Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Name: Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium onion (diced); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 1 inch slice fresh ginger; 1 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 2 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubes (about 7 cups cubed ); 1 celery stalk (chopped); 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced); 1 medium granny smith apple; 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/3 cup cream or coconut milk (optional)

By Brianna Simmons · Published: November 8, 2021 · Updated: January 28, 2022

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When it’s chilly outside nothing comforts like a cozy bowl of warm soup. Hearty, healthy and satisfying butternut soup checks off all the right boxes and gets even better with a good dose of fall spices like cinnamon, star anise, ginger and nutmeg. Did I mention that this soup comes together in a snap thanks to the Instant Pot? This Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup is luscious, velvety and ready in 30 minutes.

Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

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There is so much to love about this spiced butternut squash soup. Loaded with fresh produce, naturally gluten free as well as easily made vegetarian and vegan (just make sure to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and coconut milk instead of cream). I also used an all star line up of fall spices to elevate this soup including cinnamon, star anise, ginger and nutmeg. This soup also comes together quickly using an Instant Pot and an immersion blender.

How to Cut a Butternut Squash

You can certainly buy precut butternut squash but chopping up a whole butternut squash isn’t that difficult. You will need a few basic kitchen tools including a large cutting board, a large sharp knife and a vegetable peeler (I love this vegetable peeler). Start by peeling the firm outer skin of the butternut squash and then use the knife to cut the stem and root ends. Lay the squash on it’s side and cut into slices, using a spoon to remove the seeds. Then cut the slices into cubes. This should take about 5 minutes.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

butternut squash
olive oil
onion
garlic
cinnamon stick
whole star anise
fresh ginger
celery
carrots
granny smith apple
vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper
fresh ground nutmeg
cream or coconut milk (optional)

Garnishes for Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is creamy, velvety and delicious as is but I love adding garnishes for an added layer of flavor or texture. Here are a few of my favorite garnishes for butternut squash soup.

Pumpkin seeds
Pomegranate seeds
Sunflower seeds
oyster crackers
croutons
bacon
crispy prosciutto
Parmesan cheese
Parmesan crisps
chili oil

How to Make Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup - ingredients in pot 1

Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup - Ingredients in pot 2

After chopping up all of the vegetables this soup comes together in a snap. Start by pressing the saute function on your Instant Pot ( I recommend this Instant Pot) and cook the onions in olive oil for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add in the garlic along with the whole star anise, cinnamon stick and fresh ginger (when I first buy ginger I chop half of it up into 1 inch slices, the other half is left intact for grating, and freeze it so it’s always ready to use. No peeling required!) and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Sauteing the whole spices ( known as blooming) allows spices to fully release their flavor and aroma.

Add in the butternut squash, celery, carrots (I used baby carrots since that’s what I had in my fridge), granny smith apple, stock, salt and pepper. Seal the lid, select ‘Manual’ setting and High Pressure, then set cook time for 10 minutes. Once the soup is done cooking perform a quick release per manufacturer’s instructions, remove the star anise and cinnamon stick.

To puree the soup you’ve got a couple of options. Using an immersion or stick blender (I love and use this immersion blender a ton) is the easiest way and leaves a little less to clean up afterward. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a traditional stand blender, pureeing the soup in multiple batches and being careful while working with the hot liquid.

After you puree the soup stir in freshly grated nutmeg. The soup is wonderfully smooth at this point, but stirring in an optional bit of cream or coconut milk will make this butternut squash soup extra luscious. This soup serves 4 entree sized portions, or 6-8 starter sized portions.

If you like this Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup be sure to take a look at some of my other recipes!

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

Pumpkin Polenta with Sage

Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Risotto

Flaky Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup Pinterest Image

If you make this Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!