How to Cut Up a Butternut Squash

Have you seen recipes for butternut squash, but you aren’t sure how to cut one up so you can cook it? Here are the tips you need to cut up a butternut squash.

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Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall vegetables! (Well, actually, it’s a fruit. But who really cares?) While they taste absolutely delicious, they look absolutely strange. If you’ve never done it before, butternut squash look very intimidating to cut up so you can actually cook it. So how do you cut up a butternut squash? Here are our best tips to make cutting up a butternut squash a snap.

Tools for Cutting Up a Butternut Squash

The first thing you need to do is gather your tools. You’ll need a cutting board. If you can find one with some non-slip grip, that would be best. Butternut squash are very hard squashes, and the cutting board might slip around a bit if you aren’t careful. I like a cutting board like these with built-in non-slip grip. If you can’t find one like that, use some non-slip shelf lining under your cutting board.

You’ll also need a sharp chef’s knife. I like forged knives that are all one piece (instead of knives that have the blades “screwed” to the handle). If your knife hasn’t been sharpened for a while, it’s probably time. Grab a sharpener like this one and give all your knives a quick freshening up.

Finally, you’ll need a bowl for your scraps, and a bowl for your cut butternut squash.

Now let’s get to cutting!

Steps to Cut Up a Butternut Squash

Before you cut the squash, wash it under some cool running water, then dry it with paper towels or a clean hand towel.

Butternut squash is a very firm squash, and it can be difficult to cut. For most of these steps, we’ll be keeping a flat side of the squash down on the cutting board for stability. Always pay attention to where your fingers are, so they are not in the way of the knife!

Place the squash down on a cutting board, and cut the neck of the squash away from the bulb of the squash.

Then cut the stem end off the neck of the butternut squash.

Next, place the neck of the squash on your cutting board, with the flat side down on the cutting board. Use your chef’s knife to cut straight down and cut the rind off the squash.

Continue cutting down the length of the neck of the butternut squash until you have cut off all the rind.

Cut the neck of the squash in half, lengthwise. Then lay the flat side of the squash down on the cutting board, and cut it into strips, and then cubes.

Next, take the bulb of the butternut squash and place it, flat side down, on the cutting board. Cut straight down through the center of the bulb and cut it in half.

Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds from the butternut squash, just like you would do for a pumpkin.

This is the tricky part. Now you’ll place the bulb of the squash flat side down on the cutting board. Cut the rind off the squash, being very careful to keep the squash stable and keep your fingers out of the way of accidental knife slips.

When you have the rind cut off the sides of the squash, you may want to stand it on end to get the rest. You can also cut the bulb in half again, and turn it so the new cut side is down to finish cutting the rind off.

Once all the rind is off the bulb of the butternut squash, you can slice it into strips, and then into cubes.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to cook this butternut squash up in some delicious soup, roast it with some olive oil for a great side dish, or freeze it to save some for later!

Enjoy!

Free Printable for What’s In Season In the Fall?

Butternut squash is available all year long in our grocery store, but it’s really “in season” in the fall. Shopping the in-season fruits and vegetables is a great way to buy budget-friendly produce. And you just might find a new favorite!

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