Name: Instant Pot Acorn Squash
Prep time: 6 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 11 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 acorn squash; 1 tbsp olive oil; salt and pepper

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Filling, healthy, and easy to make, acorn squash is the perfect ingredient for meal preps or as a side dish! Here’s how to quickly make acorn squash in the Instant Pot!

WHAT IS ACORN SQUASH?

Acorn squash, also called pepper squash or Des Moines squash, is a winter squash that is dark green with usually a spot of orange on it. Like it’s name, acorn squash is usually shaped like an acorn and are usually 1-2 pounds.

Acorn squash can be roasted, sauteed, or steamed. Today, I’m going to share with you how use the Instant Pot to cook my acorn squash just a couple of minutes!

Since the acorn squash is being pressure cooked, it doesn’t get the same caramelization roasted acorn squash get. You can put it in the oven to broil for a couple minutes after it’s out of the Instant Pot to get the lovely golden spots on the acorn squash. (Here’s my guide on how to roast acorn squash in the oven)

All in all, even with the broiling, the Instant Pot method for cooking acorn squash is much faster than oven roasting.

What You’ll Need To Make Instant Pot Acorn Squash

acorn squash
olive oil
salt and pepper

How to Prepare Acorn Squash

While my cleaver goes through just about everything, the easiest way to cut your acorn squash is to microwave it for a minute to soften it up.

Cut the acorn squash in half, from stem to bottom.

Scoop out the inside of the acorn squash.

How to cook Acorn Squash in the Instant Pot

Put a steamer basket or the trivet into the Instant Pot.

Add in one cup of water to the Instant Pot.

Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper onto the acorn squash before placing them into the Instant Pot.

Close the lid, set the valve to seal, and set the pot on Manual for 5 minutes. Quick release when done!

Serve as is when ready or stuff with your choice of stuffing.

Want to take it up a notch??

To make the acorn squash sweeter, add a tbsp of butter and maple syrup to the middle of the squash. Let the mixture melt for a minute then using brush the entire cut side of the squash with the mixture. The let it broil in the oven for 4-5 minutes.

TIPS, NOTES, AND SUBSTITUTIONS

When meal prepping, I like to stuff my acorn squash with some teriyaki chicken and rice. The acorn squash fits perfectly inside this meal prep container I got from Amazon.

The seeds that you scooped out earlier can be treated like pumpkin seeds and be roasted.