This delicious Air Fryer Squash recipe gives you a quick and easy way to prepare acorn or butternut squash during the fall and winter. Serve as a simple side dish, or add to soups, salads, pasta, and more.
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Air Fried Squash
If you’ve never cooked squash in an air fryer, here me out. Air Fryer Squash is not only twice as fast as roasting squash in the oven, it’s also the best way to replicate the crisp outer crust and tender insides that regular frying achieves. And, thanks to the air fryer, you can enjoy that fried texture without all of the extra fat.
This squash is honestly so good that you’ll want to snack on the entire bowl. It makes a tasty side dish that you can serve with absolutely anything. You can also toss air fried squash into salads, soups, pastas, and even pizza. If you’re looking for more air fryer recipes, check out our Air Fryer Red Potatoes, Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, and Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes.
Ingredients in This Air Fryer Squash Recipe
- Butternut Squash - choose firm, similarly sized butternut squash or acorn squash. If you can find it, you can also use pre-peeled and pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store. Just make sure that all of the squash pieces are roughly the same size, or about 1”.
- Olive Oil - extra virgin olive oil or even avocado oil work great.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Air Fry Squash
- Prep squash. Peel the squash using a vegetable peeler. Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a large metal spoon. Cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes.
- Season. In a small bowl, combine the cubed butternut squash, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lightly toss until evenly coated.
- Cook. Place squash in a single layer in the air fryer basket. (Note: you may need to do 2 batches) Cook in the preheated air fryer for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Using a spatula, turn the squash and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the other side is golden brown and the insides are fork tender.
- Serve. Once they are soft on the inside and crispy brown on the outside, remove from the air fryer and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Flavor Variations
Here are a few simple flavor variations to season this simple side dish:
- Additional spices. Toss with cumin, paprika, and garlic powder
- Sweet variation. Toss with ground cinnamon and either maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey.
- Herbs. Add fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage to flavor and garnish.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cooking time for Air Fryer Squash depends on the temperature you heat the air fryer to, how large the pieces are, and how much you are cooking at once. If you follow these directions and set your air fryer to 425 degrees, cooking a single layer at a time, it should take a total of 15-17 minutes to cook the squash.
While the skin of butternut squash or acorn squash is edible, I prefer to remove it when cooking small cubes because it cooks more evenly and because I like the texture of the cooked squash best without the skin.
You can! Butternut or acorn squash can be cut up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For an even easier kitchen hack, you can also purchase pre-cut butternut squash at most grocery stores.
If you want to air fry yellow squash or zucchini, you’ll need to follow a similar but slightly different process. You can refer to our Zucchini Chips recipe to see how to prep the squash, then place summer squash in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook in a preheated 350 degree air fryer for about 10-12 minutes, or until crispy.
Storing And Reheating
- Refrigerator: store any leftover Air Fryer Squash in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Air fried squash can be transferred to an airtight container and stored frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
- To reheat: you can toss leftover fried squash in air fryer baskets that have been preheated for a few minutes . Or, reheat them in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes until warm. You can also microwave the squash if you prefer.
Air Fryer Squash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Butternut Squash peeled and cut into 1" chunks
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 425 degrees F.
- Peel the squash using a vegetable peeler. Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a large metal spoon. Cut the flesh into 1-inch cubes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cubed butternut squash, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lightly toss until evenly coated, then place in a single layer in the air fryer basket. (Note: you may need to do 2 batches)
- Cook in the preheated air fryer for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Using a spatula, turn the squash and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the other side is golden brown and the insides are fork tender.
- Once they are soft on the inside and crispy brown on the outside, remove from the air fryer and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
More of the Best Squash Recipes to Try
- Oven-Roasted Squash
- Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
- How to Roast Butternut Squash
- Wild Rice Stuffed Squash
- Creamy Curry Squash Soup
- How to Roast Squash
- Cinnamon Roasted Squash
- Zucchini Chips
- Roasted Parmesan Zucchini
- Homemade Pumpkin Puree
- More Simple Side Dishes
- More Air Fryer Recipes
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This Air Fryer Squash recipe is a quick, easy, and delicious side dish to serve alongside just about anything. It uses just 4 ingredients and takes a fraction of the time that roasting squash would.
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