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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.
I was using the Instant Pot for something else, so I cooked this on my stove top. It turned out I did not have coconut milk either, so I put in a little almond milk to thin it a bit. Delicious!
NOTE: Cutting up a butternut squash into dice is a LOT of work and took waaay longer than the recipe was supposed to be. I suspect that in the Instant Pot, you might leave it in big chunks and it would still cook – but I haven’t tried that.
Oh, Yum, Yum, Yum!! I got an immersion blender for Christmas and the first thing I wanted to make was Butternut squash soup. I saw the reviews on this one so tried it. I debated the coconut milk and heavy cream but went with the exact recipe and it was just delish! My only issue was the garlic, I think maybe the cloves I had were too large as it tasted a little garlic forward..I added a few pinches of the other spices, a splash of heavy cream and it helped. This recipe is a keeper!!
I followed the instant pot recipe. It was quick and easy, but for me it had too much cayenne pepper. It was a little too spicy for me. I’ll try it again without that. I did add the coconut milk at the end and that tasted yummy … helped with the spice. I will also peel the apple next time.
I cannot believe how absolutely wonderful this tasted! I reluctantly made some changes, didn’t find the vegetable broth until right after I finished the dish, so I had to use chicken, not one single apple in the entire house, so I substituted 3 drops of lemon juice and 3 pkts. Of Splenda.Also had to use garlic powder and dried sage. But even with all that, it still came out delicious. I am going to go to the grocery store tomorrow and make it right next time. : )
The entire family loved this recipe. It was a bit spicy, so I would recommend a little less cayenne pepper if you don’t want a spicy kick. However, adding a some coconut milk on top to garnish cuts the spice down. I, myself, wouldn’t change a thing.
My new go-to recipe for butternut squash soup! I made this pretty much as written. Just used chicken stock instead of veggie broth, cause it is what I had. And, blended the sage in with the soup cause I’m lazy and couldn’t bother to fish it out. This was so good. I love the coconut milk instead of cream cheese. Yummm!!!
This is my favorite butternut squash soup recipe. I added a little bit of fresh rosemary just before we ate it, and I have some other ideas, but the soup as the recipe calls for is still amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
I have made this quite a few times now. It is super easy and delicious. Sometimes I add a few ribs of celery, sometimes not. The first time I made it, I brought some to my parents. My mom called me after she had it to tell me that it was “literally the best soup [she had] ever had.”
This turned out great. I used baby carrots and ground sage because that is what I had. I didn’t add any cayenne. I used heavy whipping cream, both stirred in and then as a garnish on top because I didn’t have coconut milk.
I did use an immersion blender but left some chunks because that’s the way my husband prefers it. I thought it had great flavor.
– what a yummy soup! Not sure we had the right amount of squash (had it chopped & frozen from last year’s garden), so the spicing was a little heavy. Still was a wonderful yummy lunch with a cheese sandwich!
Thanks!
So I love butternut squash soup! And this was the first time I finally use my Insta pot and the first time I actually made butternut squash soup! It’s fantastic except way, WAY too much cayenne pepper.
Awesome! I was out of sage so I used a little poultry seasoning and I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. And I added a little curry. Delicious. I am from south Missississi so the warm spices were not too hot for my taste.
This turned out great. I did make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I cooked it on the stovetop so I added 1 cup more broth. I used 20 oz. frozen squash cubes because I didn’t have a whole squash at the time. I used a large Honeycrisp apple because I’m not crazy about the tart Granny Smith apples. I used 1 tsp dried sage and left it in the soup, and used 1/8 tsp each of the nutmeg and cinnamon. I used 1 cup of coconut milk. I also added one small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced, and used an extra-large carrot. This is so creamy and yummy! I left out the cayenne pepper because I don’t care for the heat, but I bet it would be good with a pinch of curry powder instead. I will definitely make this again.
This soup is pure delicious. I’ve never been a fan of sweet squash dishes but this recipe is the perfect blend of savoury with a hint of sweet. I cut the garlic down to 1 clove as 4 was too strong for me, otherwise I follow the recipe to a T and it’s literally liquid gold every time. Love love love. Thanks for sharing it!
Enjoyed this. The hardest part was peeling the squash. A different flavor but I’m glad I have leftovers for later…only wish I didn’t have to clean up the kitchen!
Delicious!!!!!!
I added yesterday’s mashed potatoes and more vegetable stock, baked butternut squash and carrots in the oven prior to instant pot, mmm how great it tasted. Thank you for the recipe!!!
My toddler drinks this cold With a straw he loves it so much. Just made it for a second time and used some pumpkin from a fresh mini pumpkin I had- also delicious! Thank you for the best- chop & dump recipe!
This is super delicious, I used 2 lbs of frozen, diced butternut squash, 1 whole yellow onion as well as 1/2 of a red, 1 TB of ginger paste, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tsp red chili powder.
The combination of spicy, sweet, and smokey was delicious.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Can vegetable broth be substituted for vegetable stock?
I’m confused about time. It says 12 min for prep and 28 for cook but “30 min total”??
I see cook 8 min. takes 10 minutes to heat up to preheat then 8 minutes. so actually 18 minutes to cook.
I was using the Instant Pot for something else, so I cooked this on my stove top. It turned out I did not have coconut milk either, so I put in a little almond milk to thin it a bit. Delicious!
NOTE: Cutting up a butternut squash into dice is a LOT of work and took waaay longer than the recipe was supposed to be. I suspect that in the Instant Pot, you might leave it in big chunks and it would still cook – but I haven’t tried that.
The hardest thing was all the cutting lol tasted great. Omitted the cayenne because I didn’t have it. Will be making it again!
Delicious! Can u freeze this?
Turned out delicious! Thanks so much! Definitely will make again.
Great recipe. Great flavours for fall. Definately a keeper.
So Easy! So Quick! So Good! So Healthy! 5 stars
Oh, Yum, Yum, Yum!! I got an immersion blender for Christmas and the first thing I wanted to make was Butternut squash soup. I saw the reviews on this one so tried it. I debated the coconut milk and heavy cream but went with the exact recipe and it was just delish! My only issue was the garlic, I think maybe the cloves I had were too large as it tasted a little garlic forward..I added a few pinches of the other spices, a splash of heavy cream and it helped. This recipe is a keeper!!
I followed the instant pot recipe. It was quick and easy, but for me it had too much cayenne pepper. It was a little too spicy for me. I’ll try it again without that. I did add the coconut milk at the end and that tasted yummy … helped with the spice. I will also peel the apple next time.
I cannot believe how absolutely wonderful this tasted! I reluctantly made some changes, didn’t find the vegetable broth until right after I finished the dish, so I had to use chicken, not one single apple in the entire house, so I substituted 3 drops of lemon juice and 3 pkts. Of Splenda.Also had to use garlic powder and dried sage. But even with all that, it still came out delicious. I am going to go to the grocery store tomorrow and make it right next time. : )
Probably the best butternut squash soup I have made to date. Added a sweet potato and an extra carrot. Love the sage!!
The entire family loved this recipe. It was a bit spicy, so I would recommend a little less cayenne pepper if you don’t want a spicy kick. However, adding a some coconut milk on top to garnish cuts the spice down. I, myself, wouldn’t change a thing.
My new go-to recipe for butternut squash soup! I made this pretty much as written. Just used chicken stock instead of veggie broth, cause it is what I had. And, blended the sage in with the soup cause I’m lazy and couldn’t bother to fish it out. This was so good. I love the coconut milk instead of cream cheese. Yummm!!!
This is my favorite butternut squash soup recipe. I added a little bit of fresh rosemary just before we ate it, and I have some other ideas, but the soup as the recipe calls for is still amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe is great! I add a teaspoon of heavy whipping cream on top of each bowl for a sweeter taste.
This is the best butternut squash soup I have ever made or ate. Loved it.
Absolutely delicious, thank you for this amazing recipe
I have made this quite a few times now. It is super easy and delicious. Sometimes I add a few ribs of celery, sometimes not. The first time I made it, I brought some to my parents. My mom called me after she had it to tell me that it was “literally the best soup [she had] ever had.”
Wow! Such depth of flavor! Not too spicy, not too sweet, and creamy. Delicious! Thank you :D
This soup was delicious! I am wondering if you have developed nutritional information for this recipe?
Loved this instant pot soup! I found it a tad sweet and thick so added more veggie stock and some smoked paprika and it was delicious!
So yummy! Amazing how much flavor it has while cooking for so little time. Saving this recipe for sure!
This turned out great. I used baby carrots and ground sage because that is what I had. I didn’t add any cayenne. I used heavy whipping cream, both stirred in and then as a garnish on top because I didn’t have coconut milk.
I did use an immersion blender but left some chunks because that’s the way my husband prefers it. I thought it had great flavor.
Delicious! I was generous with the spices and used apple juice instead of an apple (1/2 broth)- turned out great. This is my go-to from now on!
– what a yummy soup! Not sure we had the right amount of squash (had it chopped & frozen from last year’s garden), so the spicing was a little heavy. Still was a wonderful yummy lunch with a cheese sandwich!
Thanks!
So I love butternut squash soup! And this was the first time I finally use my Insta pot and the first time I actually made butternut squash soup! It’s fantastic except way, WAY too much cayenne pepper.
Can I use frozen squash?
I just made it with 2 bags of frozen it is delicious!!
My Son made it for a family of seven. It was a hit. Thank you for the recipe. ?
I really wish to try this recipe as it looks amazing to have in the evening. I really hope I try it soon and bring perfection to it just like you.
Awesome! I was out of sage so I used a little poultry seasoning and I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. And I added a little curry. Delicious. I am from south Missississi so the warm spices were not too hot for my taste.
This turned out great. I did make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I cooked it on the stovetop so I added 1 cup more broth. I used 20 oz. frozen squash cubes because I didn’t have a whole squash at the time. I used a large Honeycrisp apple because I’m not crazy about the tart Granny Smith apples. I used 1 tsp dried sage and left it in the soup, and used 1/8 tsp each of the nutmeg and cinnamon. I used 1 cup of coconut milk. I also added one small/medium sweet potato, peeled and diced, and used an extra-large carrot. This is so creamy and yummy! I left out the cayenne pepper because I don’t care for the heat, but I bet it would be good with a pinch of curry powder instead. I will definitely make this again.
Loved it!
This soup is pure delicious. I’ve never been a fan of sweet squash dishes but this recipe is the perfect blend of savoury with a hint of sweet. I cut the garlic down to 1 clove as 4 was too strong for me, otherwise I follow the recipe to a T and it’s literally liquid gold every time. Love love love. Thanks for sharing it!
I use fresh nutmeg and it adds to the great flavors in this soup. I used frozen cubed butternut squash if I don’t have time to get a fresh one.
My daughter made this and it was delicious, but I wish there was a calorie count or nutrition information somewhere on the recipe.
Enjoyed this. The hardest part was peeling the squash. A different flavor but I’m glad I have leftovers for later…only wish I didn’t have to clean up the kitchen!
Delicious!!!!!!
I added yesterday’s mashed potatoes and more vegetable stock, baked butternut squash and carrots in the oven prior to instant pot, mmm how great it tasted. Thank you for the recipe!!!
My toddler drinks this cold With a straw he loves it so much. Just made it for a second time and used some pumpkin from a fresh mini pumpkin I had- also delicious! Thank you for the best- chop & dump recipe!
Recipe excellent but I do not see the nutrition facts at the end of the recipe, for a diabetic they need to measure carbohydrates and sugar.
This is super delicious, I used 2 lbs of frozen, diced butternut squash, 1 whole yellow onion as well as 1/2 of a red, 1 TB of ginger paste, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1 tsp red chili powder.
The combination of spicy, sweet, and smokey was delicious.
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!
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.
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
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
Worked out really well, was yummy. I added more cayenne.
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.
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
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.
This is the best butternut squash soup I have ever made/eaten. Wow is it good!
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