Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup

ByMarie | Yay! for Food
47 Comments
Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup
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Happy New Year! I can't believe that it's already 2018!

I've set some personal goals: eat healthier, stay active, and don't sweat the small stuff.

All these goals are hefty, especially the last goal as I'm a compulsive worrier. As I get older, I'm getting a little bit better at letting things go and seeing that things are often not as bad as they seem.

What goals or New Year's Resolutions do you have for the New Year?

An overhead view of a bowl of butternut squash apple ginger soup with diced green apples on top that was made in the Instant Pot.

Like most of Canada and parts of the United States, we've been experiencing freezing, blistering temperatures with wind chills of minus 40 degrees!

So cold and dreadful, but luckily, the weather has been a lot warmer lately. What's the weather like in your city? I hope you're staying safe and warm.

For me, wintertime means an abundance of winter squashes (hence the name). My favourite of all the squashes is butternut squash.

Not only is it wonderful all roasted-up to bring out its inherent sweetness and nutty flavour, butternut squash is amazing to use as the main ingredient for a healthy and heart-warming soup especially when it's snowy and super chilly outside.

It's doubly comforting when you have a cold too. Believe me, I've had a cold for over a week that I just can't seem to shake.

Check out these two recipes where using roasted butternut squash: Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with Pecan and Dried Cherries.

Of course, I've been Instant Pot-ing (does anyone say this?) away… making warm Instant Pot soups and stews a-plenty (a couple are on this site already: Hearty Vegetable and Brown Rice Soup and Chinese Five Spice Beef and Vegetable Stew and more are on the way) and this recipe is no exception.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup!

How do you make this comforting soup?

(Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions below in the recipe card).

An overshot shot of fresh butternut squash, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, spices, and olive oil.

All the ingredients for this soup (minus the vegetable broth/water).

  • A popular pairing with butternut squash is granny smith apples. The tartness of these green apples goes so well with the squash.
  • Along with aromatic onion and garlic, there is fresh ginger, ground cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.
  • These ingredients give the soup a nice warmth that's a little spicy, sweet, citrusy (especially from the coriander) and very aromatic.
Sautéed onions, ginger, and garlic with chopped butternut squash, granny smith apples, carrots, and spices in the Instant Pot.

Pour in olive oil and sauté the onion until soft and browned. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute. Add the remaining ingredients (e.g. spices) into the pot.

Sautéed onions, ginger, and garlic with chopped butternut squash, granny smith apples, carrots, spices, and vegetable broth are mixed in the Instant Pot.

Pour in the broth and season with salt and pepper. Give the ingredients a good stir to distribute throughout the pot.

A vibrant orange pureed butternut squash apple ginger soup in the Instant Pot.

Cook for 8 minutes under high pressure for the vegetables and apple to completely tenderize and for the flavours to combine together. Then it's ready to puree and eat!

Looking for more Instant Pot Soup Recipes?

A side view of a bowl of butternut squash apple ginger soup with diced green apples on top.

This Instant Pot butternut squash soup is:

  • Healthy and delicious - it's savoury, has a bit of sweetness and tartness, and a little kick from the spices.
  • Filling and satisfying, but not heavy.
  • Thick and creamy (without the cream).
  • Simple and easy to make.
  • Vegan and gluten-free.

I hope you try this recipe! If you do, please leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I'm @yay_for_food on Instagram. I'll love a picture!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup

Yield: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Warm up with a hot bowl of delicious and healthy Butternut Squash Apple Ginger Soup! It's vegan and gluten-free too.

4.5 Stars (96 Reviews)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 2 granny smith apples, cored and chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 4 cups vegetable broth or water (or combo of both)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Optional topping:

  • Diced granny smith apple

Instructions

  1. Set the Instant Pot to "sauté". Add the olive oil and onion to the pot, stirring until soft and browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute.
  2. Press “cancel” to turn off the Instant Pot. Add the remaining ingredients into the pot (except the optional topping).
  3. Season generously with salt and pepper. Give the ingredients a good stir to distribute throughout the pot.*(see first note)
  4. Seal the Instant Pot and cook at high pressure (“manual”/"pressure cook" function) for 8 minutes. After the soup is ready, allow natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes before a quick pressure release to completely depressurize (until floating valve drops).
  5. Open the Instant Pot and give the soup another stir. **(see second note)
  6. Using an immersion blender ***(see third note), blend the soup until it is completely smooth.
  7. Taste for additional salt and pepper (or other seasonings) and top with diced apples if you like. Enjoy.
  8. STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS: In a large pot or Dutch oven, follow Steps 1-3. Then bring the soup to a boil and simmer on the stove for 30 minutes or until the butternut squash and apple is very tender. Then follow Steps 5 and 6.

Notes

  • *The liquid should just cover the top of the ingredients. Add more broth or water if necessary.
  • **If you find that there is too much liquid in the pot, carefully ladle out excess broth before blending. You can always add it back in to thin out the soup if needed.
  • ***You can also blend in a high-powered blender in small batches. Careful as the soup is hot and it may splatter.
  • Nutritional calories represent one serving (excluding optional toppings) with eight servings total.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 104Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 384mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g
© Marie | Yay! For Food
Cuisine: American / Category: Instant Pot

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47 Comments

  3. This looks absolutely delicious! I've been loving using my Instant Pot lately and love butternut squash soup so I know what I will be making soon!

    Reply

  4. Yet ANOTHER reason I so, so need an Instant Pot! I love using apples in soup, it really lightens it up. Yum!

    Reply

  6. Happy New Year! Good luck with your goals for the year! It's great that you're getting better at letting things go. Definitely something I need to practice as well!

    Your recipe sounds perfect for the weather and recovering from the holiday eating! I love how hearty the soup is. It looks really easy to make as well!

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    Reply

  7. My husband loved the soup! We topped it off with a dollop of sour cream, homemade croutons, almond slivers and hemp hearts. It was a lovely soup on a very cold night. Looking forward to more instant pot recipes.

    Reply

  8. I made it. There is no Note 1 that refers to what to do with the apples. I assumed they were supposed to be cooked and not just a garnish. I also found that adding liquid to jst cover the uncooked ingredients was way too much liquid at the end of cooking. I used a ladle to remove about 2 cups of broth. Then I pureed the cooked vegatables and it was the thick consistency I wanted.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the feedback Jim! I hope you enjoyed the soup! I edited in some additional notes in my recipe to reflect your feedback.

      Reply

  14. Made this today for a birthday lunch with a special friend and it turned out wonderful. I used frozen butternut squash so it took a lot longer to come up to pressure.

    Reply

    1. Hi Rita! I don't peel the apples. Once you puree the soup, it'll be creamy and uniform in texture. No apple skins left behind.

      Reply

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