From the roundup: 22 Instant Pot Soup Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners

One batch of Instant Pot curried cauliflower soup fills the pot to a level that actually feeds all seven of us when I pair it with crusty bread and a simple salad on the side. I seal the lid and walk away for eight minutes on high pressure, which means I can get the table set, sort the afternoon mail, and still be standing there when it beeps. The texture after blending is genuinely smooth and thick enough that even my most cautious eater did not complain about the cauliflower hiding inside. Do not skip the splash of fresh lemon or lime at the end because without it the curry flavors stay a little flat, and that is a lesson I learned the hard way the first time I made this.

Why you will love this

No roasting and no oven: the Instant Pot pressure cooks the squash in 8 minutes
The orange juice finish keeps it from tasting too rich or one-note
Coconut milk makes it naturally dairy-free without any special substitutions
Works as a light dinner with crusty bread or as a starter before a bigger meal
Leftovers reheat well and the flavor holds up through day two

Tips for success

Submerge the immersion blender head fully before turning it on and keep it below the surface the whole time. Hot soup will splash if the blade breaks the surface.
Taste after you stir in the coconut milk and orange juice, not before. Butternut squash sweetness varies a lot by season, so the salt balance at the end is different every time.
Do a quick release carefully: turn the valve and step back slightly. The steam comes out fast and hot in the first few seconds.
If your squash is on the larger side, the broth may not quite cover it. Add up to half a cup more before sealing the lid. Too little liquid can trigger the burn notice.

If the soup tastes flat or too sweet

Add salt in small pinches and taste between each addition. A little more salt does more for this soup than adding more spice.
If it still tastes one-dimensional, a second small squeeze of orange juice usually fixes it.
If it is too thin after blending, set the Instant Pot back to Saute mode and simmer uncovered for a few minutes, stirring so the bottom does not stick.

Substitutions

Coconut milk keeps this fully dairy-free and adds a mild sweetness that works with the squash. Heavy cream or half-and-half are fine dairy swaps if coconut milk is not your preference. Pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store works exactly as well as cutting your own and saves about 10 minutes of prep.

If butternut squash is not available, acorn squash or kabocha squash will work, though both tend to be less sweet, so taste before adjusting salt at the end. For picky eaters who are not into warm spices, you can cut the cinnamon and nutmeg in half and the soup still has good flavor from the squash and broth alone.

Make-ahead and storage

This soup is genuinely better the next day. Make it up to two days ahead, let it cool completely, and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, or in the microwave in 90-second increments with a stir between each.

To freeze, leave out the coconut milk or cream before storing. The soup base freezes well for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat gently, and stir in the coconut milk and orange juice fresh before serving. Adding the cream before freezing can make the texture grainy after thawing.

Brittany Stage