The warm, relaxing summer evenings are over. It’s Autumn and Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is the perfect soup to get you into the season. The crisp, cool nights of fall are welcoming, but let’s face it, the weeknights can be busy and tiresome. This comforting soup made in the pressure cooker is here to help.
I’ve you’ve been reading the blog for a while you have most likely seen my butternut squash soup recipe. I love my stovetop version of the soup, but sometimes you need a few extra minutes in the day and a quicker method is needed. That’s where the instant pot comes in handy.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup Advantages
Don’t get me wrong, I still like making the soup on the stove, but the ease of tossing it all in the pot, putting on the lid and setting a timer has its advantages.
No Oil – I like sautéing my vegetables like onions and carrots in some olive oil for a few minutes when making soup on the stove. With the instant pot, the ingredients all go into the pot at once.
The Instant Pot Saves Time – As I said above, everything goes into the pot at once which saves preparation time. The instant pot has a cooking time of 10 minutes once pressure has built up saving cook time.
The Pressure Cooker Saves Energy – The soup cooks faster under pressure than it does on the stove saving some energy (and a little bit of money).
The Instant Pot Saves Grocery Money – With my stove top recipe, I use enough broth to cover the vegetables. In addition to having enough liquid for cooking (6-8 cups), some of the liquid evaporates. In the Instant Pot I only use 4 cups (32oz.) of broth. The instant pot retains all of the flavor and liquid from the vegetables without evaporation because it is sealed.
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe Notes
Tailoring recipes to work best for your family is important. Here are recipe notes and adaptations.
How Do You Cut Butternut Squash – If you aren’t familiar with cutting butternut squash it’s easy to do. All you need is a sharp knife and a cutting board. I’ve got two learning options for those of you who have never peeled and cut a one of these winter squashes. If you learn best by reading I you can find the information HERE. If you are a visual learner, the information is available on my YouTube Channel HERE.
How Do You Make the Soup on the Stove – If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can find the stove top version of the recipe HERE.
Is the Soup Recipe Healthy – It doesn’t get much healthier than a soup made with all vegetables and broth! The little bit of cream adds some calories but it’s ok to leave out.
How Do You Make the Soup Keto Friendly – Use coconut milk in place of the heavy cream or skip it all together and make the recipe keto.
Save Time and Prepare Your Vegetables – Cutting up the vegetables a day or two before making the soup will save time on the night you’re having the soup for dinner. Keep the prepared vegetables in the refrigerator in an airtight container and they’ll be ready for your busy weeknight dinner.
Use an Immersion Blender to Puree the Soup in Minutes – The immersion blender, like this one, makes blending the soup up easy since it is done right in the instant pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a blender in batches and process until smooth.
Use the Instant Pot Soup Function – How many recipes do you look at that use the Manual High Pressure setting on the instant pot? For this recipe I use the soup function. The soup function “boils” the soup at a lower temperature. Soups simmer on the stove all the time. Think about this function as your “simmer”.
This Instant Pot Butternut Soup isn’t the only soup that warms up those crisp autumn evenings. Here are some other soups that are great.
- Chicken Soup – It’s Gluten Free and uses left over chicken.
- Japanese Onion Soup – Just like the Hibachi Soup at Japanese Steakhouses!
- Weight Watchers Cabbage Soup – Don’t let the name turn you off. It’s a low-calorie soup full of flavor.
- Egg Roll Soup – All the flavors of an egg roll made into a warm soup.
- Copycat Zuppa Toscana – Make this easy Olive Garden Copycat recipe at home!
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Butternut Squash peeled and cut into 1-2” pieces
- 1 Onion, Chopped
- 2 Large Carrots, Chopped
- 2 Stalks of Celery, Chopped
- 4 cups Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- ½ Cup Half and Half, Milk or Heavy Cream (I use Half and Half)
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 ½ tsp Dried thyme
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot except for the cream or milk, if using.
- Give the ingredients a stir to mix them around.
- Put on the lid and set dial to sealing.
- Set the Instant Pot to the Soup function on low pressure
- Set time to 10 minutes
- After 10 minutes are up turn off Instant Pot and quick release the pressure.
- Once the pressure has been released, carefully open up the Instant Pot and remove the bay leaf.
- Blend the soup using an immersion blender. **see notes
- Stir in the half and half.
- Check seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve soup with a salad and crackers or crusty bread.
