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This Instant Pot butternut squash soup recipe is silky, healthy, thick, and packed with fall flavors. Total comfort! It’s easily made vegetarian (or vegan) if needed.
I was taking inventory of my Instant Pot soup recipes, and I remembered how much I enjoyed my Instant Pot sweet potato soup. What else is orange and perfect for autumn? Butternut squash. And that’s where the idea for this soup came from. I then decided to make a stove top butternut squash soup that’s almost identical to this recipe for those who still want the soup but don’t own an Instant Pot.
I wanted this soup to be nice and thick and hearty, so I went easy on the liquids and added a potato the second time I tested it (the starch helps to thicken it up). I think it’s always better to have to add some more broth while you’re blending it up than ending up with a too-watery soup.
I have more butternut squash recipes you may like, including this butternut squash & carrot soup and my honey roasted butternut squash recipe.
How to quickly peel a butternut squash
In my experience, using a sharp knife is the best way to peel a butternut squash quickly and easily. The peel is very thick, so I find that potato peelers don’t work so great. I cut the squash in half and then into quarters, and then I just use the knife to basically cut the peel off. I ensure the chunks are stable on the cutting board so I don’t have any accidents. Or, you can be more precise and peel it with a knife like you’d peel an apple. Either way works. I am sure there are plenty more tricks out there. If you have any handy squash peeling tips, let me know in the comments. 🙂
A related post you may find useful: how to cook spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot.
Recipe notes:
- To save time, you can always buy pre-cut butternut squash. I’d aim for between 3-4 lbs. since once you trim the skin off the squash you’re left with a bit less than the 4 pounds of whole squash.
- This soup freezes well for up to 3 months (or keep it in the fridge for a few days).
- If you want to add a bit of zing to this soup, add in a teaspoon or so of fresh grated ginger.
- Try throwing a peeled and cut-up apple in here for something a little different.
- This is the Instant Pot model I use, and I use this Oster immersion blender.
Serving suggestions:
Try serving this soup with a nice slice of crusty bread or some homemade croutons. I sprinkled some Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel seasoning on top to give the photos some texture, and it tastes really good.
More Instant Pot soups you may enjoy:
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup (with ham OR vegetarian)
Let me know if you’ve made this IP butternut squash soup!
Questions? Leave me a comment below.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 4 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded, & cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large carrot peeled & sliced
- 1 large Russet potato peeled & diced
- 3 cups chicken or veggie broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 (5.4 ounce) can coconut milk (I used full fat)
Instructions
- Prep your squash (cut it into roughly 1.5" pieces), onion, carrot, and potato. To easily peel a squash, I cut it into quarters and use a knife to cut the peel off since it's thick, and I find potato peelers don't do a good job.
- Add the oil, butter, and onion to your Instant Pot. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, followed by the broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, carrot, potato, and squash to the Instant Pot. Close the lid, set the valve to "sealing", and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. It'll take 10-15 minutes for your IP to get up to pressure.
- Once the countdown has finished, you can either do a quick pressure release right away or let the pressure release naturally.
- Blend the soup using either a stick/immersion blender (that's what I used) or a regular blender. Do this carefully (you may want to let the soup cool for a while first).
- Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt & pepper as needed (I was fairly generous with both - I would add at least 1/2 teaspoon salt).
Notes
- I used one of those tiny cans of Thai Kitchen coconut milk. If you can't find a small can, use 1/2 of a regular size can. You can leave out the coconut milk if you wish, but I like the added silkiness and coconut flavor it adds.
- I usually end up buying two smaller squashes because I can't always find one that's around 4 pounds.
- If you want the soup to be very thick, reduce the broth to 2.5 cups.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure and release pressure (with quick release).
- This is the Instant Pot I use.
- Here's the stove top recipe if you don't want to use an Instant Pot.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have not made this soup yet, but it sounds wonderful and easy. I wish you had an option to email recipes. I do not have a printer so I like to send recipes to my daughter to print for me.
Hi Carolyn! Just send her the link (copy and paste the saltandlavender.com/ part at the top of the browser) and she will know what to do. 🙂
Place pricked Squash in microwave for about 5 minutes and it will peel much easier.
The best butternut squash recipe ever! Added some cayenne and it was just amazing. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your 5-star review, Alicia!! 😀 So happy you enjoyed it!
Omg! This was so good! I added my salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powder, and some fresh ginger before pressureizing. Then added a full can coconut milk and topped it with a little salsa verde and cilantro. I also left the potato out. My belly has not been this happy in a long time!
Sounds good to me!!
I’ve made this recipe 4x! It’s beautiful and delicious! I add some honey and cayenne pepper! Yummy! Super simple and taste’s like you were in the kitchen all day!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Jimanna! Thank you! 😀
I only had about 1lb left of butternut squash so substituted the rest with carrots and it turned out amazing!l! Tasted great before I opened the can of coconut milk, so instead of adding that and wasting half a can, just used a bit of cooking cream I had in the fridge already. I think I liked it more without the cream but even with it was great. It always makes me nervous playing with a recipe that goes into an instant pot, but this was really forgiving!
That’s great!! I’m glad it worked out. I agree… this recipe is definitely pretty forgiving. Thanks for your review!
Microwave the entire squash for one minute. It makes it easier to peel.
Great tip! I assume it’s a good idea to poke a few holes in it first (like with a fork or small sharp knife in a few places)?
So yummy! Perfect even though I forgot tio get coconut milk. I couldn’t find the whisks to my mixer either, so I blended it with my rocket blender and it was just perfect ♡ Thank you!
Aww I am soo happy to hear it, Kelsi! Thanks for leaving me a comment!
Love all of your recipes. They are very good and super doable … thank you so much for sharing.
You’re very welcome, Martha! So glad you enjoy them 🙂
So good! Perfect for fall!
Thanks, Karly!