Easy air fryer butternut squash cubes are crispy and golden on the outside, with a soft and tender middle! A quick and tasty air fryer vegetable side dish that the whole family will love!
You might also like my air fryer cauliflower and air fryer parsnips!
This crispy roasted squash is the perfect side to so many meals! Best of all it's so quick to make in an air fryer.
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👩🍳 Love air fryer vegetables? Try my easy air fryer broccoli parmesan next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy air fryer vegetable side dish.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for roast dinners, or even Christmas lunch!
- Crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Squash - I use butternut squash, but other varieties of squash can be used. Peel, deseed, and cut the squash into 2cm dice.
Olive Oil - A light olive oil is used to coat the squash. Swap to a cooking spray to save calories.
Thyme - dried thyme or swap for rosemary or oregano. See more flavour options below!
Salt & Pepper - for seasoning.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi 5.8 litre Grill and Air Fryer with 4 customisable cooking functions including air fry, roast, bake, and dehydrate!
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen appliances that operate like a convection oven—except in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and evenly around the food, which makes the food cook more quickly than in a conventional oven and helps give foods a crispy coating without the need for lots of oil and fat.
🔪 How to air fryer butternut squash
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Preheat the air fryer to 180C (350F).
Two: Put the diced butternut squash in a bowl and add the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix with a spoon until all the cubes are coated in the seasoning.
Three: Place the squash in the air fryer basket and air fry for 15-18 minutes until golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Shake the basket every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking.
💡 Pro Tip! Testo to see if they are cooked by piercing a cube with a sharp knife. It should glide in easily.
💭 Expert tips
- Try to cut the squash into roughly the same size cubes.
- Make sure the butternut squash cubes are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, you may need to air fryer them in several batches.
- Save time peeling and dicing the squash and buy prepared squash cubes from the supermarket. You'll need about 400g.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the air fryer butternut squash as a side dish to all of your favourite meals!
They're great with Christmas turkey, air fryer whole chicken, cottage pie, and slow cooker sausage casserole.
The squash cubes can also be added to salad bowls. They are delicious with my beetroot and goat's cheese salad!
📖 Variations
- Try different seasonings. Smoked paprika, chilli flakes, rosemary, and garlic powder all work well. You can also use ready-made herb blends such as Italian herb and Cajun.
- Swap butternut squash for sweet potato cubes.
- Drizzle over a little honey before air frying.
- Sprinkle over grated Parmesan for cheesy butternut squash.
- Make butternut squash fries instead of cubes. They're great for dipping in air fryer baked camembert!
🥡 Storage
The butternut squash cubes are best eaten fresh, straight out of the air fryer.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: In the air fryer at 180C for 3 minutes, oven, or microwave. They can also be added to salad bowls cold.
Freeze: Not suitable for home freezing.
❓ Frequently asked questions
You can leave the skin on when roasting in the oven, however, when air frying it crisps up much better with the skin off.
Yes, frozen squash purchased from the freezer section of the supermarket can be air fried from frozen. You may need to increase the cooking time accordingly.
Butternut squash contains fewer calories, carbs and sugar per serving than sweet potato. It's also rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins B6 and E.
😋 More healthy air fryer side dishes
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Air Fryer Radishes
- Air Fryer Broccoli Parmesan
- Air Fryer Parsnips
- Air Fryer Baby Carrots
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash peeled, halved, deseeded and cubed into 2cm dice.
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 180C (350F).
- Put the diced butternut squash in a bowl and add the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix with a spoon until all the cubes are coated in the seasoning.1 Butternut Squash, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- Place the squash in the air fryer basket and air fry for 15-18 minutes until golden and crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Shake the basket every 5 minutes to ensure even cooking.
Notes
- Try to cut the squash into roughly the same size cubes.
- Make sure the butternut squash cubes are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, you may need to air fryer them in several batches.
- Try different seasonings. Smoked paprika, chilli flakes, rosemary, and garlic powder all work well. You can also use ready-made herb blends such as Italian herb and Cajun.
- Swap butternut squash for sweet potato cubes.
- Drizzle over a little honey before air frying.
- Sprinkle over grated Parmesan for cheesy butternut squash.
- Make butternut squash fries instead of cubes. They're great for dipping in air fryer baked camembert!
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