This Instant Pot Butternut Squash is the fastest, easiest way to cook a whole squash or squash halves—no peeling required! In just about 20 minutes, the pressure cooker delivers perfectly tender squash that’s effortless to scoop out and use in soups, casseroles, purées, and more.
No peeling? No problem.
I love butternut squash, but they are a pain in the butt-ernut to peel and chop! Because of that long, thick neck, butternuts can be particularly hard to cut into. And with them rolling around on the cutting board, your fingertips are shaking in their boots.
Let me introduce you to a better way: Instant Pot Butternut Squash. Get this - you can throw a WHOLE squash into your pressure cooker, and 20 minutes later you’ll have a perfectly tender squash that you can use in soups (like this silky-smooth butternut squash soup) or stews or burritos or whatever you like.
The skin just slips off, and with a mere flick of the wrist, you’ll have the seeds removed. It’s like magic, and you, my friend, are the magician. If you're looking for a truly easy butternut squash cooking method, this is the one.
Also, if your squash is too big to fit in the pressure cooker whole, you can do butternut squash halves in the Instant Pot instead. I've tested cooking times for both whole squash and halves, so just follow my lead and you'll be on your way to tender, delicious pressure-cooker butternut squash in either case.
Let's make Instant Pot butternut squash together!
Ok, friend, let's get going. You'll find specific instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but for now let's walk through it step-by-step.
Step 1: prepare the Instant Pot
Place the whole butternut squash in your Instant Pot, on the trivet. Add 1.5 cups of water to the Instant Pot.
If your squash is too big to fit whole, cut it in half and fit the pieces in instead.
Step 2: pressure cook!
Put the lid on the Instant Pot, and flip the valve to “sealing.”
Set the Instant Pot to Manual / High Pressure for 20 minutes for a whole butternut squash, or 7 minutes for butternut squash halves.
Once the pressure cooking cycle is complete, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure by flipping the valve to “venting”.
Step 3: cool & slice
Remove the squash from your Instant Pot and let it cool until you can handle it.
Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and either peel the skin off or use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.
Mash the squash and serve it as a side dish (I like to mash it with butter) or use it in any delicious recipe.
👩🏻🍳 A note from Katie: Let me be real with you — one of the drawbacks of Instant Pot cookery is not being able to stop and check the food along the way. I definitely recommend cooking your squash in the Instant Pot when you’re making a soup or planning to mash it. If you’re looking for a firmer squash, like making my showstopping Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe, you can try a shorter cook time, but it’s a bit of a gamble.
Instant Pot Butternut Squash (Whole or Halves)
Instructions
- Start by giving your squash a good rinse.1 medium butternut squash
- Place the trivet into the Instant Pot insert, and then place your whole butternut squash or squash halves on the trivet.
- Add 1.5 cups of water to the instant pot.1.5 cups water
- Add the lid, and flip the vent to sealing.
- Set the instant pot to Manual / High pressure to 20 minutes for a whole squash, or 8 minutes for squash halves.
- When the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then flip the vent to "venting" to release the remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the squash from the Instant Pot, and allow it to cool.
- Split the squash in half, scoop the seeds out, and either peel the skin away or scoop the flesh out with a spoon.
- Use cooked squash as desired.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Note that cooking times can vary with squash size.
- If your squash is not tender enough, you can always add a bit more water to the Instant Pot and pressure cook it for another 2-3 minutes. However, you can’t take it back if your squash is too mushy. So proceed with caution.
- This cooking technique is best suited for making mashed butternut squash or butternut squash purée that will be used in soups, baking, etc.
Peg says
(editor) -- peel the sink away made me laugh -- and then I really had to think for a second or two. I love that this is available. Please fix the typo!