How to Cook Butternut Squash Whole
Butternut squash is super-easy to cook if you know this simple technique.
Back in December I bought a butternut squash and then never cooked it. It sat there on my counter staring at me for months. I couldn’t bring myself to cook it though because it seemed like such a time-consuming and annoying task.
You see, I’ve cooked butternut squash many times before. Each time, I followed the idea in recipes like this. Look at that ingredient list where it says “1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled and seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks.” It’s stated as though this is a simple task that will take a minute or two. In actuality, it can be a huge pain in the butt. The squash is large and round making it hard to hold in place. The skin is tough and can be tricky to get rid of using a vegetable peeler (although a good sharp one like this does the trick pretty well!). Then, as you peel and handle the flesh, your skin gets this weird coating that dries quickly and feels really weird and is hard to wash off (learn how to get this residue off here).
So you can totally see why I didn’t want to cook that squash!
Then I remembered my other vegetable nemesis, the beet. That one I’d go to cook and end up looking like I’d been in a slaughterhouse. The solution was to roast the beets whole, like described here. Life-changing! I love these roasted beets and make them for myself weekly now.
That butternut squash just had to go into the oven whole as well. And so it did. I cranked up the heat, poked a few holes in it and let it go. Amazing. The flesh cooks beautifully and even gets some caramelization at the edges. The skin peels off really easily, or you can scoop out the flesh.
This method for cooking butternut squash is perfect for if you want to make soup (recipe coming soon) or a puree for anything else. Note that if you want squares of browned squash, you will have to go with the standard method from above. But I think that once you try this, you’ll decide that squash is best when it’s so easy that you actually can’t wait to cook it. it’s definitely better than when it goes uneaten on my counter!
How to Cook Butternut Squash Whole
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a 13″x 11″ pan with aluminum foil. Put the squash in the pan. Poke it in 5-6 places with a sharp knife.
Roast until a knife or skewer goes in easily, 60-80 minutes. It will look all brown and a bit shriveled like this:
Cut it in half lengthwise.
Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh surrounding them. These seeds are edible and you can cook them like pumpkin seeds, but there are so few of them that it isn’t really worth it. I usually throw them out.
Then you can either scoop out the rest of the flesh to use or peel off the outer peel. It doesn’t really matter except that I find you get a bit more caramelized flavor if you peel the skin off rather than scooping the flesh out.
Once the skin is gone, you can use the butternut squash in a soup like this one:
The soup recipe is coming soon. Stay tuned!
Here are printable instructions for cooking butternut squash:
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Description
Butternut squash is super-easy to cook if you know this simple technique.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 13″x 11″ pan with aluminum foil.
- Put the squash in the pan. Poke it in 5-6 places with a sharp knife.
- Roast until a knife or skewer goes in easily, 60-80 minutes. It will be a mottled brown and a bit shriveled on the outside.
- Cut it in half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh surrounding them. Discard.
- Peel off the peel and then use the remaining flesh.
422.1 g3.7 mg0.1 g10.9 g0.9 g0 mg
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I made this a few days ago, then turned it into soup. I think roasting it in its skin is definitely the way to go. I used a small offset spatula and slid it between the skin and the flesh and it made peeling the squash easier in some spots. I will definitely do this again! Thanks for the great recipe. :)
You’re welcome, Jo! Sounds wonderful.
This is the best way to cook butternut squash. Never comes out watery, and is quite beautiful. I have never tried to peel it. Tonight I will!
Thanks, Rachel!
I second the comment about not needing to remove the skin. I never remove it, when roasted it gets caramelised and is SO delicious, I eat squash filled like a jacket potato, they are fun to grow throughout the year and their shelf life is incredible :)
Thanks for your feedback, Dayna! Yum!
I roasted one yesterday and found it very messy to remove the skin-can you elaborate on how you do that? Maybe I should’ve cooked mine a bit longer….the scooping method was a mess and time consuming and maybe because of the olive oil I couldn’t imagine trying to use a vegetable peeler on it b/c it was so squishy and slippery..thanks!
Lou, I’m honestly not sure. I cook butternut squash like this all the time and I just use my fingers to peel off the skin. It comes off easily. Maybe you’re right and it wasn’t cooked long enough.
Thank you so much for this easy version. The last WW mtg I went to someone was raving about how satisfying Butternut Squash soup was and I have been dying to try it. Now I’m actually looking forward to it!
You’re welcome, Paula! So happy that it’s helpful for you. We’ve got a butternut squash soup recipe here – https://cookthestory.com/creamy-vegan-butternut-squash-soup/
I never have one staring at me because I never buy them. Now that I know how easy it is, I will buy them. Thanks.
Awesome, Sarah!
I’ve had a butternut squash in my pantry for way longer than I want to admit. I’ve been scared to cook it! They’re intimidating! I’m going to finally give it a go with your easy instructions!
You can do it, Angelica!
Never tried any squash except zuchinni
Trying new things is great, Saundra!
I like squash, but I’ve never cooked it.
Time to try something new, Cheryl!
I love cooking it this way.
Me too, Jennifer!
I’ll have to try this next time. I’ve peeled, cubed and boiled, peeled, sliced and roasted, cubed and roasted but never cooked whole.
Time to try a new method, Susan! Have fun!
Squash is so healthy, and butternut, spaghetti squash is my favorite.
Spaghetti squash is tasty too, Calvin!
My Mom cooked squash alot because we had a garden,love it with butter and pepper!
That’s wonderful, Debbie!
I’ve always cut my butternut squash in half and roasted them cut-side down. This is easier (and no risk of injury trying to cut through that danged hard skin)
Exactly, Tina! No battling to cut it in half this way!
I will now try cooking a butternut squash!
Great, Deborah!
I am cooking a Tukey at the same time and it has to be at 325 degrees. How long do you think it will take thesquah at a temp 100 degrees lower?
I’m really not sure. Try an extra 30 minutes. Alternatively, you could do it in the microwave like this https://cookthestory.com/microwave-butternut-squash/ or Instant Pot like this https://cookthestory.com/instant-pot-butternut-squash/ . Or, if it isn’t done in the oven when you need, you could try putting it in the microwave to finish it. Hope that helps!
We have been microwaving butternut and acorn squash for ages. Really fast and so easy, no worries about removing a finger while trying to cut them. Never been able to peel them while raw. After they’re cooked, we add some spices, butter and maybe some sugar and generally mash them after scooping out of the shell (peel, whatever). Delicious. My next project is to sous vide the acorn that’s been sitting out in the pantry. Going to give the skin a good wash and seal the whole thing in a zipper bag. I haven’t determined the time yet for this project, but shouldn’t be too hard to do since you can’t overcook sous vide. But, I think the flesh is going to be quite moist since there won’t be a way for the steam to escape. Wish me luck. 😅
You can cook any squash the whole method. No hassle with peeling and deseeding before!
Yippee! Your instructions taught this 75 yr old man something new.
Fantastic! Don’t you just love learning cooking tips? It’s one of my favorite things!
Hi, you dont need to peel the squash at all. After it is roasted whole, the skin dissipates into the soup without detection. Saves much time and no waste.
Beth, I have never tried eating the skin after it is roasted. I always just use the insides. I’ll give it a try next time. Thanks for the tip!
How long to cook 2 at a time?
In the oven, put them side by side on a pan and cook for the same amount of time as instructed. The amount of time won’t change just because you’ve put two in the oven at the same time.
I have had a butternut squash sitting for three weeks and I just put it in the oven whole with some sweet potatoes. Happy Autumm cooking for me. THANKS
You’re welcome!
Loved it! Sprinkled pumpkin pie spice on it and drizzled with maple syrup! That poor, dejected squash sat on the kitchen table for three weeks while we ate the acorn and spaghetti squashes! Thanks so much!
I’m delighted that you liked it. The seasoning and syrup sound like amazing touches. Great idea!
Peeled one of my butternut squash and cubed it and then cooked it. As it was cooling I tasted it tasted pretty good but I wanted it a little sweeter so I sprinkled cinnamon on it and stirred it up good and that was delicious.
This morning I have a smaller one to do and I think I’m going to try it in the microwave and see how that does. Wish me luck
Good luck!
You can cook it even more quickly whole in a microwave. About 20 minutes. The bulbous end cooks before the narrow end as it is hollow.
Lucy, I’ve never tried microwaving it. This is great. Thanks!
Thank you so much, your instructions are so clear and easy and straightforward to follow…wish I had stumble onto your website sooner, thank you Christine
You’re welcome, Cambell. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Love butternut so much ! Thank you for easy-to-understand instructions !
You’re welcome!