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.
I usually roast my butternut squash prior to making soup, but gave this instant pot recipe a try just the way it was written and I was blown away with how good it was. A tasty rich soup. This recipe is a keeper!
I made this last night. It was super easy and delicious. The texture of the soup was nice and velvety. The flavor was great. As I’m writing this, I realize I left out the carrot. I didn’t have a granny Smith so I used a golden delicious. Thanks for sharing. I’m thinking about making the broccoli cheese soup next.
Wow! This was SOOO good! My husband even said that it was the best soup I’d ever made. Very filling and yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
Made it for dinner and it’s amazing! I love Panera’s butternut squash soup and this one was better!
This is the best butternut squash soup I have made. Absolutely delicious! I don’t have an immersion blender, so I ran three batches through my vitamix Also, I used a whole can of unsweetened coconut milk. I will take this to Thanksgiving dinner to share with my family :-)
So good! I put in a few shakes of dried sage instead of the sprig since I didn’t have it. The spice and the tangy apple go together wonderfully! Fantastic with smoked paprika on it. This is my new go-to recipe m.
The entire family loved it! And sooo easy!
We bought farm fresh vegetables and apples this morning and turned it into this soup this evening. It was a hit. Easy to make, beautiful colour and delicious flavours. I will definitely be making this recipe a regular part of my fall recipe collection.
This was delicious. I didn’t have any fresh or dried sage so I omitted that. I also used chicken stock instead of vegetable. I also swapped coconut milk with heavy cream. So quick and easy!!
I made this, with a few changes, and it came out FANTASTIC.
I had no veggie broth, so I used chicken. When I went to get my onions, well, they weren’t usable, so, no onions either ! I also used sage powder instead. I added 1/2 of a cream cheese brick and the coconut milk cause my boys don’t like it thick. and finally, I used grated ginger
Phew! But, it was QUICK and DELICIOUS.