What Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup?

Panera Autumn Squash Soup is a creamy vegetarian soup made with butternut squash and pumpkin simmered in vegetable broth. Its flavor combines natural squash sweetness with honey, apple juice, cinnamon and a hint of curry. Sweet cream gives the soup its creamy texture, while roasted and salted pumpkin seeds provide a finishing topping.

Complete Panera Autumn Squash Soup Nutrition Facts

Here is the nutritional breakdown by serving size.

Nutrient	Cup	Bowl	Bread bowl
Calories	220	330	860
Total fat	11 g	17 g	13 g
Saturated fat	5 g	7 g	5 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	35 mg	50 mg	35 mg
Sodium	800 mg	1,210 mg	2,140 mg
Carbohydrates	27 g	41 g	163 g
Dietary fiber	3 g	5 g	8 g
Total sugars	22 g	33 g	26 g
Protein	5 g	8 g	26 g

What Does Panera Autumn Squash Soup Taste Like?

The soup combines sweet and savory flavors. Butternut squash and pumpkin create its main flavor, while apple juice and honey add sweetness. Cinnamon, ginger and curry contribute warm seasoning without making the soup primarily spicy. Its creamy consistency comes from dairy ingredients, including milk, cream and Neufchâtel cheese.

What Does Panera Put on Top of Autumn Squash Soup?

Panera describes its topping as roasted and salted pumpkin seeds. These seeds add a crunchy contrast to the smooth soup. The topping is part of the product’s listed description, although preparation and availability can vary by café.

Panera Autumn Squash Soup Ingredients

This soup contains several squash, dairy, vegetable and seasoning ingredients.

The main ingredients include:

The topping consists of roasted and salted pumpkin seeds, with sunflower oil and salt.

What Gives the Soup Its Sweet and Savory Flavor?

The squash and pumpkin provide the main vegetable flavor. Honey, brown sugar and apple juice concentrate contribute sweetness, while curry powder, cinnamon, ginger and other seasonings provide warmth. Milk, cream, butter and Neufchâtel cheese help create the creamy texture.

Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Vegetarian, Vegan or Gluten-Free?

Panera identifies its Autumn Squash Soup as vegetarian. However, vegetarian customers should not assume that it is vegan or dairy-free.

Dietary consideration	Information
Vegetarian	Yes
Vegan	No
Dairy-free	No
Contains milk	Yes
Bread bowl contains wheat	Yes
Allergy-free preparation guaranteed	No

Does Panera Autumn Squash Soup Contain Gluten?

The bread bowl contains wheat ingredients, including enriched wheat flour and whole wheat flour. The soup ingredient declaration itself does not list wheat as a soup ingredient. However, this should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a café-prepared cup is safe for someone with celiac disease or a serious wheat allergy.

Panera states that its bakery-cafés use shared equipment and handle common allergens. It cannot guarantee that menu items are free from allergens.

What Allergens Should Customers Know About?

Panera’s bread bowl product listing identifies milk and wheat and notes that sesame may also be present. Milk is particularly relevant because it is included in the soup itself. If you’ve food allergies, you should check the current ingredient and allergen information rather than relying on a general vegetarian label.

Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Vegetarian?

Yes. Panera officially describes Autumn Squash Soup as vegetarian. Its soup ingredients use vegetable broth rather than meat broth.

Is It Vegan or Dairy-Free?

No. The café soup contains milk, cream, Neufchâtel cheese and butter. It also contains honey. These ingredients mean the standard café preparation is not suitable for a vegan or dairy-free diet.

Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Available in 2026?

Yes. Panera brought back Autumn Squash Soup as part of its fall 2026 menu, which launched on September 2, 2026. Panera describes the soup as a seasonal fall offering rather than a permanent year-round café item. Its official product listing also identifies it as in season.

How to Find Autumn Squash Soup at Your Local Panera?

You can check availability before visiting:

1. Visit Panera’s official website or open its app.
2. Select your location.
3. Open the soup section.
4. Look for Autumn Squash Soup.
5. Check which serving sizes are available.

Menu availability can vary by café, so an item appearing on a general menu does not guarantee that every location has it in stock.

Panera Café Soup vs. Panera at Home Autumn Squash Soup

Panera also sells a refrigerated version of Autumn Squash Soup through participating grocery retailers. It is marketed under the Panera at Home name.

Although the products share the same general flavor profile, their recipes, packaging and nutrition information should be checked separately.

Detail	Café version	Grocery version
Product	Restaurant-prepared soup	Refrigerated packaged soup
Serving format	Cup, bowl or bread bowl	Packaged container
Calories	220 per café cup	Depends on package serving
Dairy	Yes	Yes
Vegetarian	Yes	Check product label
Gluten information	Check café allergen details	Check the specific package label

Is Panera Autumn Squash Soup Healthy?

Panera Autumn Squash Soup can be a reasonable choice in moderation, but it is not the healthiest option for everyone. It contains pumpkin, butternut squash, and spices, which provide some nutrients and flavor. However, its creamy base also contains dairy, added sugars, and saturated fat.

A cup contains approximately 220 calories, 800 mg sodium, 22 g sugar, 5 g protein, and 3 g fiber. The sodium and sugar are worth considering, especially if you are watching your salt or sugar intake.

Frequently Asked Questions