Air Fryer Butternut Squash Recipe
Made with just a few simple ingredients, this Air Fryer Butternut Squash makes a great side dish or addition to salads, pasta, and pizza dishes. With many seasoning options, you can take this basic recipe and customize it to your liking.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 90kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups butternut squash cubes* from a 2.5 pounds squash (peeled)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional Add-ins
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin optional
- Pinch of nutmeg optional
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or brown sugar plus more for drizzling if preferred
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F.
- Place the diced butternut squash, olive oil, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl. If using, also add ground cinnamon, ground cumin, nutmeg, and maple syrup. Give it a good toss, ensuring that all the butternut squash cubes are coated with the seasonings.
- Transfer the seasoned butternut squash into the air fryer basket in a single layer. If they don’t fit, you may have to air fry them in two batches.
- Air fry for 15 minutes or until fork tender, making sure to shake the air fryer basket halfway through the process.
- To check tenderness, pierce a cube with a knife. If it goes in and out gently, the squash is done. If not fully tender, cook in 1-minute increments until done.
- Transfer to a serving platter. If preferred, drizzle the butternut squash cubes with a teaspoon (or more) of maple syrup.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe, made with 2 ½ pounds of squash, yields about 5 to 6 cups of air-fried cubed butternut squash, which is ideal for 6 servings. The nutritional values below are per serving.
- Halved Squash: If you prefer to use halved squash instead of cubed squash, check out our Air Fryer Butternut Squash Halves recipe.
- Cutting butternut squash: If you are new to cutting squash, check out our guide on How To Cut Butternut Squash into cubes.
- Evenly sized: For best results, it is important that your squash cubes are similar in size. Please keep in mind that there’s a direct correlation between air frying time and the size of the cubes, so keeping them uniform will ensure they are evenly cooked.
- Adding sweetener: We intentionally limited the amount of sugar (maple syrup or brown sugar) to a small amount (only 1 teaspoon) as too much sugar might cause squash cubes to over-caramelize and potentially burn. If you prefer your dish to be sweeter, feel free to drizzle it with maple syrup after it is cooked (while it is still warm.)
- Store: Bring leftovers to room temperature and then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to three days.
- Reheat: To reheat, place the cubed squash in the air fryer at 350 degrees F. for 3-5 minutes. Be sure to shake the basket halfway through reheating to ensure even cooking.
- Frozen Butternut Squash Cubes: We also tested this recipe using a 15-ounce bag (standard size) of frozen butternut squash cubes that we bought from the grocery store. If you prefer to use frozen squash, you can follow the recipe as written but adjust the amount of oil and seasoning based on the weight of your squash. In our case, we halved the seasoning and oil. You do not need to wait for it to thaw. Just extend the air frying time to 20 minutes. Finally, be aware that because the butternut squash is frozen, when you air fry it, it will lose most of its moisture and the cubes will become smaller.
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 394mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 14886IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg