Hate peeling and dicing tough butternut squash? Steam it in the pressure cooker instead! Perfect for any recipe that calls for mashed or mashed butternut squash.
Hate peeling and chopping raw, tough butternut squash? Here’s another way: Cut it into quarters and steam it in the Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot!
After steaming, the pumpkin can be easily detached from the hard outer skin.
New to Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.
Substitute butternut squash puree in these pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin ricotta gnocchi
- Pumpkin biscotti
- pumpkin waffles
- Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips
- Pumpkin cheesecake bars with crumble topping
From the editors of Simply Recipes
How to cook butternut squash in the pressure cooker
ingredients
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1 medium (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) butternut squash
method
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Prepare the squash for steaming:
Lay the squash on its side on a cutting board – you can use a kitchen towel to hold it in place for extra stability. Cut off the stem, then cut the squash in half, where the thinner neck meets the larger base. Cut each section in half again, then scoop out the seeds.
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Steaming Pumpkin Under Pressure:
Place a wire metal trivet in your electric pressure cooker and pour in 1 1/2 cups of water. Arrange the pumpkin pieces in a single layer on the trivet. It’s okay if they overlap a little.
Secure the lid of your pressure cooker and make sure the pressure relief valve is set to its sealing position. Choose the Steam or Manual setting and set the cooking time to 7 minutes at high pressure. (If using a pressure cooker, steam the squash on high pressure for 6 minutes.)
The pot takes about 10 minutes to build up pressure, then the cooking program begins.
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Remove the squash from the pressure cooker and cool:
At the end of cooking, move the pressure relief valve to the vent position. When the pressure is completely released, open the pot.
If after 7 minutes the squash isn’t as tender as you’d like, add another 1/2 cup of water to the Instant Pot, secure the lid, and adjust the pressure cook time for an additional 2 minutes. If necessary, continue to pressure cook in 2 minute increments until tender. You may need up to 12 minutes of pressure cooking time. Some butternut squash cook faster than others.
Using tongs, place the squash on a cutting board to cool.
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Peel the squash from the skin:
When cool enough to touch, use a large spoon to scoop the squash off the outer skin. At this point, it’s ready to be added to any recipe that calls for cooked pumpkin.
