Panera Butternut Squash Soup - A creamy, rich, velvety soup made in the slow cooker using butternut squash and tart apples. Perfect when you have a busy day and you don't want to spend all day in the kitchen.
Easy? Absolutely! The fall flavor is deep and complex. Better than the Panera soup recipe, this is the BEST Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup you've ever tasted and a meal your whole family will love!
If you love this, next time try Potato Soup Recipe! This easy recipe is so good. Super cheesy and creamy, this hearty soup will be a new favorite!
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Why you'll love this recipe
This copycat Panera recipe has been tasted and perfected over the years and this recipe it is fabulous!
It's simple and delicious and can be made on the stove top or the slow cooker. I'm sure you could make it in the pressure cooker as well, I just haven't ever tried that. Frankly I love dumping everything in the crockpot.
What can I say, I'm lazy! 😋
You're going to love this delicious soup recipe!
Ingredients
For the exact measurements, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- fresh butternut squash - you can buy a whole butternut squash or save yourself some time and get pre-peeled cubed squash. Frozen butternut squash work too. In a real pinch, sweet potatoes would work as well!
- pumpkin purée or frozen butternut squash puree.
- yellow onion
- granny smith apples - actually you only need just one. Granny Smith or a Honeycrisp apple would be my favorite choice. Both have a bright tart flavor that adds a real depth of flavor to this soup!
- cream cheese adds richness and creaminess.
- honey for sweetness, though you could substitute brown sugar or maple syrup.
- vegetable stock - use chicken broth if you'd prefer.
- you'll love these warm spices - yellow curry powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, powdered ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic powder.
- optional garnishes - pumpkin seeds, pecans - I love adding a bit of crunch. A splash of cream swirled in looks really pretty on top!
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions just scroll down to the bottom!
- Peel the squash, remove the seeds and chop into 1 inch pieces.
- Peel the onion and rough chop. Remove the core from the apple and dice.
- Dice the brick of cream cheese.
- Add the squash (fresh & frozen), onion, apple and cream cheese to the crock pot.
- Measure and combine all spices and sprinkle into the slow cooker along with the honey, stir well.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and cover. Set the temperature on low and cook for 8 hours.
- Use an immersion blender or regular blender and blend until the soup is creamy.
Stovetop Instructions
This is an easy recipe for Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup. It's a creamy combination of pumpkin and autumn squash.
- Follow steps above, peel the squash, remove seeds and dice. Dice the onion, etc.
- Add the ingredients to a dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, about 45 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender and blend until the soup is creamy. Or pour soup into a stand blender and process until smooth.
Equipment
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- Of course you need a slow cooker!
- Though you can blend this with a blender, I recommend using a hand-held immersion blender is really so much easier and safer than ladling hot soup.
FAQ's
This soup is filled with antioxidants and it's a healthful meal AND yummy!
Yes I recommend removing the skin, it's tough, waxy and not very tasty.
Not with this recipe! Pureeing the soup thickens it.
Absolutely! This meal is meant to be cooked in your crockpot. The soup slow cooks and the flavors meld together. The result is a creamy luscious soup that is incredibly rich and flavorful.
Tips
If you're short on time, purchase diced butternut squash. It's such a timesaver!
This can be pureed with an immersion blender or a stand blender.
If you want your soup to be perfectly smooth and velvety use a stand blender. Just be careful not to overfill the blender as the hot soup expands as it blends.
How to safely slice butternut squash:
- Peel the squash with a sharp knife.
- Place a damp paper towel on the cutting board to keep it from slipping.
- Slice the top and bottom end off the squash.
- Stand upright and starting at the top, carefully slice in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- Dice the flesh into cubes.
Variations
You can get really creative with the toppings and garnishes for this soup, having a little crunch adds the nicest texture!
- Roasted pumpkin seeds are terrific!
- You can also roast butternut squash seeds.
- Crumbled goat cheese.
- A swirl of heavy whipping cream adds richness.
- Pecans or walnuts are yummy!
- I think my favorite is popcorn. I love buttered popcorn topping the soup, it's crunchy and a little fun.
Storage
Allow the creamy soup to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftovers up to three months.
Related recipes
- This recipe for carrot soup? AMAZING! Easy to make as well. It's a lovely meal.
- Be sure to try my recipe for Best Crockpot Beef Stew with Dumplings!!
- The recipe for classic Navy Bean Soup is always a hit!
- Creamy rich Tomato Bisque Recipe - this is the perfect soup served with a toasted cheese sandwich!
- This earthy mushroom soup is over the top delicious.
- Or this paella slow cooker recipe, it's amazing with so little effort!
One of my favorite things is re-purposing leftovers. I'm not a fan of eating the same meal day after day. Reserve a cup of leftover Panera’s butternut squash soup and use it to make Butternut Squash Pasta.
If you love butternut squash, be sure to try Butternut Squash Ravioli - it's seriously delicious!
Serve with
Serve the Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup with a salad!
This lovely Fall Harvest Salad with butter lettuce, roasted butternut squash and persimmons makes a crunchy, beautiful salad with a creamy butternut squash salad dressing.
- Make this easy yeast rolls recipe - they are so soft, tender and mouthwatering! Perfect with a bowl of soup.
- For an appetizer, how about this ground beef taco dip, yum!
- If you're not ready to do the whole bread baking thing, this recipe for Chicken Bacon Roll-Ups would be great with this meal.
- For dessert make a batch of Butter Cookies - you can nibble on them all week long! Or for the perfect fall treat enjoy Gourmet Caramel Apples!
Don't forget to check out the Amazon storefront for some of my favorite products! 🛍️
If you love this recipe please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating!
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups squash for me this was one medium squash
- 14 ounce can pumpkin puree or frozen butternut squash puree (thawed)
- 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 granny smith apple peeled and chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon garlic
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2-3 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds optional
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Instructions
- Peel the squash, remove the seeds and chop into 1 inch pieces. Peel and chop the onion and apple also. Dice the brick of cream cheese. Add the squash (fresh & frozen), onion, apple and cream cheese to the crockpot.
- Measure all of the spices and put them in a small bowl. Stir well to combine and then sprinkle all the spices into the slow cooker. Using a large spoon, stir well - add the honey and stir again.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and cover. Set the temperature to low cook for 8 hours. When the soup is finished cooking, blend the soup until it is a creamy consistency.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds - using a dry pan over medium-low heat, toast the pumpkin seeds until they are a golden brown - takes about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately - if you leave them in the pan, even though you've removed the pan from the heat, the residual heat may burn the seeds (this happens very quickly!).
Rosalind Smith
Hi, I was surprised that the taste was not sweet with all the ingredients. I have read and re-read the instructions and I did follow them properly. Not the fault of the recipe, just my taste buds. Can you suggest any sweet ingredient that I may add to the squash to sweeten it up ? I really don't want to put this in the garbage disposal. Sorry......
Bowl Me Over
Add some honey or maple syrup Rosalinda - I think that will sweeten it up nicely. It's a great question as well and I'll add that as a tip. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
This butternut squash soup looks creamy and delicious!!
Bowl Me Over
Creamy, delicious and easy too - thanks Jocelyn!!
Liza
This soup... I've been SEARCHING for a recipe like this for a while now! This soup is PERFECT! Just saved it in a few places and will definitely make it! It was exactly what I've been craving lately! 🙂
Bowl Me Over
Thank you Liza, this just the BEST soup and so easy also! I know you'll love it as much as we do, please let me know what you think!
Sandi
I love how creamy this soup looks...and those pumpkin seeds add just the right crunch 🙂
Bowl Me Over
Just that little bit of crunch with this yummy soup tops it off perfectly - thank you!
MPaula
Wow! I was only checking out this recipe because 1 c is used in the Butternut Pasta recipe. I didn't expect to need it never mind that it would seem even more enticing than the pasta!
Bowl Me Over
Well I have to say I just LOVE this soup! I hope you give it a try, it's so easy and good - thanks so much for taking the time to comment!! 😀
Debi @ Life Currents
Not only does this look amazing, it sounds amazing! I love that you have all kinds of goodies in here ... apples, squash, cream cheese... yum! And I love that it's made in the slow cooker! Awesome!
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Debi - we just love this soup!
Camilla
I would love a bowl of this, butternut works so well in soups and this looks delicious!
Bowl Me Over
It sure does Camilla - just perfect for soups & stews!
peter @feedyoursoultoo
Perfect using the slow cooker. Love the color you got with your soup.
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Peter!
Suzy | The Mediterranean Dish
I never thought about adding cream cheese to butternut squash soup...great idea! Love the flavor combination, honey and ginger especially!
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Suzy - I hope you give this a try!
Nicole
This soup sounds absolutely delicious! Even better that it's done in the slow cooker 🙂
Bowl Me Over
I know, gotta love that - thanks Nicole!
Kiano
I've had squash all week & have had no idea what to make with it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Bowl Me Over
You bet Kiano, I hope you give it a try!
cristina
Not only a beautiful color to this butternut squash soup, but the texture looks so silky smooth and creamy rich from the cream cheese. Pinning as a must make this season!
Bowl Me Over
Thank you for all of the beautifully descriptive words! Enjoy Cristina!
Alisa Fleming
I'd never thought to do squash in the slow cooker -brilliant idea and no doubt quite rich.
Bowl Me Over
Squash & sweet potatoes really work well in the slow cooker!
Kristina
oh my gosh, the cream cheese in this recipe must make the soup SO rich and creamy - YUM!
Bowl Me Over
Thanks Kristina!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet
This sounds wonderful! Love the addition of the cream cheese and honey!
Bowl Me Over
Such a yummy combination - perfect for fall!
Gina
I can't wait! Going to make it tomorrow! Looks just like it! Yum!! My addiction! ????????
Bowl Me Over
Awesome, I can't wait to hear what you think Gina!
Lois
This looks so good. Look forwad to making it.
Bowl Me Over
It's wonderful Lois - I hope you really like it!