How to Cut Butternut Squash

Cutting a butternut squash is easier than you think! Find all of my best tips, tricks, and uses for cut butternut squash below.

How to Pick a Good Butternut Squash

Before you get to cutting your butternut squash, you’ll need to go to the grocery store and buy one! If you’ve never bought a butternut squash before, don’t be intimidated — it’s actually a really straightforward process. Here’s how you’ll pick a good, ready-to-cut butternut squash:

• Look it over – when you’re looking for a butternut squash, do a quick visual scan — you’ll want a squash that is dark beige in color without green spots, green streaks, or any deep cuts (surface scratches are totally normal). You’ll also want to stay away from shiny or waxy looking butternut squash and, instead, go for squash with a matte finish. Lastly, take a look at the stem — you’ll want to grab a stem-intact butternut squash vs. a stemless one.
• Pick it up – once you’ve scoped out (visually) a squash that meets the above criteria, pick it up! It should feel heavy for its size.

Best Knife to Use when Cutting Butternut Squash

A really sharp chef’s knife is going to be your best bet here. While butternut squash isn’t quite as difficult to cut as other squash varieties (like spaghetti squash, for example), it still isn’t easy. Using a nice, big, sharp knife (sharp is KEY here) will ensure the safest cutting experience possible.

Is it better to microwave butternut squash before cutting?

While there are all kinds of hacks for making spaghetti squash (a squash quite famous for being especially difficult to cut) easier to cut, I haven’t found that necessary with butternut squash. Using a sharp knife should get the job done just fine.

How to peel and cut butternut squash?

You’ve got a couple of choices when it comes to cutting your butternut squash. You can either half it or cube it, and which you choose will depend entirely on how you plan to use your cut butternut squash.

Cubed

If you’re cubing your butternut squash, it’s likely that you’ll be roasting it and enjoying it as a side dish. While this process is a little bit more tedious than the other option (halving your squash), it’s still pretty easy. Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Cut the top and bottom off of the squash – to start, you’ll want to lay your squash on its side and slice off the top and bottom off of it. 
2. Peel the squash – once the top and bottom are cut off of your squash, you’ll need to get a nice, heavy handled peeler and and peel the skin off of the squash.
3. Cut the squash in half – because the bottom (wider) portion of the squash has seeds and goop in it, you’ll want to separate that from the neck of the squash next. To do this, simply cut the neck from the wider portion of the squash (this should be just about in half).
4. Cut the halves in half – once the neck and wider portion of the squash are separated, you’ll want to stand each of these pieces up (with one flat, cut-side on the cutting board and the other pointing toward you) and slice them in half lengthwise.
5. Scoop out the seeds – the neck of the squash won’t have any seeds to scoop out, but the wider portion will. Once it’s cut in half, take a serrated spoon (a regular one will work too if that’s all you have) and scoop out the seeds. 
6. Cut into half moons – at this point, you should have 4 large pieces of butternut squash. From here, you’ll want to slice each of those pieces into ½-inch-thick half moons. 
7. Cube – take each of your half moons and cut them into ½-inch cubes!

Halved

This is definitely the simpler, more straightforward way to cut your butternut squash. If you’re halving your squash, it’s probably because you’re going to stuff it, mash it, or blend it into a soup. Here’s how you’ll do it:

1. Halve the butternut squash – lay the squash down on its side on a sturdy cutting board, and using a sharp knife, slice through the entire thing lengthwise.
2. Scoop out the seeds – scoop the seeds out of the cavities of the wider portion of the squash and discard. 

How to store cut butternut squash?

If you’re cutting your squash ahead of time to get some meal prep out of the way (this is a fantastic time-saving move, by the way), store it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag in the fridge for 4-5 days, until you’re ready to use it.

Can I freeze cut up butternut squash?

Absolutely! This works best for cubed butternut squash, and the easiest way to do this is to spread the cubed squash out on a sheet pan (lined with parchment paper, if you wish) to freeze for 2-4 hours. Then, once frozen, transfer the cubed butternut squash to a freezer-safe container or Ziplock bag for long-term freezer storage.

How long can I store my cut up butternut squash for?

If you’re storing your cut butternut squash in the refrigerator, I recommend using it within 4-5 days. If you’re storing it in the freezer, though, it’ll last for up to 9 months.

How to tell if cut butternut squash is bad?

You’ll want to avoid any butternut squash that has soft or moldy spots. This is typically the tell-tale sign that the squash is past its prime.

How to cook cut up butternut squash?

Simply roasting your squash is always a great option, but I encourage you to get creative with your butternut squash too! Here are a few really delicious uses for butternut squash:

• Harvest Salad with Kale & Butternut Squash
• Curried Butternut Squash Soup
• Sonoma Chicken Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Butternut Squash Egg Cups
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Roasted Pumpkin Seed and Sage Butternut Squash