Instant Pot Copycat Panera Harvest Soup

As the weather gets colder in the fall, nothing feels better than creamy Panera autumn squash soup. This Instant Pot soup recipe can be made in one pot for easy cleaning. Warm your soul and your home with Panera Harvest Soup.

One of my favorite restaurants is Panera. There’s just something so satisfying about getting a bowl of soup, a delicious salad, and a chunk of their baguette.

Lately, I’ve been getting their Harvest Soup, and I just can’t get enough. It’s so creamy and delicious – and I LOVE the addition of the pumpkin seeds on top.

I made this Instant Pot version, and it is to die for. My whole family loved it! I can’t wait to make it over and over again.

How to make Panera Harvest Soup in your Instant Pot

I love my Instant Pot. Not only does it make cooking so quick and easy, clean up is a breeze because everything is done in the same place.

For this recipe, all you have to do is combine most of the ingredients into the Instant Pot, cook for 10 minutes, blend the ingredients until smooth, cook a little longer in the same pot and that’s it! It is so easy, fast and oh so tasty.

What kind of pumpkin puree should you use?

You can use either canned pumpkin puree or you can make it yourself! I have a wonderful recipe for pumpkin puree that you can make in the Instant Pot. Click here to see that recipe.

The main difference between using canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree is its texture and taste. Homemade pumpkin puree is definitely the most fresh tasting and for soup, the texture might be better than canned puree. However, you also can’t go wrong with the canned stuff!

But make sure you don’t get pumpkin pie filling! You do not want to make that mistake.

Immersion Blender vs. Regular Blender

Immersion blenders are so helpful when making soups or other kind of puree! It saves time and reduces your mess by a lot. I highly recommend buying one especially if you make soups and purees often. Although you can use a regular blender for this recipe, it is difficult to get a uniform texture when putting multiple batches of soup at separate times in the blender. The immersion blender can help you regulate the overall texture of he soup and can help you just use one pot and one appliance; it makes it so much easier to clean.

How long does this recipe last?

You should put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge once it cools down. It can last in there for about 4 days.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 16 oz frozen butternut squash
• 1/2 cup frozen carrots
• 1/4 cup diced Onions 
• 4 ounces Neufchatel cheese
• 1/2 cup apple juice 
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth, too, if you don’t need this to be vegetarian)
• 1 cup heavy cream + 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Ginger
• 1 tbsp Honey 
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon Curry powder
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except corn starch and butter in Instant Pot.
2. Cook at manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
3. Do five minutes of natural pressure release and then quick pressure release the rest.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend up the soup until smooth – alternatively, you can place in a regular blender (carefully) and blend as well.
5. After smooth, turn Instant Pot to saute. Once it starts to bubble, add butter and corn starch and quickly whisk to combine until thickened.
6. Serve with pumpkin seeds.

Square Collage of Recipe steps

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

You should put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge once it cools down. It can last in there for about 4 days. If you need it longer than that, you can freeze it in an good container for up to 3 months (but I would eat it much much sooner).

When reheating the soup from frozen, just put it in the fridge overnight then reheat it on the stovetop.

Is this soup vegetarian?

Yes, it is. If you’d like to make it vegan, you will need to use a vegan-friendly butter, coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and a dairy free cream cheese (I always like Tofutti)

Can I Make this on the stove?

Yes, you can! I am working on creating a stove top version, but I’m sure this would convert quite nicely.

What Should I Serve with this?

What is soup without bread? You could serve this with breadsticks, garlic knots, garlic bread, sourdough dinner rolls, or just a simple loaf of french bread from the grocery store.

We actually added bacon bits, because we thought it made it feel a little more hearty.

Related Recipes

• Homemade Instant Pot Pumpkin Puree – 2 Easy ways!
• Fast and Easy Instant Pot Acorn Squash Recipe
• Keto Pumpkin Bread with Pecans–Simple Ingredients
• Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili (Vegetarian)
• Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice – Cafe Rio Copycat
• Fast and Easy Instant Pot Acorn Squash Recipe
• Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole

The comfort and taste of Panera Autumn Squash soup can be made quickly in the Instant Pot! Try this recipe for your next Instant Pot creation.