazing! One of those soup-salad-sandwich places that I completely adore. One of my absolute favorite items from their menu is their Cheddar Broccoli Soup. I’ve created a copycat version so I can make it whenever I want right at home! This recipe is easy peasy and deliiiiiiish. I ate this soup all week long last week and I’m wishing I had more. A second batch is happening very soon!
What people are saying about this Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup
“I made this last month and it was absolutely amazing! Even my kids gobbled it up. I had some broccoli cheese soup from Paradise Bakery (I believe Panera owns them now) the other day and it was awful. Too much cream and just no flavor. This recipe is by far better. I’m making it again tonight for some girlfriends who are coming over for some crafting:) Thanks for sharing it!” – Katie
“I made this tonight and it was delicious! Better than Panera’s, I’d say, and theirs was my favorite! My husband went crazy for this and has declared that this is now his favorite meal of all time. So, thank you! 
” – Nikki
“It was a big hit last night!! I had no leftovers!! I will definitely be using this recipe again!! I didn’t just double but tripled the recipe and it worked out great!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I’m very glad that I chose this one!” – JGirlÂ
“Tiffany!!!! OMG this soup is soooo delish!! I just made it and my family went nuts over it!! They were asking why I didn’t make more!!! I will certainly be making this again soon!! I followed the recipe exactly! I didn’t have white pepper so I used regular black pepper and tasted no difference. Found this recipe Just in time for the Chicago winter!! Thank you so much for sharing!! I’m so glad I found your blog!!!” – Jackie
If you like this Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup, you’ll love my Chicken Fajita Soup, Tomato Tortellini Soup, Coconut Curry Soup, and Jamaican Jerk Chicken Soup.
Panera Bread Cheddar Broccoli Soup {Copycat}
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ medium onion - diced
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon - (or 3 beef bouillon cubes) OR veggie broth
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups half & half - (I use fat free)
- 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt - (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a small pan sauté 1 tablespoon butter and onions over medium heat until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and set aside. In a small sauce pan bring water to a boil, add beef bouillon and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a deep pan or soup pot melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in flour until mixture clumps up or forms a "ball". Add beef bouillon/water mixture and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in half & half and continue to stir until smooth. (If large lumps remain, mash them out with a rubber spatula)
- Add broccoli florets and onions and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Stir in salt, white pepper, and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve hot and top with additional cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This is the best soup at Panera hands down. Thanks so much for posting a recipe! Now I can get my fix whenever I want :).
Looks perfect and warm. Especially on this cold chilly morn. Pinning.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. It has been so cold that I’ve been wanting to make soup and this will be perfect. Thanks again!
I included this recipe on my Meal Plan this week on my blog! It was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I make bread bowls with Rhodes rolls. Just have to think ahead. Super easy and delicious. Panera’s broccoli cheese soup is my daughters fav. Can’t wait to make it for Christmas Eve. She will be so excited.
I’ve never tried them with Rhodes but that’s brilliant! I LOVE this soup and it’s perfect for Christmas Eve, I hope your daughter loves it as much as we do!