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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious way to enjoy your next winter squash. It’s warm and comforting, and the pressure cooker makes the process as easy as possible!
Why You’ll Love It
You’ll minimize the mess. Unlike working with a slow cooker, you can saute the aromatic ingredients directly in the Instant Pot, so there’s no extra saucepan to clean when you’re done. The pressure cooker will even keep your soup warm for serving!
It tastes amazing. This butternut squash soup is loaded with flavor, thanks to simple ingredients like onion, garlic, and curry powder. It tastes like it was simmered for hours, but doesn’t require nearly as much time.
It’s allergy-friendly. Made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream, this recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan friendly.
It’s ultra comforting. With a creamy texture, this velvety soup is perfect anytime you need to warm up from the inside out. Pair it with an Apple Walnut Salad for a light, yet nourishing meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can use fresh or frozen butternut squash, as long as you keep the weight the same. The 2 pounds is measured after the squash has been peeled and cut, so you can use pre-cut squash from the store, or frozen squash to cut-down on the prep work.
If you prefer a sweeter soup, you can also add in a granny smith apple to cook along with the squash, or add a small amount of maple syrup or brown sugar at the end, for a touch of sweetness.
If you would like to try another Butternut Squash Soup variation, be sure to check out my stove top recipe, which is made with apple and cinnamon. You can also use chicken broth instead of water, but keep in mind that you’ll need to cut-back on the salt in that case, since prepared broth will already have extra sodium.
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
1. Saute.
Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot and wait 1 minute for the bottom of the pot to warm up.
Add in the olive oil and onion, and cook until the onion softens, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and curry powder, and stir for 1 more minute, just until they smell fragrant.
Press the “Off/Cancel” button to turn off the sauté function and add 1 cup of water to help prevent the garlic from burning. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, to make sure nothing is stuck. (This will prevent a burn error later.)
2. Pressure cook.
Add in the remaining 2 cups of water, the butternut squash, and the salt and pepper. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to sealing.
Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. It will take roughly 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize, so the screen will read “ON” until then.
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. (This means you don’t have to do anything until the screen reads L0:10.)
When the time has passed, move the steam release valve to venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid has dropped, it’s safe to remove the lid.
3. Blend.
Transfer the soup to a blender and carefully blend until it’s smooth. For safety, be sure to remove the vent in the blender’s lid and cover it with a thin towel to let steam escape. (This way the lid won’t blow off your blender from the steam pressure.)
You can work in batches, if you need to, or you can use an immersion blender to puree the soup directly in the pot.
Return the soup to the pot, and stir in the coconut milk. Adjust any seasoning to taste, adding more salt, if needed. You can also add a splash of maple syrup, if you prefer a sweeter tasting soup.
4. Enjoy!
Ladle the butternut squash soup into bowls, and serve warm with any garnishes you like. You can drizzle the top with extra coconut milk, or add some roasted butternut squash seeds and a sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro or black pepper. You can also use store-bought pumpkin seeds as a crunchy topping.
Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. It’s easy to reheat again, directly from the fridge or freezer, on the stove top or in the microwave for a quick meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using a store-bought broth isn’t necessary when you use sufficient seasonings, but you can use chicken stock or vegetable broth in this recipe, if you prefer. Just be sure to cut-back on the salt, in that case, since most broth will already contain sodium.
You can make this pressure cooker butternut squash soup on the stove top instead, by sauteing the onion in a pot over medium heat on the stove. Then add in the garlic and curry powder and stir for 1 more minute. Add in the butternut squash, water, salt, and pepper, and bring the liquid to a boil. Then cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat, so the soup can simmer until the squash is very tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can proceed with blending the recipe from there!
If your butternut squash is on the small side, you can make up the rest of the weight by using some peeled and cut carrot, instead.
You can use heavy cream, instead, or you can use another non-dairy milk, but it will be less creamy in that case.
You can typically use 1 tablespoon of red curry paste as a swap for 1 teaspoon of curry powder.
Transfer the frozen soup to the fridge at least 24 hours before you plan on reheating it again. This should help it thaw, though it’s not 100% necessary to thaw the soup before warming it up again.
Looking for more Instant Pot soup recipes? Try Instant Pot Lentil Soup or Chicken Curry Soup for more delicious ideas.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 pounds butternut squash , peeled and cubed*
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup canned coconut milk**
Instructions
- Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot and wait 1 minute for the bottom to warm up. Addin the olive oil and onion, and cook until the onion softens, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and curry powder, and stir for 1 more minute, just until they smell fragrant.
- Press the “Off/Cancel” button and add 1 cup of water to help prevent the garlic from burning. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, to make sure nothing is stuck. (This will prevent a burn error later.)
- Add in the remaining 2 cups of water, the butternut squash, and the salt and pepper. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to sealing. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take roughly 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize, so the screen will read “ON” until then.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. (This means you don’t have to do anything until the screen reads L0:10.) When the time has passed,move the steam release valve to venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid has dropped, it’s safe to remove the lid.
- Transfer the soup to a blender and carefully blend until it’s smooth. For safety, be sure to remove the vent in the blender’s lid and cover it with a thin towel to let steam escape. (This way the lid won’t blow off your blender from the steam pressure.) You can work in batches, if you need to, or you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot.
- Return the soup to the pot, and stir in the coconut milk. Adjust any seasoning to taste, adding more salt, if needed. You can also add a splash of maple syrup, if you prefer a sweeter tasting soup. Serve warm, with any garnishes you like. You can drizzle it with extra coconut milk, or add some roasted butternut squash seeds, fresh cilantro, or black pepper on top. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Instant Pot butternut squash soup recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
What’s the serving size for the nutritional information offered? How many grams?
Delicious and easy to make!
I pre-cooked the squash (halved, unpeeled) in the instant pot because I find it is so hard to cut raw. I also reduced the curry because my hubbie isn’t a huge fan. I used 1 teaspoon. Also added juice of 1/3 of a lemon. Delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made this recipe many times before, this time my squash was too small! Added in some red potatoes in 1inch pieces and it bulked it up without changing the flavour.
Turned out delicious! Thanks so much! Definitely will make again.
I may have missed the instructions, but can you do this in a slow cooker or just on the stovetop?? Thanks!
Julie, i usually make butternut squash-leek soup, guess you could replace onions w/leeks and the rest the same. I also use potato masher instead of completely pureeing as my husband and family all like it better w/some thickness to it.I also add half a jalapeno w/out seeds for a nice zip to the taste buds, i also use chicken broth instead of water always, more flavor. Does any of this hurt the vegan part?
Fantastic! So yummy! It was a really nice change from my go to sweet butternut squash soup I made it exactly the way your recipe was written even though I was tempted to use broth instead of the water I resisted and was pleasantly surprised! I Didn’t miss it at all!
Really tasty and satisfying on a rainy dreary day. I added cayenne for a lick and some cracked black pepper.
Great basic recipe! I used 3/4c light coconut milk and also subbed water for vegetable broth. Also increased the curry and added chili pepper flakes for more spice. YUM! Thanks for sharing this recipe!