Instant Pot Butternut Squash
Cooking butternut squash in the Instant Pot is quick and easy! Instant Pot Butternut Squash is perfect for serving as a side dish or using in your favorite butternut squash recipes.
Every fall I look forward to cooking with butternut squash. The sweet, nutty flavor and creamy texture of this winter squash is completely irresistible! My family loves this Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup, as well as Roasted Butternut Squash and I make both often throughout the fall and winter seasons.
I use my Instant Pot multiple times a week, so of course I had to try cooking butternut squash in it. After a bit of recipe testing, I’m happy to report that cooking butternut squash in the Instant Pot is not only fast and easy, but it makes perfectly tender and delicious butternut squash.
I’m including directions for how to cook butternut squash cubes, as well as quartered unpeeled squash. My preferred method is to cook quartered squash because it’s fast and easy to prep, since you don’t have to peel or dice the squash. But I know that the pre-cut cubes of butternut squash that you can purchase at the grocery store are a time-saver, so I wanted to be sure to include instructions for how to cook cubed squash too.
How to Make Instant Pot Butternut Squash
There are just a few simple steps to make Instant Pot butternut squash. If you are new to cooking with an Instant Pot, you might find my Instant Pot instructions helpful.
Quartered Butternut Squash
- Start by cutting off the stem end of the squash. Then cut the squash into four pieces, by first cutting it in half crosswise and then lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds. You can discard them or save them for roasting like pumpkin seeds.
- Put 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot inner pot. (Use 1.5 cups of water for an 8 quart pot.) Place the metal trivet in the pot.
- Put the squash pieces on top of the trivet. Close the lid and move the vent to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once the cook time ends, let the pot naturally release for 5 minutes. Then move the vent to the venting position to let out any remaining steam.
- Open the lid. Test the squash with a fork to see if it is tender. If not, you can pressure cook it for a few more minutes, adding more water to the bottom of the pot as needed.
Cubed Butternut Squash
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the squash.
- Cut off the stem and base ends. Cut the squash in half crosswise, at the point where it widens. Then stand the wider end on its flat end and cut it in half.
- Scoop out the seeds.
- Cut squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Put 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot inner pot. (Use 1.5 cups of water for an 8 quart pot.)
- Put a steamer basket in the pot and place the squash cubes in the steamer basket.
- Close the lid and move the vent to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. For firmer squash, pressure cook for 2 minutes.
- As soon as the cook time ends, quick release the pressure.
- Once the pin drops down, open the Instant Pot lid and serve squash as desired.
How to Use Instant Pot Butternut Squash
There are so many ways to serve Instant Pot butternut squash!
It makes a delicious side dish. You can serve it as is or you can mash the squash. I love it with just a pat of butter and some salt and pepper. For added sweetness, add a drizzle of pure maple syrup, a sprinkle of brown sugar, or a spoonful of Honey Butter. Or, for savory squash, sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese.
Add it to salads, grain bowls or pasta dishes. Or stir cooked squash cubes into a pot of chili.
Instant Pot butternut squash can also be used in your favorite butternut squash recipes that use cooked butternut squash. Here are a few to try:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash Lasagna
- Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
- Wild Rice Salad
- Butternut Squash Salad
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
More Instant Pot Cooking Basics
I love using my Instant Pot to cook basics such as rice, beans and vegetables. Here are a few of my go-to Instant Pot recipes:
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Instant Pot Broccoli
- Instant Pot Quinoa
- Instant Pot Rice
- Instant Pot Black Beans
Instant Pot Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, about 2.5 pounds
- 1 cup water, use 1.5 cups for 8 quart Instant Pot
Instructions
Quartered Butternut Squash
- Cut off the stem end of the squash. Cut the squash in half crosswise, at the point where it widens. Then cut each half of the squash in half again lengthwise by standing it up on the flat end. Scoop out the seeds and discard or save for roasting.
- Pour the water into the bottom of the Instant Pot inner pot. Place the metal trivet in the pot.
- Place the four squash pieces on top of the trivet in the Instant Pot. Close the lid and move the vent to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then the cook time will start counting down. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then move the vent to the venting position to release the remaining steam and pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot lid. Test the squash with a fork to check that it is tender. If not you can pressure cook for a few more minutes, adding more water to the bottom of the pot as needed.
- Scoop squash out of skin or serve/use as desired.
Butternut Squash Cubes
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the squash. Cut off the stem and base ends. Halve the squash at the point where it widens. Then cut the wider end in half by standing it up on its flat end. Scoop out the seeds and discard them or save for roasting. Cut squash into 1-inch cubes.
- Pour the water into the Instant Pot inner pot. Place a steamer basket in the pot. Put the squash cubes in the steamer basket.
- Close the lid and move the vent to the sealing position.
- Pressure cook at high pressure for 3 minutes. (Cook for 2 minutes for firmer squash.) The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will start counting down. When the cook time ends, immediately quick release the pressure by carefully moving the vent to the venting position.
- Once all of the steam has escaped and the pin drops down, open the Instant Pot lid.
- Squash can be served as is, mashed, or used in your favorite recipes.
