Instant Pot Butternut Squash. Learn how to cook a whole butternut squash in the instant pot pressure cooker in just 15 minutes. Our no fail instant pot butternut squash halves are a must make and perfect for a quick healthy lunch or dinner.

instant pot butternut squash recipe
instant pot butternut squash
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Instant Pot Butternut Squash

Welcome to our 7 days of butternut squash recipes here on Recipe This. Teaching you how to cook instant pot butternut squash halves is day 6 of 7.

We have already shown you:

Today is all about updating our old post from early 2018 of instant pot butternut squash.

When we originally shared with you instant pot butternut squash back then, it was part of another series which was dedicated to showing you how to cook delicious vegetables in the instant pot.

We covered everything from instant pot broccoli to instant pot carrots to instant pot cabbage and beyond.

But I am sure you think that with the hundreds and hundreds of recipes on Recipe This that some will get published and then get forgotten about.

But not instant pot vegetables. It is one of our true favourite uses of buying an instant pot or other brand of electric pressure cooker.

Butternut squash in our household are a family winner. We love them and could give up potatoes (well almost) for butternut squash cooked like this.

My husband Dominic is not much of a butternut squash fan but cooked like this and here is there enjoying them just as much as me.

I learned how to cook butternut squash whole in the oven many years ago and fell in love with how easy it was to do. In the old oven method, you added a little olive oil, seasoned it, and cooked them as halves in the oven.

But if you had a large butternut squash then you would often be talking well over an hour for it to bake. Imagine the instant pot reducing the cook time by 80%.

By the time you have decided what you are going to load on to of your butternut squash the instant pot has beeped and you have delicious perfectly cooked butternut squash halves.

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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Whole

Whenever there is a discussion on Facebook about what foods cook much faster in the instant pot compared to regular cooking methods, whole instant pot butternut squash is always mentioned.

The fact that you can trim down the cook time from 1 hour 15 minutes in the oven to 15 minutes is truly amazing.  

But that’s not what I love most about whole butternut squash. It is the little prep.

Who wants to peel and dice butternut squash and remove all the seeds so that they can have some steamed butternut squash on their dinner plate?

Of course, we do this ourselves sometimes, but overall, the instant pot is there to bring us fast food.

If you have not yet tried instant pot butternut squash whole method. Then I urge you to give it a go and see what you think.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash #1 Tip

The #1 tip to Instant Pot Butternut Squash is the art of removing the seeds. Out of the whole process this takes the longest if you do it the classic way.

Many people will spend ages chopping and removing seeds from butternut squash.

But if you cook your Instant Pot Butternut Squash with the seeds still in, then it’s like scooping it out, like you scoop yoghurt.

It is genuinely like magic!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash with the seeds easily scooped out

How To Instant Pot Butternut Squash?

instant pot butternut squash step by step

Cooking butternut squash in the instant pot is one of the EASIEST EVER instant pot methods.

  1. Chop the ends off your butternut squash and half it.
  2. Place a cup of water into the instant pot.
  3. Add the trivet and load in the butternut squash halves.
  4. Steam the butternut squash halves in the instant pot.
  5. When it beeps season and serve.

How Long To Instant Pot Butternut Squash?

When you cook a butternut squash in the Instant Pot it takes just 15 minutes on the manual setting for the butternut squash to cook.

You don’t need to use the natural pressure release and you can quickly release pressure and eat your butternut squash as soon as the instant pot beeps to tell you to release pressure.

instant pot bucket list featured in

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Paleo

Our love for butternut squash halves started when we first found the paleo diet back in early 2015. Back then we were carb lovers and were looking for a low carb version of a lot of our favourite meals.

Instead of baked potatoes we made butternut squash halves. Then loaded the butternut squash with bolognese and had it for lunch. Perfect for the two of us and a butternut squash half each.

If you follow paleo or another low carb diet, then instant pot butternut squash is ideal for you.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Mash

Add another 5 minutes cook time to your instant pot butternut squash halves and you can scrape out the butternut squash with a fork and it is like delicious mash. Plus, much quicker than peeling and dicing lots of butternut squash to make mash with.

Instant Pot Butternut Squash
5 from 3 votes

Instant Pot Butternut Squash

Instant Pot Butternut Squash. Learn how to cook a whole butternut squash in the instant pot pressure cooker in just 15 minutes. Our no fail instant pot butternut squash halves are a must make and perfect for a quick healthy lunch or dinner.
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes
Servings: 2
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Ingredients 

  • Instant Pot
  • Medium Butternut Squash
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions 

  • Chop the ends off your butternut squash.
  • Then stand it up and slice it in half.
  • Place a cup of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot.
  • Place the steamer shelf (trivet) into the bottom of the Instant pot.
  • Place the butternut squash in your instant pot on top of the steamer shelf and place the lid on the Instant Pot.
  • Set the valve to sealing.
  • Cook the butternut squash on manual for 15 minutes.
  • As soon as it has finished cooking and beeps manually release pressure.
  • Remove the butternut squash from the Instant Pot. Using a dessert spoon scoop out the butternut squash seeds.
  • Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

I used the stop watch to see how long it took to come to pressure before the cooking time started. It was 11 minutes and 20 seconds.
Many other friends of ours have reported between 9-11 minutes. Therefore expect 10 minutes warm up time, 15 minutes pressure cooking and a total time of 25 minutes.
Though this is still a lot quicker than an hour and over in the oven. I have based my Instant Pot Butternut Squash recipe on feeding 2 people.
This is where you chop a whole butternut squash in half and you have a side each. If you are feeding 4 then change this to 2 whole butternut squashes.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 1408mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8.8g | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!

instant pot butternut squash at recipethis.com

About Sam & Dom

Hi! I am Sam and along with my chef hubby Dom we love sharing with you easy everyday recipes using kitchen gadgets. We are also the authors of The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook, an amazing air fryer cookbook filled with 140+ everyday air fryer recipes.

Beyond the air fryer we also love the instant pot, slow cooker, soup maker, ninja foodi, pie maker and several other kitchen gadgets.

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this yesterday and wow what an amazing use of the instant pot. Can’t believe how quickly it was cooked and had it with chili over it.

  2. 5 stars
    I think it’s great how the instant pot can cook things so much quicker than other cooking methods. Unfortunately I don’t have one so I have to roast my butternut squash but it is something I really want to get soon!

  3. 5 stars
    Thanks for this instant pot idea! I agree with you about the chopping and cutting butternut squash (lol), and it’s really difficult to cook through with such little time.

    1. Hi Cherie,

      Yes it really can be tricky to get it cut in half 😉 We have had difficulty cooking it in the oven with the middle still been raw, but the instant pot really does speed up the cooking and make it nice soft 🙂

      Kind regards

      Sam