Paleo Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

Total time55 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time30 min

Butternut squash and apple cook down together until they're completely tender, then get blitzed into a silky, deeply spiced puree with cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hit of cayenne for warmth. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting here, turning raw cubes of squash into a soup with almost no hands-on effort. Onion and garlic sautéed right in the pot build a savory base before the broth goes in, so every spoonful carries that slow-cooked depth without the wait. A drizzle of maple syrup rounds out the natural sweetness of the squash and apple if you want extra balance, and a scatter of toasted pumpkin seeds on top adds welcome crunch. This one comes together fast enough for a weeknight but tastes like something you simmered all afternoon, making it a genuinely good fit for a Paleo table. Serve it in big bowls with a good crusty something on the side and call it dinner.

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 tbsp unsalted butter
Monty's Dairy Free Plant-Based Butter Original
See all
Chef's tip
Use a stick or block-style dairy-free butter - not a soft tub spread - and swap one-for-one.
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lb), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
⅓ cup heavy cream
Chef's tip
Use unsweetened dairy-free heavy cream in cooked sauces, soups, and ganache. For whipped uses, choose a product labeled whippable.

For serving

1–2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas) (optional)
2 tbsp sour cream or crème fraîche (optional)
Omit this
This ingredient likely doesn’t work for the diet.

Instructions

1
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (Normal). Melt the butter, then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2
Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne (if using) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Watch closely so the garlic does not brown.

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