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!
Made this basically as per the recipe, except I had 2 lbs pre cut butternut squash instead of a full butternut squash, I think the portions were about right, just had to thin out a bit with water, but that also could have been due to my instant pot issues I had with the sealing vent which cause a lot of water to vaporize, but that was my own problem. Super tasty!
This recipe was easy to follow, simple and ended up tasting delicious! I added 1/4 tsp of curry to mine for an added flavor too.
This soup is delicious. I used 2 lbs of previously frozen diced butternut squash but everything else was as directed. The coconut milk and blending make the finished product smooth and velvety. I’ve made it twice and it will be on my regular soup rotation.
Excellent!!!!!!Will make again. Would probably not have chosen this recipe on my own, but fir my daughter’s great recommendation!
Made this yesterday and it is delicious! The apple and coconut milk deterred me a bit at first, but it turned out great. Only difference is that I was a little more heavy handed on the cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon (I added smoked paprika as well). All together, a delicious fall recipe!
We doubled the recipe and left out the sage. It was one of the best butternut squash soups I’ve ever made!
We loved loved loved this soup but felt that the amount of cayenne was a bit overwhelming. I’m making another batch tomorrow to put in the freezer for Thanksgiving and will reduce the amount of cayenne.. By the way, I used your Instant Pot version.
This is by far the best recipe I’ve found, cooked and eaten. I used a whole can of coconut milk rather than half a can, added 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper to the recipe and used a honey crisp apple rather than a green apple. I will make it again and again. YUMMY!
This is a wonderful soup! I used my Instant Pot, and except for not dicing, I followed the recipe exactly. I kind of wanted to see what would happen, but my immersion blender did just fine at pureeing everything. I will definitely try this again. I paired it with some ciabatta rolls and salad, and it was a filling meal.
Super good. perfect for fall!