When summer fades, and the chilly winds of fall make you want to curl up with something warm, what better dish than an instant pot butternut squash soup?
If you grow your own squash like we do, you can also make batches of soup and freeze them for the coming colder months.
Today, we’re going to look at making a great butternut squash soup using your Instant Pot. We’ll also cover how to serve, store, and reheat it, as well as some variations of the recipe.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, we will also go through how to make butternut squash soup on the stove.
Our delicious recipe will be one you’ll come back to again and again or add your own twist to.
Why Use An Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot pressure cooker is one of the best time-saving devices in your kitchen.
Not only does it cut down on the amount of time you spend cooking, but it also has a multitude of buttons for specific dishes and functions, which makes it all so simple.
For cooking a butternut squash soup, you have the sauté button and the soup button; how much easier could it be?
As we all lead such busy lives, it can be easy to fall into bad eating habits, but using an Instant Pot lets you eat healthily without spending hours in the kitchen.
With the soup setting, an Instant Pot will automatically cook your butternut squash for 30 minutes at high pressure. If you think it will overcook your ingredients, you can modify this manually to decrease the cooking time.
Of course, you don’t have to use the soup button, and you can manually set the pressure level and cooking time for your soup. If you’re new to using an Instant Pot, it can take a while to get to grips with how it works.
Our Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
You will love this Instant Pot butternut squash soup for its creamy texture, subtly sweet flavor, and wonderful aroma.
As you’ll be making it in an Instant Pot it will also minimize the mess in the kitchen as you’re using one pot to sauté the vegetables and cook the soup.
With the ingredients in the pot and the Instant Pot switched on, you can leave the kitchen and not have to watch it.
If you’re not going to eat it, as soon as it’s cooked, the Instant Pot will automatically go into Keep Warm mode. This will keep the soup warm for up to 10 hours, but it’s recommended to use it for a maximum of 5 hours, or you risk losing the flavor of the dish.
Ingredients
Now you have your Instant Pot ready to go, you’ll need to gather the ingredients for your butternut squash soup. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need.
Onion, Garlic & Olive Oil
All good soups start with these three ingredients. A good quality extra virgin olive oil will set the tone for the base of this soup. You will use it to sauté the onion and garlic.
The onion should be a sweet, yellow onion to enhance the mild flavor of the soup and blend well with the subtle garlic taste.
Vegetable Broth
A low-sodium broth is the best option as it allows you to monitor the amount of salt in your soup.
If you’re not vegetarian, then you can use a low-sodium chicken broth or, better still, some homemade.
Butternut Squash
When choosing a butternut squash, pick one that is large and a good weight for its size. It should be a solid beige color and not have any blemishes or bruises on its skin.
Squash with brown patches or holes should be avoided as they can introduce mold or bacteria.
There shouldn’t be any green lines on the butternut squash skin, as this indicates that it’s not ripe. The stem of the squash should be intact, too. This recipe calls for a squash that is about three pounds in weight.
Carrot
Adding a carrot to your butternut squash soup adds another layer of sweetness and flavor to the finished dish.
Butter
We skip the butter as we are a vegan household, but if you do want to incorporate it to make the soup even more luxurious, you can.
Nutmeg And Cinnamon
A little sprinkling of these two spices adds to the fall flavors of this soup and gives it an even more warming aroma.
Salt & Pepper
The soup needs very little salt and pepper but remember you’ve probably used a low sodium broth, so you may need to add some salt.
Only add these after you have tasted the soup as you don’t want to overseason it.
Ingredient Quantities
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 minced cloves garlic
- 1 chopped small yellow onion
- 3 cups low sodium broth
- 1 large chopped butternut squash
- 1 large sliced carrot
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Now you’ve gathered your ingredients, and you’re ready to make your Instant Pot butternut squash soup.
- First set the Instant Pot to its sauté function then add the olive oil and onion. Cook the onion until it begins to soften and then add the garlic. Sauté for another 30 seconds and then press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Now pour in about a cup of your broth, vegetable or chicken, to deglaze the pot. This removes any pieces of onion or garlic that may have stuck to the inside of the pot. If left they could impact the flavor.
- You can now add the rest of the ingredients and stir the pot to mix everything together.
- Close the lid of the Instant Pot to seal it. Turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
- The Instant Pot will take 15 minutes to get to the correct pressure. When it does, the cooking time will count down. At the end of the cooking time you should let the pot release pressure naturally for about 10 minutes then release the remaining pressure.
- To puree the soup you can either decant it into a countertop blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot.
- Put the soup back in the pot if you have removed it to puree and add any seasoning you think it needs at this stage.
Stovetop Method
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can still make this delicious butternut squash soup on the stovetop.
You’ll be using the same ingredients, but the method will obviously be different, and the cooking time will be longer.
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat until melted.
- Add the onion and garlic, sautéing lightly. Then, add the carrot and reduce the heat.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened but not brown. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the squash, broth, spices and stir together.
- Increase the heat until the soup is boiling, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the squash is tender. This should take about 20 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender in the pot to puree the soup or transfer it in batches to a countertop blender. Return to the saucepan until ready to serve.
Our Top Cooking Tips
To make sure that your butternut squash soup turns out exactly the way you want there are a few cooking tips to help you out.
When chopping up your butternut squash make sure that the pieces are all roughly equal in size. This ensures that they all cook evenly.
If you haven’t got any fresh butternut squash you can use frozen instead. For those who find peeling and chopping the squash difficult you can buy pre-chopped butternut squash at the grocery store.
For a sweeter soup add a chopped apple to the ingredients before pressure cooking, you don’t need to peel it.
Although the Instant Pot is very quick if you are seriously short on time you can skip the sauté step. The soup will still taste amazing.
Making a double batch of this soup will give you plenty to freeze for another day or for when you have unexpected guests.
How To Serve Butternut Squash Soup
The butternut squash soup should be served in warm bowls. You can add any of several different toppings to the soup according to your preference.
Some suggestions include coconut cream, or heavy cream stirred into the soup before serving.
Or you could add some grated cheese such as cheddar, Parmesan or mozzarella.
Pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top of the soup add some interesting texture and are a healthy addition.
When To Serve Butternut Squash Soup
This is a wonderful recipe for a first course or appetizer particularly for special occasions such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The use of an Instant Pot is also a welcome tool at such a busy time of year in the kitchen.
You can serve the soup with some homemade bread such as garlic knots, dinner rolls, or you could even serve the soup in bread bowls.
For a lighter meal, you can serve it with an autumn chopped salad or apple slaw with celery root.
Go the whole chilly days menu and have roasted vegetables with your butternut squash soup.
The Easiest Way To Peel Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is not the easiest vegetable to peel and many people struggle with it particularly if they have never done it before.
One of the best hacks for peeling a squash is to first microwave it. You will need to pierce it all over with a fork and then cut off the top and the bottom of the squash. Put it in the microwave for around 3 ½ minutes depending on its size.
When it has cooled down enough to be handled you can use a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the skin. It might actually be softened enough to remove with your hands. Then you can cut it in half and remove the seeds.
You should always use a sharp chef’s knife or cleaver. A blunt knife is more likely to slip and cut your fingers whereas a sharp knife should go straight through the skin of the squash.
Storing & Reheating Butternut Squash Soup
Whatever method you use to make your butternut squash soup you may want to store some to reheat at a later date.
Depending on how soon you expect to use the remaining soup you can store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days as long as it is in an airtight container.
The best way to store unused butternut squash soup for longer periods is to place it in a suitable plastic container and freeze it. It will keep for 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
If you use cream in the recipe and intend to freeze the soup, leave the cream out and then freeze the soup. When you want to thaw it out you can add the correct amount of cream whilst reheating the soup.
You can reheat the soup in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove top, whichever is easiest for you.
Freezing the soup in small portions lets you thaw out and use just the amount that you want.
Variations Of Butternut Squash Soup
There are many variations of butternut squash soup, but we have found some of the most popular.
Curry
Many people like to add a tablespoon of curry powder to their list of ingredients for butternut squash soup. It gives the dish a spicy kick and is particularly welcome on cold, winter days.
The curry powder or paste is added at the same time as the garlic. Some recipes call for a stalk of curry leaves which are also known as sweet Neem leaves. Thai curry paste is also a popular addition to butternut squash soup.
Spices
Other spices that are added to butternut squash recipes include red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric and coriander.
Coconut Milk
A lot of recipes include coconut milk in their list of ingredients. The milk gives the butternut squash soup a creamy taste and texture while also adding another layer of flavor. Not everyone likes the taste of coconut, so you can add it before serving for those who like it.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Roasting the butternut squash before putting it in the pot adds a great flavor to the soup. Some minced fresh ginger also gives it a refreshing kick. Stir in some sour cream before serving to balance out the flavors.
Mixed Vegetables
Adding other vegetables, particularly roasted veg, to a butternut squash soup will give you a hearty and healthy soup for fall and winter. Roasted peppers are a good partner for butternut squash. For a more earthy flavor add some baby portobello mushrooms.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you have enjoyed this guide to making Instant Pot butternut squash soup and that you have found it helpful.
If you’re cooking up a batch of butternut squash soup, we hope you love it as much as our family does.
Bon appétit!
Frequently Asked Questions
What If The Butternut Squash Is Too Small?
If the butternut squash you have grown or bought is on the small side, and you don’t think you’ll have enough to make a full pot of soup you can supplement it with other vegetables. Add some carrots, sweet potatoes or roasted peppers.
Can You Make Butternut Squash Soup Without Broth?
It isn’t necessary to add either chicken or vegetable broth to your butternut squash soup recipe and many recipes do not include it. This is a matter of personal preference and how thick you want the soup to be.
Do You Have To Thaw Frozen Soup Before Reheating?
No you can reheat soup from frozen, just make sure it’s properly heated through.
