Last Updated on November 12, 2025 by Brian Kachejian
When covering the top ten Panera Bread soups, it boils down to what’s been able to “wow” the consumers. Panera Bread has excelled at this since its founding as The St. Louis Bread Company in 1987. Founded by Ken and Linda Rosenthal, what started as a small Missouri-based business eventually grew to become one of America’s most beloved fast-casual restaurants. Today, Panera Bread operates not only across the United States but also in Canada.
Top 10 Panera Soups
# 10 – Mexican Street Corn Chowder
If you’re into corn chowder, Panera’s Mexican Street Corn Chowder might be a tasty experience for you. This is assuming you are game to kick the flavoring up at least a notch or two. A combination of chili powder, cilantro, fire-roasted poblanos, lime juice, and russet potatoes enhances the sweet, somewhat creamy corn in this soup recipe. The mix of smoke and spice, along with the topping of blue corn tortilla chips, transforms this otherwise tame corn chowder into a fiesta for the palate.
# 9 – Ten Vegetable
Panera Bread’s Ten Vegetable soup has Aleppo chili, brown rice, carrots, celery, chickpeas, corn, garlic, poblano peppers, red fife, and tomato. Seasoned with salt and pepper, this is a relatively light soup that is a vegetarian favorite. What’s nice about the ingredients in this soup is that they make a great dip for bread. The sweetness of the bread complements the soup’s somewhat bitter flavor.
# 8 – Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup
As a soup, Panera’s Vegetarian Autumn Squash recipe can be enjoyed at any time. The butternut squash and pumpkin blend offers a rich flavor that’s just as delicious to eat as it is to savor the aromatic experience. The hints of apple juice, cinnamon, curry, and honey bring this soup from ordinary to extraordinary. Together, they add just the right amount of sweetness and spice to the pumpkin and squash, making this a delightful soup. The garnish of pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top of the soup makes it even better. Their ability to stay nice and crunchy as you eat the soup actually makes this a rather fun meal to enjoy.
#7 – Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
While Panera Bread is known for experimenting with flavors, it is also a company that excels in traditional classics. Its Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a hearty and thick soup that wonderfully lives up to its name. If you’re looking for a good creamy soup, this is it. If you love chunks of chicken that are mixed well with quality wild rice, this is definitely the soup for you. Among traditionalists, Panera Bread’s approach to the cream of chicken and rice soup seems to share the same recipe used by cooks during what now seems like a bygone era.
# 6 – Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
There is a reason why chicken noodle soup remains a quintessential American classic. With Panera, its Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup lives up to that expectation as a go-to favorite, especially among traditionalist soup fans. The combination of chicken, egg noodles, carrots, and celery works beautifully with the herbs used to make this excellent soup. If you’re turning to a good soup as part of your recovery from the common cold, this would make a great option. If you’re simply a fan of chicken noodle soup for any occasion, it also works, especially if you pair it up with a nice sandwich.
# 5 – Broccoli Cheddar Soup
While Panera is known for turning traditional favorites into scrumptious soup experiences, they’re also known for keeping the tradition as an all-time classic. This is the case with its Broccoli Cheddar Soup. There are some notable differences with this recipe compared to the norm, however. While most brands use potatoes to thicken this hearty soup, Panera uses flour instead. There are also some shredded carrots mixed in, adding a bit of sweetness to this soup recipe. The flavoring of the broccoli in the soup is excellent. As for the cheese, it doesn’t overpower this vegetarian-friendly soup. This makes it smoother for consumption, and it’s also easier to digest as it reaches the stomach.
# 4 – Thai Chicken Soup (by Panera Bread)
The Thai Chicken Soup is Panera’s smoky approach to traditional chicken soup. The combination of ingredients used in this recipe includes fish sauce, so if you’re allergic to seafood, this wouldn’t be the soup for you. If you prefer traditional chicken soup, this wouldn’t exactly be for you, either. However, among soup fans who want something out of the ordinary, the mix of chicken, carrots, edamame, red bell peppers, and shiitake mushrooms beautifully blends with the seasonings that make this Thai chicken soup recipe so exquisite.
# 3 – Turkey Chili Soup
From Panera Bread, the Turkey Chili Soup combines the best of two worlds, coming together as one. This brothy soup with rice is the perfect solution for warming up on cold days. If you’re a fan of soup with some kick to it, this may be the one for you. Although spiced with chili, this approach to turkey soup doesn’t overdo it, as Panera manages to keep it subtle. This allows you to enjoy the flavor combination of the meat, rice, and vegetables that make soups so delicious to begin with.
# 2 – Creamy Tomato Soup
Panera’s Creamy Tomato Soup has transformed a relatively ordinary recipe into a delicious experience. Instead of using those big beefsteak tomatoes, Panera goes with the more petite pear tomatoes as soon as they’re ripe enough to take from the vine. Once pureed, these tomatoes are mixed with some butter and whipping cream, along with some black pepper, focaccia croutons, olive oil, and red pepper. This thick and hearty soup, surprisingly enough, doesn’t turn the croutons into mush. Instead, this vegetarian-friendly soup serves up an excellent meal on its own, without necessarily needing a sandwich to accompany it.
# 1 – Bistro French Onion (by Panera Bread)
When French Onion soup is done right, it’s fantastic. While nothing truly homemade and fresh, Panera Bread comes pretty close to delivering that same quality with its recipe. The flavor is there, along with its heartiness. The flavor of the caramelized onion, combined with the rich stock, makes this one a tasty favorite to the palate. The saltiness rivals that of a fine dining restaurant. The texture of the cheese and focaccia breading combo, paired with Panera’s Bistro French Onion, is definitely worth every bite. I will be honest here. My ultimate favorite soup is French Onion. However, it must be done correctly. Panera Bread is among the few that have accomplished this.
