Panera Bread Copycat Recipes
Panera's soups, salads, and sandwiches are perfect for a lighter meal. Make them fresh at home.
12 recipes
Panera Bread made fast-casual feel wholesome, and its most-loved items span the full menu — from the iconic soups to the Toasted Frontega Chicken to the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. The Broccoli Cheddar Soup is the signature, but the lineup runs deep: a creamy mac and cheese, a brothy chicken noodle, a sweet-savory autumn squash soup, a smooth creamy tomato, the Green Goddess salad with its herby dressing, and the Frontega Chicken — shredded pulled chicken, fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomato, and fresh basil on black pepper focaccia with a smoky chipotle mayo. The soups follow gentle technique: build a proper roux, melt the cheese off the heat, never boil the dairy. The Cinnamon Crunch Bagel is about one ingredient: coarse Demerara sugar pressed onto a wet-from-boiling bagel before the 450°F bake — that's what creates the caramelized clusters, not fine cinnamon sugar. Our Panera copycats cover all of it.
Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Copycat Panera Bistro French Onion Soup
Copycat Panera Black Bean Soup
Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Bread Bowl Optional)
Copycat Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup
Copycat Panera Chicken Tikka Masala Soup
Panera Cinnamon Crunch Bagel (Copycat)
Copycat Panera Toasted Frontega Chicken
Copycat Panera Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese — White Cheddar Béchamel at Home
Panera Creamy Tomato Soup
Copycat Panera Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup — Discontinued Menu Favorite
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Panera Frontega Chicken?
The Toasted Frontega Chicken is Panera's pressed hot sandwich: shredded pulled chicken, fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil on black pepper focaccia, spread on both sides with a smoky chipotle mayo and pressed until the cheese melts and the crust crisps. It is one of the few fast-casual sandwiches that uses fresh mozzarella (not processed) and focaccia as a base — both details matter for the final texture.
How do I keep broccoli cheddar soup from getting grainy?
Make a flour-and-butter roux, add the dairy gradually, and stir the shredded cheese in off the heat at the end. Boiling after the cheese goes in is what causes graininess and separation. Shred your cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded.
What cheese is in Panera's mac and cheese?
It's a white-cheddar-forward blend with a smooth, slightly tangy sauce. Our copycat melts a cheddar blend into a silky bechamel so it coats the shells without breaking.
Is the autumn squash soup hard to make?
Not at all. It's butternut squash and pumpkin, simmered and blended smooth, with warm spices, a touch of sweetness, and a hint of curry. It freezes beautifully.
What's in the Green Goddess dressing?
A creamy, herb-heavy dressing built on avocado and fresh herbs with a tangy base. Our copycat blends it smooth for that signature pale-green color over greens, chicken, and grain bowls.
Can I make the soups ahead?
Yes, all of them reheat well. For the cheese-based soups, reheat gently over low heat and avoid a hard boil so the dairy stays smooth.