This Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is creamy and flavorful. Loaded with fall flavors and ready in under 30 minutes. Naturally gluten-free and vegan, it is perfect bowl of comfort for cooler days!
Another favorite velvety soup to stay warm and cozy during sweater weather is Thai chicken soup with butternut squash.
Table of contents
This Instant Pot butternut squash soup is the pressure cooker version of my stovetop healthy butternut squash soup. It is creamy from coconut milk, velvety smooth, and loaded with fall flavors.
When summer ends, the only thing that cheers me up is the ability to cook healthy soup recipes again. I absolutely love cooking soups and my boys love eating them!
Pumpkin soup is another favorite ‘transitional’ soup into all things autumn!
Soup cleans out the fridge and pantry, is healthy and pretty much guaranteed to be delicious cause you can always “fix it” at the end.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavorful: Delicious warm spices and so creamy, yet contains no cream.
- One pot: Ready to slurp in under 30 minutes with only 10 minutes of prep time.
- Healthy: Naturally gluten free, dairy free and vegan, plus loaded with vitamins A, C and B, and powerful antioxidants.
- Family friendly: Kids will love the smooth texture of this soup!
Ingredients and Notes
To make this pressure cooker butternut squash soup recipe, besides spices that you have in your pantry right now, you will need:
- Butternut squash: You will need 9 cups of diced butternut squash, this is roughly a 3 pound butternut squash. You can also use same amount of leftover cooked Instant Pot butternut squash.
- Coconut milk: Full fat coconut milk for best taste.
- Onion: Adds savory taste.
- Broth: Low sodium vegetable broth, you can substitute chicken broth if that is all you have on hand. I use organic vegetable bouillon cubes and water.
- Seasonings: Curry powder, dried ginger, dried thyme, salt and pepper. A blend of the perfect seasonings that make this soup the best you’ve ever had.
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash in the Instant Pot is so easy! Prep your squash, then add all ingredients to the pressure cooker.
Cube butternut squash: Cut in half crosswise, peel with a peeler and trim the ends. Cut the bottom part in half, scoop out seeds with a tablespoon and cube. Here is a full step-by-step tutorial how to dice butternut squash.
Having a really good, sharp knife will make your life easier right about now.
Cook: Add squash, onion, coconut milk, broth, and spices to Instant Pot. Press manual setting or pressure cook (depending on the model of your pot) and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Release pressure: Once the cooking time is up, move the valve to the vent position to release the pressure using Quick Release.
When you open the lid, the squash will be fork-tender and falling apart. The smell of curried soup will be unbelievably good but not overpowering.
Puree: Puree the soup with an immersion blender into cream consistency and voila. Grab a spoon and cozy up with a bowl of delicious soup!
How to Store and Reheat
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. It is the best soup for easy lunches!
Freeze soup in portions for easy grab-and-go lunches. Place cooked soup in glass airtight containers leaving some room to expand. Cool and then freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw, I usually remove soup from the freezer in the morning and by lunchtime, soup is half defrosted.
To reheat, warm up the desired amount of soup in a small pot by simmering on low. Keep it half-covered with a lid as it splatters and stir occasionally until it is warmed through. You can use a microwave too.
Tips and Notes
- Cut recipe in half (3 quart Instant Pot): The great thing is the cook time remains the same.
- Double the recipe: Original recipe is prepared in 6 quart Instant Pot LUX. You can also double the recipe if you have an 8 quart Instant Pot or 10 quart being careful not to overfill past 2/3 max line.
- Coconut milk replacement: You can use 1 cup of plant-based milk and add it in after cooking. The taste will be a bit different. I would blend the soup first and then add milk slowly to bring to the desired consistency. Do not add any other milk besides canned coconut milk to cook in the Instant Pot.
- Don’t mind dairy? Using whole dairy milk will be creamier, as would a cup of heavy cream. Stir in after cooking.
- For a sweeter version: Chop up a granny smith apple or toss in some carrots (or both).
FAQs
Use regular blender. Ladle the soup in batches into a blender and puree, making sure to have an opening in the lid for steam to escape. Be careful as soup will still be very hot.
Swap the curry and ginger for cinnamon and nutmeg.
Yes. You can add chopped squash, onion, and even spices to a large container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Then add milk, broth and cook as per recipe.
A drizzle of coconut milk, sour cream, or Greek yogurt with freshly ground black pepper is a favorite. A sprinkle of pepitas, pumpkin seeds, or homemade sourdough croutons also make amazing garnishes.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot black bean soup
- Instant Pot split pea soup
- Instant Pot vegetable soup
- Instant Pot lentil soup
- Instant Pot Thai chicken soup
Browse 45 more healthy Instant Pot recipes for even more dinner ideas.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs butternut squash peeled and cut into 2″ cubes (9 cups)
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 15 oz can coconut milk full fat
- 2 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme dried
- 1/4 tsp ginger dried
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, add butternut squash, onion, coconut milk, broth, curry powder, thyme, ginger, salt and pepper.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 10 minutes.
- After display beeps and says OFF, soup is ready. Do Quick Release by turning pressure valve to Venting position. Open the lid and puree butternut squash soup with an immersion blender.
- Serve hot with whole grain toast and pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or inner Instant Pot pot with a fitting glass lid for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- You can substitute coconut milk with regular or almond milk but do not add it to Instant Pot to cook. Instead add 1 cup before pureeing.
- Cut recipe in half (3 quart Instant Pot): The great thing is cook time remains the same.
- Double the recipe: Only in 8 quart or 10 quart Instant Pot. Be careful not to fill over 2/3 max fill line.
This was perfect for a rainy cold evening and I was rushed after work so appreciate the quick prep time. I was about 150 gr short of squash so added a small potato to make up the weight. I think the seasoning is perfect, I’ve tried recipes that overpower the delicate flavour of the squash with curry powder
So nice of you to say, so happy you loved it, Connie!
I recently made this recipe and we loved it! Easy to make and delicious! We really like curry, so used a full tsp, and already had a container of chicken broth open, so used it rather than vegetable broth.
Yum! Any broth works, sure. So happy to hear you loved it!
The squash soup is delicious. I will definitely making it again. Also thank you for the Ukraine donation sites. Blessing to your family.
Thank you Liz! So glad you enjoy the soup!
This soup is soooo good. I use fresh ginger, but keep everything else the same. When I eat my bowl of soup I like to add tumeric and cayenne pepper. My husband and kids like it as is. Thank you, Olena!!
Those sound like the perfect way to top it off! Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except used lite coconut milk because the store was out of full fat. My husband doesn’t like apples in butternut soup so I was excited to try this. He also doesn’t like curry powder but it wasn’t overpowering so he didn’t notice it. I enjoyed the subtle flavor of it. This was definitely a winner for us and is going into our regular fall/winter rotation. Thanks for another easy, great recipe!
So glad to hear it will be in your regular rotation!
Can’t wait to make this. When using frozen squash, is the quantity the same. 3 pounds/9 cups?
Thanks!
Yes, same quantity when frozen.
Made this soup for lunch today. It’s delicious! So quick and easy, too! Butternut squash is my favourite squash. This is going to be a regular on our table!
Thanks for the wonderful feedback Judith! I just love cooking with butternut squash too 🙂
I made this yesterday. Only change was increased the curry by 1/4 tsp and decreased salt by 1/4 tsp. It was fantastic. My wife has just finished chemo treatments and her appetite has been greatly effected; nothing appeals to her. She loved it and ate her whole bowl. I was thrilled for her and gratified I made something she like. Super easy. Thanks
Hi Douglas! Thanks for sharing. Wishing you and your wife all the best.
A delicious hearty soup. My family loved it! I was missing 2 ingredients- so I substituted with chicken stock & I didn’t have any coconut milk handy, so I added half & half (it’s all I had) after cooking and it was delicious! The curry gave a great flavor to the recipe. Look forward to making it again!
Thanks for sharing Shameen!