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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.
This delicious Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe is quick and easy to make in the pressure cooker, it’s naturally gluten-free and vegan, and it’s SO comforting and delicious! Feel free to add in more cayenne if you would like an extra kick.
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
*A medium-sized butternut squash should weigh around 3-4 pounds.
So good I made it two weekends in a row. Delivery service mistakenly gave me two squashes and I had no idea what to do with them. I am beyond thrilled with this recipe!!!
I followed the recipe exactly except for dried sage and chicken broth as substitutions. I can see why fresh sage removed would be a better option. We did not mind the chicken broth substitution. Fabulous recipe. It is a keeper. Very easy to use and the instant pot made it quick clean up. Thank you for posting this.
Love this recipe. So easy & delicious. Have made it quite a few times with some variations here and there (curry powder + peanut butter was a good one), but is always great. Thanks!
I’ve made this for us and I’ve also dropped off soup with a bagged salad for grieving families. Today my husband had a tooth pulled and he can have liquids only. This is what he requested for dinner! Delicious. I will top mine with roasted pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika. We love this soup! Thank you!
This is by far, the BEST Butternut squash soup I’ve ever made!!!
Followed recipe as is, except roasted squash, carrots and onions prior to throwing into Instant pot. So easy and SO TASTY!!!
Will be getting more butternut squash to make again so I can freeze some,
since I can’t stop eating.
Thank you, thank you for sharing this awesome soup recipe
We’ve made this over and over again, lost count. My picky-eaters (kiddos) love this soup too. It’s a hit! When we’re low on ingredients we’ll substitute garlic for garlic powder, sage for sage powder, etc. it turns out nicely.
Just made this exactly as written (actually I lied…I thought it said celery so there is 1 stick in there – no major change!) So delicious and so very easy! I thought the squash would be harder to cut up but it wasn’t. I cut it into chunks 1-2 inches each then cut the peel off each chunk – took a few minutes but not difficult at all. I put the whole tin of coconut milk in which is slightly larger than 1 cup. Tossed it into my Vitamix (in 2 batches) and then served with a dollop of sour cream! Yum. It’s a keeper for sure!
This is an excellent recipe! I double everything for my 8 quart pressure cooker and still set it for 8 minutes as recipe states. I like adding some fresh minced ginger. Using an immersion blender makes the soup so velvety smooth. The flavors blend so well together and it’s such an easy recipe for amazing results. Thank you!
This is one of my favorites
So good I made it two weekends in a row. Delivery service mistakenly gave me two squashes and I had no idea what to do with them. I am beyond thrilled with this recipe!!!
This is the best recipe. I like to puree a jar of pickled red peppers to garnish the soup with – gives a zippy compliment.
I followed the recipe exactly except for dried sage and chicken broth as substitutions. I can see why fresh sage removed would be a better option. We did not mind the chicken broth substitution. Fabulous recipe. It is a keeper. Very easy to use and the instant pot made it quick clean up. Thank you for posting this.
Love this recipe. So easy & delicious. Have made it quite a few times with some variations here and there (curry powder + peanut butter was a good one), but is always great. Thanks!
I just made this today and feel compelled to write a review. The soup is very delicious. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
My go to soup recipe! We love this recipe. So easy and healthy and perfect in every way!
Tastes great. Seems healthy. Where is the nutritional info?
I’ve made this for us and I’ve also dropped off soup with a bagged salad for grieving families. Today my husband had a tooth pulled and he can have liquids only. This is what he requested for dinner! Delicious. I will top mine with roasted pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika. We love this soup! Thank you!
This is by far, the BEST Butternut squash soup I’ve ever made!!!
Followed recipe as is, except roasted squash, carrots and onions prior to throwing into Instant pot. So easy and SO TASTY!!!
Will be getting more butternut squash to make again so I can freeze some,
since I can’t stop eating.
Thank you, thank you for sharing this awesome soup recipe
Love this recipe. Will be a new favorite for this winter. Thanks!
We’ve made this over and over again, lost count. My picky-eaters (kiddos) love this soup too. It’s a hit! When we’re low on ingredients we’ll substitute garlic for garlic powder, sage for sage powder, etc. it turns out nicely.
Just made this exactly as written (actually I lied…I thought it said celery so there is 1 stick in there – no major change!) So delicious and so very easy! I thought the squash would be harder to cut up but it wasn’t. I cut it into chunks 1-2 inches each then cut the peel off each chunk – took a few minutes but not difficult at all. I put the whole tin of coconut milk in which is slightly larger than 1 cup. Tossed it into my Vitamix (in 2 batches) and then served with a dollop of sour cream! Yum. It’s a keeper for sure!
This is an excellent recipe! I double everything for my 8 quart pressure cooker and still set it for 8 minutes as recipe states. I like adding some fresh minced ginger. Using an immersion blender makes the soup so velvety smooth. The flavors blend so well together and it’s such an easy recipe for amazing results. Thank you!
Has anyone frozen the soup? Results?