Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Keto-Friendly)

Is there anything more comforting than a warm bowl of creamy soup on a chilly day? I didn’t think so… Okay maybe one thing better is when someone else makes that bowl of soup! Perhaps that’s why people love Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup so much!

But what if you’re eating on a keto diet and still want the comfort of wrapping your hands around the warm sides of the bowl while you enjoy it? Never fear: it’s entirely possible to make your own copycat recipe of Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup – and make it keto-friendly. This recipe will show you how.

The Original Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The official recipe for Panera’s Broccoli Cheddar soup is a closely guarded company secret (for good reason!). But this soup is one of their most popular, and you can actually buy it online in single-serving size if you want the real deal instead of making it yourself.

One big difference you’ll notice between the original Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup and this keto copycat version is that I didn’t include carrots. To make this a super keto-friendly version, I dropped that higher-carb veggie from my recipe. (Carrots have 9 grams of carbs per cup, which can add up fast.)

Making Keto Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Okay, now that you’re sold on trying to make your own Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup, here’s how to do it. To start, grab your favorite pot and get it ready. Once chopped, add your onion, garlic, and butter to the pot. Sauté them on medium-high heat until they become aromatic and the onions turn translucent.

Next add the chicken broth and chopped broccoli to the pot. Turn down the heat and bring the soup starter to a simmer. Cover and let the broccoli cook until it’s tender.

🥦 Intermission here for a note on broccoli: While fresh broccoli is obviously delicious, you may not feel up to chopping a head of broccoli into florets and then chopping them down to make this soup. Frozen broccoli is totally fine for this recipe! I recommend getting the ‘chopped’ frozen broccoli (rather than florets) so you literally just have to open the bag and pour it into your pot. Okay, back to the soup!

After you’ve cooked the broccoli until tender, it’s time to add the cheese (and other liquid ingredients). Add the heavy whipping cream, dijon mustard, and cheddar to the pot and stir until the cheese melts. Be sure to keep stirring so you don’t end up with a bunch of cheese melted to the bottom of your pot.

Once the cheese has fully melted, you can remove the pot from heat and season before serving. Obviously salt and pepper are good options for this soup (be careful on the salt; since the cheese has a high salt content it’s easy to go overboard), and Panera lists Turmeric on their list of ingredients so I included it in my recipe (below). They also list hot pepper sauce as the final ingredient, so if you like heat you can add a little your favorite hot sauce too.

Here’s the recipe card to help you make it easily.

If you prefer to make soup in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker instead, here’s how I would adjust the recipe:

• Use the sauté setting for the first step.
• Pressure cook the broccoli and broth for 5-6 minutes.
• After depressurizing, remove the lid and add the cheese and other ingredients with the lid off.

Pretty easy – and only a little bit faster than cooking it on the stovetop!

Have other questions about this keto copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe? Let me know in the comments!