The Popular Panera Bread Soup You Can Easily Pick Up At Costco

Surprise: America's favorite soup isn't good old chicken soup. If you ask Panera Bread customers, it's actually the chain cafe and bakery's Broccoli Cheddar soup. In a survey conducted by Tasting Table, 39% of all respondents named it as their absolute favorite soup sold at the chain. If you also love it, something you need to know before ordering soup at Panera Bread is that you don't even have to go to the chain to get a bowl of its Broccoli Cheddar. The soup is also available at Costco. The retailer sells Panera Broccoli Cheddar in a two-pack of 24-ounce containers for around $11. You can get other beloved Panera soups at Costco as well, such as the Autumn Squash and Chicken Noodle varieties. 

Just what is it about Panera's Broccoli Cheddar that makes legions of loyal fans return over and over to order it, preferably in a warm and crusty bread bowl (though we wish Panera Bread's double bread bowl was still around so we could have even more)? Customers seem to love the rich and velvety texture as well as the taste that's perfectly cheesy without being too salty. The broccoli and carrots simmered into the soup are just soft enough without being mushy, and there's not too much or too little of the broccoli. It's basically the ultimate comfort soup. 

Panera's famous soups are also available at multiple grocers, which is convenient if you don't live near a cafe or Costco and want to have it on hand to heat up at a moment's notice. You can also buy 32 ounces of the soup at Target for $9.99, or four single-serve cups that are 10 ounces each at Walmart for around $19. Panera also has a where to buy locator on their site to help you find your favorites at a store near you.Considering ordering a bowl of Cheddar Broccoli at Panera costs around $8.99, it may be worth picking it up on your next grocery run to get way more soup for your money.

But is the Panera Broccoli Cheddar you can buy at Costco and other grocery stores the same as what you get at the restaurant? One of the secrets you didn't know about Panera Bread is that the store soup is actually a slightly different recipe. Panera itself admits on its website that its at-home products are inspired by what's served at its cafes. While it's not an exact replica, Panera attempts to make sure the flavor is as similar to what you can order as possible so that you can get your fix even if you aren't visiting the cafe. 

Static Media owns and operates Chowhound and Tasting Table.