Best Butternut Squash Soup

This easy butternut squash soup recipe is a great recipe to whip up using your Instant Pot, and serve to the entire family.

It is finally the time for cozy fall soups using using the season’s best produce, and this recipe is just right, ticking all the boxes.

What I Love About the Recipe

My favorite part about this butternut squash soup recipe is the fact that it is super customizable.

Based on what you have at hand, you can easily swap ingredients and try out different variations of the soup.

I love making some roasted butternut squash soup, which has the perfect fall flavors, but more on that later.

Ingredients For the Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

You’ll need a very simple set of ingredients to make this butternut squash soup.

Olive oil: You’ll need a generous amount of olive oil for this healthy soup recipe.

Yellow onion: Yellow onions bring a delicious umami and pungent flavor to the soup.

Granny Smith apple: I used some Granny Smith apples to add a touch of sweetness to the soup.

Garlic: Garlic is another must have addition to this recipe, and adds some delicious flavors to the soup.

I used fresh garlic cloves.

Vegetable broth: To keep the soup vegan, I used a vegetable broth base.

Butternut squash: And of course, we’ll be needed some fresh butternut squash to make the soup. You can also use pre cut butternut squash if that’s what you have.

Spices: I used a dash of nutmeg and paprika powder to lend some more layers of flavor the soup.

Seasonings: For seasonings, I kept it simple with salt and pepper.

How to Make Butternut Squash Soup

Once you have all the butternut squash soup ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do next.

Step 1: Add Butternut Squash to an Instant Pot

Half the squash and remove the seeds. Place each half on a trivet in the instant pot, if you have a tall trivet, you can stack them. Add 1 cup of water. 

Step 2: Pressure Cook it

Close the lid and seal the pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, let naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. 

Step 3: Peel the Squash

Remove squash and peel skin away.

Step 4: Sauté the Apples

Set the instant pot to sauté and add oil. Once oil is hot add the cubed apples to the pot. 

Step 5: Add Onion and Garlic Cloves

Sauté for 5 minutes then add diced onions. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.

Step 6: Add Vegetable Stock and Cook

Add the vegetable broth and spices and close the lid. Seal the pressure valve. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Manually release pressure.

Step 7: Blend Soup in a Food Processor

Pour soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. 

Step 8: Top with Salt and Pepper

Serve with freshly ground black pepper and or coconut milk as desired.

Tips to Make the Butternut Squash Soup

Ready to give this recipe a try? Here are some more tips you might want to keep in mind.

• I used vegetable stock to make this recipe, but you can also use some chicken broth or chicken stock if you don’t want have dietary restrictions.
• If you don’t want to use your food processor for the soup, you can use an immersion blender instead.
• Don’t have the apples that the recipe calls for? You can just use some apple cider vinegar instead to lend that tangy flavor to the soup.
• You can also make a nice roasted butternut squash soup by roasting cubed butternut squash in the oven until they’re golden, and then using the roasted squash for the rest of the recipe.
• This roasted butternut squash in fact, has much more enhanced flavors, and is totally worth the extra time and effort.
• Don’t forget to top the roasted butternut squash soup with a generous sprinkle of chopped parsley or any other fresh herbs of your choice.
• The easiest way to store butternut squash soup is to move it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
• To reheat the butternut squash soup, you can use the microwave or your pot. If you prefer a thicker soup, you can keep reheat it just like that, or add a couple splashes of water to it to adjust its consistency.

What Other Seasonings Can I Add?

In addition to the salt and pepper, you can also add some yellow curry powder into the soup mix to lend it some extra flavor.

Another great idea is to add a dash of lime juice and some garam masala powder if you want some more intense flavors.

And of course, if you’re fond of that little kick of spice, you can add some cayenne pepper onto the soup.

What Can I Use Instead of Coconut Milk?

I added some coconut milk towards the end to bring some richness and creaminess to the soup. You can also use some heavy cream or sour cream instead if you don’t have any dietary restrictions.

Can I Make it Without an Instant Pot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can totally use a large soup pot to make this butternut squash soup.

The only downside of this cooking method is the fact that making the soup will take a little longer.

Make sure you choose a good quality large pot with a thicker base, and cook the soup on medium heat.

More Recipes

If you enjoyed this easy fall soup recipe, and are inspired to try some more fun and interesting recipes, here are a few handpicked ones to try out.

• Best Vegan Waffles With Pumpkin
• Mini Cheese Stuffed Peppers
• Air Fryer Yellow Squash
• Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup