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!
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This crispy air fried butternut squash is the perfect side dish for so many meals.
The natural sugars in the squash caramelise during the quick cooking time, giving the cubes a lightly sweet taste.
Best of all, this easy air fryer squash recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes, so you can enjoy a homemade roasted vegetable with little fuss.
👩🍳 Love air fryer vegetables? Try my easy air fryer broccoli parmesan next!
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Jump to:
- ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- 🛒 Ingredient notes
- How do you prepare the whole butternut squash for the air fryer?
- 🔪 How to cook butternut squash in air fryer
- Top Tips
- 🍴 Serving suggestions
- 📖 Variations
- 🥡 Storage
- ❓ Frequently asked questions
- 😋 More healthy air fryer side dishes
- Love air fryer recipes? Try these next!
- Recipe
- 💬 Comments
✔️ 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, soft and tender in the middle.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Squash - I used 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.
How do you prepare the whole butternut squash for the air fryer?
- Wash and dry the whole butternut squash. Cut off both ends so it sits flat on your cutting board.
- Peel the skin from the squash using a sharp knife (or you can leave it on if you like!)
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers from the hollow center.
- Place one of the squash halves cut-side down on your cutting board. Cut it lengthwise into 1.5-2 cm (½-1 inch) thick slices.
- Stack a few slices at a time and cut them into 1.5-2 cm (½-1 inch) cubes.
- Repeat with the remaining squash half until all pieces are cubed.
🔪 How to cook butternut squash in air fryer
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! Test to see if they are cooked by piercing a cube with a sharp knife. It should glide in easily.
Top 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!
It's 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're delicious in my beetroot and goat's cheese salad.
📖 Variations
- Try different seasonings. Smoked paprika, chilli flakes, cinnamon 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 180 °C for 3 minutes, oven, or microwave. They can also be added to salad bowls.
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.
The size of the diced squash pieces will affect cook time. Smaller pieces will cook faster than larger pieces. Most recipes recommend 15-20 minutes for air frying butternut squash, though it may take a few minutes less or more depending on your air fryer model and amount of squash.
Yes you can, but the cubes wont be so crispy!
😋 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
Love air fryer recipes? Try these next!
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Butternut Squash
Would you like to save this?
We'll email you this post for easy access later! You'll also join the Effortless Foodie mailing list and receive my popular 'No Bake Bars and Slices' eBook for free!
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
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 180 °C (350 °F).
- 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.
Video
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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