If you love Panera Bread’s broccoli cheddar soup, you’ve come to the right place! Panera Bread’s delicious broccoli cheddar soup is surprisingly easy to recreate at home.
In fact, it’s arguably the best Panera Bread recipe we can copy.
What makes things even better is that Panera Bread’s broccoli cheddar soup recipe can be made in a crock pot (Also check out How To Make Panera Thai Chicken Soup At Home). This makes it super easy to make a hearty soup with very little fuss.
Today, we’re going to show you how to make a Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup crock pot recipe that rivals the fast food chain.
We’ll show you exactly what you need and how to make it before answering some frequently asked questions.
This crock pot soup recipe is ideal for family dinners and dinner parties so stick around if you want to make a soup your family and friends will love!
Quick Answer
You can make a Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup crock pot copycat recipe in 5 hours using a crock pot. Our recipe only requires 30 minutes of preparation, yielding 6 ½ cups of soup.
The main ingredients you need to make this soup include yellow onion, celery ribs, carrots, chicken broth, butter, flour, cornstarch, cheddar cheese, milk, and broccoli florets.
What Makes Our Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Crock Pot Recipe So Good?
So, why should you make this Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup recipe over other copycat recipes? The answer to that question is another question. Why wouldn’t you make this Panera Bread cheddar crock pot soup copycat recipe?
Everything about this recipe is great. It’s very easy to make, only requires basic ingredients, can be served in a number of different ways, and of course, it’s delicious.
The vegetables and broth are beautifully slow-cooked to perfection before a cheesy and creamy mixture is added to top things off. The combination of chicken broth, vegetables, and a rich, creamy, and cheesy mixture is sublime.
Another reason you should make this recipe is that it’s quite healthy. This recipe is loaded with nutrient-rich vegetables and it doesn’t contain too many calories.
You can serve this soup with a wide range of sides too.
What Do You Need To Make This Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Crock Pot Copycat Recipe?
Below, we’ve listed all the ingredients you need to make a Panera Bread copycat broccoli cheddar soup.
We recommend using all the ingredients if you want to make the best copycat soup, but you can make a few variations if you like.
We’ll look at some variations later on!
Butter – 1 tbsp
Yellow Onion – 1 diced
Celery Ribs – 2 to 3 diced
Carrots – 2 to 3 diced
Broccoli Florets – 4 cups
Chicken Broth – 3 cups
Butter – ¼ cup
Flour – ¼ cup
Cornstarch – 3 tbsp
Water – 3 tbsp
Milk – 2 cups
Cheddar Cheese – 1 block
Salt – ½ tsp
Ground Pepper – To taste
Ingredient Notes
There are some useful things you should know about some of the ingredients that will help you make your copycat soup even more delicious.
If you want to make the best Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup, we recommend taking these notes on board.
Broccoli
We highly recommend using fresh broccoli to make our broccoli cheddar soup. While you can use frozen broccoli to make this soup, fresh broccoli works so much better.
In comparison to frozen broccoli, fresh broccoli offers a much more enjoyable flavor and a fantastic texture. We tend to just use the florets when making our soup but you can also dice the stems up and throw them in too.
Carrots
When preparing your carrots for this soup recipe, you should cut them up into small matchstick-like pieces. This might take longer but we find that the results are much better.
The carrots cook a lot quicker and have a more tender texture. Alternatively, you can dice or grate your carrots.
Cheddar
The best type of cheese you can use to make this soup is cheddar. In particular, you should opt for a sharp cheddar as this will offer a richer and creamier flavor.
We recommend using 8 ounces of sharp cheddar to make this soup which is one block. You can grate the cheese yourself or buy it pre-grated.
Butter
The butter in our Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup crock pot copycat recipe is used for two things.
Firstly, it is used to saute the onions and secondly, it’s used to make the creamy and cheesy mixture that gives our soup a richer flavor.
How To Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup In A Crock Pot
Now you know more about the ingredients used to make our Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup crock pot copycat recipe, it’s time for us to show you how to.
You’ll be pleased to hear that making this soup is quite easy. We’ve limited the recipe to 7 simple steps, all of which are straightforward and simple to follow.
If you want to make the most amazing broccoli cheddar soup in your crock pot, follow the steps below!
Step 1
The first thing you need to do when making this soup is prepare all the ingredients. This includes grating the cheddar, dicing the vegetables, and lifting the crock pot out of the cupboard.
When you’ve prepared the ingredients, you can start to make the soup.
Step 2
You can now start by melting butter in a pan on medium heat. Then, you can saute the diced onion in the butter for approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
After that, throw the sauteed onion into your crock pot.
Step 3
Once you’ve sauteed the onion, things start to get incredibly easy. The next step in making this soup is to add the carrots, broccoli, celery, and chicken broth to the crock pot.
To do this, simply throw all the ingredients mentioned into the crock pot. It really is as simple as that.
Step 4
Arguably the easiest step so far, you can now cover your soup and leave it to cook on low for 4 hours.
Step 5
Once 4 hours have passed, turn your slow cooker to high and start to prepare the creamy mixture.
To do this, heat ¼ cup of butter in a microwave or on a stovetop until melted. Then, slowly whisk in the flour until you’re left with a creamy mixture.
You can then stir 1 cup of broth from the soup into the mixture. Again, whisk until thick. You should then whisk the mixture into your soup.
Step 6
Using a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with water until it becomes smooth. Once smooth, whisk it into the soup before stirring in the milk, cheddar, salt, and pepper.
After that, cover the soup and leave it to cook on high for a further 60 minutes.
Step 7
When 60 minutes have passed, you can remove the lid and serve your Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup to your guests.
Variations
There are a number of variations you can make to this recipe if you need or want to. While we recommend following the recipe perfectly, we do respect that some people might have different preferences and dietary restrictions.
We’ve listed some of the simple variations you could use to make our broccoli cheddar soup below!
If you don’t have chicken broth, you could always use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base mixed with water instead.
If you follow a vegetarian diet, feel free to use vegetable broth or stock instead.
You can use dairy-free milk, cheddar, and butter to make this soup too.
Don’t be afraid to throw in any other vegetables you have left in your cupboards.
For a spicy flavor, you could add a dash of cayenne pepper to your soup.
What Can You Serve Cheddar Broccoli Soup With?
One of the great things about this broccoli cheddar soup recipe is that you can serve it with a wide range of different sides.
We’ve listed some of our favorite foods we serve this broccoli cheddar soup recipe with below!
Croutons
Fresh bread rolls
Fresh baguette
Caesar salad
Garlic knots
Grilled cheese roll-ups
Cheesy garlic bread
Final Thoughts
As you can see from our recipe, it is incredibly easy to make a Panera Bread copycat broccoli cheddar soup in a crock pot.
All you have to do is prepare the ingredients and throw them in your crock pot. Your crock pot will then do the hard work for you while you get on with the rest of your day.
This delicious soup recipe is warming, comforting, loaded with healthy vegetables, packed with rich and creamy flavors, and is super hearty. Perfect for family gatherings and winter dinners, you’ll find yourself making this soup time and time again.
Now you have this recipe, why don’t you give it a try and see what you think?
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Can You Store Broccoli Cheddar Soup?
Broccoli cheddar soup can be kept in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it can be stored in a freezer for up to 3 months.
After both periods of time, the soup should be eaten or thrown out as it will spoil soon after.
How Do You Store Soup?
Soup should always be stored in an airtight container. It should also always be kept in a refrigerator or freezer to stop it from expiring sooner.
How Should Soup Be Served?
Soup should be served hot and fresh in a warm bowl to prevent the soup from cooling down too quickly.
Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup Crock Pot Copycat Recipe
Recipe by Lana RiveraCourse: Uncategorized
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Calories
300
kcal
Ingredients
Butter – 1 tbsp
Yellow Onion – 1 diced
Celery Ribs – 2 to 3 diced
Carrots – 2 to 3 diced
Broccoli Florets – 4 cups
Chicken Broth – 3 cups
Butter – ¼ cup
Flour – ¼ cup
Cornstarch – 3 tbsp
Water – 3 tbsp
Milk – 2 cups
Cheddar Cheese – 1 block
Salt – ½ tsp
Ground Pepper – To taste
Directions
The first thing you need to do when making this soup is prepare all the ingredients.
This includes grating the cheddar, dicing the vegetables, and lifting the crock pot out of the cupboard.
When you’ve prepared the ingredients, you can start to make the soup.
You can now start by melting butter in a pan on medium heat. Then, you can saute the diced onion in the butter for approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
After that, throw the sauteed onion into your crock pot.
Once you’ve sauteed the onion, things start to get incredibly easy. The next step in making this soup is to add the carrots, broccoli, celery, and chicken broth to the crock pot.
To do this, simply throw all the ingredients mentioned into the crock pot. It really is as simple as that.
Arguably the easiest step so far, you can now cover your soup and leave it to cook on low for 4 hours.
Once 4 hours have passed, turn your slow cooker to high and start to prepare the creamy mixture.
To do this, heat ¼ cup of butter in a microwave or on a stovetop until melted. Then, slowly whisk in the flour until you’re left with a creamy mixture.
You can then stir 1 cup of broth from the soup into the mixture. Again, whisk until thick. You should then whisk the mixture into your soup.
Using a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with water until it becomes smooth. Once smooth, whisk it into the soup before stirring in the milk, cheddar, salt, and pepper.
After that, cover the soup and leave it to cook on high for a further 60 minutes.
When 60 minutes have passed, you can remove the lid and serve your Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup to your guests.
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
