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.
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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
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
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Butternut Squash and Mushroom Risotto
Flaky Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
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!
Instant Pot Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Immersion Blender
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
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in the Instant pot on ‘Saute’ setting. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick and star anise and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add butternut squash, celery, carrots, 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 star anise and cinnamon stick.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. (Or you can puree the soup in a traditional blender in 2-3 batches, taking care when working with the hot liquid.) Stir in freshly grated nutmeg and cream or coconut milk if using.
- Divide into 4-6 bowls and garnish as desired.
Notes
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Andrea White says
this soup is the best! so creamy and easy to make on the instant pot too!
GRETA TALAS says
Looks delicious!
Julie says
Oh my gosh! Star Anise, Granny Smith apples – all the flavors!
Elizabeth Elizabeth says
Oh this is badly making me want an instant pot. Such a beautiful colour too!
Maria San Juan says
Excited to try this! Thanks for sharing! My kids will love this, the love squash!
Julie says
Had to come back and let you know that I now have friends making this recipe! SUCH A HIT!
Farah Abumaizar says
I love using my instant pot for soups, it’s the easiest thing ever! And this is so seasonal, love those seeds on top. Looks absolutely delicious, can’t wait to try it out!
Dannii says
I love butternut squash soup for autumn comfort food and this instant pot version looks delicious.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing spiced butternut squash soup recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Gus says
I made this soup yesterday and it was so delicious! I will make it again with my leftover butternut squash.
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! So creamy and delicious and perfect for fall! Going to enjoy this all season long!
Kate Hahnel says
Loved how creamy and flavorful my butternut squash soup turned out! Everyone loved it!
Brianna says
I’m thrilled you liked it!
Liz says
We enjoy butternut squash soup, especially during the fall season. I’ve never tried a spiced recipe before. Excited to give it a try!
Megan Ellam says
Perfect soup and so easy to make. I love making anything in Instant Pot so thanks for yet another delicious meal that makes me look like an amazing cook.
Linda says
Anything that can be done in an instant pot is a lifesaver and this one also comes out delicious and comforting
Mikayla says
Butternut squash soup is a favorite and I just loved the addition of star anise and cinnamon. Once popped in the instant pot, hands off until done cooking!
Jessica says
I recently tried butternut squash soup for the first time and loved it. I have been looking for a good recipe since then and I think this is the one. It not only looks/sounds delicious but looks easy being prepared in an Instant Pot. I love all of the aromatics you included. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Brianna says
Let me know how it goes!
Katie Crenshaw says
I had some beautiful butternut squash I found at Aldi and decided to give this recipe a go. Making this butternut squash soup in the Instant Pot was such a breeze. It was rich and creamy… with so much flavor. I loved it!
Hayley Dhanecha says
Butter nut squash soup one of my favourite fall recipe. Making soup in the Instant pot is fun, easy and quick.
Jenny says
I love the seasonings in your recipe, especially the ginger. The soup was so good and creamy, we enjoyed it much. This recipe is a winner.
Heather Perine says
Butternut squash soup is one of my all time favorite soups..and making this in the instant pot was a game changer!! So much easier..thank you 🙂
Tristin says
I added a little sprinkling of parmesan to this butternut soup, it was just perfect. You can really taste those spice flavors coming through!
Ash @ healthyheartywholesome.co.uk says
Yum!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This instant pot butternut squash soup was so delicious! I loved the ease of the instant pot!
nancy says
one of the best butternut squash soups!