Super easy to make Rich & Creamy Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup (Pressure Cooker Butternut Squash Soup). Hearty Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is the perfect soul-soothing feel good food even your picky kids (big or small) will love!
What is Butternut Squash?
Butternut Squash (aka Butternut Pumpkin), is a type of nutritious winter squash that can be roasted, sautéed, grilled, toasted, puréed, mashed, or pressure cooked.
Butternut Squash tastes sweet, juicy, nutty, rich & dense, somewhat like a pumpkin or sweet potato. It’s great for making soups, pasta, raviolis, puree, casseroles, risotto, pies, hummus, salads…even the seeds are edible!
It’s a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, yet low in calories, and has lower carbs than sweet potatoes.
This rich & hearty Butternut Squash Soup is an ultra-smooth, savory-sweet taste of fall. So comforting & satisfying to eat, I couldn’t resist licking my bowl clean!
Plus, it’s a great way to sneak in healthy nutrients for those picky kiddos. 😉
Ingredients for Cooking Butternut Squash Soup in Instant Pot
- Butternut Squash – Pick a butternut squash that is quite heavy for its size. The stem should be attached, firm, and dry. Taking an extra step to roast the Butternut Squash will impart a richer depth of flavors & aroma to the soup.
- Unsalted Chicken Stock – Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted chicken stock can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted chicken stock for more control & consistency on the dish’s flavor profile. Best if you can make your own chicken stock! 😀
- Vegan Option: Substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock.
- Unsalted Butter – We will lightly brown the unsalted butter to add some nutty flavors to the butternut squash soup.
- Vegan Option: Substitute unsalted butter with olive oil.
- Carrots – We are not adding sugar for this Instant Pot Soup, so the carrots will add some extra natural sweetness to balance the flavors of the squash soup.
Our Secret Ingredient:
- Regular Soy Sauce – This adds a delicious touch of savory-umami depth of flavors to the Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup.
Time to make Creamy Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup!
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Step by Step Guide
Tools for Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Prepare Butternut Squash
There are two ways you can prepare the butternut squash. If you are planning to roast the butternut squash in the oven (highly recommended for best flavor!), choose Option 1. If you just want a quick & simple butternut squash soup, choose Option 2.
Option 1
Cut the butternut squash in half. Slice off the stem and bottom of the butternut squash.
Place the flat end on the chopping board, then cut the butternut squash in half again. Now we have 4 pieces of butternut squash.
Remove the squash seeds with a spoon. You can save them if you want to roast them in the oven later.
Option 2
Peel the butternut squash. Slice the butternut squash into 4 quarters.
Remove all the squash seeds with a spoon. Save the seeds if you choose to roast them in the oven later.
Cut the butternut squash into ¾ inch cubes.
Optional Flavor Boosting – Roast Butternut Squash
*Note: This optional step will greatly enhance the flavor of the pressure cooker butternut squash soup.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place prepared butternut squash (see option 1 above) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Apply 1.5 – 2 tbsp olive oil all over the butternut squash.
*Pro Tip: You can also apply the olive oil on the carrots and roast them to deepen the flavors.
Place baking sheet on top rack, then roast butternut squash for 45 – 60 minutes.
*Pro Tip: The carrots should be taken out and set aside by the 20 – 25 minutes mark.
Let the roasted butternut squash cool a bit.
*Note: The skin should peel right off.
Cut roasted butternut squash into large chunks, then set aside.
Brown Butter & Saute Veggies
Heat up Instant Pot using “Sauté More” function.
*Tip: For older versions – press “Saute” button, then “Adjust” button. For newer versions – press “Saute” button twice.
Wait until it says HOT (takes roughly 8 minutes).
Add 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter in the Instant Pot. Melt and brown butter lightly to add some nutty flavor to the squash soup. It will take roughly 1 – 1.5 minute.
Add sliced onion, then saute for 1 minute.
Add in roughly chopped celery, then saute for another 3 minutes.
Saute Garlic & Spice
Add in chopped garlic, ¼ tsp (0.2g) dried thyme, and 2 bay leaves.
Saute for another 30 seconds.
Deglaze Instant Pot
Pour ½ cup (125ml) unsalted stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
Give it a quick mix.
Pressure Cook Butternut Squash Soup
Add 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce and 4 ½ cups (1125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot.
Add in roasted carrot chunks and butternut squash chunks (or butternut squash cubes if you didn’t roast them). Give it a quick mix and try to submerge them as best as you can.
With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
- Pressure Cooking Methods: Pressure Cook at High Pressure 5 minutes + Natural Release 12 minutes
*Pro Tip: If you would like to roast the butternut squash seeds, now is a good time (see Step 6 below).
After 12 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.
Open the Lid carefully.
Optional: Roast Butternut Squash Seeds
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Toss the butternut squash seeds with 1 tsp olive oil.
Lightly season them with some salt, then spread them over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place the baking sheet on top rack, then bake the squash seeds for 15 – 20 minutes.
Blend & Season Butternut Squash Soup
Search and discard the 2 bay leaves.
Blend butternut squash soup in Instant Pot into desired consistency with an immersion hand blender.
Add ½ – 1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream in butternut squash soup, then mix well.
Taste the Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, then season with more salt and ground black pepper.
*Pro Tip: For reference, we used roughly 2 – 3 pinches of salt to season properly & open up the flavors.
What if my Butternut Squash Soup is too thick?
If you used a bigger butternut squash, the squash soup can become too thick. Don’t worry! You can thin it out by adding more unsalted chicken stock and bring the soup to a simmer. Be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Serve Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Garnish Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup with roasted seeds. You can also garnish with chopped fresh sages.
Serve the creamy butternut squash soup immediately, and enjoy~ 🙂
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 (1800g or 4lb) butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1 (270g) large onion , sliced
- 2 ribs (170g) celery , roughly chopped
- 2 (355g) medium carrots , roughly chopped
- 3 cloves (11g) garlic , chopped
- ¼ teaspoon (0.2g) dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) regular soy sauce
- 5 cups (1250ml) unsalted chicken stock
- 2 (0.6g) bay leaves
- ½ - 1 cup (125ml - 250ml) heavy cream
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Instructions
- Prepare Butternut Squash: If roasting butternut squash in oven (highly recommended), choose option 1. For a quick & easy butternut squash soup, choose option 2. (See Photos)Option 1: Cut butternut squash in half, then slice off the stem and bottom. Place the flat end on the chopping board, then cut butternut squash in half again (now we have 4 pieces of butternut squash). Remove the squash seeds with a spoon (can save for later if you want to roast them in the oven).Option 2: Peel butternut squash, then slice into 4 quarters. Remove squash seeds with a spoon (can save for later if you want to roast them in the oven). Cut the butternut squash into ¾ inch cubes.
- Optional Flavor Boosting - Roast Butternut Squash: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place prepared butternut squash (see option 1 above) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Apply 1.5 - 2 tbsp olive oil all over the butternut squash. *Pro Tip: You can also apply olive oil on the carrots and roast them to deepen the flavors. Place baking sheet on top rack, then roast butternut squash for 45 - 60 mins. *Pro Tip: Remove & set aside the roasted carrots after 20 - 25 mins. Let the roasted butternut squash cool a bit. The skin should peel right off. Cut the roasted butternut squash into large chunks, then set aside.
- Brown Butter & Saute Veggies: Heat up Instant Pot using "Sauté More" function. Wait until it says HOT (roughly 8 mins). Add 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter in Instant Pot. Melt and brown butter lightly to add some nutty flavor to the soup (roughly 1 - 1.5 min). Add sliced onion, then saute for 1 min. Add in roughly chopped celery, then saute for another 3 mins.
- Saute Garlic & Spice: Add in chopped garlic, ¼ tsp (0.2g) dried thyme, and 2 bay leaves, then saute for another 30 secs.
- Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour ½ cup (125ml) unsalted stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Give it a quick mix.
- Pressure Cook Butternut Squash Soup: Add 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce and 4 ½ cups (1125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot. Add in roasted carrot chunks and butternut squash chunks. Give it a quick mix and try to submerge them the best you can. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure 5 minutes + Natural Release 12 minutes. Open the lid carefully.
- Optional - Roast Butternut Squash Seeds: Preheat oven to 325°F. Toss the butternut squash seeds with 1 tsp olive oil. Lightly season with some salt, then spread them over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet on the top rack, then bake for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Blend & Season Butternut Squash Soup: Discard the 2 bay leaves. Blend butternut squash soup into desired consistency with an immersion hand blender. Add in ½ - 1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream, then mix well. Taste & season with more salt and ground black pepper (for reference: we used roughly 2 - 3 pinches of salt to season properly & open up the flavors).
- Serve Butternut Squash Soup: Garnish Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup with roasted seeds & chopped fresh sages. Serve deliciously creamy butternut squash soup immediately, and enjoy~ 🙂
Notes
Nutrition
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