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.
Turn the Instant Pot to saute. Once the pressure cooker is heated, add the olive oil.
Add onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.
Add in stock and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
Stir in cubed butternut squash, apple cider, and seasonings.
Seal the lid on the Instant Pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. 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 yogurt or cream if using and blend until well combined.
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Notes
Curry Powder: To mimic the taste of Panera Butternut Squash Soup, curry powder is necessary. However, I prefer this soup without the curry powder for a more mild squash and apple soup. Garlic: Use 1 teaspoon of minced garlic in place of garlic cloves. Butternut Squash: You can use 20 ounces of frozen butternut squash to the soup in place of the fresh cubed squash. You will need to plan to use 20 ounces of frozen cubed squash. No changes to the cooking time are needed.Yogurt: Instead of yogurt, feel free to add in half and half or cream or 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 refrigeratorSee Instant Pot High Altitude Conversion if cooking 2500+ feet above sea level.