Making butternut squash in the instant pot is the fastest way to one of the best side dishes of the fall!

Instant Pot Butternut Squash 

One of the most versatile fall crop is without a doubt Butternut Squash. This squash is the most popular at our market and is the best tasting- in my opinion. Not stringy, watery, not too thick. Butternut squash is just right! I’ve grown a gamut of squash in our garden: spaghetti, acorn, buttercup… but there’s one that always sells better than these…THE butternut squash!

Instant Pot butternut squash is quick and easy. You can jazz any squash up with just about all of the spices in your cupboard, but I’m going to share with you OUR favorite way to make butternut squash!

Why You’ll Love making Butternut Squash

• Butternut Squash is a healthy side dish that is known to help with digestion and blood pressure. They also provide lots of antioxidants.

• Butternut Squash can be used as a substitute in recipes that call for Pumpkin. Keep this in the back of your brain when looking to make fall recipes!

• This is a quick recipe! The cooking time is so minimal – only 15 to 20 minutes

How to make Instant Pot Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Wash and knife or fork the squash (to allow for ventilation and even cooking throughout the squash)
2. Quarter and remove seeds and strings and add to the Instant Pot

3. Add 1 cup of water, seal, and steam for 15-20 min.

4. Allow the squash to cool before removing the outside skin from the squash

5. Remove skins and mash-up with a potato masher right in the Instant Pot (I’m just trying to save you from washing so many dishes, here!), For a smoother constancy, use an immersion blender.

6. Add 1/2 stick of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and salt and pepper. 

7. Add 1/2 stick of butter, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and salt and pepper. 

8. Increase heat, just enough to melt all of the ingredients together and then reduce. 

9. Serve with a pad of butter! For extra flavor feel free to add more brown sugar, salt, black pepper or maple syrup and olive oil

Why use an Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is by far the quickest way to make this squash, but it is not the only way. You could use your microwave (45 min) or roast the squash in your oven (about 50 min at 400 degrees). I love the smell of roasted squash in my oven, but when I want to limit the amount of heat coming into the kitchen, keep this process to a 1 pot side dish and speed up the cooking time, I’ll choose my Instant Pot over any other method! If you still don’t have an Instant Pot, fall-time seems like the time I use ours the most! Between stews, soups, and roasting veggies, it has a permanent spot on our counter, these days.

Check out our other Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Applesauce
• Instant Pot Bone Broth
• Marinated Ham
• Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Topping
• Juicy Roast Beef

How to make Instant Pot Butternut Squash: The Video

Why not seed-save while you’re at it?

We love seed saving around here! I love being able to capture a seed from a fruit or vegetable if I know that it’s special, it can grow well in my zone and we all love it. I especially take advantage of saving seeds from my butternut squash. Once I take the guts/ seeds out of the squash, I rinse them, removing the strings and other bits of squash.

Get them as clean as possible. I like to use a strainer to get them super clean. Then place them on a newspaper and let them dry out really really good. Like practically 2 weeks. If there are little bits left on the seeds, they’ll dry up and you can remove them a bit easier toward the end of the drying time.

Then I put them in a paper lunch sack, rolling it up tight and putting it in my seed storage container in my basement fridge. Cooling these seeds will make them go ‘night night’ until it’s time to wake up (in the spring). Bringing the seeds into warmth from the cool temps will make them want to activate and grew even better! You can do this with practically any fruit or veggie that you want to try to grow!

Printable Recipe Card! 

Questions people are asking about Instant Pot Squash

What kind of squash can I make in an instant pot?
You could literally use just about any kind of squash in your instant pot, but Butternut is really the one we prefer!

 

 

 

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Hello, I’m Emily. I’m so glad you’re here! Join me and my family as we find beauty in our everyday life on the farm, hearty recipes and a handmade home. Find more about me and our story here.