This Might Be The Exact Date Panera's Autumn Squash Soup Returns In 2022

Some people love summer, relishing each sip of their Starbucks secret menu iced coffee drinks and happily soaking up the sun like a cactus in the desert. Others spend every day of the hot season anxiously awaiting the arrival of fall — and all of the tasty food that comes with it. For some, that means the exact date Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte returns, but for others, a different cozy treat takes the top spot. 

"Yes I love a good pumpkin cream cold brew, but Panera's Autumn squash soup is the underrated harbinger of comfort season," one Panera fan said on Twitter. But how long will everyone have to wait until the soup is back at the soup, sandwich, and beverage chain this year?

Well, it could be a while. After all, it's a soup that's mean to embody the flavors of autumn. Panera's Autumn Squash Soup is made with a base of pumpkin, vegetable stock, milk, cream cheese, butternut squash, and cream, which gives it a rich and luscious texture and earthy-sweet flavor. Warm, spiced, and comforting, it's seasoned and sweetened with ingredients like carrots, onions, apple juice, ginger puree, honey, lemon, and curry powder. Based on its release date in years past, Panera's Autumn Squash Soup will probably be back in stores on Friday, September 2, 2022.

Here's why we think September 2 will be the date that Panera's Autumn Squash Soup returns to stores: We looked at the soup's release date each year for the past four years. It was released on Friday, September 14 in 2018; Friday, September 13 in 2019; Wednesday, September 16 in 2020; and Thursday, September 2 in 2021. Because the soup has been released on a Friday twice, it seems likely that it could return on a Friday again this year. As for the release week, the pattern is less clear. However, the soup returned in the first week of September last year, so our guess is that Panera will repeat that pattern this time around, releasing the soup on Friday, September 2, 2022.

This is all speculative, of course, but it's hard not to try to pin the date down when you're a soup lover craving a bowl of comfort. Is September too long for you to wait? Those who are still in the mood for cozy fall flavors even when the summer sun is blazing will be relieved to know that the Autumn Squash Soup is available in grocery stores year-round from the Panera at Home line. Otherwise, cooks can try to make a Panera Autumn Squash Soup copycat recipe at home.