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
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
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.
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
*A medium-sized butternut squash should weigh around 3-4 pounds.
This recipe is to die for! So easy, so quick and so delicious! I don’t blend my soup, I mash it with a potato masher because I love the chunky texture. I’ll be making this over and over again!❤️
This was fabulous…what a special surprise with an apple inside! Easy to make, and easy to eat :)
I’ve tried a number of butternut squash soup recipes and this is by far the best! Most lack flavour but this one was incredible. Thank you
I was a little Intimidated to try to cook butternut squash but I followed the directions and it wasn’t too hard. Within the course of two months I’ve probably made the soup 4 *! I’ve been doing Weight Watchers and it’s an easy go to soup for when I want something to eat. The spiciness from the cayenne pepper is perfect. I feel satisfied after I eat this. Thank you for posting
I loved it. I left out the cayenne because there were a lot of comments about it being too spicy. Played it safe. Loved it.
I came accross this recipe and wanted to make it with what I had on hand. So I ended up with 1/2 a Butternut squash, 1 sweet potatoe, 2 small onions, 3 cloves of garlic, fresh thyme, 2 cups of organic apple juice and the recommended spices. I first fried the chopped onion and garlic in some coconut oil on medium sautee, then added the veggies, applejuice and powdered vegetable stock. Topped it up with some more hot water and cooked it in the instapot for 8 min. Then pureed it with some coconut cream and added water to reach the desired thickness. It was delicious! Thank for this idea of a recipe.
So tasty and easy. So rich and creamy. Perfect for a chilly day. Next time I’ll leave out the cayenne. Just a little too much heat .
I’m so excited to see this for instant pot. This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes and I was going to try to figure out how to convert. I’ll be making this weekend.
This was delicious!! I didn’t have garlic so I added some garlic powder instead and had to use a red apple. I also added some red pepper flakes. Great recipe! I love the coconut milk in it!
Was really good. Easy to make. Set it and forget it. Definitely see the possibilities with the possibile variations.