Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Made with rich spices, creamy butternut squash, and sweet apple cider, this easy Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup is a delicious copycat version of Panera's Butternut Squash Soup.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups apple cider or apple juice DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!!!
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 5 cups cubed butternut squash cubed into 1-inch cubes (about 1 butternut squash)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon curry powder see note
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream or Plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, add in ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and let heat. Once heated, add 1 small yellow onion (minced) and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in 2 cloves garlic (minced) and sauté for 1 minute longer. Hit cancel to turn off the sauté function.
- Add2 cups apple cider or apple juice to the inner pot, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth, 5 cups cubed butternut squash, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon curry powder, ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger root1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. (Hit the manual/pressure cook button and adjust the timer to 15 minutes by using + and - buttons.)
- Once pressure has released, allow for pressure to release for at least 10 minutes before manually releasing pressure.
- Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Alternatively, ladle the soup into a blender and carefully blend the soup in batches, leaving the lid cracked on the blender to allow steam to escape.
- Add in ½ cup heavy cream if using and blend or whisk until well combined.
Video
Notes
Frozen Butternut Squash: Add 20 ounces of frozen cubed butternut squash to the soup in place of the 5 cups of fresh cubed squash. No changes to the cooking time are needed.
Cream: Instead of heavy cream, feel free to add in plain Greek yogurt or half and half . Alternatively, leave it out altogether for a vegan-friendly recipe.
Apple Cider: Use apple juice or chicken or vegetable broth in place of the cider. Never replace the cider or juice with vinegar--it will ruin your soup.
Storage: Store leftover cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze due to the addition of dairy.
See Instant Pot High Altitude Conversion if cooking 2500+ feet above sea level.
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 9970IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg
