Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (2024)

By Robin Gagnon | Updated on

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Today, I have a copycat version of the Panera Tomato Soup Recipe for you. If you love Panera Bread restaurant, and especially their vegetariancreamy tomato soup then this is for you!

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This homemade tomato soup recipe is great for those days you would much rather just hang out in your PJs. Creamy Tomato soup can be so comforting.

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Do you love Panera's Creamy Tomato Soup? Well, I have a copycat recipe for you, so you can still enjoy this delicious vegetarian creamy tomato soup at home, when you can't make it to an actual Panera Bread location.

How to Make Panera Bread Tomato Soup

Let's prepare a pot of this panera creamy tomato soup. It is quite easy to make and I will walk you through it. Jump down to the printable recipe card if you prefer.

The recipe makes 6 servings.

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 30 mins

What you need to Make the Tomato Soup

Here is everything required to make this easy tomato soup.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (2)
  • ½tablespoonolive oillight or classic
  • ½medium onionchopped
  • 1medium carrotschopped
  • 1celery ribchopped
  • 3clovesgarlicfinely minced
  • ½tspred pepper flakes
  • basilto taste
  • salt and black pepperto taste
  • 2bay leaves
  • 3tablespoonsflour
  • 3 ½cupslow sodium chicken stock(or vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
  • 28ozfire roasted tomatoescan, diced, drained (or you can use 8 fresh tomatoes,diced)
  • ¼cuptomato paste
  • ½tbssugar
  • ½cupheavy cream
  • 2tablespoonsunsalted butter
  • hot sauceto taste (optional)
  • croutonsoptional
  • sour creamoptional
  • fresh basil or parsley optional garnish

You will also need a Dutch oven or other good soup pot.

Preparing

Put olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (3)

Once hot, add onion, carrot, celery & garlic. Stir to coat with oil, then add salt, pepper, and pepper flakes (a couple pinches of each).

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (4)

Stir frequently until the veggies are lightly browned.

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to evenly coat.

Pour in chicken stock.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, bay and sugar. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from burner and retrieve the bay leaves.

Pour the mixture to a blender till ¾ of the way full, and puree. Temporarily, pour puree into a bowl, while repeating the pureeing with remaining soup. (If you have an immersion blender, you can puree soup right in the pot.)

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (5)

Return all the pureed soup to the pan and stir in the butter and cream. Turn burner on to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (6)

Give the tomato bisque a final seasoning, with salt & pepper and adding in the basil or fresh chopped parsley (to taste). Add hot sauce, (if you like) to taste.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (7)

To Serve: Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or croutons

Serving

Try teaming this rich vegetarian soup with my Copycat Panera Tuna Sandwich or a crispy grilled cheese sandwich! It is also great in a soup and salad pairing. A simple tossed salad with my copycat Chick-fil-a Avocado Lime Ranch dressing would be an excellent choice.

Storing the Soup

Whether you want to make a pot of this copycat Panera tomato soup ahead of time or need to store leftovers, it holds well.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (8)

Simply cool the soup to room temperature, then seal in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator or freezer. It will last for up to 4 days in the fridge and as long as 3 months when frozen.

If you love soups and enjoy making copycat recipes you should also try my other Panera Bread soups; Panera Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe and the now discontinued in the restaurants, Panera Vegetable Soup. My Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe is also quite popular.

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (9)

Copycat Panera Tomato Soup

Copycat Panera BreadCreamy Tomato Soup recipe that makes the creamy tomato soup just like is served at the restaurants!

4.95 from 34 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Panera Tomato Soup, Tomato Bisque

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Robin Gagnon

Ingredients

  • ½ tablespoon olive oil light or classic
  • ½ medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 medium carrots chopped
  • 1 celery rib chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • basil to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
  • 28 oz fire roasted tomatoes can, diced, drained (or you can use 8 fresh tomatoes,diced)
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • ½ tbs sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • hot sauce to taste (optional)
  • croutons optional
  • sour cream optional
  • parsley optional

Instructions

  • Put olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.

  • Once hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Stir to coat with oil, then add salt, pepper, and pepper flakes (a couple pinches of each). Stir frequently until the veggies are lightly browned.

  • Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to evenly coat.

  • Pour in chicken stock.

  • Add tomatoes, tomato paste, bay and sugar. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from burner and retrieve the bay leaves.

  • Pour the mixture to a blender till ¾ of the way full, and puree. Temporarily, pour puree into a bowl, while repeating the pureeing with remaining soup. (If you have an immersion blender, puree the soup right in the pot.)

  • Return all the pureed soup to the pan and stir in the cream and butter. Turn burner on to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

  • Give the tomato bisque a final seasoning, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in the basil (to taste).

  • To Serve: Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, croutons, and fresh chopped parsley or more basil.

Notes

For an authentic Panera experience, make homemade croutons from focaccia bread to serve with the soup.

Storing

Seal cooled copycat panera tomato soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2884IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2mg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John says

    I've only been to Panera once, but a good tomato soup is something I'm always going to try. I'll have to bookmark this and try it out in a few months when the weather is more conducive to soup. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  2. Vickie says

    Fantastic tomato soup! I didn't have enough chicken stock on hand, so used half chicken and half beef stock. Otherwise I followed your recipe exactly! This is a Keeper! Thanks!

    Reply

    • Robin Gagnon says

      Thanks for the feedback. I am happy you enjoyed it.

      Reply

  3. Stephanie R says

    While I have never had Panera's yours looks amazing. I'm going to had to make this for my family!

    Reply

  4. Lisa says

    This is delicious and tastes exactly like Panera's!

    Reply

  5. McKenzie says

    How many does this recipe serve?

    Reply

    • Robin Gagnon says

      The recipe should provide 6-8 servings of soup.

      Reply

  6. Kathy says

    Delicious! Received lots of compliments and my picky husband loves it!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat (2024)

FAQs

Panera Tomato Soup Recipe Copycat? ›

Detailed Ingredients

Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Citric Acid), Water, Heavy Cream, Onions, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Spices), Corn Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic and Nisin Preparation.

What is in Panera tomato soup? ›

Detailed Ingredients

Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Citric Acid), Water, Heavy Cream, Onions, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Spices), Corn Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic and Nisin Preparation.

Is tomato soup from Panera healthy? ›

The Creamy Tomato Soup provides 8 grams of saturated fat—62% of the American Heart Association's daily recommendation. And since just 1 gram of fiber and 4 grams of protein are all this soup has to offer, it's not a very balanced choice.

Does Panera Bread tomato soup have milk? ›

Contains Milk, Wheat

Indicates that the sodium (salt) content of this item is higher than the total daily recommended limit (2,300 mg).

Why do you put baking soda in tomato soup? ›

When you add baking soda to tomato soup (or sauce, or chili), it neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes. Not only will this make the tomatoes taste less acidic (good news if your tomatoes turned out more sour than you expected), but it also means that you can now add milk to your soup without risking curdling it.

Does Panera make their own soup? ›

That Soup Isn't Made In-House

It may taste homemade, but that Panera soup wasn't actually prepared by the workers at your local shop. "The soups are made at a factory/plant/etc., flash-frozen, shipped to us, and we thaw it out in what's called a thermalizer, essentially a soup-thawer," says one former employee.

What's the white stuff in tomato soup? ›

Heavy Whipping Cream – Since we're not using a roux in this recipe, the cream is extra-important to achieve the perfect, creamy consistency. Without the cream, you'll just have (really delicious) tomato soup. To make this dairy free, you can use coconut milk instead of heavy cream.

What is the most unhealthy food at Panera? ›

The unhealthiest lunch order at Panera is…the new Bacon Mac and Cheese Bread Bowl. At Panera, you can order any of the soups or mac and cheese in a bread bowl, which is a bowl made entirely of Panera's Artisinal Sourdough Bread.

What's the healthiest soup at Panera Bread? ›

The next time you find yourself going for the infamous Panera broccoli cheddar soup, try out the cream of chicken and wild rice instead. This healthier option is lower in calories, fat, and carbs, but the flavors are just as satisfying. Plus, the long grain and wild rice are great for protein and healthy carbs.

Is tomato soup okay for kidneys? ›

Most people with early-stage CKD or a kidney transplant do not have to limit tomatoes because of potassium. If your laboratory results show higher levels of potassium, your doctor or kidney dietitian may talk with you about how much to eat. Potassium can be a concern depending on the amount you eat.

Does Panera tomato soup have sugar? ›

2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Sugar, Salt, Spices, Corn Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation and Garlic. CONTAINS: Milk.

What does Panera tomato soup taste like? ›

About This. Vine-ripened pear tomatoes pureed with fresh cream for a velvety smooth flavor accented by hints of red pepper and oregano and topped with black pepper and sea salt croutons.

How much sugar is in Panera tomato soup? ›

Nutrition & Allergens
Nutrition InformationValue
Carbohydrates88 g
Dietary Fiber1 g
Total Sugars40 g
Protein14 g
7 more rows

What does adding sugar to tomato soup do? ›

I recommend fresh basil for optimal flavor. Shred your basil so it's in fine strands that easily blend into the soup. Sugar. Adding sugar doesn't make this soup sweet; instead, it counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes and is essential for a balanced flavor.

Why does my homemade tomato soup taste bitter? ›

Leaf states that this can be due to burning the sauce in the pot or simply dealing with a batch of produce that are overly acidic or metallic from canning or cooking. This can also come from under-ripe or low-quality tomatoes, as well as stirring in a hefty amount of tomato paste, per Boss The Kitchen.

What can I add to tomato soup to make it taste better? ›

18 Must-Try Toppings for Your Tomato Soup
  1. Pretzels!
  2. Pepperidge Farm® Goldfish® Crackers.
  3. Pumpkin Seeds.
  4. Croutons.
  5. Tortilla Strips.
  6. Cheese.
  7. Avocado.
  8. Sour Cream.

What does tomato soup contain? ›

Traditional tomato soup

A simple tomato soup can be prepared simply with ingredients such as canned tomatoes/tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vegetable broth or chicken broth and for the flavouring butter, salt and pepper or if required sugar can be used.

Is tomato soup a healthy soup? ›

Heart Health Hero: Tomato soup is excellent for heart health. Thanks to its lycopene content, potassium, and fiber, it helps in lowering high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The soup's low saturated fat content also makes it a heart-friendly choice.

What does Panera Bread tomato soup taste like? ›

About This. Vine-ripened pear tomatoes pureed with fresh cream for a velvety smooth flavor accented by hints of red pepper and oregano and topped with black pepper and sea salt croutons.

Is Panera's tomato soup vegan? ›

And it's not surprising that Panera's recipe is so popular. But unfortunately for many of us, it contains some ingredients we don't consume. You may not have even realized the restaurant classic contains milk, butter, and wheat flour.

References

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