The Classic Soup You Should Avoid Ordering From Panera

Panera's got a wide range of comforting soups, from its broccoli cheddar to its homestyle chicken noodle. They're like a big hug in a bowl, hearty enough to leave you satisfied. But while most deliver on that comfort, there's one soup we'd recommend you skip: the classic Creamy Tomato Soup. When tomato soup is made well, whether at home or in a restaurant, it has a richness that balances freshness with just the right amount of acidity. Whether you like it creamy and smooth or rustic and chunky, it almost always tastes better when you dip it in a grilled cheese sandwich. But Panera's version doesn't quite deliver. It's not awful — you won't spit it out — but you're also not left with that satisfied feeling after finishing your cup. It's one of the many items you should avoid ordering at Panera.

On paper, the ingredients sound pretty good. You've got vine-ripened pear tomatoes pureed into a creamy base, blended with fresh cream for richness, and seasoned with red pepper, oregano, and black pepper. It even gets topped with sea salt croutons for a little crunch. The problem is that the flavors don't come together the way you'd hope. Customers (and our own team) often say it tastes more like a jar of pasta sauce was dumped in a bowl than a true tomato soup. Our reviewer notes that "it could benefit from more cream to give it richness, while adding more herbs would probably improve aroma and flavor." The result is a soup that sounds indulgent but ends up feeling flat.

A lot of Panera regulars have pointed out the same issues. It's not creamy enough, too watery, and sometimes it's "almost like drinking V8," as one Redditor noted. One explanation floating around is that because Panera soups come frozen and are re-thermalized in bags, consistency can vary. If the bag isn't handled correctly — say, an ice bath leaks or the bag develops a hole — the soup can get watered down before it reaches your bowl. That means your experience can be downright disappointing, depending on the prep.

Still, the Creamy Tomato Soup clearly has its fans, or it wouldn't still be on the menu. Copycat recipes are everywhere online, and some people swear by their recipes, like adding heavy cream to Rao's marinara sauce to get close to that Panera flavor.

If you're craving tomato soup, though, you've got much better options. Homemade roasted tomato soup gives you a deeper, caramelized flavor. Tomato basil brings in that fresh, herbal freshness. And a chunky, rustic version adds heartiness that's miles ahead of Panera's smooth but underwhelming take. However you like it, a good tomato soup should taste cozy, satisfying, and complete — something Panera's Creamy Tomato Soup struggles to pull off.