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!
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Time for the Instant Pot to Come Up to Pressure 10 minutesminutes
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.
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Notes
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 8 cups, or 8 (1-cup) servings.
Nutritional Information: Nutrition information for this recipe was calculated without the optional garnishes.
Storage: Store this soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix: Instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, you can use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
If Keeping This Vegetarian Isn't a Concern: 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.
Vegan Version: Use coconut oil or olive oil instead of butter, and coconut milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
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 Crockpot. 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 onion and the squash until the squash 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.