Instant Pot Butternut Squash Recipe

Fully cooked whole butternut squash halves cooling in an Instant Pot.

4.79 from 112 votes

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Recipe

Learn How to Cook Butternut Squash in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Ready in no time, enjoy your perfectly cooked butternut squash mashed, pureed, and with all your favorite recipes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Instant Pot brought to pressure10

Total Time28

Course: Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: How to Cook Butternut Squash in the Instant Pot, Instant Pot Butternut Squash

Servings: servings

Author: Jessica Randhawa

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

Halved Squash

1 butternut squash halved lengthwise, seeds removed (quartered if necessary)
1 cup water

Cubed Squash

1 butternut squash peeled, seeds removed and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 cup water

Optional seasoning

salt and black pepper
maple syrup
brown sugar
fresh herbs

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Halved Squash

Place the Instant Pot trivet inside the bowl of your Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Wash the outside of your squash and dry thoroughly. Use a large, sturdy knife, to cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds using a metal spoon.
Arrange the butternut squash halves inside the trivet (I managed to fit two whole butternut squash, 4 halves, in my 8-quart Instant Pot).
Place the cover on your Instant Pot and switch the pressure valve to the sealing position.
Set your Instant Pot to manual HIGH pressure and cook for 8 minutes. After the cooking time is finished, switch the pressure valve to the venting position and quick release the pressure. Carefully remove the lid. Transfer to a bowl and season as desired.

Cubed Squash

Place the Instant Pot trivet or silicone basket inside the bowl of your Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Wash the outside of your squash and dry thoroughly. Use a large, sturdy knife to cut the ends from the butternut squash. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to slice the skin from the butternut squash by holding one end of the squash with one hand and slicing with the vegetable peeler or paring knife in the other. Scoop out the seeds and chop into small cubes.
If you are using the wire trivet that came with the Instant Pot, place an oven and microwave safe glass bowl directly on top of the trivet. Add the cubed butternut squash to the bowl. If you are using a silicone basket, add the squash cubes directly to the inside of the basket.
Place the cover on your Instant Pot and switch the pressure valve to the sealing position.
Set your Instant Pot to manual HIGH pressure and cook for 3 minutes. After the cooking time is finished, switch the pressure valve to the venting position and do a quick pressure release. Carefully remove the lid. Transfer to a bowl and season as desired.

Notes

First time cooking butternut squash? Check out my post, All About Butternut Squash: How to Pick, Peel, and Prepare for Cooking!

All winter squash is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

Can you cook an entire, whole, un-cut butternut squash in the Instant Pot? Some people say yes, but I have not tried this personally. I am far too paranoid about anything exploding on me.

Nutrition