Air Fryer Acorn Squash

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This Air Fryer Acorn Squash recipe is so delicious and so simple, no peeling required. The squash is cut in half and air-fried until caramelized, and you can even cook the squash seeds in there too!

The air fryer is a super-easy way to cook acorn squash. You can even cook the seeds and make a sweet drizzle to turn it into an impressive side dish. Thereโ€™s minimal prep required and less than 20 minutes of cook time.

Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.

Cooked acorn squash halves and seeds in air fryer basket.

Video: Air Frying Acorn Squash

What Is Acorn Squash?

Acorn squash is a winter squash that is actually related to summer squashes like zucchini and yellow squash. They usually have a mostly dark green exterior with ridges and orange flesh inside. 

The taste is slightly sweet and nutty, similar to a butternut squash, but more mild in flavor. Acorn squash is also a smaller vegetable which makes it perfect for serving two people. 

Have a butternut squash? Use this Air Fryer Butternut Squash recipe instead.

Do I Need To Peel The Squash?

For this recipe, weโ€™re air frying the acorn squash just cut in half. This is super easy since you donโ€™t have to peel it before cooking it

The shape of this squash makes peeling it difficult, but the skin is edible and becomes tender when cooked. (Though the flesh also separates fairly easily from the peel after cooking if youโ€™d prefer not to eat it.)

How To Air Fry Acorn Squash

First, cut the squash in half from stem to bottom with a sharp knife. Mine are usually around one and a half pounds and easily fit in my air fryer.

Scoop the seeds out of the squash and set aside. If you enjoy roasted pumpkin seeds, youโ€™ll want to roast these as well which Iโ€™ll tell you more about below.

Brush squash halves all over, inside and out, with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle the insides of the squash with the salt. You could add other seasonings, but I like to add a sweet drizzle at the end instead.

Put the squash cut-side-down in the air fryer basket and cook at 400ยฐF for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if you want to roast the seeds, separate the squash seeds from the stringy flesh and then rinse so that the seeds are clean. Pat them dry with paper towel. Toss the seeds with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the oil and a few pinches of salt.

After 10 minutes of cooking, flip the squash cut-side-up. Scatter the prepared seeds around the squash. Put back into air fryer and cook until the squash is fork-tender and seeds are lightly toasted, 8-10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, if making a drizzle for the squash, in a small bowl mix together the maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. You could also use cinnamon with a little ground ginger and nutmeg instead of the seasoning blend.

When squash is finished cooking, brush the cut edges and insides of the squash halves with the maple syrup mixture. Serve sprinkled with the toasted seeds, if desired. This roasted acorn squash side dish is delicious and such a treat! 

More Air Fryer Veggies

If you love this easy air fryer acorn squash recipe, try some of these other vegetable recipes next.

Podcast Episode: Making Air Fryer Acorn Squash

Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:

Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.

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Cooked acorn squash halves and seeds in air fryer basket.

Air Fryer Acorn Squash Recipe

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 18 minutes
  • Total Time: 23 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Air Fryer
  • Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

This Air Fryer Acorn Squash recipe is so delicious and so simple, no peeling required. The squash is cut in half and air-fried until caramelized, and you can even cook the squash seeds in there too!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole acorn squash (about 1 and 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 and 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (optional)
  • 1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cut squash in half from stem to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and set aside.
  2. Brush squash halves all over, inside and out, with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Sprinkle the insides of the squash with the salt.
  3. Put cut-side-down into the air fryer and cook at 400ยฐF for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate squash seeds from stringy flesh and then rinse so that the seeds are clean. Pat them dry with paper towel. Toss seeds with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the oil and a few pinches of salt.
  4. Once squash has cooked for 10 minutes, flip it cut-side-up. Scatter prepared seeds around the squash.
  5. Put back into air fryer and cook until squash is fork-tender and seeds are toasted, 8-10 more minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, if making a drizzle for the squash, in a small bowl mix together the maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. When squash is finished cooking, brush the cut edges and insides of the squash halves with the maple syrup mixture. Serve sprinkled with the toasted seeds, if desired.

Love this recipe? Iโ€™d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know theyโ€™ll love it as well!

Air Fryer Acorn Squash

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About Christine

Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking โ€“ Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.

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