These Air Fryer Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes are soft and squishy in the middle and beautifully crispy and charred on the outside. You can cook from fresh or frozen and prepare the squash yourself or use pre-prepared, plus you can mix up the seasonings to your heart’s content.
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I’ve been a fan of butternut squash for a long time, I really love the flavour and it stores incredibly well.
I air fry butternut squash cubes directly from raw rather than part boiling them first. Unlike sweet potatoes, which I actually find very similar in flavour once cooked, they aren’t so fibrous and don’t benefit so much from that pre cooking. You absolutely can do this to speed up the cooking process however – I’m personally a big fan of microwaving it with a drop of water.
If you’re not confident or need a refresher on how to quickly and easily prepare butternut squash, or want to read a little bit more about them, I’ve prepared a separate post with a comprehensive step-by-step guide to peeling and preparing them. Check that out here:
How to Easily Peel & Cut Butternut Squash
How to Serve
Butternut is extremely versatile and I include it when I’m cooking quite a range of cuisines. From Japanese to Mexican, Middle Eastern to Northern American and even with British inspired meals like roast dinners.
I’ve served them with a beef & ale pie made with puff pasty, air fried green beans, sautéed kale and air fried whole baby potatoes.
Try some of these other meal and seasoning ideas:-
- Season the squash with Japanese 7 spice powder and a little sesame oil. Air fry then serve in a bowl with sticky rice, salt and chilli edamame beans, air fried salmon fillets and drizzle with teriyaki sauce.
- Keep the seasoning simple and include as a vegetable side with an air fryer roast pork loin or roast chicken dinner and more classic roast dinner fixtures.
- Add to a mezze of middle eastern inspired dishes served with soft flatbreads. Season with a za’atar spice mix and serve drizzled with pomegranate molasses. Include more vegetables like griddled peppers and courgettes and roasted aubergine as well as dips and sauces like smooth creamy hummus and a herby yoghurt sauce. For a meaty centerpieces serve with my air fryer half leg of lamb.
Ingredients
Butternut Squash
Look for whole squashes that are firm with no obvious soft spots. The stem at the top should be intact and not coming away from the body. It should feel heavy and sound hollow when tapped. Look for squashes with matt skin and no shine to them. This can mean that they’re under-ripe.
Unlike when buying avocados, it really is difficult to find really bad squashes in shops, I don’t think I’ve ever had to reject one that I’ve picked up. So whilst the above information is all correct, it is unlikely something you will need to overly stress about.
You can easily buy ready prepared butternut squash in both the freezer and fresh fridges in the UK. I suspect the same will be true in most places so do have a look if this appeals.
Oil
I’ve simply used a neutral vegetable oil but you can use any oil you choose. Think about the flavours you’re going to be serving the butternut with and let that inform your decision.
But don’t skip or skimp on the oil. Butternut can get dry without a little help and the oil helps the sugars on the surface to start to caramelise. Those brown bits are flavour!
Seasoning
Again I’ve kept things very simple and just used sea salt flakes in the recipe. I often switch this for garlic salt or other spice mixes. I find that whilst I wouldn’t exactly call the flavour of butternut squash very strong, it does hold up really well to generous seasoning.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Butternut Squash Cubes
The total cooking time is 35 minutes. This involves 15 minutes at a higher temperature to really get the squash starting to brown and cook. And then 20 minutes at a lower temperature cooks the squash right through so it is soft and silky.
The main reason that I start high then go low rather than the other way round is that the initial blast of heat gets the cubes shrinking. This then gives everything more room to breathe in the air fryer. Getting good circulation around each and every piece of food is the key to great air frying.
How to Air Fry Butternut Squash Cubes From Frozen
The only extra step is to make sure that there are no ice crystals or water on the squash. Rinse the cubes under the tap and then dry them thoroughly with a towel. Oil and season as normal.
I don’t generally find that you need to add any extra time to the air frying. But if you find the squash isn’t soft all the way through after the full cooking time, just keep cooking until you’re happy.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. I do find it a good vegetable to prepare if you are meal prepping. If this is something you’re planning to do, you can reduce the cooking time by around 10 minutes. Then air fry for those 10 minutes to heat it through and finish the cooking when ready to serve.
The same goes for freezing. You should either free freeze the cooked cubes on a tray before moving them to a container or bag once fully frozen. You can reheat or add to dishes directly from frozen or allow them to thaw first if you prefer.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 650 g Butternut Squash - prepared – see link for more guidance
- 2 tbsp Oil - see notes
- 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes - see notes
Instructions
To Use Whole Butternut Squash
- Prepare around 650g Butternut Squash.Note: To end up with 650g of butternut squash cubes, I started with a whole squash weighing 850g.
- Peel the squash using a peeler.
- Cut it into 1" slices and remove the seeds and stringy bits from the lower sections.
- Cut each of the slices and rings into roughly 1" cubes.
To Use Frozen Butternut Squash
- You can air fry straight from frozen but you should rinse the squash under the tap to remove any surface ice crystals.
- Dry the squash really well.
- If the squash is pre cut into pieces much larger than 1" you may want to cut any larger chunks in half. You should be able to do this while frozen using a sharp knife but allow them to sit and defrost for a little while if needed.
To Use Pre-Prepared Fresh Butternut Squash
- If the squash is at all wet or damp, give it a quick dry.
- Again you will want to cut any larger chunks so they are all around 1" cubes.
Air Fry The Prepared Squash
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Put the prepared cubes into a bowl
- Drizzle over 2 tbsp Oil and 2 tsp Sea Salt Flakes.
- Toss to thoroughly coat the chunks
- Tip the butternut into the air fryer basket. Try to move the chunks around so they're vaguely in one layer so the air can circulate.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 200c/390f.
- Give the basket a good shake then cook for a further 20 minutes at 180c/360f.
- Use a sharp knife or skewer to check that the cubes are lovely and soft all the way through (just check a couple) then serve!
Notes
- Butternut Squash – To end up with 650g of butternut squash cubes, I started with a whole squash weighing 850g.
- Oil – Choose your oil to match your flavouring. For example use garlic, salt and rosemary with olive oil or for a more neutral flavour, sea salt and black pepper with vegetable oil.
- Seasoning/Salt – Choose any seasoning mix, spices or dried/fresh herbs. Make sure that salt is included in the mix. You can also add a little citrus juice.
- I used vegetable oil with just sea salt flakes.
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I just fitted 650g prepared squash in the basket at a time. This gives just enough room to allow air to circulate. I’ve squeezed in a little more than I normally might because I know how much the squash shrinks whilst cooking.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Anna says
What a great way to cook butternut squash. It really brought out all the flavour and I’ll be making this again soon.
Sisley says
Love these so much. I have some cut up in the fridge ready to be cooked when I fancy them with dinner.
Anne says
I love roasted butternut squash. The air fryer method worked really well and was so quick and easy.
Lesley says
I added some extra spice to the mix when roasting the squash and it turned out perfectly with just a nice amount of char around the edges.