This Easy Instant Pot Panera Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup is the best, quick pressure cooker recipe that includes stovetop directions, too. This copycat recipe is actually better than the real thing. Make this dish for meal-prep using fresh or frozen broccoli.
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Since Panera first opened I have always been a fan of their broccoli cheddar soup. I can eat it year round. It doesn't have to be cold outside for me to crave a bite! I'm sharing my favorite homemade version. I prefer to make it in my Instant Pot because it gives the broccoli the PERFECT texture. I have also included stovetop instructions below.
If you are a soup lover you will also love my Instant Pot Split Pea Soup and Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Table of Contents
How to Make Instant Pot Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Gather your ingredients.
- Saute the onions and garlic.
- Add the chicken broth, broccoli, and seasonings.
- Pressure cook for 4 minutes. Quick-release the steam and add the remaining ingredients.
What Type of Cheese to Use
I like to use sharp cheddar cheese. You can use whatever cheese you wish.
Substitutions and Ideas for Additional Ingredients
- Shredded or Chopped Carrots
- Spinach
- Kale
- Celery
- Crumbled Bacon
- Sausage
- Green Peppers
- Red Peppers
How Many Carbs are in Broccoli?
One cup of broccoli has about 3.5 net carbs. 4 cups of broccoli are used in this recipe, that is divided among 8 servings.
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The low carb version of this soup has 6 net carbs per serving.
How Long Will it Last in the Fridge
It will last tightly covered for 3-4 days.
Freezer Tips
I love to use these soup freezer molds from Amazon to freeze the soup. I reheat it using the slow cook function or you can thaw and microwave. It will freeze up to a few months.
You may also enjoy my Keto Cheeseburger Casserole and Keto Peanut Butter Cookies.
Popular Keto Recipes
Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
Keto Shrimp Alfredo
More Instant Pot Soups
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Instant Pot Chicken, Seafood, and Sausage Gumbo
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup with Spinach
Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Soup
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin
Also check out our Stovetop Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Slow Cooker Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Instant Pot Panera Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter Divided
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2-3 garlic cloves Minced
- 2 cups stock or broth I used chicken.
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets (with stems) You can use frozen if you wish, the pot may take a little longer to come to pressure.
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese I purchase block cheese and grate it. It melts much better than pre-shredded cheese.
Instructions
- Place the Instant Pot on the saute function. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, chopped onions, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Add the chicken broth, broccoli florets, salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Cook for 4 minutes on Manual > High-Pressure Cooking.
- While the soup cooks, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Add the flour to the butter and stir.
- When the pot indicates it has finished, quick release the steam and place it on the saute function.
- Open the pot and add the heavy whipping cream and shredded cheddar to the pot.
- Scoop out a couple of tablespoons of the soup and add it to the bowl with the melted butter and flour. Stir and add the mixture back to the pot. This will thicken up the soup.
- Place the Instant Pot on saute for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Serve in bowls.
Stovetop
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter, chopped onions, and garlic to a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the broth, broccoli, salt, and pepper to taste to the pot. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.
- While the soup cooks, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. Add the flour to the butter and stir.
- When the broccoli is tender, add the heavy whipping cream and shredded cheddar to the pot.
- Scoop out a couple of tablespoons of the soup and add it to the bowl with the melted butter and flour. Stir and add the mixture back to the pot. This will thicken up the soup.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Allow a few minutes for the cheese to melt and the soup to thicken.
- Serve in bowls.
Chris C says
Delicious! Big hit with my family.
staysnatched says
I'm glad to hear it was a hit!
Christina says
This soup is so good that even my picky eater son loved it. My family and I loved it.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Sateria says
Just made this for lunch and it was 🔥! Another full proof recipe!!
staysnatched says
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jenny says
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Shaday says
Super easy recipe to follow! Made this last night and the soup came out great! Family friendly my 5 year old son was scraping the bowl. One thing I absolutely agree with is shredding your own cheese it makes a world of difference.
staysnatched says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Momma M says
This was VERY good. Thank you for posting it.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Heather says
I've basically been living off of your recipes since starting keto a couple of weeks ago, so I've made sooo many of your wonderful recipes, but this one just might be my favorite yet. So simple but so flavorful and yummy. This one was a huge hit! Thanks.
staysnatched says
I'm so glad to hear it!
Colbie Sierhuis says
Had broccoli and cheddar in my fridge today so checked out the recipe to see if I had everything else. Happy I did! Love this soup. I usually make soups with what feels like 10,000 ingredients (which are amazing). It was a nice change to whip this one up today in such short order. So much flavour! Will make again 🙂
staysnatched says
Glad to hear you will make it again.
Jennifer says
How much soup is one serving? A cup?
Jessica says
Can’t remember if I reviewed this one before but either way it deserves another! Super easy and delicious. Easily a fam favorite!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear it.
Katie says
Delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
staysnatched says
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Peaches says
This soup is souper delicious! I love it. So warm and cozy on a chilly day. I love how simple it is. I just made it this morning before our day started and we were out the door. Its going to be a fabulous lunch for all. Thermoses filled, off we go
staysnatched says
That sounds like such a great plan!
Nek C says
Panera, who? This soup had the best ratio for all the ingredients. Perfect for meal prep this week.
staysnatched says
haha love to hear it!
Diane says
Delicious ! I added cayene pepper for a kick!
staysnatched says
That sounds so good!
Anonymous says
delish! used half onion, half green pepper, sharp cheddar/pepperjack/cream cheese, 3 cups broth/1 cup hwc. ZG not needed
staysnatched says
Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
Made today. Delicious!
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Katie says
Made this tonight - delicious! I did the stove top version and it was really good. Doing keto but vegetable heavy, so this was perfect.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Crystal says
My partner doesn’t like creamy soups (!!!!) so I made this tonight for the week because he’s out of town. Do not sleep on this recipe, people!! I used a “California blend” of frozen vegetables and it was so dang good. I also used a mix of cheeses, since we had them on hand - cheddar, mozzarella and a jalapeño havarti. Can’t wait to eat it all week long!
staysnatched says
Awesome. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Sarah Wade says
I’ve been making this for 5+ years and I am obsessed. I make it when I’m keto, I make it when I’m not. I’ve served it for vegetarians and meat eaters and every person says it’s the best they’ve tried. I often add 1.5 times the broccoli and skip the thickener and it’s still delicious and thickens up perfectly. Thanks for such a great recipe!
staysnatched says
Glad to hear it!
Lo says
Love the keto version. What happened to the xanthum gum version? Can you add that back?
staysnatched says
It's in the notes of the recipe.
Paul says
Recipe is good and works well. We had it for dinner tonight. It’s one of the recipes that get in my favorites. The only thing is that I only got two 14 once servings. Still a good recipe.
Day says
Hi, thanks for this recipe, gonna make it tonight. I'm new to using the Instant Pot so I was wondering if I wanted to add potatoes (diced russets) when would I have to add them? Should I partially cook them beforehand? Thank you.
staysnatched says
I haven't tried this with potatoes because they have a completely separate cook time. You can try it that way. Let me know how it turns out!
Caitlin says
So quick, easy, and absolutely delicious! Tastes even better than Panera.
staysnatched says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Elaine says
I don't know when I last had Panera broc/cheese soup so I was delighted to find this version. Delicious! It seems there's been a lot of discussion here about "how much" the recipe makes. Maybe there are differences in how things are measured? In any case, I doubled all of the ingredients and got 12 cups of soup. Plenty to take a big batch to a friend coming home from the hospital, and dinner for 2 of us with leftovers for lunch. Thanks, this is a keeper!
staysnatched says
You're welcome!
Jessica says
What is the serving size? I see 1 serving is 487 calories but what is the size of that serving?
Monica O says
I've made this countless times and could probably do it by muscle memory at this point. It's so good and so easy! And I love that it's not full of a bunch of unnecessary junk! I'll be making this again and again.
staysnatched says
haha! Love to hear it!