More Panera Bread Guides
Discover more helpful guides and insider tips for your Panera Bread dining experience.
Every Soup Ranked — Prices, Calories & Bread Bowl Math
Panera sells over 100 million cups of soup per year. The Broccoli Cheddar alone could fill a swimming pool every single day. This guide covers all 8 permanent soups with current 2026 prices, the real calorie difference between a cup and a bread bowl, and the one ordering trick that saves you $2 every time.
8
Soups
$5.49+
Cup Price
170
Lowest Cal
100M+
Cups/Year
Cup prices listed — add $1.99 for a bread bowl upgrade
The one that put Panera on the map. Thick, creamy, loaded with actual broccoli florets and sharp cheddar. The recipe has not changed since the early 1990s. Best served in a bread bowl — the cheese soaks into the sourdough walls and creates a second meal. There is a reason Panera moves 100 million cups of this per year.
Smooth, tangy, and uncomplicated. Panera's version leans savory rather than sweet, with a basil finish that rounds it out. Pair it with a grilled cheese for the most classic comfort combo on the menu. At 230 calories per cup, it is the second lightest soup they serve.
Shredded chicken, egg noodles, carrots, and celery in a light broth. This is the soup your grandmother would actually recognize. Not thick, not creamy — just a clean, honest chicken soup. It is the go-to order when you are sick or just want something warm without the calorie load.
The sleeper pick on the menu. Thick, creamy base with wild rice, chicken, and a subtle herb note. It is heartier than the chicken noodle and creamier than the French onion. People who discover this one tend to stop ordering anything else. At 280 calories, it punches above its weight in flavor.
Caramelized onions in a rich beef broth, topped with a crouton and melted Swiss and Gruyere. It arrives with a cheese cap that stretches when you pull your spoon out. The flavor is deep, slightly sweet from the onions, and genuinely rivals what you get at sit-down restaurants for twice the price.
The lightest soup on the board at 170 calories. Butternut squash, pumpkin, and apple blended smooth with curry spice. It tastes like fall in a cup. If you are counting calories or eating vegetarian, this is your pick. It also happens to be the cheapest soup on the menu.
Panera treats their mac and cheese like a soup, and honestly, the texture backs that up. Shell pasta in a thick, creamy white cheddar sauce. At 480 calories per cup, it is the heaviest option on the soup menu. Kids love it. Adults order it "for the kids" and eat half themselves.
Everything from the regular mac, plus crispy bacon bits mixed through. It bumps the calorie count to 520 per cup and costs a dollar more, but the bacon adds a smoky crunch that the original version lacks. If you are already getting mac and cheese, the upgrade is worth the extra dollar.
The bread bowl adds ~600 calories and $1.99 — here is the full breakdown
| Soup | Cup | Bowl | Bread Bowl | Cup Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli Cheddar | $5.99 | $7.29 | $7.98 | 360 cal |
| Cream of Tomato | $5.49 | $6.79 | $7.48 | 230 cal |
| Chicken Noodle | $5.49 | $6.79 | $7.48 | 180 cal |
| Chicken & Wild Rice | $5.79 | $7.09 | $7.78 | 280 cal |
| French Onion | $5.99 | $7.29 | $7.98 | 310 cal |
| Autumn Squash | $5.49 | $6.79 | $7.48 | 170 cal |
| Mac & Cheese | $5.99 | $7.29 | $7.98 | 480 cal |
| Bacon Mac & Cheese | $6.99 | $8.29 | $8.98 | 520 cal |
Cup
$5.99
Bowl
$7.29
Bread Bowl
$7.98
Cup
$5.49
Bowl
$6.79
Bread Bowl
$7.48
Cup
$5.99
Bowl
$7.29
Bread Bowl
$7.98
A bowl of Broccoli Cheddar by itself costs $7.29. But through You Pick Two, you get a cup of soup + a half sandwich for $11.99. That is effectively a cup of soup for about $4.00 after the sandwich value. Here is the play:
Order You Pick Two from the app or kiosk.
Pick cup of soup (any soup) + half sandwich (Frontega Chicken or Bacon Turkey Bravo for max value).
Add a Sip Club drink for free. Total: $11.99 for soup, half sandwich, and a drink.
Compare: a bowl of soup alone ($7.29) + a drink ($2.59) = $9.88 for less food. The combo wins every time. See all combos in our Value Duets guide.
Per cup — the bread bowl adds roughly 600 calories to any soup
170
Autumn Squash
Lightest
180
Chicken Noodle
14g Protein
230
Cream of Tomato
Classic Pick
280
Chicken & Wild Rice
Sleeper Hit
310
French Onion
Cheese Cap
360
Broccoli Cheddar
#1 Seller
480
Mac & Cheese
Heaviest
520
Bacon Mac
Max Calories
For a full calorie and macro breakdown of every item on the Panera menu, check our under 500 calories guide or use the nutrition calculator to build a custom meal plan.
Panera carries 8 soups on the permanent menu: Broccoli Cheddar, Cream of Tomato, Homestyle Chicken Noodle, Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice, Bistro French Onion, Vegetarian Autumn Squash, Mac & Cheese, and Bacon Mac & Cheese. Seasonal soups like Turkey Chili appear in fall and winter but rotate out by mid-February.
A bread bowl upgrade costs $1.99 on top of your soup price. A cup of Broccoli Cheddar is $5.99, so a bread bowl version runs $7.98. The bread bowl itself is a hollowed-out sourdough round that adds roughly 600 calories. It is a full meal by itself.
Vegetarian Autumn Squash at 170 calories for a cup. It is also one of the cheapest at $5.49. The Cream of Tomato comes in second at 230 calories. If you are counting calories, skip the bread bowl and go with a cup or a side portion.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup, by a wide margin. It is the single most ordered item on the entire Panera menu, not just the soup section. Panera serves roughly 100 million cups per year across all locations. The recipe has not changed since the 1990s.
Yes. All soups are available through the Panera app for Rapid Pick-Up and delivery. Third-party platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats also carry the full soup menu. Soups travel well in their sealed containers, but bread bowls can get soggy if delivery takes longer than 20 minutes.
Yes. Group Soup tubs serve 6 to 8 people and range from $24.99 to $29.99 depending on the variety. They are available through catering orders. Place your order at least 24 hours ahead. These are the same soups, just in a larger container with a ladle.
Panera classifies Mac & Cheese under the soup section of their menu. You can order it in a cup, bowl, or bread bowl just like any soup. It is the most calorie-dense option at 480 calories for a cup and 960 calories in a bread bowl. Treat it as a side or a full meal, not a snack.
The Vegetarian Autumn Squash and Cream of Tomato are the closest to gluten-free, but Panera does not certify any soup as fully gluten-free due to shared equipment. If you have celiac disease, Panera recommends caution. For full allergen info, check our allergen menu guide.
Broccoli Cheddar is the classic bread bowl choice for a reason: the thick, cheesy consistency stays inside the bread and does not leak through the bottom. Cream of Tomato is too thin and will soak through faster. French Onion works well too because of its thick broth and melted cheese cap.
Yes. The You Pick Two combo lets you pair a cup of any soup with a half sandwich, half salad, or half flatbread for $11.99. It is the most popular way to order soup at Panera and the best value if you want variety. Available all day.
Broccoli Cheddar enthusiast — 200+ bowls and counting
Every price in this guide is verified against live Panera menus as of May 2026. Calorie counts are pulled directly from Panera's published nutrition data. Marcus has personally eaten at 40+ Panera locations across 12 states. No guesswork.
Broccoli Cheddar in a bread bowl. You know what to do.
Discover more helpful guides and insider tips for your Panera Bread dining experience.
Share your Panera Bread experience with fellow fans!
Fetching feedback...