How to Cook Butternut Squash in the Instant Pot

If you want to know how to cook butternut squash FAST, grab your Instant Pot and let’s go!

I love, love, love butternut squash, but MAN can it be a pain to cook or what?! Peeling a butternut squash might be one of my least favorite things to do. Then scooping out the seeds and fibers and chopping it up….I mean, some days I just CAN’T.

Sometimes I skip the chopping when I roast it in the oven, but I still cut it in half, and then it takes for-ev-er to cook.

I learned how to cook butternut squash in the slow cooker a few years back, which is really helpful for cooking it ahead of time. But sometimes I forget. And I need the butternut squash quickly. Now what?

It’s the Instant Pot to the rescue! The more I use my Instant Pot, the more I love it. It really can be a big time saver.

You don’t even have to peel or cut your butternut squash to cook it in the Instant Pot. Ummmm…I may never cook my butternut squash any other way again! Let me show you how easy it is to do this!

How to Cook Butternut Squash in the Instant Pot

You’ll want a small to medium butternut squash that can fit in your Instant Pot. When I was taking photos for this post, my butternut squash ended up being a little too big, so I just cut the top and bottom off so it would fit.

Use your trivet and pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot. Place the whole butternut squash in the Instant Pot.

Cook the butternut squash on high pressure for 25 minutes. Use the quick release function and carefully remove the squash.

Then something magical happens. There’s no need to peel your butternut squash as the skin basically pulls right off. Yes, the butternut squash looks a little strange, but it could not be easier to remove that skin!

Now you just need to cut it in half. Yes, my arm looks awkward here because it’s not easy to handle a knife and a camera at the same time. 😉

Once you cut the butternut squash in half, just scoop out those seeds.

Now you have a cooked butternut squash that you can do a number of things with! You can cut it into cubes and drizzle with olive oil for a simple side dish. Or you can turn it into a decadent and crowd-pleasing butternut squash purée.

When you learn how to make butternut squash in the Instant Pot, you can use it for a number of different recipes that need cooked squash. Here are some of my favorite recipes that need cooked butternut squash:

Autumn Squash Soup

You’ll save time by cooking your squash first for this soup!

Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash

Just add the cooked butternut squash at the end of the cooking time instead of the raw squash at the beginning.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

This will shaved some serious time off of this recipe!

Butternut Squash Rice Bowl

Here’s the printable recipe for how to cook butternut squash in the Instant Pot! Make sure to also check out my collection of healthy Instant Pot recipes!

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