Easy Instant Pot Butternut Squash
Whole – This is by far the slowest and messiest option. Cooking it whole takes too long, and if you factor in the time spent removing the shell, you don’t save much, if any time vs peeling the squash before you cooked it. It simply does not save you the time it takes to cut a squash in half and clean it out.
Peeled and cut into 1″ cubes – The quickest way to cook your squash, yet you do have to do the peeling and cutting. That is, unless you just happen to purchase those bags of pre-cut butternut squash 1″ cubes, that just happen to come in 2 pound bags. The recipe for the cubes only requires 6 to 8 minutes with a quick release. Remember that cooking times will vary slightly due to personal preference.
Easy Instant Pot Butternut Squash
How to cook a butternut squash in your Instant Pot. Whole, halved, and cubed.
Course Side Dish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Passive Time 13 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds butternut squash whole squash halves or peeled 1" cubes
INSTRUCTIONS
Place your trivet or steamer basket into your Instant Pot. Add water and squash. Close lid and set valve to sealing.
To cook butternut squash halves, set your Instant Pot to manual mode, high pressure for 12 minutes.
Once the manual cooking program finishes, wait 5 minutes before you perform a quick release of the pressure. This adds up to about 25 minutes time spent in the Instant Pot as it can take up to 10 minutes for the pot to reach pressure.
Carefully remove your squash halves to a large mixing bowl, and remove the shell pieces carefully with either a spoon, paring knife, or by hand.
To cook peeled butternut squash 1" cubes, set your Instant Pot to manual for 6 minutes, and perform a quick release. This is the cooking time I recommend you start with, and you can always adjust the cooking time to personal preference.