Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
This delicious & creamy Instant Pot butternut squash soup is so quick and easy to make! Ready to serve in less than half and hour, it's the perfect fall soup that the whole family will love. Gluten-free and easy to make vegetarian.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped about 1 cup
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 sage leaves
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 large butternut squash (about 2.5 lbs) Peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces (6-8 cups chopped)
- 3 large carrots sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 celery stalks chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple chopped
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin optional
- ⅓ cup heavy cream or coconut cream/milk
- Cooked crumbled bacon optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Version
- If using bacon, saute chopped bacon in the Instant Pot using the Saute function and cook until brown and crispy, about 5 - 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Skip this step if not adding bacon.
- Heat olive oil in the Instant pot on ‘Saute’ setting. Add onion to pot, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in butternut squash, carrots, celery, apple, chicken stock, salt, black pepper, nutmeg and optional cumin. Close the lid and turn the knob to sealing. Select manual setting; cook on high for 10 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure.
- Stir in heavy cream. Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with cooked bacon.
Stovetop Version
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat oil or butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened, then stir in garlic, sage, and thyme, cooking just until fragrant.
- Add vegetables and broth: Add butternut squash, carrots, celery, apple, seasonings, and broth. Stir to combine.
- Simmer until tender: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, or until the squash and carrots are soft.
- Blend and finish: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (or blend in batches). Stir in heavy cream, adjust seasoning, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Peel and de-seed the butternut squash before cubing and adding it to the pressure cooker.
- To make this Instant Pot Butternut Squash soup dairy-free, you can substitute the heavy cream with coconut or almond milk or cashew cream.
- To make it vegan or vegetarian, omit the bacon and replace heavy cream with coconut milk/cream.
- Let the soup cool completely before storing if making ahead of time.
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 638mg | Potassium: 945mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 27971IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 2mg
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