One of the great things about this butternut squash soup recipe—aside from the soup’s great flavor, of course—is that there is no pre-cooking or sautéeing required. Everything goes right into the pot, and cleanup is a breeze. Besides the Instant Pot, you’ll need a few measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board, knife, and a blender or immersion blender.
Add cream to make a more luscious soup or make it vegan with coconut milk. If you prefer a thinner soup, add some extra vegetable broth just before serving. Garnish the soup with pumpkin seeds, bacon, chopped herbs, or a swirl of sour cream or yogurt.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup apple juice, or more broth
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup diced shallots, or onion
1 or 2 sprigs fresh sage
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy cream, or coconut milk
Chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley, for optional garnish
Cooked crumbled bacon, for optional garnish
Plain yogurt, for optional garnish
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Add the vegetable broth, apple juice, squash, apple, shallots, sage, thyme, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg to the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the steam release knob is in the sealing position. Select the pressure cook button, high pressure, and set the time for 15 minutes. It will take approximately 20 minutes to reach pressure and begin cooking.
When the time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the knob to the venting position to release the remaining pressure quickly. Remove and discard any stems from the sage and thyme.
Working in batches, blend the hot soup in a blender until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender.
Pour the puréed soup back into the Instant Pot. Add the cream, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Select the sauté function and cook until heated through.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish as desired with cilantro, bacon, and yogurt.
