How to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash

This is our safe and easy method to peel and cut a butternut squash at home.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated January 25, 2024
Elise Bauer

Butternut squash can be rather daunting to prep. They're round, hard, thick, and dense. But with a few easy steps you can very quickly peel and chop your butternut squash without too much difficulty.

First you need to have a large sharp knife. After that, the most essential thing to keep in mind when it comes to cutting anything is to stabilize whatever it is you are attempting to cut.

This is nowhere else as critical as when cutting a butternut squash, a notoriously difficult task because of the thickness and density of that squash.

A split image with a whole butternut squash on the left and a bowl of chopped up butternut squash to the right

Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

The most important thing to consider when following these steps, or anyone else's steps for cutting winter squash is to keep whatever pieces you are working on as stable as possible.

The first cut from the bottom of the squash is to help keep the squash steady on the board as you gently work your knife down from the top to bottom.

Our Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

How to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash

Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins

Keep squash pieces as stable as possible while cutting. A rubber mallet can help, if you have one, to gently push the knife through difficult thick spots. Using a very sharp vegetable peeler, one with a carbon steel blade, will help with the peeling.

By the way, it helps to microwave a butternut squash (whole) for 30 seconds or so first, before peeling. This will help soften the peel just enough to make it a bit easier to peel.

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, 1 1/2 to 3 pounds

Method

  1. Slice off the ends:

    Using a heavy, sharpened chef's knife, cut off about 1/4-inch from the bottom of the squash in an even slice. Then cut off 1/4-inch from the stem end.

    Butternut squash with bottom sliced off by kitchen knife

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Butternut squash with top cut off by kitchen knife

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  2. Peel with a vegetable peeler:

    Holding the squash in one hand, use a sharp vegetable peeler in the other hand to peel off the outer layer of the squash. You can also secure the squash standing upright and peel it in downward strokes with the peeler.

    Vegetable peeler peeling a butternut squash

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  3. Cut the squash in half:

    Stand the peeled squash upright on a cutting board. It shouldn't wobble, you want the squash to be stable. (If it is wobbly, make another cut at the bottom to even it out.) Make one long cut, down the middle from the top to bottom, with a heavy chef's knife.

    A knife cutting a peeled butternut squash in half

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    Some squashes can be pretty hard; to help with the cutting you can use a rubber mallet to gently tap on the ends of the knife to help push the knife down through the squash.

  4. Scrape out the seeds:

    Use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and the stringy pulp from the squash cavity. (If you want, you can prepare the seeds like toasted pumpkin seeds.)

    A spoon scooping out butternut squash seeds

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Butternut squash halves, scooped and clean

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  5. Cut squash halves into slices:

    Lay the squash halves, cut side down on the cutting board for stability. Working section at a time, cut the squash into slices, lengthwise, the desired width of your squash pieces. Some recipes call for 1/2-inch slices or cubes, some for 1-inch or greater.

    Peeled butternut squash cut into fourths

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Peeled butternut squash slices

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
  6. Stack and slice, then make crosswise cuts into cubes:

    If you are cubing the squash, lay the slices down (you can stack a few at a time) and make another set of lengthwise cuts. Then make crosswise cuts to make cubes.

    A knife cutting butternut squash being into cubes

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
    Cut and prepped cubes of butternut squash in a bowl

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    One 1 1/2 pound butternut squash will yield approximately 4 cups of 1/2-inch cubed squash.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
363 Calories
1g Fat
95g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 363
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 36mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 95g 35%
Dietary Fiber 29g 104%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 137mg 685%
Calcium 372mg 29%
Iron 5mg 30%
Potassium 2576mg 55%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.