This Instant Pot Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup is rich, creamy, and incredibly easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a flavorful, satisfying soup on the table in no time. This soup is packed with everything you love about homemade comfort food.
What is Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash is a type of winter squash known for its sweet, nutty flavor and vibrant orange flesh. While it’s available year-round, it’s particularly abundant during the cooler months. This versatile vegetable can be roasted, mashed, or pureed, making it perfect for soups, sides, and even dishes like butternut squash ravioli. In this recipe, we’re using butternut squash as the star ingredient to create a rich, flavorful soup in the Instant Pot.
Don’t have an Instant Pot?
You can still make this awesome recipe with ease! Just see the notes section on the recipe card below for stovetop instructions.
How to Cut Butternut Squash?
Cutting a butternut squash is easier than you might think, and we’ll need about 4 cups of it for this recipe—roughly one medium-sized squash. The key to making this process smooth and safe is using a sharp knife. Start by cutting off the top and bottom of the squash. Then, slice it in half where the narrow neck meets the wider base. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from both sections.
For the base, stand it upright and cut it down the middle. Scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon—they come out easily. You can save the seeds to roast or use as a garnish for your soup. Now, cut the squash halves into strips and dice them into 1-inch cubes. Do the same for the top portion (no seeds here), and you’re all set!
Ingredients
Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato:
The combination of butternut squash and sweet potato creates a rich, creamy texture for this soup without the need for added cream. Both ingredients share a similar sweetness and color, complementing each other perfectly in flavor and providing the ideal base for a smooth, satisfying soup.
Celery, Onion, and Carrot (Mirepoix):
A simple base of sautéed celery, onion, and carrot (known as mirepoix) adds a savory depth of flavor to the soup. When sautéed in the Instant Pot, these ingredients soften and release their natural sweetness, enhancing the overall flavor profile of the soup.
Seasonings – Parsley, Thyme, Nutmeg, and Ginger:
We use dried parsley, thyme, and a touch of nutmeg to complement the natural sweetness of the vegetables. Freshly grated ginger adds a vibrant, slightly zesty kick that deepens the flavor of the soup. You can adjust the ginger to taste, with 1 tablespoon providing a mild flavor and up to 2 tablespoons for a more pronounced kick.
Special Note: Ginger Brings It All Together
I’m a big fan of the ginger in this soup – it adds just the right amount of brightness. A couple of teaspoons of freshly grated ginger is usually enough to strike a nice balance, but feel free to add more if you’re a ginger lover! It brings a wonderful vibrance to the dish and really makes all the flavors pop.
Cooking
Making this butternut squash and sweet potato soup in the Instant Pot is straightforward and efficient.
First, you’ll sauté a simple mirepoix – celery, onion, and carrot – right in the Instant Pot to create a flavorful base. Once the vegetables are softened, you’ll add the diced butternut squash, sweet potato, and seasonings like parsley, thyme, nutmeg, and ginger.
After that, it’s as easy as sealing the Instant Pot, setting it to pressure cook (on high pressure), and letting the magic happen. Once the soup is done, you’ll blend it to a creamy consistency, bringing together all those wonderful flavors for a smooth, rich result. The Instant Pot handles most of the work, making this a convenient and delicious soup that’s ready in no time.
Blending to the Perfect Consistency
Once the Instant Pot has finished, it’s time to blend the soup until smooth. An immersion blender works great for this, but if you don’t have one, no worries! You can use a regular blender, just be sure to blend in batches for safety. Alternatively, a hand mixer or even mashing the soup by hand can work in a pinch. If you’re a fan of making soups, I highly recommend an immersion blender – it’s a game changer for recipes like this.
Serving
Your soup is now ready to serve! This soup is best served piping hot, right from the Instant Pot. Grab a slice of crusty bread, and you’ve got yourself a meal that’ll warm you from the inside out. If you want to get extra fancy, sprinkle on some roasted squash seeds or fresh parsley, or drizzle a little olive oil on top. Whether you’re serving it as a cozy starter or a hearty main dish, this soup is sure to hit the spot.
Storage and Reheating
Got leftovers? This Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup stores beautifully. Once cooled, transfer the soup to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, reheating is easy – just pop it in a pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. For the microwave, heat in 1-minute increments until heated through. Usually about 3-4 minutes.
This soup also freezes well for up to 3 months.
PrintRecipe
Instant Pot Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
Use your Instant Pot can make the most delicious, homemade Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato soup! With a touch of nutmeg and fresh ginger, this vibrant, hearty soup is sure to please.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (medium sized), peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
- 1 sweet potato (medium sized), peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot (medium sized), chopped
- 1 yellow onion (medium sized), chopped)
- 2 tbs butter
- 1–2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp parsley, dried
- 1 tsp thyme, dried
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and melt butter. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Press “cancel”. Add butternut squash, sweet potato, parsley, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Chicken broth should just cover all the ingredients (adjust as necessary).
- Secure lid, pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. When cycle is complete, natural release for 10 minutes. Remove lid.
- Use an immersion blender and blend to a smooth consistency.
Notes
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large pot (a Dutch oven is ideal), melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add butternut squash, sweet potato, parsley, thyme, nutmeg, ginger, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches with a standard blender.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 12 min (+10min NPR)
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Brad says
Question. Can I use olive oil or another fat that isn’t dairy? Or is the butter necessary for flavor?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Brad,
Absolutely YES you can use olive oil in place of butter.
Brandon says
This soup is so delicious! Could it be adapted to use frozen diced butternut squash/sweet potato?
RecipeTeacher says
Hey Brandon. I’m so glad you like it! We LOVE this one too! You most certainly can use frozen butternut squash and frozen sweet potatoes. They can be hard to find sometimes, but we’ve found them ad larger supermarkets and superstores.
Judy says
What to do with a butternut squash and a sweet potato? I had forgotten about this recipe, then found it while looking through your site. Guess what we had for lunch? lol The soup is SO good. The recipe is in my recipe book! Can’t forget it now!
Leslie says
Always asked for the recipe whenever I make this! I have overheard others recommending to family, outloud, to ask me for this recipe.
RecipeTeacher says
This is one of our absolute favorite recipes. I’m so glad you and your family like it too!
Kelly says
What is the nutrition of this soup? Like carbs?
RecipeTeacher says
It’s about 18 carbs per serving. I should be able to post the complete nutritional info soon.
Lisa P Byrnes says
Can this be adapted for a crockpot? if so what changes would be needed?
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Lisa. For a slow cooker, you’d want to sauté the onions, celery and carrots in a pan first. This adds SO much to the flavor profile. Then dump it all into a slow cooker and i’d recommend setting it to low for 8 hours.
Judy says
This soup is delicious! I did cut back on the black pepper, and added about 1/2 cup of Half & Half cream. I’ll be adding this recipe to my soup list. Thank you!
RecipeTeacher says
Thank you, Judy!! We LOVE this soup SO much!!
Sara says
Just made this and overall it’s very good. Only thing I would change is the amount of black pepper. I’d at least half it…maybe even 1/4.
Otherwise really good!!!
Gretchen says
Just made this for my sister and I. Was delightful. I would cut the pepper by half next time, but will definitely make again. Was delicious with a little splash of half and half to give a bit of creaminess. Yum!