Air Fryer Butternut Squash

Yes, you can cook butternut squash in the air fryer, and it turns out AMAZING. Instructions are given for fresh cubes of squash, frozen cubes, and also for a whole squash cut in half.

How To Prep Butternut Squash For The Air Fryer

The easiest thing to do is to buy the already peeled and cubed butternut squash from the produce department. That is what is used in the recipe at the bottom of this post. It’s just so convenient. If that’s what you’ve got, you don’t have to do any prep at all.

If you have frozen cubed squash, then that can stay frozen and it goes straight from the bag into the air fryer.

If you have a whole squash, simply cut it in half from the stem to the bottom, and then scoop out the seeds. You can cook it in those two big pieces. Alternatively, don’t cut it in half but peel it with a sharp knife. Then cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and then cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.

Seasonings

There are lots of options for seasoning butternut squash. You’ll want to toss cubes of fresh or frozen squash with oil first no matter which spices you choose. Similarly, brush the cut side and the skin of a halved squash. Olive oil, canola, or vegetable oil all work fine here. Melted butter is also an option.

I went with savory flavors for my butternut squash recipe with chili powder, garlic powder, and a bit of salt. You could use smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and onion powder or go with dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage.

You could even choose to bring out the sweetness of the butternut squash with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar. Totally up to you!

How Much Butternut Squash To Use

For the best results, you want the squash cubes to fit in a single layer in the air fryer. If it’s a bit piled up in places, that’s fine, but not more than that. Otherwise, it won’t brown as well or cook evenly.

For a medium-sized 5 quart air fryer, you will fit about 1/2 of a small butternut squash. You’ll want to peel the squash and cut the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes. 

This is equivalent to the bags of cubed fresh butternut squash sold in the produce section of the grocery store. Those bags typically contain 12-13 ounces, which is equivalent to about 2 and 1/2 cups of 1/2 inch cubes. This will serve about 2 people for a nice side dish.

If you’re going to cook the butternut squash as just two halves with the peel, then see if the two halves fit in the air fryer without overlapping. If so, that’s what you can use. If not, trim the ends off or cut it into smaller pieces so that it fits.

Time and Temperature For Air Fryer Squash

• For fresh, 1/2 inch butternut squash cubes: toss them with oil and seasonings and then cook them at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then give them a toss and continue to cook until fork-tender and starting to brown at the edges, another 4-6 minutes.
• For frozen, 1/2 inch squash cubes: toss them with oil and seasonings and then cook them at 400°F for 10 minutes. Give them a toss and then continue to cook until fork-tender, 8-10 more minutes. They likely will not brown.
• For a 2 and 1/2 pound squash cut into halves: brush the halves all over with oil, and then cook at 400°F cut-side-down for 15 minutes. Flip the halves over and continue to cook until fork-tender, 8-10 more minutes.

Making More Servings of Squash in the Air Fryer

The tricky thing is getting squash cubes to brown when the air fryer basket is very full. But this technique will do the trick if you need to serve more people.

Double all of the ingredients. Mix the squash with the seasonings and oil and then put all of the squash into the air fryer. Cook at 400°F for 12 minutes. 

Remove half of the squash from the air fryer. Cook the remaining half until it is fork-tender and nicely browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove it from the air fryer. Put the other half of the squash into the air fryer and cook until fork-tender and brown, 4-6 minutes. Add the first batch back into the air fryer so that all of the squash is in the air fryer basket. Cook for 3 minutes, just to heat everything through.

If you don’t care if the squash is browned or not but just want it to get soft and be cooked through, then you do not have to do the transferring in and out of the air fryer. Simply put all the butternut squash into the air fryer then cook for 10 minutes at 400°F. Then open the air fryer and give the basket a shake every 5 minutes until the squash is fork-tender.

Frozen Butternut Squash In The Air Fryer

As mentioned, you can definitely cook frozen butternut squash in the air fryer, straight from frozen, and it ends up cooked for sure. It’s not as good as the fresh squash though.

Due to the dampness, it never fully browns like roasted butternut squash, and just gets soft. But it still tastes good. So if you have a bag of frozen cubed squash and you want to cook it in a hands-off way quickly, here’s what you do:

Frozen Butternut Squash in the Air Fryer Recipe

• 15 oz. butternut squash cubes (2 and 1/2 cups)
• 2 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Pour 15 ounces of frozen cubed (1/2 inch) butternut squash (that’s about 2 and 1/2 cups) into a medium-sized bowl. 
2. Drizzle with 2 tsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir to coat. (Note that the oil is likely going to freeze to the squash, but just do your best to mix everything and it will be fine.)
3. Transfer the squash to the air fryer and set air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove basket and give it a shake. Return basket to air fryer and cook until squash is fork-tender, 8-10 more minutes.

More Air Fryer Veggie Recipes

For more great fall flavor, try Air Fryer Apples and Air Fryer Acorn Squash. You can also browse our full collection of air fryer recipes or check out the following air fryer vegetables next.

• Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
• Air Fryer Yellow Squash Recipe
• Air Fryer Roasted Red Peppers
• Zucchini in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
• Carrots in the Air Fryer