Copycat Panera Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Ingredient Notes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

• Potatoes: Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold Potatoes are both great options. Panera says they use “homestyle cuts of potatoes,” meaning they use a slightly chunkier cut of potato.
• Thick-cut bacon: you can’t have a potato soup without some good quality bacon, it just wouldn’t be right!
• Flour: the flour is the thickening agent that helps create a nice thick and creamy potato soup.
• Broth: vegetable broth or chicken broth are perfect options, I have a great homemade chicken broth that I always love using for my soup recipes. It makes a big difference in flavor!
• Cheese: to stay true to Panera’s recipe, Monterey Jack Cheese is added to the soup, and Asiago is garnished on top. Feel free to use cheddar or Parmesan cheese, it will all taste delicious!
• Seasonings and other ingredients used: garlic, onion, butter, whole milk, heavy cream, sour cream, black pepper, celery salt, ground mustard, chives, salt, and black pepper.

Step by Step Directions

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Expert Tips

• Bacon fat: Using some of the bacon fat to cook the aromatics (garlic and onion) helps create a really flavorful soup base.
• Skip the pre-shredded cheese: Using the pre-shredded bagged cheese is not ideal for soups; it can give the soup a grainy texture and not melt well. Block cheeses will melt evenly and smoothly into the potato soup, so you’ll have a silky, creamy soup!
• Season properly: potatoes absorb a ton of salt! Be sure to season to taste and add more salt as desired to enhance the flavors. Dairy-based soups can often taste flat or one-dimensional if not enough salt is added.

Storage / Freezing

• Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• I don’t recommend freezing potato soup since the dairy can separate and become grainy.
• To reheat, reheat on low heat and stir frequently. Add a splash of broth or milk to thin it out.

FAQs

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

5 from 1 review

Copycat Panera Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Rate Pin Print

Creamy, rich, and packed with homestyle chunks of potato, crispy bacon, and melted cheese—my Copycat Panera Rustic Baked Potato Soup brings the comforting flavors of your favorite soup right to your kitchen! It's easy to make with simple ingredients, it's the perfect cozy meal for any night.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

1/2x1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• ▢ 1, 12 oz. package thick cut bacon, chopped into small pieces (pro tip: partially freeze the bacon before cutting to make it easier to cut the bacon!)
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, diced very small
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 2 Tbsp. salted butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cups whole milk, warmed*
• ▢ 2 lb. russet potatoes peeled and diced, peeled and diced small, ~3-4 large (pro tip: once you dice them, place in a large bowl of cold water to prevent from turning brown) 
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tsp. kosher salt, taste and adjust from there
• ▢ freshly cracked black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp. ground mustard
• ▢ 1 tsp. Crystal hot sauce
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. celery salt
• ▢ 3/4 cup monterey jack cheese, freshly shredded (not bagged cheese)
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• ▢ Garnish: shredded Asiago cheese, chives, bacon crumbles, sour cream.

Get Recipe Ingredients

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

• Render bacon: In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the bacon and render over medium-low until crispy. The bacon fat will melt and separate from the meat, and you’ll be left with perfectly crispy bacon bits. This can take ~8-10+ minutes, stirring occasionally, and keep an eye on it. 
  1, 12 oz. package thick cut bacon, chopped into small pieces (pro tip: partially freeze the bacon before cutting to make it easier to cut the bacon!)
  
• Set bacon aside: Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel- lined plate. You can leave ~2 tbsp. grease in the pot, but remove the rest. 
• Saute onions: Add the onions. Saute for ~5 minutes, until soft. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, just about 30 seconds.
  1 medium yellow onion, diced very small, 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• Stir in flour: Add in the butter, stir to melt, and then add in flour. Stir to coat the onions, and cook about 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. 
  2 Tbsp. salted butter, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• Add liquids and potatoes: Pour in the broth, and stir for ~2-3 minutes. Then add in the milk, cream, seasonings, hot sauce, and diced potatoes. 
  2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups whole milk, warmed*, 2 lb. russet potatoes peeled and diced, peeled and diced small, ~3-4 large (pro tip: once you dice them, place in a large bowl of cold water to prevent from turning brown) , 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tsp. kosher salt, taste and adjust from there, freshly cracked black pepper, 1 tsp. ground mustard, 1 tsp. Crystal hot sauce, 1/2 tsp. celery salt
  
• Cook until potatoes are tender: Cook for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Be sure to stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. 
  
• Blend: Puree half the soup in a blender, be careful it’s hot.
  
• Add cheese: Return the pureed soup into the pot. Stir in the Monterey jack cheese in small handfuls, followed by the sour cream. (Make sure the sour cream is room temperature so it doesn't curdle the soup.
  1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature, 3/4 cup monterey jack cheese, freshly shredded
  
• Taste & adjust: Then add in about ½ cup of the crispy bacon bits. Taste and adjust, adding more salt or pepper as desired. 
  
• Serve: Garnish with bacon, chives, asiago cheese and serve with crusty bread.
  Garnish: shredded Asiago cheese, chives, bacon crumbles, sour cream.
  

Video

Notes

• *Warming the milk: this helps prevent the soup from curdling. I just microwave it for ~30-45 seconds to take the chill off. 
• Storage & reheating:
  • Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • I don’t recommend freezing potato soup since the dairy can separate and become grainy.
  • To reheat, reheat on low heat and stir frequently. Add a splash of broth or milk to thin it out.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 350kcal (18%), Carbohydrates: 30g (10%), Protein: 9g (18%), Fat: 22g (34%), Saturated Fat: 13g (81%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 68mg (23%), Sodium: 945mg (41%), Potassium: 664mg (19%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 802IU (16%), Vitamin C: 8mg (10%), Calcium: 214mg (21%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

© Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner

📸 Photos by Sierra Ashleigh Photography