Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, made in a pressure cooker! So rich in flavor and packed with goodness, you won’t believe how easy this is to make and so delicious!

If you just read my homemade chicken stock post, this is a great recipe to use that stock in! Butternut squash is my absolute favorite winter squash and I always seem to have one on my counter, ready to cook, from October to January.

Butternut squash is also a great source of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, and manganese. A cup of cubed butternut squash also provides 582 mg of potassium, more than the amount available in a banana!

Whether we are ready or not, winter is on the way and we’re already in cold weather here in Wisconsin. I don’t know about you, but I’m a soup girl. Give me a bowl of soup, and let me curl up with a blanket and my wool socks and I’m happy.

I’m always making soup here at home for me and my family. If you follow my stories on Instagram, you saw me in Jonny Hunter’s kitchen the other day. I never jumped on that instant pot bandwagon but now I’ve seen the light! I’m in love with my new Breville Fast Slow Pro and am now so excited to try more recipes! The pressure cooker simply makes cooking easier, faster and a lot of it is no fuss. Exactly what we need on a week night.

Make this recipe exactly as it’s written below, or do a variation (can use vegetable stock and coconut milk if that’s your thing). .  but either way, MAKE THIS SOUP! If you don’t own a pressure cooker, simply use a heavy bottomed pot, like a Le Creuset. I would chop up the vegetables more and you will obviously have to cook on the stove top for a bit longer. .  but you will still blend it with an immersion blender, (or using a blender) and do the same thing. I hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

This is a faster way to make Butternut Squash Soup. For more flavor, and if you have the time, roast your butternut squash first and then add into the pressure cooker.

Note for the cook: DON'T HAVE A PRESSURE COOKER? No problem! if you do NOT have a pressure cooker, see BELOW this recipe card for instructions.

*If wanting a thicker soup, use the entire butternut squash and you can also add less chicken stock. If wanting a thinner soup, you only need about 4 cups of butternut squash cubes. To keep this vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock and omit the oven baked crispy bacon. You can also use coconut milk in place of the heavy cream if desired. 

**you can also use an onion if you don't have a leek

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer or Main

Cuisine: Soup

Keyword: butternut squash, butternut squash soup

Servings: 6

Author: Jonny Hunter & Alice Choi

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
• 1 small apple peeled and chopped; about 1 cup
• 1 leek tender white parts only, chopped, about 1 cup**
• 1 medium sized (about 2.5 to 3 lbs.) butternut squash peeled and cut into large chunks/pieces, about 5 to 6 cups*
• ½ potato peeled and cut
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 sprinkles ground nutmeg
• 1 to 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
• 1 splash apple cider vinegar
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

For soup toppings:

• crème fraiche
• oven baked crispy bacon crumbled
• black pepper if desired
• fresh chives finely diced
• chestnuts diced

Instructions

• Using your pressure cooker, cover the bottom of your pan with olive oil. Using the "sauté" setting, sauté the leeks and apples first for about 10 minutes.
• Add in the butternut squash, potato, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric and pour in the chicken stock, add a splash apple cider vinegar, season generously with salt and add in the brown sugar.
• Close pressure cooker and lock and set to "pressure cook" on high for 20 minutes. At the end of cooking, move the pressure release valve to its venting position. When the pressure has fully released, unlock and open the pressure cooker and remove the pot from the base. Blend, using an immersion blender, until smooth.
• Add bacon fat, if you baked some bacon, and add a cup of heavy cream and blend together one more time. Serve in bowls and garnish with desired soup toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

*If wanting a thicker soup, use the entire butternut squash and you can also add less chicken stock. If wanting a thinner soup, you only need about 4 cups of butternut squash cubes. To keep this vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock and omit the oven baked crispy bacon. You can also use coconut milk in place of the heavy cream if desired. 

**you can also use an onion if you don't have a leek

Don’t have a pressure cooker?

Here’s what you do!

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot (like a Le Creuset) over medium high heat. Add the leeks and apples and sauté for about 10 minutes.
2. Add in the butternut squash and potato, and sauté for another 10 minutes or so.
3. Season with the cumin, nutmeg, turmeric and pour in the chicken stock, add a splash apple cider vinegar, season generously with salt and add in the brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft and tender, for about 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and puree the soup in batches in a food processor or use an immersion blender until smooth.
5. Add in a little bacon fat (if you baked some bacon) and add a 1/2 cup or ONE cup of heavy cream and blend together one more time. Serve in bowls and garnish with desired soup toppings. Enjoy!