This is a roundup of restaurant-style soups that you can make at home. I'm talking about 15 mouthwatering copycat soup recipes that prove homemade beats the restaurant every single time. This is perfect for home cooks who want comfort food without the restaurant price tag. These taste like the real thing; they are familiar favorites, and they're made in your own kitchen.

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Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat Recipe

This Panera broccoli cheddar soup copycat recipe is one that you're going to want to save. It is a basic roux-based recipe using frozen broccoli, sharp cheddar, half and half, and chicken broth. That's it. Panera's original uses carrots and a touch of nutmeg, and this recipe is actually going to omit both, which changes the flavor profile noticeably.

Your roux ratio is two tablespoons butter to two tablespoons flour. You want to use sharp cheddar because it gives you the correct flavor depth. Pre-shredded bags contain a coating on them that you want to avoid because it can make your soup grainy, so block cheese is recommended. Just shred it freshly. It is worth the extra effort.

Half and half is closer to Panera's richness level, whereas heavy cream can make this a little bit too heavy. Panera's soup is only partially blended, which leaves some broccoli texture intact, whereas with this recipe, you will be doing an immersion blending, making this a little bit smoother. And frozen broccoli is fine, but it can release more water, which slightly dilutes your flavor, so you may want to compensate with seasoning if you go that route.

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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe

This Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe is made with Italian sausage, potatoes, kale, and heavy cream in chicken broth. Olive Garden's original uses spicy Italian sausage, and mild works, but it does lose that signature heat, so you want to do hot or a mix to make this closer to the real thing. Zuppa Toscana means Tuscan soup. The OG version is simpler, and this is an Americanized chain version.

You will use russet potatoes as they hold up best in the soup, and you want to add your kale in at the end, as overcooking it will kill the texture and the color. A two- to three-minute wilt is plenty. Heavy cream goes in off the boil. Boiling after can cause it to break or curdle, and you definitely want to avoid that. Half and half will cut your richness, and coconut cream makes this dairy-free, but it will change your flavor noticeably.

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Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup Copycat Recipe

Chili's originally uses a velvety smooth cheese base. Adding cheddar off heat prevents graininess and breaking on this one. You can also use rotisserie chicken to be your biggest time saver, although leftover or poached chicken works as well. Enchilada sauce brand matters too. Mild versus medium will change your heat significantly, and red versus green gives you a different flavor profile entirely, so that's something to keep in mind.

A common mistake with this one is adding the cheese to the hard boil. This will cause your fat to separate and your soup to turn greasy and gritty, which is exactly what you want to avoid. You can bulk this one up by throwing in black beans, corn, or diced poblanos. They are really easy add-ins that stay true to that Tex-Mex profile.

This has a 10-minute final simmer, which is key for the spice bloom, as that cumin especially needs the extra time at high heat to round out.

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Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup Copycat Recipe

This Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup Copycat recipe is made with caramelized onions, chicken broth, heavy cream, and a butter-flour roux, seasoned and topped with cheese. Walkabout soup is Outback's signature onion soup, which is actually closer to a creamy bisque than French onion soup and has no melted cheese crouton on top.

Caramelizing onions is the critical step with this one, which you want to do low and slow for around 20 to 45 minutes to get that real caramelization. If you do only 15 minutes, you're going to get softened onions, not truly caramelized ones. So take the time to do it right.

A butter-and-flour roux is made before adding liquid. This is a classic thickening technique, and adding broth gradually prevents lumps. Heavy cream will be added off high heat to avoid breaking and curdling the cream, and yellow onions are the standard here. Sweet onions mellow the bite and add a natural sweetness, and that mixed note at the end is key.

The original reportedly uses a chicken base and stock for depth, but store-bought broth works on this one, and the quality does matter for the flavor. So be sure to go with a great brand.

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Cheesecake Factory’s Loaded Baked Potato Soup Copycat Recipe

This copycat version of Cheesecake Factory's loaded baked potato soup is made with potatoes, broth, cream, cheddar, bacon, and green onions. Partial blending of half the potatoes is a key technique here, as it will create a creamy body while keeping that chunky texture that you want. Skipping this step will make your soup thin or gluey.

Restaurant soup versions often finish with sour cream or tang, but heavy cream actually adds the richness you want here. So while you have less authenticity, you are going to have a very delicious, rich soup, which is what you want.

Russet potatoes work best for this recipe, as they have a high starch content, making them better for thickening. Waxy potatoes will stay firm and not blend as well, so you want to avoid those.

As for the broth, it's on the light side, and real loaded baked potato soups are really thick, so you want to adjust this ratio or add a roux.

Classic loaded baked potato toppings are, of course, sour cream, chives, and extra bacon, and they matter as much as the soup itself. Don't skip this garnishing step.

Keep in mind that Cheesecake Factory's actual recipe is proprietary. This is a home approximation, not a verified clone.

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Applebee’s French Onion Soup Copycat Recipe

My version of Applebee's French Onion Soup Copycat Recipe uses onions, beef broth, an optional white wine, butter, flour, baguette, and Swiss cheese. You're going to broil this one to finish it. Caramelization takes patience. You want to do this for 25 to 30 minutes as a minimum, and rushing it on high heat will make your onions bitter, not sweet. That's something to keep in mind.

Applebee's uses Gruyere or a Swiss Gruyère blend. Swiss alone is a budget swap with less depth, though, so keep that in mind as well.

Flour stirred in after caramelizing acts as a roux because it thickens the broth slightly. It's not a heavy thickener. That optional white wine can add an acidity to balance the sweetness. Using either a dry white or a dry sherry works. If you skip this, the soup can taste a little flat.

Broiling is essential for the signature crust. Oven-safe bowls are a must, and watching matters closely because this can go from melted to burnt fast.

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Red Lobster’s New England Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe

This Red Lobster's New England Clam Chowder copycat recipe is going to use canned clams, bacon, and a butter-flour roux with built-in seasonings and finished with cream. New England style simply means cream-based. Your roux is made from butter and flour, which is going to thicken it. The ratio matters because if you use too little, it will be thin, and if you use too much, you're going to have a gluey soup.

Canned clams work fine, but you want to add them last, as overcooking tends to make them rubbery. The bacon fat is going to be a cooking base that adds depth to this. Skipping it and using butter only will flatten your flavor noticeably.

Milk or cream is a real fork in the road here. Whole milk is lighter, and heavy cream gives you that restaurant-style richness. Red Lobster leans cream, so we suggest going that way.

Clam juice is the flavor backbone. You can use a bottled version, but those vary in saltiness, so taste before adding more salt.

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Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli Copycat Recipe

The at-home copycat version of Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli uses ground beef, two bean types, ditalini pasta, and the basic aromatics of bean broth. Pasta e Fagioli is Italian for pasta and beans. It's actually a peasant dish that's centuries old, and Olive Garden's version made it mainstream in the US. Olive Garden has an original tomato-based one that is notably thicker than traditional Italian versions, which are often brothier.

The two bean combo here uses kidney and white beans, which is the Olive Garden signature, while purists use only cannellini or borlotti. Ditalini is the classic pasta shape, small tubes that hold the broth really well. Substituting larger pasta will change the texture significantly. A common mistake is adding your pasta too early, as it will absorb liquid fast and turn mushy, so some cooks add it per bowl instead. Olive Garden uses beef broth, but many home recipes swap it for chicken broth, giving you a lighter result.

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Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup Copycat Recipe

This copycat Panera's Autumn Squash Soup is made with butternut squash, pumpkin puree, broth, apple juice, and cream with a curry powder. You're going to simmer this and blend it smooth. An optional top for this one is actually pumpkin sweet seeds, and you can sweeten it with honey.

Panera's original uses both butternut squash and pumpkin, and this recipe mirrors that dual base approach. Either alone changes the flavor profile. Apple juice is your sweetness driver here. Panera's version is notably sweet. Too much and it tastes like a dessert, too little and it will lack that signature taste. Curry powder is the key spice, but it's very easy to over add, so you want a subtle warmth, not a curry forward soup. That is something to keep in mind.

An immersion blender is safest in pot. A countertop blender works, but it needs the pressure vent open to avoid steam explosions on this one. Heavy cream will be added after blending, which keeps it from breaking. Boiling cream-based soup post-addition can cause curling or graininess, which is something to keep in mind.

Roasted pumpkin seeds aren't just a garnish, they add a textural contrast that the original has, and papitas work too.

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Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup Copycat Recipe

This version of Chili's Southwest Chicken Soup recipe is made from pantry staples like chicken, black beans, corn, canned tomatoes, broth, and two spices. Rotisserie chicken is going to be your go-to shortcut, since pre-cooked chicken saves you 20-plus minutes. And Rotel, which is diced tomatoes with green chilies, is the key can. Doing this with just plain diced tomatoes will make you lose heat and flavor on this one. You want to use cumin and chili powder. That is the Southwest backbone, and it is very easy to underseason with canned ingredients, so taste before serving.

You want to do a 15- to 20-minute simmer, which is plenty of time since everything's already pre-cooked. Longer doesn't hurt, but your chicken can get stringy. Lime juice at the end will brighten the whole pot, and its acid is often the missing ingredient when your soup tastes flat.

Toppings can be tortilla strips, cheese, and avocado. They are not optional fluff here. They are how Chili's presents them, and they add the perfect textural contrast you're going to want.

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Cracker Barrel’s Chicken and Dumplings Copycat Recipe

My Cracker Barrel's Chicken and Dumplings Copycat Recipe uses Bisquick dropped dumplings simmered in chicken broth. Cracker Barrel's original uses rolled flat dumplings, and this recipe's Bisquick version gives you fluffy, cakey dumplings that offer a noticeable difference. Using Bisquick is a shortcut compared to making them from scratch. Scratch dumplings require flour, baking powder, fat, and milk, while Bisquick adds leavening and shortening already.

The don't lift the lid rule is critical with this soup because steam is what cooks the tops of the dumplings. If you peek in, you drop the temperature and cause dense, doughy centers. A 10-minute cook time is the minimum. Thick dropped dumplings may need 12 to 15 minutes, so be sure to test them with a toothpick before serving.

Rotisserie chicken is going to be your easiest shortcut for shredded chicken on this one. It also adds some good flavor compared to a plain poached chicken breast. Your broth quality matters more than it seems. Low-sodium broth allows you to control the salt, and if you have too thin a broth, you have too thin a flavor.

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California Pizza Kitchen’s Sedona Tortilla Soup Copycat Recipe

This California Pizza Kitchen Sedona Tortilla Soup is made with broth, salsa, corn, beans, and chicken. You're going to season and simmer it for 10 minutes, topping with chips and avocado. CPK's Sedona tortilla soup is a menu staple, and Sedona nods to the Arizona Southwest flavor profile. It is not a secret ingredient. Salsa does double duty here, replacing a long list of aromatics like tomato, onion, garlic, and jalapeño with one shortcut. The real CPK version includes a tomato-and-chili base that is noticeably thicker. This copycat is intentionally simplified and brothier.

Chili powder is a blend of cumin, oregano, paprika, and ancho. It is not pure chili, and if you use just straight cumin or ancho powder, that changes the flavor noticeably. A common upgrade on this is using rotisserie chicken, which will save you time and add more flavor than a plain poached chicken breast.

Canned chicken is another shortcut you can take, but it does sacrifice texture. Lime juice at the end gives you an acid balance, not just a garnish, that brightens the whole pot and cuts the starchiness of the beans and corn.

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LongHorn Steakhouse’s Shrimp and Lobster Chowder Copycat Recipe

LongHorn Steakhouse has a delicious shrimp and lobster chowder, and the copycat here is a simple five-step recipe using shrimp, lobster, cream, chicken broth, and corn. LongHorn's chowder is a creamy New England-style bisque hybrid with sweet corn, setting it apart from classic clam chowder.

Lobster meat is a pricey variable. Canned or frozen works, but fresh tail meat will make a noticeable difference in the dish's texture. Shrimp, on the other hand, is very easy to overcook. It can turn rubbery, which is the number one home-cooked mistake with this type of dish, so be very careful of that.

Heavy cream will give you a thick restaurant-style body compared to a lighter option like half and half, which would need a roux or cornstarch to compensate. Old Bay as a garnish is a smart finishing touch, adding aroma and color without overseasoning the base. And using chicken broth instead of seafood stock is a shortcut that works, but it will cause this to lose depth, making clam juice a really quick upgrade.

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Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Copycat Recipe

My Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Copycat Recipe is a stripped-down 9-ingredient recipe with basic sauté, simmer, and cream instructions. Olive Garden's version uses a thickened base, and this recipe skips that, so your texture is going to be thinner, but it's still just as good.

Gnocchi float when cooked three to four minutes, and overcooking will make them gluey and fall apart, so you want to add them late and not stir them aggressively. The real copycat gap here is that Olive Garden uses roasted garlic and thyme, while this recipe omits both, resulting in a noticeable flavor difference.

You're going to add in heavy cream at the end. The classic mistake is to boil it hard; you want to simmer it only to prevent it from breaking and curdling. Rotisserie chicken is an easy swap for cooked chicken, saving you time and adding more flavor. Spinach wilts fast, so this is something you want to add last minute and not simmer more than five minutes or it will turn gray and mushy.

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Boston Market’s Chicken Noodle Soup Copycat Recipe

This Boston Market Chicken Noodle Soup Copycat Recipe is a simple five-step recipe with basic aromatics, egg noodles, and shredded chicken in the broth. Boston Market's version is a noticeably rich and peppery soup, and the rotisserie chicken drippings are the key to giving it depth that most home versions miss. Boston Market also uses a thicker wide egg noodle, and you'll want to do the same, as standard thin noodles go mushy fast.

First, sauté your onion, carrots, and celery to build the flavor base; skipping this step will make your soup taste flat. Four cups of broth is on the lean side. Real restaurant portions will lean to five to six cups, and a low-sodium broth allows you to control the salt better.

Most home cooks rush and add their noodles in too early. They will absorb the broth and overswell, especially when storing leftovers. If you want to freeze this soup, we suggest freezing it without the noodles, as they will turn to mush when thawed, so you can add them in after.

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Outback Steakhouse’s Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe

This at-home Outback Steakhouse clam chowder recipe is going to use canned clams, bacon, potatoes, and a simple roux-thickened cream base. New England style simply means cream-based, and roux is made of butter and flour as the thickener. If you add cold to room temp milk, this actually prevents lumping.

Canned clams work, but add them late, as overcooking will make them rubbery. Clam juice is your flavor backbone, and low-sodium versions allow you to control the salt better. Bacon fat sautéing the onion is a classic technique that will add depth to the soup and is something that you definitely want to do. Outback's version is noticeably thick and smoky, and the bacon here is on the lighter side.

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Cheesecake Factory’s Tortilla Soup Copycat Recipe

I use rotisserie chicken, canned tomatoes with chilies, broth, corn, black beans, and fried tortilla strips to make my at-home version of the Cheesecake Factory's tortilla soup. Cheesecake Factory's version is known for having a rich and smoky broth. This recipe will keep it simple but hit the core flavor profile with chili powder and cumin.

Rotisserie chicken is the usual shortcut here. Poaching your own gives you more control over the seasoning, but it does add time. Canned Rotel, which is made of tomatoes and green chilies, does double duty, giving you acidity and heat, and is a common swap for fresh tomatoes and jalapeño.

You want to simmer this for a minimum of 20 minutes. Doing it longer, around 30 to 45 minutes, will deepen your flavor, especially if you add a parmesan rind or a bay leaf.

As for your tortilla strips, frying them will make them crispier, and it's faster. Baking them requires less oil, but they're still crunchy. Both beat store-bought chips for freshness.

And of course, you can add on toppings such as avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, and lime.

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Keep reading

• 25 Copycat Restaurant Soup Recipes to Make at Home
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