Air Fryer Butternut Squash is a superfood that is super delicious. And each serving has just 61 calories and 6g net carbs.
GREETINGS 👋
"In this town, we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song!"-The Nightmare Before Christmas. I've got that song stuck in my head because I learned a new fact today. In Australia and New Zealand, the butternut squash, the most unprepossessing of vegetables, is known as a pumpkin or a gramma. And while you can make it into soup, it's far more common to roast it like I am about to show you how to do. It becomes sweet and nutty and tastes like a, well, it tastes like a grandmotherly pumpkin.
SO let's talk about how to cook butternut squash quickly in the air fryer.
🥣 Just 4 Ingredients
- Cubed Butternut Squash: My recommendation is to treat yo self and buy pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash. They are a bit of a pain to peel yourself and scooping out the guts is a little gross. Fresh cubed butternut squash is spendy, but you can buy frozen butternut squash cubes for a reasonable price.
- Olive Oil: Any cooking oil will do in this recipe, but I like the taste of extra virgin olive oil. Or EVOO, as we say in the biz.
- Sea Salt: Again, any kind of salt will do, but I like a nice chunky salt for these air-fried vegetables.
- Black Pepper: Coursely ground pepper from a pepper mill works best.
💪 Is it Keto?
Yes, butternut squash is allowed on Keto and Low Carb diets. It's only got 6g net carbs per serving, so you can pair it with a protein and have a hearty Keto meal. I like it because it tastes sweet and reminds me of sweet potatoes.
Butternut squash is kind of a poor man's sweet potato.
📖 Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 400ºF.
- Peel the butternut squash with a sharp vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife. With a chef's knife, halve the squash lengthwise, and remove the seeds and bits with a spoon.
- Cut the halves of squash into strips, then cube them into 1-inch dice-sized pieces.
- Add the butternut squash cubes into a large mixing bowl, and season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat.
- Add the squash pieces into the Air Fryer basket without overlapping. Roast for 16 to 18 minutes, shaking the basket twice, until crispy, golden brown, and tender on the inside.
- Season with extra sea salt if needed and serve.
❄️ Storage
Cooked butternut squash will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or 3-4 months in the freezer. And uncut uncooked squash will keep for 3-4 months in a cool, dry place.
You can reheat it in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 330ºF.
🤓 Fun Facts
Air fryers are counter-sized appliances that act like small convection ovens. They surround your uncooked food with hot air that gives it a crispy fried texture without having to use cooking oil. You can spray the food with oil for flavor, but you don't need to. This makes foods cooked in the air fryer much healthier than oil-fried foods.
Yes indeed. One cup of this superfood has just 83 calories and provides 7 grams of fiber so it's good and good for you. And it's chocked to the gills with vitamins and antioxidants which have great anti-inflammatory powers.
It might do. In a study conducted with people with insomnia in Ontario, Canada, volunteers were given food bars containing butternut squash seeds, which are high in tryptophan (of Thanksgiving turkey fame). When the sugar dextrose was added to the bars, sleep was improved. We're not eating the seeds though, so moot point.
While it is considered by most to be a vegetable, it grows on a vine, so it is actually a fruit. Makes sense, because it's sweet and when you add a little sugar and cinnamon it's fantastic.
If you like this Air Fryer Butternut Squash recipe, then you might like my recipes for Roasted Broccoli and Butternut Squash or Ratatouille.
And so ends my knowledge of air-fried butternut squash.
To find out more, you can check out this article from BBC Good Food.
Now it's time to eat gramma.
📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Butternut Squash
Air Fryer Butternut Squash is a superfood that is super delicious. And each serving has just 61 calories and 6g net carbs.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 18
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (2 cups cubed)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the Air Fryer to 400ºF.
2. Peel the butternut squash with a sharp vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife. With a chef's knife, halve the squash lengthwise, and remove the seeds and bits with a spoon.
3. Cut the halves of squash into strips, then cube them into 1-inch dice-sized pieces.
4. Add the butternut squash cubes into a large mixing bowl, and season with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat.
5. Add the squash pieces into the Air Fryer basket without overlapping. Roast for 16 to 18 minutes, shaking the basket twice, until crispy, golden brown, and tender on the inside.
6. Season with extra sea salt if needed and serve.
Notes
If all your butternut squash cubes can’t fit in one single layer in your Air Frier Basket, do it in batches. It’s important to leave the air flow evenly to cook and turn pieces into crispy golden brown. If you have a
Sweet Treat: You can also make this dish sweet by adding brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkling your desired quantity on top, and tossing to coat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 61
- Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 1
Keywords: Air Fryer Butternut Squash, Air Fried Butternut Squash, Roasted Butternut Squash
Tara says
Tried with a little sugar and butter and it tasted just like a dessert!
★★★★★
Emily Krill says
Yum, that does sound good.