Time for some fall flavors! And honestly, there is nothing I love more in the fall than a good soup like this Instant Pot butternut squash soup recipe.
Soups are soul food right? They warm our bodies, warm our hearts, and comfort us like no other food can. And the best part, soups are usually easy to make, save well, reheat well, and fill bellies – that’s like a quadruple win or something. Soups made in the Instant Pot put the winning factor over the top in my mind. Give.me.ALL.the.soup!
Will my kids even eat Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup?
Okay so now that we’ve established that I’m a soup fan, lets talk about some of your questions. I know you have them; I have a whole list of them! At the top of my list: Will my kids even eat Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup? And that is a great question! It depends on a lot of factors. I’ll be the first to admit that my kids are NOT picky eaters. Honestly that was intentional meal-time parenting on my part, and it is never too early or too late to start.
In fact, we start our babies on tiny broken pieces of olives and other interesting flavors as soon as they can swallow and chew solid food like Cheerios. It wakes up their palates. But we didn’t know that with my oldest, so for her we had to do a little more work to introduce new foods. My third child has sensory issues, so for her we had to work harder to get her to accept new foods and different textures. It can be hard work. So — children like this soup. Yes, your children can like Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, but if you have picky eaters it might take a little bit of work. Is that a good answer?
What spices are good in Butternut Squash Soup – and this Instant Pot recipe?
Aha! That’s also a great question. The answer is — you can spice up your Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup almost any way you want! Butternut squash plays well with a whole bunch of different flavor profiles, so with this recipe you can end up with a bunch of varieties of the same soup. Traditional pumpkin pie spices like nutmeg work very well; serve the soup with crusty bread. Cajun spices kick the flavor up a notch and wow pallets; serve with cornbread. Italian spices remind us of pasta, and in fact, this soup with Italian spices and some ravioli added is incredibly yummy; serve with garlic bread! Indian spices also play well with butternut squash and would be perfect in this soup; serve with naan. So just pick your flavor profile and enjoy.
How long do you cook butternut squash in the Instant Pot?
For the purposes of this recipe, we have two different steps. First, you cook the butternut squash in the IP (it’s so fast!) and then you cook the Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup (also fast). So another question I often hear is can you pressure cook butternut squash? And the answer is a resounding “Yes, yes you can.” I’ve done this myself many times.
Butternut squash can be cooked in the Instant Pot two different ways. My favorite (easy button) way is to put the whole squash in the IP and cook on high pressure for 25-30 minutes. This is something you can do ahead of time, and then refrigerate or freeze the resulting squash puree. You can read how to cook a butternut squash and print the easy directions. However, for purposes of speed, when you are doing both steps of this recipe at once you can cut the butternut squash in half and it will pressure cook in just 10 minutes.
So how do you make Butternut Squash Soup in the Instant Pot?
That’s why you came to check out this blog post right? You need a great recipe for Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, and I happen to have one. It’s very, very simple. First, you cook the butternut squash using one of the two methods described above. The fast method is shown on the printable recipe card below. Next, you sauté onions and garlic in butter and olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and seasoning of your choice, and cook it on high pressure for 10 minutes. Let it naturally release pressure and you are good to go! It’s so easy, and so incredibly yummy.
Best Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs butternut squash
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 32 oz chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
To cook the butternut squash
- Cut your squash in half and clean the seeds out.
- Place trivet in Instant Pot and add 1/2 cup of water.
- Place the squash over the trivet and close lid.
- Set to manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes. Natural release.
- Carefully remove squash from Instant Pot and scoop out the flesh.
To make the Butternut Squash Soup
- Place the olive oil or butter in the IP on the saute setting.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Add the squash (removed from its skin) and stir well to incorporate.
- Turn off the saute setting and add the stock and seasonings as desired. (See note below)
- Place the lid on the IP and select Soup setting for 10 minutes.
- Natural release. Adjust seasoning to taste before serving.
Notes
Note: add additional seasonings as desired and available. Cajun, pumpkin pie, Italian – all make great additions individually and each will give the soup a different flavor profile.
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