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This Panera Bread copycat Broccoli Cheese Soup is a thick, rich, and creamy soup with tender broccoli, shredded carrots, and a hint of nutmeg, all cooked together with melted cheese. It’s so delicious and easy to make!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: This soup is easy to make. Get your ingredients in the pot and let it do its thing.
- Convenient: I love getting this soup when I go to Panera Bread, but I don’t like what it does to my wallet! This way, I can make a big batch that doesn’t break the bank.
- Comfort Food: There isn’t much better than eating a warm bowl of soup with homemade rolls and a crisp salad on a cold day.
Ingredients in Broccoli Cheese Soup
This soup is so easy and delicious. Try topping your soup with extra cheese, crumbled bacon or ham, and some chives for a full broccoli cheese soup experience.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Onion: You can use a white or yellow onion for this soup.
- Flour: The flour is used along with the butter to create a roux. The roux is what will make your soup thick and creamy.
- Half-and-half: The half-and-half makes your broccoli cheese soup ultra-thick, rich, and creamy. You can also use heavy whipping cream instead.
- Chicken Stock: This adds flavor to the base of the soup.
- Broccoli: I use fresh broccoli for this recipe. If you use frozen, cook it in the microwave first and add it to the soup once the veggies are done sauteing.
- Carrot: I buy shredded carrots to save myself time!
- Nutmeg: This secret ingredient adds so much flavor!
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: This adds color and flavor to this classic soup.
- Salt and Pepper: Just a pinch is enough.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Soup
This broccoli cheese soup comes together super easily, and it’s a great meal to make ahead of time and eat for lunch or dinner.
- Make a Roux: Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside. In a large pot, stir the melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk: Slowly whisk in half and half of the chicken stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add Vegetables: Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions. Let them simmer on medium-low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
- Add Seasonings and Cheese: Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt, and then serve. For a smoother soup, puree the soup.
Can I Use Different Cheeses
Yes! You can try out all sorts of varieties of cheese in this recipe, depending on your taste preference. Here are a few that I recommend:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Colby Jack Cheese
- Swiss Cheese
- American Cheese
- White Cheddar Cheese
- Velveeta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
Variations and Substitutions
This copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup is so delicious; there are ways to change it up to fit your needs!
- Fresh or Frozen Broccoli: Fresh broccoli is preferred, but frozen broccoli will also work. Frozen tends to cook faster because it is already blanched.
- Change the Broth: If you want to make this recipe vegetarian or don’t have chicken broth, vegetable broth also works well.
- Want some heat? Add in a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes to the broccoli cheese soup recipe.
- Cream Substitute: You can substitute the half and half for heavy cream or even whole milk. Heavy cream will make the soup a bit thicker, and whole milk will make it a bit thinner.
- Shred Cheese from the Block: Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it that makes it more difficult to melt. When you shred your cheese directly from the block, it gives the soup a very creamy and smooth consistency with no lumps.
Can I Make Broccoli Cheese Soup in the Slow Cooker?
Yes! Sometimes, this is the best option when you aren’t around to make this right away. The soup can heat up, and it’s ready to serve whenever you need it to be!
- Make a Roux: Make a roux by whisking together the flour and butter.
- Combine: Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker, but leave out the cheese and milk.
- Cook: Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- Add in Dairy Ingredients: About 20 minutes before the soup is done, add in the milk and cheese to the slow cooker. Cook everything together for about 20 minutes. It’s ready to serve when the cheese is all melted.
Storing Leftover Brocolli Cheese Soup
Leftover broccoli cheese soup is so delicious (almost better!) the next day. Here is how you can properly store it for as long as possible.
- In the Refrigerator: Let your soup cool, and then place it in an airtight container and store it in your fridge. It will last 4-5 days.
- In the Freezer: Let the soup cool and pour it into a ziplock bag. Label it with the date and lay the soup flat in the freezer. It will last about one month.
- Reheating: To reheat your broccoli cheese soup, place it in a saucepan over low to medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes or microwave it in 1 to 2-minute increments. Stirring slowly each time until it is warmed through.
Serve it with Bread
Serve up your delicious broccoli cheese soup with any of these breads. They are perfect for dipping, and then you have the most delicious meal on any cold, wintery day!
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Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter and set aside. In a large pot whisk together the melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the half and half and chicken stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender.
- Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve. For a smoother soup puree the soup.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi why is this recipe different than the cookbook one?
Hi Meagan! The recipe on the site is the same but with larger portions for the ingredients (it serves 10+) while the cookbook serves 6-8. Otherwise, the recipe is the same! Have you tried it yet? It’s a family fav!!
Thank you!!!:)
Absolutely delish but serving size is more like 4 servings instead of 8 🙂
I made this today (doubled the recipe) for our churches Lenten “Soup and Bread” meal. It came together easily. I did prep the onion, broccoli, and shredded the blocks of cheese the day before making. Followed recipe exactly.
Before adding the cheese and nutmeg, I used my immersion blender to blend the broccoli and carrot stickes. I can’t wait to hear the feedback.
Can you refrigerate and serve the next day?
Of course! This broccoli cheese soup is great for storing and enjoying later.
WOW. What a great soup base… As most of home cooks know a recipe is a jumping off point to make something your own. One of my favorite soups for the cool weather is ‘Panera Breads Broccoli Cheese Soup’. I enjoy cooking more than eating out but one of my ‘go to’ places is Panera, such great sandwiches, breads, soups and pastry. I have duplicated the broccoli cheese soup recipe several times but this one is the best “jumping off point” I’ve ever created. Even if you duplicate this recipe verbatim (with out additions) you cant go wrong! Very flavorful and easy with minimal ingredients. My additions were; adding a smashed garlic clove to the diced onions and a smashed clove garlic to the simmering stock and half/half. After the simmer time is up I remove the garlic with a spider or a small strainer. After I added 2 tsp. “better then bullion” chicken base, let simmer prior to adding veg.. And then added1/2 cup fontina cheese with the rest of the cheddar. YUM! Best I’ve ever made!.
This is the best broccoli cheese soup I found so far. The only thing I did was sauté onions with butter, then added my flour. It makes a better tasting soup if you ask me . We love this soup and made it often. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did 🙂
Perhaps our fresh jar of nutmeg is on the potent side, but we all thought that 1/2 tsp was too much. I also added an extra cup of milk at the end to thin it out just a bit. Otherwise, it was great, so next time, I’ll add 1/4 tsp nutmeg and adjust upward if needed.