This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe is rich and creamy, laced with warm spices, and has a sweet earthy flavor that’s enhanced with a touch of brown sugar. It’s the perfect fall soup, and the best part is, it’s made from start-to-finish in the Instant Pot with just 15 minutes of hands-on prep time!
Every fall my mom makes an incredible squash soup. It’s creamy and velvety, with a touch of warm spices, a hint of sweet maple, and rich squash flavor.
She makes it with four types of squash: butternut, acorn, buttercup, and pumpkin. And she roasts them first to bring out their natural sweet, earthy flavor.
My mom’s soup is truly something special, and if you have about three hours to spend in the kitchen I highly recommend it. (You can take a look at my mom’s squash soup recipe. Just don’t judge my pictures too harshly, I had only been blogging for about six months, lol!)
But what about those crazy busy crisp fall days that deserve a great Butternut Squash Soup?
My Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe features the same creamy texture, warm spices, subtle sweetness, and rich winter squash flavor. However, I simplify the process a little and make it in a fraction of the time.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe was inspired by my mom’s squash soup. It has the same richness, creamy texture, and subtle sweet spiced flavor.
There are two main differences between this soup compared with my mom’s soup. Firstly, I only used butternut squash instead of a combination of four types of winter squash. Additionally, I make the whole soup from start-to-finish in an electric pressure cooker.
Instead of roasting the squash to bring out its natural sweet, caramelized earthy flavor, I sauté it until it starts to turn golden and caramelize in spots. It’s a huge time-saver!
Once the butternut squash is caramelized a bit, I add all the other ingredients to the Instant Pot and let it do its thing. This Butternut Squash Soup Recipe only needs to cook for 8 minutes at high pressure.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup From Scratch
You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make homemade Butternut Squash Soup from scratch. And you can easily make it in an Instant Pot, Crock Pot, or on the stovetop.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup in an Instant Pot:
- Prepare your butternut squash. Peel it, cut off both ends, scoop out the seeds, and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Turn on the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and cook the squash in butter until it starts to turn golden in spots, stirring occasionally.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream. Cover the pot, make sure it’s set to “Seal”, cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 8 minutes, and let it do a natural pressure release.
- Cool slightly and then carefully puree the soup. You can use an immersion blender or transfer it in batches to a regular blender.
- Stir in the cream, and then serve.
Pro Tip: To save time, you can usually find chopped fresh butternut squash in the produce area of the grocery store.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup in a Slow Cooker:
- Prepare your butternut squash. Peel it, cut off both ends, scoop out the seeds, and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Add all ingredients except the cream to a Slow Cooker. Cook until the squash is tender, on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- Cool slightly and then carefully puree the soup. You can use an immersion blender or transfer it in batches to a regular blender.
- Stir in the cream, and then serve.
Pro Tip: For deeper flavor, roast the cubed squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes before step 2 above.
How to Make Butternut Squash Soup on the Stovetop:
- Prepare your butternut squash. Peel it, cut off both ends, scoop out the seeds, and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Add the squash and butter to a 5-quart pot and cook the squash until it starts to turn golden in spots, stirring occasionally.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the cream. Bring the soup up to a boil, cover the pot, and cook until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cool slightly and then carefully puree the soup. You can use an immersion blender or transfer it in batches to a regular blender.
- Stir in the cream, and then serve.
FAQs
Can You Leave the Skin on Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash skin is tough, and not pleasant to eat. If you’re making soup, it’s best to peel butternut squash.
However, if you want to roast butternut squash whole you can leave the peel on before roasting, and then scoop out the flesh from the peel after the squash is cooked.
How Do You Thicken Butternut Squash Soup?
This butternut squash soup is naturally thickened with the squash when you puree the soup. There is no need for additional thickeners like flour, cornstarch, etc.
Can I Make Butternut Squash Soup Ahead of Time?
Yes! This soup is perfect for meal prep or to make and stash in your freezer.
Store this soup in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
What Goes Well with Butternut Squash Soup?
This soup is the epitome of autumn flavor. It makes a great lunch or a beautiful start to dinner. Serve it up with any of the following:
- Maple Bourbon Buttermilk Biscuits
- 30 Minute Butter Dill Baked Salmon with Roasted Asparagus
- Pear Salad with Candied Almonds and Crumbled Goat Cheese
- Apple Muffins
- Low Carb Biscuits Recipe (Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits Copycat)
- Apple Walnut Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Caramelized Onion Tartlets
More Butternut Squash Recipes to Try:
- Cheddar and Thyme Butternut Squash Gratin
- Butternut Squash Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze
- Sweet and Spicy Beef, Butternut, and White Bean Stew
- Butternut Squash Scones
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Chickpeas, Kale, and Pearl Couscous
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cubed
- 5 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated whole nutmeg
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Optional Garnish Ideas:
- Raw pumpkin seeds toasted
- Brown butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Cinnamon stick
- Freshly-grated nutmeg
- Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, thyme, or sage
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on, press “Sauté”, and wait 2 minutes for the pot to heat up.
- Add the butter and once melted, add the onion and butternut squash and cook until the squash is golden in spots, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press “Cancel” to stop sautéing.
- Add the vegetable stock, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and give it a stir. Turn the pot on Manual, High Pressure for 8 minutes, and then do a quick release.
- Carefully puree the soup using an immersion blender, or let it cool slightly and use a regular blender working in batches if it doesn’t all fit at once. Stir in the heavy whipping cream.
- Serve with any garnishes you like.
Video
Helpful Tips
- This recipe makes about 8 cups, or 8 (1-cup) servings.
- Nutrition information was calculated without the optional garnishes.
- Store this soup in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
- For instructions on how to make this recipe in a slow cooker or on the stovetop, please see the post above.
- Instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- For deeper flavor, use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.
- Paleo Version: Use coconut oil or ghee instead of butter; coconut sugar instead of brown sugar; and coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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