Instant Pot Acorn Squash

Instant Pot Acorn Squash is so quick and easy to make, requiring only 3 ingredients, and it results in a sweet, buttery soft squash that can be served as a side dish or used in other preparations.

» You might like How to Cook a Whole Pumpkin in the Instant Pot and Instant Pot Beef Ribs.

 

Maybe you hadn’t thought about it before, but cooking a whole acorn squash in the Instant Pot is one of the fastest and efficient ways to make squash. It takes just 8 minutes compared to over an hour in the oven.

Really, the Instant Pot was made for tasks like this. It cooks the squash under extreme pressure in a fraction of the time, and it turns out perfectly tender without being overly roasted or soggy.

This is by far my favorite way to make acorn squash. Plus I love roasting the seeds. Bonus!

Why Use An Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This is probably one of the easiest recipes you will come across. Only 3 ingredients needed! Use this perfectly cooked acorn squash to make things like homemade ravioli filling, soup, or stew.

• Acorn squash – When picking one out go for a squash with a solid green color without cuts or bruises. Avoid brown patches or punctures. The size won’t matter greatly, you can adjust the cook time accordingly.
• Water – You need water in the Instant Pot to help the pot come up to pressure. You’ll use a cup of water in a 6-quart or 1 1/2 cups of water in an 8-quart.
• Salt – One thing that squash really needs for flavor is salt. You really can’t go without it or you’ll end up with a pretty bland dish.

Does Size Matter?

You’ll find that it’s possible to buy very small to rather large acorn squash. I’ve seen some as small as a baseball and others as large as a pumpkin. You can cook any size acorn squash in the Instant Pot that you have. Since it’s all about the same thickness, it cooks at the same time and pressure, no matter how large or small it it.

If you have a rather small acorn squash, you can reduce the cook time to 6 minutes to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked. Otherwise 8 minutes should suit most sizes.

How to Make Acorn Squash in the Instant Pot

Wash and scrub the exterior of the squash to get off any dirt that might be caked on. With a sharp chef’s knife, cut the acorn squash in half. You can also remove the stem and the seeds.

Place the trivet in the Instant Pot inner pot. Pour in 1 cup of water. Set the acorn squash halves face up on the trivet. It’s okay if they overlap. I’ve cooked both small and large squash in the IP and it doesn’t really change the way they cook.

Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the timer to 8 minutes. When the time is up, manually release the pressure. If you don’t release the pressure right away, it will continue to cook and might end up a little soggier than you intended it to be.

Transfer the acorn squash halves to a cutting board to cool. After a few minutes, you’ll be able to either cut the squash into wedges to serve as a side dish, or scoop out the flesh to use for another purpose.

How to Use Acorn Squash

The acorn squash is perfectly tender when cooked in the Instant Pot. It can be scooped out of the skin and used to make many different dishes.

The most common side dishes are mashed acorn squash and squash soup. But you can also use the flesh to make a filling for homemade ravioli or plin. It also works as a puree to serve with pork chops, or to make a savory pie.

Tips for Cooking Instant Pot Acorn Squash

• If you’re cooking more than one squash at a time, you can cut the squash into fourths instead of half so the pieces fit easier into the pot.
• Leaving the skin on the acorn squash makes it easy to scoop out the flesh once it’s cooked. But if you want to cube the squash once cooked, you can remove the skin first.
• Butternut squash can be cooked to tender if you’re going to cube it up and eat it as a side dish. For this, you’ll want to cook it for just 4 minutes, which will be a perfect tenderness for cubes.
• If you’re going to mash the squash or use it to make pureed squash soup, you should cook it for 10 minutes, so the flesh is softer.

If you want to add some extra flavor to your squash, you can add spices besides salt and pepper to the flesh of the squash before cooking. Some I like to use are:

• Seasoned salt
• Cumin and chili powder
• Onion powder
• Cinnamon/sugar for a sweet treat
• Butter and sage

Frequently Asked Questions

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