Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup recipe is ready in just 30 minutes and uses steam pressure to cook a creamy, comforting, cozy soup. Loaded with nutritious, nourishing, wholesome ingredients, this soup is super satisfying, healthy, and naturally gluten free, paleo, and vegan-friendly.
Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Our Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is velvety smooth with the rich butternut squash flavor of a soup that has simmered for hours, but because it’s made in the pressure cooker, it’s ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish with minimal work.
This easy, fast, and fuss-free method to make a hearty and healthy side lets you set it and forget it as it melds the sweet and savory tastes together.
Pressure cooker butternut squash soup recipes make preparing hard squashes a snap: simply cook all of your ingredients in the instant pot until soft, and then blend and puree the cooked contents, all in the same pot.
Soon you’ll have the perfect bowl of steaming creamy soup, made in my favorite magical appliance, in a fraction of the time it takes to cook this side dish in a slow cooker or on the stove top.
Why We Love This Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- Quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes.
- Uses nutritious, gluten-free, and dairy-free ingredients that are perfectly paleo and vegan.
- Contains a host of healthy fats which promote brain and cognitive health.
- Delicious feel-good food that is soul-warming for cold weather days.
- Pressure cooker method takes half the time of stovetop cooking without all the work.
- Perfectly warming for fall and winter weather.
Butternut Squash Soup Ingredients
- Butternut squash
- Celery
- Carrots
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sage leaves
- Sprigs of fresh thyme
- Anjou pear
- Vegetable broth
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Kosher salt
- Coarse black pepper
- Cardamom
- Coconut sugar
Substitutions and Additions
- Grab a Garnish: Garnish your steaming soup with some pepitas, a swirl of coconut cream, chopped chives, fresh herbs, or a sprinkling of seasoning.
- Tasty Toppings: To keep this recipe vegan, try additional toppings like vegan croutons, pine nuts, toasted almonds, cilantro, microgreens, stewed or chopped apples or pears, fresh cracked pepper, or cinnamon. A few non-vegan ideas include crumbled bacon or freshly grated parmesan.
- Make Without Coconut Milk: If you are not following a vegan diet, you can substitute heavy cream or half and half for the coconut milk. I don’t recommend using almond milk or other milk alternatives because the fat in the coconut milk is important for the finished flavor.
- Swap The Coconut Sugar: Maple syrup or maple sugar make great substitutes for coconut sugar in this recipe. Brown sugar would also work.
- Add Some Spice: Adding a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper or a spoonful of chili paste can kick the spice level of this soup up a notch.
Recommended Tools
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Immersion blender or high power hot/cold blender
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Prepare Your Herbs and Produce: Peel, dice, mince, chop, or cut the herbs and produce. Add the butternut squash, carrots, celery, shallot, garlic, ginger, pear, minced sage, coconut sugar, salt, and spices to the basin of the Instant Pot. Top with broth and thyme sprigs.
- Cook: Select the manual setting and set it to high pressure. Set the time to 12 minutes, then close the lid and valve.
Pro Tip: If your Instant Pot has a “Soup/Broth” setting, this will also work. - Release The Pressure: Release the pressure based on the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove the thyme sprigs and run your fingers down each sprig to release the leaves into the basin. Discard the woody pieces.
- Puree: Blend the soup until the contents are fully pureed. Once pureed, add in the coconut milk and stir to incorporate.
Pro Tip: You can also do this in a high powdered hot/cold blender. You may want to allow the soup to cool slightly before transferring it to the blender pitcher. - Serve: Serve hot, topped with pepitas, chopped chives, and a swirl of coconut cream. Enjoy!
How To Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup In A Slow Cooker
This recipe can be made in a slow cooker, it will just cook slower! To cook this butternut squash soup in a crock pot, prepare the ingredients as described above then add them to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook for 2-3 hours on high heat or 4-6 on low heat. Resume the instructions as listed in the recipe card once the soup is finished cooking in order to blend and serve.
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Tips for the Best Butternut Squash Soup
- Have an extra 5 minutes? By sautéing the shallot, garlic, and ginger in the bottom of the Instant Pot with a little bit of olive oil, you can develop more depth of flavor.
- You can add a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper or a spoonful of chili paste to kick the spice level up a notch.
- It is helpful to weigh the main ingredients (squash, carrots, and celery) in order to achieve the right consistency. The more guesswork there is with ingredient quantities the more you may need to use more or less broth to get the perfect silky puree.
- If your pear is not quite ripe you can add another tablespoon of coconut sugar to the recipe. Taste when finished and add it if needed.
- If you are sensitive to salt or are using fairly salty broth, consider reducing the salt to ½ tsp.
Is Butternut Squash Soup healthy?
This recipe is incredibly good for you. It is relatively light in calories and high in micronutrients. It contains healthy fats (including medium-chain triglycerides) and 7 grams of fiber per cup making it a blood sugar-friendly choice. It is a powerhouse when it comes to most vitamins and minerals, loaded with things like vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B6, and manganese.
What To Serve with Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
To make this side dish a filling vegan meal, toss in some baked tofu, cooked white kidney beans, or chickpeas. For non-vegan options, try pairing with a brie, apple, and fig jam grilled cheese, or toss in some chicken meatballs or cooked sausage.
How to Store Butternut Squash Soup
- To Store: Store your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze the soup, let it cool then transfer it to an airtight glass container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
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- Healthy Breakfast Cookie
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- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Serves — 8
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is the best way to make a creamy and comforting soup that's ready in under 30 minutes with little prep. Loaded with nourishing ingredients, this soup is satisfying, healthy, and vegan-friendly.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds butternut squash about 7 cups, 910 grams once peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup celery chopped (65 g or about 2 large stalks)
- 1 cup carrots peeled and cut into about ¼ inch rounds (145 g or about 3 medium carrots)
- 2 shallots diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 5 large sage leaves minced
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 large Anjou pear cored and diced
- 3 cups vegetable broth plus more if you prefer a thinner consistency
- 13.5 ounces can full-fat coconut milk you can reserve a small amount of cream for serving
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar
For serving (optional):
- Pepitas
- Reserved coconut cream
- Chives
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the ingredients. Peel and remove the seeds from the butternut squash and dice into about ½-inch cubes. Peel and dice the shallot. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove the tops and ends from the celery and chop. Peel and cut the carrots into about ¼-inch rounds. Peel the ginger and grate. Remember the soup will be blended so the size and shape of the cuts are not too important.
- Add the butternut squash, carrots, celery, shallot, garlic, ginger, pear, minced sage, coconut sugar, salt, and spices to the basin of the Instant Pot. Top with broth (the coconut milk will be added after cooked and blended) and stir. Before replacing the lid top with thyme sprigs. Select the manual setting and set it to high pressure. Set the time to 12 minutes, then close the lid and valve. If your Instant Pot has a “Soup/Broth” setting, this will also work.
- Once finished cooking, release the pressure based on the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Remove the thyme sprigs. Gently run fingers down each sprig to release the leaves into the basin and discard the woody pieces.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until the contents are fully pureed. Be careful as the soup will be very hot. You can also do this by using a high powdered hot/cold blender. You may want to allow the soup to cool slightly before transferring it to the blender pitcher.
- Once pureed, add in the coconut milk and stir until it is no longer visible.
- Serve hot, topped with pepitas, chopped chives, and a swirl of coconut cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Store your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze the soup, let it cool then transfer it to an airtight glass container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Have an extra 5 minutes? By sautéing the shallot, garlic, and ginger in the bottom of the Instant Pot with a little bit of olive oil, you can develop more depth of flavor.
- You can add a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper or a spoonful of chili paste to kick the spice level up a notch.
- It is helpful to weigh the main ingredients (squash, carrots, and celery) in order to achieve the right consistency. The more guesswork there is with ingredient quantities the more you may need to use more or less broth to get the perfect silky puree.
- If your pear is not quite ripe you can add another tablespoon of coconut sugar to the recipe. Taste when finished and add it if needed.
- If you are sensitive to salt or are using fairly salty broth, consider reducing the salt to ½ tsp.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 675mg | Potassium: 641mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 18014IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 1mg
