I recently got an instant pot, and I’m completely obsessed! For this 20 minute instant pot butternut squash mash, I wanted to create a delicious and healthy dish that comes together quickly. I recently read an article about cooking large squashes and root vegetables in the instant pot, and I had to try it.
This entire butternut squash cooked in no time. It was fully cooked after 13 minutes, but was still firm enough to cut and use in other recipes. This was awesome, but not what I wanted for this dish. For this dish I wanted the squash completely soft so I could simply scoop it out of the skin and mash it up with a fork. No fuss, simple, delicious food! I used this 20 minute instant pot butternut squash mash as a base under crispy pan roasted chicken thighs, and then ate it the next day for lunch with roasted broccoli. This is great to keep in the fridge, and is sure to please everyone in your household! Note*** this can be made vegan if you swap out the dairy for nondairy alternatives.
20 Minute Instant Pot Butternut Squash Mash
- 1 large butternut squash (mine was about 8” by 4”)
- 1 cup of water
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground turmeric powder
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 2 tbs mascarpone cheese (swap for coconut cream or another nondairy alternative if you want it vegan)
- 1 tbs fresh chopped sage leaves
- 1-2 tbs salted butter (swap for olive oil or another nondairy alternative if you want it vegan)
Start by washing your butternut squash. Leave it whole but make sure you clean the outside well. Note that you want to try to get a butternut squash that fits in your instant pot or pressure cooker so that you have as little work as possible. If it doesn’t fit inside your instant pot whole, you can cut it in half, but again, the goal is to not have to cut the squash while it’s raw because that can be very difficult.
Place the steamer insert inside your instant pot and add in a cup of water. Next, place your whole cleaned butternut squash inside and cover with the lid. Make sure the knob on top is set to “sealing” and not “venting”.
Press the “Pressure cook” button and set the time to 20 minutes. When the timer is done, turn the instant pot off and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to let the pressure normalize. After about 5 minutes, you can set the knob to venting to let the pressure reduce faster.
While the squash is cooling, work on your brown butter and sage mixture. If you’re using a nondairy alternative, note that the goal is to infuse the fat with the sage and get the sage nice and crispy.
If you’re using butter, put the butter and sage in a pan over medium heat, and cook it all together until the butter is golden brown. This adds a nutty flavor. Remove from the heat and set aside. This will be used as garnish.
Once the squash is cool enough to handle, slice it in half, remove the seeds, and scoop the perfectly cooked flesh into a mixing bowl. Break it up with a fork or spoon, then add in the kosher salt, turmeric, maple syrup, and mascarpone cheese, stirring until everything is well combined.
Garish with the crispy sage and brown butter mixture, and serve! You can also just mix in the sage brown butter, but it makes for an extra pretty presentation when you drizzle it on top. This 20 minute instant pot butternut squash mash is perfect as a side dish or main course, is packed with flavor, and filled with soluble fiber, nutrients, and anti-inflammatory power from the turmeric! Enjoy!