This ultimate guide shows you how to cook butternut squash for soups, salads, side dishes, and appetizers using 6 easy methods as well as offers you instructions on how to easily cut, peel, and serve butternut squash.

Butternut squash tastes great on its own and is also often used as an ingredient in soups, stews, and chilis as well as in salads, appetizers, and even desserts. Butternut squash is inexpensive, easy to store, and packed with nutrients. Unfortunately, many people shy away from cooking butternut squash because they don’t know how to properly prepare it.

The good news is that cooking butternut squash is very easy. You just have to practice a few times and find one or two methods that work for you.

How to Prep a Butternut Squash for Peeling and Cutting

Butternut squash is a very dense vegetable with a hard skin and trying to cut it can be a huge struggle. In fact, many people say that they never cook butternut squash because they just can’t cut it.

There are a plenty of tutorials on the internet showing you how to cut a butternut squash using fancy sharp knifes but even with a high-end knife, you will have to put a lot of effort into cutting and peeling a butternut squash.

If you are like me and struggle when cutting and peeling a squash, I have good news for you. There is a way to make it softer so that the process of cutting and peeling it becomes less stressful.

Here is how to do it in just a few easy steps:

1. Wash the butternut squash and pat it dry. With a paring knife, make two small crosscuts in the middle of the wide end of the butternut squash. These small cuts are needed to let the steam out of the squash so it doesn’t explode.

2. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Warm up the butternut squash for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, microwave the squash for 3 to 5 minutes (the time required depends on the size of the squash and the power of your microwave).

3. Take the squash out of the oven and let it cool until it’s cool enough to handle.

4. Now you can easily cut and peel the squash to your heart’s content.

How to Cook Butternut Squash

Now that we have all the peeling and cutting behind us, let’s move on to the fun part and learn how to cook butternut squash.

There are quite a few methods of cooking butternut squash. The most popular ones are roasting butternut squash halves or cubes. But there are also other less known ways of cooking butternut squash that will save you a lot of time and effort such as cooking a whole butternut squash, cooking butternut squash in a microwave, as well as sauteeing butternut squash. You can also steam butternut squash which is perfect for making baby food.

How to Roast Butternut Squash Whole

To roast a whole butternut squash, start by thoroughly washing and patting it dry. With a paring knife, make two small but deep crosscuts in the middle of the wide end of the butternut squash.  (I am not sure how this brown spot is called, but it’s the softest part of the squash and you can easily cut through it).  These small cuts are needed to let the steam out of the squash so it doesn’t explode. (And trust me, you don’t want this to happen because it’s messy!)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. Bake the butternut squash for about 60 to 75 minutes or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. If you are not sure if the squash is done, just bake it for another 10 to 15 minutes because it tastes better when it’s properly cooked through.

When the butternut squash is cooked through, take it out of the oven and let it cool until you can handle it. Be very careful because butternut squash get’s very hot inside. Cut the squash in half lengthwise.

Scoop out the flesh and seeds. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a really tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds). The skin of the butternut squash is also edible and tastes similar to baked potato skin especially in the spots where it has browned.

How to Roast Butternut Squash Halves

One of the most popular ways of cooking butternut squash is roasting butternut squash halves. A cut in half butternut squash will roast much faster than a whole butternut squash and the cut surfaces will caramelize while baking which intensifies the flavor.

To roast butternut squash halves, first wash the squash and pat it dry then prep the squash as described above. Cut off both ends and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a really tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds.)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Oil the cut side of the squash with olive oil and place the squash halves on a baking sheet. Roast the butternut squash halves for 30 to 45 minutes until fork tender.

You can roast the squash halves either cut side up or down.

The squash halves roasted cut side down result in a very soft and juicy butternut squash because the moister in the squash is trapped by the skin so the squash is a bit steamed inside.

If you roast the squash halves cut side up, you’ll get a slightly drier and firmer squash because some moister will evaporate during cooking. The squash that was baked cut side up is usually easier to cut and holds the shape better.

My personal preference is to bake the squash cut side up if I plan to serve it sliced. If I plan to make a butternut squash puree, I bake it cut side down.

How to Cook Butternut Squash in the Microwave

To cook a butternut squash in a microwave, first wash the squash and pat it dry then prep it as described above. Cut off the ends, cut it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a really tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds.)

Place one squash half cut side down on a flat plate. Microwave it on high for about 10 to 15 minutes – the time will vary depending on the size of the squash and the power of your microwave. Once the timer stops, keep it inside the microwave for 5 more minutes.

There is no need to add any water because butternut squash contains a lot of moisture. The thick skin of the squash traps the moisture inside so that the squash cooks evenly.

How to Roast Butternut Squash Cubes

To roast butternut squash cubes, first wash the squash and pat it dry then prep the squash as described above. Peel the squash and cut it into cubes. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a really tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the cubes onto a baking sheet and add one to two tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt. With your hands, toss the cubes to coat them in oil.

Spread the butternut squash cubes evenly over the baking sheet. Make sure the cubes are loosely arranged in only one layer. Use two baking sheets if needed. Bake the squash cubes for about 25 to 35 minutes until they start to caramelize. You can also leave the squash under the broiler for a few minutes. If you use two baking sheets, rotate them once so that the squash cooks evenly.

How to Sautee Butternut Squash

To sautee butternut squash, first wash the squash and pat it dry then prep it as described above. Peel the squash then cut it into cubes. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a really tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds.)

Heat about one and a half tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the butternut squash cubes and cook stirring occasionally for about 15 to 20 minutes until the squash is fork tender and started to brown. Stir more often towards the end of cooking to make sure it doesn’t burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to Steam Butternut Squash

To steam butternut squash cubes, first wash the squash and pat it dry then prep it as described above. Peel the squash then cut it into cubes. (Don’t discard the seeds because they make a tasty snack. See the instructions at the bottom of this post on how you can roast butternut squash seeds.)

Add water to your steamer then place the squash cubes into the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and steam for about 15 to 20 minutes until the squash is fork tender. When using a stovetop steamer, always keep an eye on the level of water to make sure it doesn’t evaporate. Add more water if needed.

How to Make Butternut Squash Puree

To make mashed butternut squash cook it first using any of the methods described above. If you decide to bake a butternut squash halves, place them on the baking sheet cut side down. Once the squash is ready, you can simply mash it with a fork or a potato masher.

For a smoother butternut squash puree, process it in a food processor or blender.

And if you need a super smooth puree, push it through a mesh colander with a rubber spatula.

How to Roast Butternut Squash Seeds

Roasted butternut squash seeds are delicious and taste similar to pumpkin seeds. You can have them as a snack or use tham as a garnish for butternut squash soup.

To roast butternut squash seeds, scoop them out of the squash and separate them from palp.

Spread the seeds on a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the baking sheet with the squash seeds into the oven and roast them for about 20 minutes or until they dry out and start to turn golden brown. They might also start to pop.

Now It’s Your Turn!

I’ve really enjoyed cooking and especially eating all the butternuts squash that was prepared for this post. Now it’s your turn! Please share with us in the comments below your favorite method of cooking butternut squash. Do you cook it whole? Do you like to roast butternut squash or do you prefer to saute it? Do you use a method that isn’t mentioned in this post?

If you’ve never cooked a butternut squash before, I hope you will experiment with different methods and choose the one that works for you. If you already know how to cook butternut squash, I hope you’ve found some new tips and tricks that will help you improve your favorite method or maybe you would like to try a new one. Either way, I hope you will include this delicious and nutritious vegetable into your menu more often.

And if you like butternut squash as much as I do, check out this Hearty Butternut Squash Barley Soup and this Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup recipes.

Happy Cooking!

 

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