Easy Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

This Instant Pot butternut squash soup is so easy to whip up in a pressure cooker, you’ll never use the stovetop again. This recipe will become your go-to!

Ready for the quickest, coziest fall recipe? May we present: Instant Pot butternut squash soup! It’s spiced with sage, with a hint of cinnamon and a smoky undertone. The squash and carrot give it an electric orange hue, and it’s rounded out with potato and apple for sweetness. Really, it’s pure gold in a bowl! Lately Alex and I we’ve been downing the fall recipes, and we’ve eaten our fair share of butternut squash recipes. Luckily, they just keep getting tastier.

A few stovetop versions? Try Curried Butternut Squash Soup or Best Butternut Squash Soup.

How to make Instant Pot butternut squash soup (a tutorial)

The method for Instant Pot butternut squash soup is pretty straightforward. The most technique required is chopping the squash (more on that, below). Other than that, it’s a quick and easy Instant Pot soup recipe. Saute, pressure cook, blend and eat! Here are the basic steps to do in the Instant Pot after you peel and chop the vegetables:

Step 1: Saute the shallot 3 to 5 minutes.

Use Saute mode on the Instant Pot to saute the shallot. This helps to infuse the savory onion flavor into the soup. Simply pressure cooking aromatic vegetables like onion and garlic can dull their flavors, so don’t skip this part!

Step 2: Pressure cook on High 9 minutes.

Add all the remaining ingredients, then pressure cook on High for 9 minutes. Note that it will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure.

Step 3: Quick release and blend!

Do a quick release of the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting.” Then carefully place an immersion blender in the pot and blend the soup. Be careful: it can spray! So be gentle as you maneuver the stick blender around in the pot.

Alternate method: You also can transfer the entire soup to the blender. Be very careful when pouring the hot soup because it can spray.

How to cut butternut squash, the easy way

The hardest part about Instant Pot butternut squash soup? Chopping that notoriously tricky vegetable. Alex and I stayed away from butternut squash for years because it takes too long to peel! (And sweet potatoes taste pretty much the same…right?) But now, we’re armed with our favorite method for peeling and chopping squash! Take a look at the video below or use these steps:

1. Cut off the neck of the squash and peel it: Using a large chef’s knife, cut off the top of the butternut squash. Then cut off the neck of the butternut squash, right where the neck meets the base. Use a peeler to peel off the skin of the neck and the base.
2. Remove the seeds: Slice the base in half, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
3. Cut the neck into cubes: Cut a flat edge on the side of the neck, to use as a base. Cut the neck into roughly 1/4″ slices. Cut the slices into strips, then turn the strips and chop them crosswise to create cubes.
4. Cut the base into cubes: Slice off the end of the base and slice it into roughly 1/4″ slices. Then chop the slices crosswise to create cubes.

Tip: Use a squash peeler! It’s serrated, which makes it easier than a normal vegetable peeler. Here’s the serrated vegetable peeler we use.

What kind of Instant Pot to use?

All pressure cooker brands vary! Here’s the brand we use: an Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also can’t speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk!

What’s an immersion blender?

An immersion blender is also called a “stick blender” or hand blender. It’s useful for making pureed soups and sauces. Instead of transferring hot soup to a blender and then back, you can just place the stick blender right into the pot! Here’s the immersion blender we use: Immersion blender | Amazon.

10 sides to serve with butternut squash soup

This butternut squash soup is tasty and hearty, but it doesn’t make a meal in itself! You can serve it as a first course (or as a side for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving). But to make it a meal, you’ll need to add some protein to feel full and satiated. We’ve got lots of ideas on how to add plant-based protein here. If you eat dairy or seafood, there are even more options.

Here are the best sides to serve with butternut squash soup:

1. Toast: Spread a thick slice of bread with goat cheese.
2. Shrimp: Top with sauteed shrimp and fresh dill. Or homemade croutons and roasted salted pepitas.
3. Crackers and cheese: Add homemade crackers and slices of smoked gouda.
4. Grilled cheese: Try our spinach artichoke grilled cheese or avocado grilled cheese.
5. Fancy quesadilla: This brie & mushroom quesadilla is perfect.
6. Salad: Try it with beet salad with balsamic dressing or arugula beet salad.
7. Cornbread: Add vegan cornbread slathered with almond butter.
8. Grain salad: Try farro with mushrooms or hearty farro salad.
9. Flatbread pizzas: Add flatbread pizza.
10. Caesar salad: try our perfect Caesar salad.

Want another tasty squash in the Instant Pot? Try our Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash.

This Instant Pot butternut squash soup recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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More Instant Pot soup recipes

There are so many tasty soups to try in a pressure cooker! Try these tasty Instant Pot soup recipes:

• Split Pea Soup The ultimate meal: filling, plant based, and easy to make in a pressure cooker. A tasty, healthy vegan dinner recipe.
• Potato Soup Insanely creamy, a healthy spin with no heavy cream and no blender needed.
• Lentil Soup An ultra cozy Instant Pot soup with fennel, fire roasted tomatoes, and lentils: an easy easy vegetarian meal that everyone will love!
• Wild Rice Soup Fan favorite! Cozy and naturally creamy, a 100% plant based dinner.

Last updated: August 2020