The Best Savory Autumn Squash Soup (Instant Pot)

Tips for Making This Savory Squash Soup Recipe

One of my favorite parts of this soup is how easy it is to make.

And it’s fast!

My favorite shortcut is to start the soup with a package of pre-cut butternut squash.

After all, peeling and cutting up butternut squash can be a real pain…

So make your life easy with that handy dandy package.

The price is only a tiny bit more than a whole squash!

Although this soup isn’t really a butternut squash soup, because between you and me?

I don’t love butternut squash by itself…

This is why I added sweet potatoes.

And carrots.

Some red onions.

Celery.

With lots of savory herbs: garlic, fresh thyme, sage, bay leaves, a touch of nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cayenne.

So it doesn’t really taste like a butternut squash soup.

I prefer to use vegetable broth for this recipe, but you could use chicken broth too.

Or even a chicken bone broth to boost the amount of protein.

It’s hard to find a good vegetable broth in the store so I like to make my own using veggie scraps and peelings that I collect and freeze until I have enough.

Wait until you see my trick for freezing soup and stock at the end of this post!

You can also use a high-quality vegetable broth base like Better Than Bouillon.

Be sure to whisk all the dry seasonings into the broth before adding it to the pot.

I love how fast this recipe is ready to eat with an instant pot.

This is the kind of pressure cooker I have and it’s one of my favorite appliances.

This soup only has to cook for 12 minutes!

Once it comes to pressure, your kitchen is gonna start to smell amazing.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, no problem.

Because you can make this soup in a crockpot too.

I’ve included instructions and timing for using a crockpot in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

When the soup is done cooking, use an immersion blender to turn it into a smooth and creamy bisque.

I love this blender because it’s reasonably priced and so easy to clean!

The blending stick separates from the motor so you can pop it in the dishwasher.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t despair.

You can blend the soup smooth in small batches using a regular blender or food processor, just be cautious while blending hot liquids and follow the instructions for your appliance.

A hand mixer or potato masher are other alternatives to blend the soup, but the onions and celery may not blend up perfectly smooth.

Don’t worry, though, because a few small chunks won’t make this squash soup recipe any less delicious!

I also decided to add collagen to the recipe to add protein.

If you follow a vegetarian diet, you can use pea protein powder instead.

Add the collagen or protein powder at the same time you blend the soup smooth.

Some recipes for soups like this call for heavy cream.

But with Trim Healthy Mama we separate fats and carbs, so I needed to find a lower-fat alternative that would still give a great creamy texture.

I also try to limit my dairy intake in this season of my life.

Light coconut milk in a can works perfectly.

I find it in the Asian food section of my grocery store where they sell the soy sauce down on the bottom shelf.

Give the can a good shake before you add it to the soup to blend the coconut cream throughout the milk.

I like to reserve a little of the coconut milk (about 1 teaspoon per bowl) if I’m making up bowls of soup to serve.

It really makes a pretty presentation that way!

How to Serve Creamy Squash Soup

Float a little bit of coconut milk on the top of the soup.

You can swirl it in a bit with a spoon if you want to make a pretty pattern!

Roasted pepitas are wonderful on top and add a little crunch.

Some other tasty garnishes are crumbled turkey bacon, diced ham, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, and homemade sprouted grain croutons.

You could even roast the seeds from the butternut squash if you use a whole squash instead of the precut kind!

Depending on how much heat you like, a sprinkle of either cayenne, smoked paprika, regular paprika, chili powder, or chipotle powder adds another layer of flavor.

Plus it looks kind of extra.

Can You Make This Soup Ahead?

Any time I’m entertaining, I love finding delicious recipes that I can make in advance.

After all, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be spending the day before company comes over cleaning the house…

Nothing like having people over to motivate me to actually clean! LOL

Plus, when my guests arrive I want to spend time visiting, not slaving over the stove.

This dairy-free butternut squash soup is the perfect make-ahead recipe!

It freezes and reheats beautifully.

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe as much as I do!