We love the sweet, buttery flavors of squash crisped up and caramelized in the air fryer! Whether it's butternut, delicata, or acorn...this is one of our favorite easy and healthy side dishes. Bonus points for not requiring any stove or oven space. You'll love this easy air fryer squash recipe for any day of the week!
Air fryer squash is one of the simplest and most irresistible ways to transform basic winter squash into a sweet, roasty, caramelized veggie side dish for any meal! We even use it as the base for bowl recipes packed with other veggies, protein (frequently with these no-breadcrumb baked turkey meatballs), and whatever delicious sauce we can whip up (like homemade parsley pesto or a drizzle of basil vinaigrette).
Some of our favorite squashes to air fry are delicata, butternut, and acorn squash, and you'll see butternut squash primarily featured here. If you don't have an air fryer, don't worry! Roasting squash in your oven at a high heat will yield equally delicious results, so I'll share instructions for that as well. Let's make this air fryer squash!
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Ingredients
- Delicata or butternut squash - Acorn squash will work, too! You can leave the skin on for any of these types of squash, though I peel my butternut squash.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Substitutions & Variations
Below are some ways you can modify this air fryer squash recipe to make it work for your taste buds!
- Squash - As mentioned, you can use butternut, acorn, or delicata squash in this recipe! Use the same amount as recommended by the recipe or your air fryer size for any type of squash.
- Spices - I stuck to salt and pepper here, but you can have fun with spice and flavor variations. Use infused olive oils, garlic powder + oregano (Italian), Asian five spice, curry powder, cumin + chili powder, cumin + coriander, cayenne... all will be delicious!
- Butter + brown sugar - Okay, so sweetening this squash totally tastes like dessert... but it definitely still counts toward your veggie servings for the day. Once the squash is done air frying, take it out while still hot and place into a bowl. Then place a ½-1 tablespoon of pat of butter into the bowl of squash and stir to coat. Once the butter has melted and coated the squash, sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar onto the squash (maybe 1 tablespoon or less), and serve!
How to Make Amazing Squash in Your Air Fryer
Step 1: Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees and prepare your squash. Optionally peel your squash using a vegetable peeler. Usually I peel butternut squash, but I don't peel delicata. Slice off each end of the squash and discard. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out any seeds.
Step 2: Cut squash into slices about ¼ in./1 cm. thick. Then cut each slice into chunks. I love using half moons for delicata squash (pictured below) and 1-inch pieces for butternut. Transfer squash pieces to a bowl and toss well with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 3: Transfer the squash to your air fryer in an even layer. Air fry the squash at 390 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring or flipping the squash halfway through.
Behold your final product! Perfectly browned, sweet squash. YUMMY.
Important Note on Air Fryer Size: I tested and regularly use a 5-quart Ninja Foodi air fryer for this squash recipe with about 2 pounds of squash, which slightly overlapped int the bottom of my air fryer. If you use less squash, or if you have a larger air fryer, note that the squash will cook faster. Likewise, if you have a smaller air fryer, you may need to cook the squash in smaller batches so that the convection air can get around all the squash pieces.
Pro Tips
These are the tips I recommend to help you get consistently good results, especially since air fryers vary.
- Use the right amount of squash for your air fryer. You'll need to keep the total amount of squash small enough so that air can circulate around the pieces and cooked them evenly. This means you don't want a huge heap of squash -- enough to cover the bottom with some slight overlap. If you use less, the squash will cook faster, so be prepared to check on the pieces about 10-15 minutes in.
- Stir halfway through. While you're checking on your squash, I recommend stirring the squash or jiggling the air fryer basket halfway through to ensure all pieces are getting that convection air exposure. This will help the squash cook evenly and brown nicely!
- Season well. Simple recipes like this one are amazing because the flavor of the produce can truly shine, but components such as extra virgin olive oil and salt truly elevate the flavor. Using enough extra virgin olive oil and salt (per the recommend quantities in my tried and tested recipe, below), and feel free to season with more salt after you taste test!
Air Fryer Squash FAQs
Air fryer type and size could cause results to vary, so there are a few sensory clues you should use to ensure success. Be sure that the amount of squash being used allows for enough air circulation around each piece. This means squash pieces can be touching, but there shouldn't be several layers of squash piled high. Additionally, check the squash about halfway through, stir if needed, and check around 15-18 minutes. Air fryer squash is done when pieces are lightly browned and easily pierced with a fork.
You sure can! Oven instructions are included in the recipe card below, plus I have a whole post where you can learn how to make roasted delicata squash in the oven.
Store leftover squash in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. You can serve leftovers cold in salads, or reheat in your air fryer if you prefer the leftovers to be warm and slightly re-crisped (about 6-7 minutes for my air fryer).
Sure can! If you want to freeze batches of squash for later, first allow it to cool completely. Then, place the squash in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months, and thaw in the fridge when you're ready to eat. You can reheat it in the air fryer, oven, or even blend it up into soups (like my favorite ever Thai-spiced butternut squash soup!).
Did you make this air fryer squash recipe? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!
📖 Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Squash
Sweet, buttery squash crisped up and caramelized in the air fryer! Whether it's butternut, delicata, or acorn, this is a delicious, easy, and healthy side dish that goes with any meal. No stove or oven space required!
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Air fry
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of squash (butternut, delicata, or acorn), halved and sliced ~1 centimeter thick
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer. Preheat your air fryer at 390 degrees for 2-3 minutes while you prepare the squash.
- Prep squash. Place squash slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Air fry squash. Place the squash in your air fryer in an even layer. Air fry the squash for 20 minutes at 390 degrees, stirring or flipping halfway through to evenly cook all the pieces. The number of batches you need to do will depend on your air fryer (see notes). The squash is done when the edges are browned, and the thickest pieces can be easily pierced by a fork. Once done, remove from the air fryer and serve!
Notes
- Air fryer. We use a 5-quart Ninja Foodi, which is perfect for air frying approximately 2 pounds of squash at once. If I used less squash, I would reduce the cook time to 15-18 minutes, depending on how much squash is covering the bottom. If you have a smaller or larger air fryer, you may need to adjust the amount of squash and cook time accordingly. The best way to achieve great results is to check halfway through to see how quickly the squash is cooking!
- Oven fry. You don't need an air fryer for this recipe! To oven fry the squash, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and roast squash for 25-30 minutes (depends on your oven; check for doneness by seeing if squash can be easily pierced with a fork and starting to brown on edges). Just like with the air fryer, stir the squash halfway through to get an even heat exposure.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 162
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 299.8 mg
- Fat: 7.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.6 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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