Air Fryer Acorn Squash

A plate of roasted acorn squash sprinkled with coarse sea salt.

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Enjoy acorn squash as a part of a quick dinner or lunch by using the air fryer! This recipe slices the squash in thinner pieces, meaning it's soft, creamy, caramelized on the edges in 15 minutes.

Prep Time3

Cook Time15

Total Time18

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 86kcal

Author: Michelle Miller

Equipment

Air Fryer *see post for a recommendation on a larger air fryer

Ingredients

1 acorn squash
olive oil or avocado oil
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon maple syrup sub honey or coconut sugar, optional

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 325º F for 5 minutes while slicing your acorn squash.
Cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and pith with a spoon.
Spray or brush the squash with oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, also drizzle or sprinkle with coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
Air fry squash for 15 minutes. My small air fryer can hold half of a large acorn squash at 1 time. Repeat with the rest of the squash.

Video

Notes

How to Cut Acorn Squash in Half

Winter squash are difficult to cut! Use a very sharp, large knife, and the squash will cut with some patience.

If you do not have a knife or find your squash too difficult to cut, pierce the skin a few times with a knife, and then either steam the squash for the 10 minutes, or microwave the squash for 4 minutes. The point is not to cook the squash, but to soften the outer part of the squash so that it's easier to cook.

Allow the squash to cool for 5-10 minutes until it's cool enough to touch, and then cut the squash in half.

How to Serve Acorn Squash

With butter or browned butter.
As the base of a hot salad. Top with arugula and pecans and drizzle some of your favorite vinaigrette.
As a side dish for a holiday dinner. If your oven is occupied with turkey and stuffing, then this is a great option for cooking your squash!

Nutrition