This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe is super quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, and it’s full of the best fall flavors that everyone will love! (This post contains affiliate links.)
This one goes out to all of my Instant Pot fans out there!
We’ve had loads of requests ever since this magical pressure cooker hit the market for tips on how to adapt my favorite Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup recipe for the Instant Pot. And with good reason — why wait 4-8 hours for this cozy soup to cook when it could be ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes instead?!
Like I said…magic. ✨✨✨
Seriously, this continues to be one of my all-time favorite soup recipes, and thousands of readers have made it over the years and agreed as well. So grab your pressure cookers and let’s make a batch…in an “instant”!
This butternut squash soup recipe actually hails from my mom, who first made it for our family when everyone was back home in Wichita a few Thanksgivings ago. It’s loaded up with lots of fall favorites — hearty butternut squash, tart Granny smith apples, a (surprise!) carrot, and some extra garlic and sage for seasonings. It’s also made extra creamy with coconut milk, although you’re welcome to sub in heavy cream or any other kind of milk that you prefer.
To make the soup in the Instant Pot (<– this is the model I own), just pop the beginning ingredients in there together and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Then, there’s no need to wait for the natural release. Just (very carefully) turn the valve to “venting” for a quick release. Then remove the sage, add in the coconut milk, puree with a blender (or immersion blender) until smooth and creamy, taste, season…
…and if you feel like adding an extra touch, drizzle some extra coconut milk on top and sprinkle with some fresh herbs or pumpkin seeds or a sprinkle of seasoning (smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, you pick).
And within about 30 minutes, this gorgeous meal will be yours to enjoy. It’s so warm and hearty and comforting, it’s full of ingredients you can feel great about, and it is just SO amazingly good. Every time.
Enjoy, everyone!
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
- 1 medium (uncooked) butternut squash*, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
- pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- 1/2 cup canned (unsweetened) coconut milk
- optional garnishes: extra coconut milk and a sprinkle of smoked paprika (or cayenne pepper)
Instructions
- Add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Toss to combine. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.
- Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 8 minutes. Cook. Then very carefully, turn the vent to "Venting" for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped. Remove the lid.
- Remove and discard the sage. Stir in the coconut milk.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (Or you can transfer the soup in two batches into a traditional blender, and puree until smooth, being very careful when working with the hot liquid.) Taste, and season with additional salt, pepper and cayenne if needed.
- Serve warm, with optional garnishes if desired.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
One word sums up this recipe…. DELICIOUS!!! The second time I made this I used a little less of the fresh garlic and cinnamon and it was perfect for me and my family. We absolutely love the added flavor that the Granny Smith apple adds to it. So now I’ve made a huge batch and separated it into separate freezer bags so we can have this wonderful soup all season… freezes and reheats very well. Officially one of my fall favorites now, thank you so much! <3
This is the best butternut squash soup I have ever made/eaten. Wow is it good!
This is not only the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever had, it may be the best soup ever. Full stop. I made exactly as written, but perhaps because of the size of my squash, it was a bit thick. I thinned with a bit more broth and then added more coconut milk in the bowl and it was perfect. The only critique I have is the cooking time. My Instant Pot took 19 minutes to get up to the cooking pressure and then cooked for the 8 minutes listed in the recipe. That alone is almost 1/2 an hour, so there’s no way this can be completed, including prep, in 30 minutes. I needed a full hour, but you could cut that down to about 50 minutes if you use pre-cut squash.
Using roasted Hubbard squash. Can you make this recipe with the cooked squash?. Hubbard is impossible to peel so I am roasting 1st. Thanks – recipe looks good but I want to sub in the Hubbard squash. Thx
So delicious! I will say a bit spicy for me and too much onion. I can taste the onion on my breath lol. I did cheat and go to wegmans and got 3 pounds of diced butternut squash. I also have a hand operated diver I used for the carrots, onion, and apples! Other than the spice and onion it’s perfect. Thank you.
Worked out really well, was yummy. I added more cayenne.
This is my go-to fall soup! It’s amazing and surprisingly easy to make. I double the recipe and it makes a ton of soup. Would definitely recommend
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Delicious, quick and easy. For my family of 6, with 6 different pallets, this recipe is a keeper. I also like my soup not puréed, so I used my kitchen aide with my whisk attachment and it turned out perfect.
I don’t live in the US and I can’t find Granny Smith apples here. Is there a specific apple you would recommend as a substitution?
use any tart apple you can find such as pink lady, mcintosh, empire or cortlands. hope that helps!