I LOVE the creamy Autumn Squash Soup from Panera Bread! Also sometimes referred to as butternut squash soup. It’s so warm and inviting, but only available during the Fall. Unfortunately, it is also not vegan and loaded with cream and fat so not recommended on a whole food plant based diet. So, I decided to make a low fat copycat version that was still super flavorful and creamy – I give you: Vegan Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup Recipe!
How to save prep time for the Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup
I’m big on saving time and keeping things simple, so like many of my soup recipes I used frozen vegetables that were already chopped. Yup! You can even find butternut squash chunks at most grocery stores. I have recently found them at my Walmart and have also gotten them from time to time at Kroger and Aldi.
I also used frozen chopped onions and frozen sliced carrots. Not having to chop up butternut squash, onions, and carrots saves like 20-30 minutes! Plus, you can measure out the exact amount and put whatever you use back in the freezer. No waste or vegetables going bad!
Watch the quick 1 minute video of me making this butternut squash soup!
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel! I’ll be posting new videos of recipes each week!
How to make Vegan Butternut Squash Soup Smooth and Creamy
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s what allows me to keep creating great recipes & I only recommend products I love! Thank you for your support!
I feel like a broken record when it comes to creamy soups, but you really should get yourself a cheap immersion hand blender. It just makes it so much easier and safer.
You can transfer the soup to a regular blender in batches, but you have a good chance of making a major mess and getting burned in the process!
You don’t need anything fancy or expensive, mine only has 2 speeds and does the trick. Check out some inexpensive options here.
You’ll want to use the CANNED version of coconut milk that you find near the Asian products in your grocery store. I used the lite coconut milk so that it wasn’t as high in fat. Thai Kitchen is a good brand, but you can also buy an off brand if it’s available. I don’t recommend using the refrigerated coconut milk as it doesn’t make the flavor right and not as creamy.
Vegan Panera Bread Autumn Squash Soup Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 5 cups frozen butternut squash, diced
- 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- dash nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, optional
- salt & pepper to taste
- raw pepitas, unsalted
Want over 50 delicious (I promise!) whole food plant based recipes that take 30 minutes or less? Check out my Quick & Easy Plant Based Power Pack!
Instructions:
- Broth or water saute onions & garlic over medium heat in a large pot until translucent.
- Add butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, vegetable broth, cinnamon, ginger, curry, & nutmeg to the pot, mix well until pumpkin dissolved, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until squash & carrots are tender.
- Remove from heat. Using an immersion hand blender, blend soup until smooth and creamy. Add in coconut milk and optional maple syrup and stir to mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste. Blend again.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully place small batches of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately and top with sprinkle of pepitas.
More fall recipes you might be interested in:
If you make the recipe please comment below! Share on Facebook & Pinterest!
Vegan Autumn Squash Soup Recipe (Panera Bread Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 5 cups frozen butternut squash, diced
- 1 cup frozen sliced carrots
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- dash nutmeg
- 1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup optional
- salt & pepper to taste
- raw pepitas, unsalted
Instructions
- Broth or water saute onions & garlic over medium heat in a large pot until translucent.
- Add butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, vegetable broth, cinnamon, ginger, curry, & nutmeg to the pot, mix well until pumpkin dissolved, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until squash & carrots are tender.
- Remove from heat. Using an immersion hand blender, blend soup until smooth and creamy. Add in coconut milk and optional maple syrup and stir to mix well. Add salt & pepper to taste. Blend again.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, carefully place small batches of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately and top with sprinkle of pepitas.
Made this recipe changed a few things because of plant base eating made without any oil or salt made in the instapot for 35 minutes. It is delicious I will make this again. Thank you for the recipe….
Glad it worked in the Instant Pot!
Can this soup be frozen for future eating? It’s delicious!!
You sure can! You may need to re-blend it once it’s thawed.
I used to work at Panera so I can tell you that the base is usually chicken broth & cream, so you’ve got that bit replaced correctly. I think the key to catching the particular sweet flavor is in apple juice! Yep, the original stuff has apple juice in it to make it sweet. It was…not a popular soup to be honest. I was working there when it was introduced for the first time and I was super surprised when it came back the following year. The staff mostly hated it when we taste-tested on day 1 and it was the least popular soup to go out. But some folks just really like winter squashes I guess!
I have a child who is gluten free. Is this soup?
Yes this is gluten free!
Can you substitute a different plant based milk for the coconut milk? And if so what would you recommend.
I wouldn’t recommend another plant based milk for this recipe. It is recommended to use canned coconut milk and not the refrigerated milk. It gives the flavor for this recipe.