How to Cut a Butternut Squash Home Hacks

When faced with an oddly-shaped and rock-solid butternut squash, it can be hard to know just where to begin. Happily, no mallets, cleavers, or jigsaws are necessary. All you need is a sharp chef's knife, a cutting board, and some patience. Here's how!

The trick is to break the squash down into workable pieces. Also, rather than trying to push your knife straight down through the squash, use a slicing motion and exert force down and forward at the same time. If necessary, you can lift your knife out of the squash, reposition, and slice again.

Lay the squash flat on your cutting board and hold it firmly at the top of the stem-end. With your other hand, cut the squash in half through the "neck" right above where the bottom begins to bulge out. If the neck is particularly long, cut it in half again.

Now peel one section at a time with vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife. Hold the piece of squash firmly in one hand while peeling with the other, as you would a potato.

It helps if you catch the lip of the squash's cut edge with your peeler as you pull straight down. If the squash is particularly large, it might be easier to work from the top edge to the middle, and then flip the piece over and repeat for the other side (as in the picture below).

Once all your pieces of squash are peeled, slice them down the middle and scoop out the seeds.

Lay the squash against the cutting board so the flat "middle" is against the board. Cut the squash into half-moons, then the half-moons into sticks, and finally the sticks into cubes.

Repeat with the remaining sections of squash, and you're ready to roll!

Anyone else have a favorite trick for cutting apart a butternut squash?

Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See all of our Home Hacks tutorials

We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own Home Hacks tutorial or idea here!

Republished article originally posted October 6, 2008.

(Images: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)

Comments (16)

how long do unpeeled butternut squash keep for. They go for a $1 per squash at our farmers market and wanted to buy a few to last me thru the winter.

I really wish I had this info yesterday.. I was peeling a squash (to make the squash/sage recipe listed a while back) w/ a super sharp peeler (from the old guy who sells them at Union Square) when it slipped and sliced deep into the pad of my finger.
It looks gnarly and gross.. but, I gotta say Im super impressed with how sharp the peeler is. In the right hands, that thing is pretty awesome!

i bought my first butternut just a few hours ago. so this info comes in really handy. i guess i'm going to make me some butternut soup tomorrow. yum.

Don't forget you can roast the seeds just like for pumpkin so you'll want to save those.

For most squash, I just use those little tiny saws that are sold around Halloween for pumpkin-carving. I buy them on sale in early November and keep several sizes around. And of course I do use them for pumpkin-carving as well!

Right before I saw this post, I did exactly that while cutting up a butternut squash! I feel like I passed the test!

I found this at http://whatscookingamerica.net/squash.htm.

"Wash and cut squash into small pieces, remove seeds and peel. Cook until soft. Mash pulp or put through sieve.

Cool by placing pan containing squash over crushed ice and stir until cool. Place in an appropriate freeze bag, or container, with 1/2" headspace; freeze."

So, you can freeze, but you gotta cook first.

I know this is silly, but my favorite way to cut a butternut squash is to replace it with the smaller, more approachable delicata squash. But another thing I'll do, depending on the recipe, is halve and steam the squash. Then you end up with a puree you can use in things like pasta sauce.

Just be careful... I peeled and cut up several butternut squashes for a party and the skin on my hands started to (seem to) peel a bit and looked strange for a couple days...

Here's some info: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/299095

It was no big deal but butternut squash is one of those things I now buy pre-peeled & cubed at TJs. More for the convenience than the skin irritation....

i strongly endorse the Caramelized butternut Squash recipie above. It is delicious.
Also, try a butternut squash soup with an onion and fresh carrots in it (i make sure to buy those little bunches with the tops on them, it makes a difference). It makes the flavour rounder than just the squash and broth.

You can cook, puree, and then freeze butternut squash too. You could do it in ice-cube trays for controlled amounts, but I do 1-2 cup tubs and use it to thicken chili or soup, or use it in veggie quick-breads (just as you would pumpkin).

@Ta i have that same problem! my skin gets all weird... but it doesn't stop me from cutting them up. i use the same method described here.

@dckittykate i also freeze butternut squash - a lot. it works of you freeze the puree, but you can also freeze chunks of it too. i like to cut into cubes, roast, cool and freeze on sheet pans. then into a zip top when mostly frozen.

they defrost really well to toss into salads, pasta, whatever. we always have a stock on hand in the freezer - my little guy loves it.

I generally butternut for purees and mashing, never in chunks, so I always slice the very end off each end of the squash with my chef's knife. This gives the butternut a flat edge so that I can stand it on end. Then I slice it lengthwise, then quickly take a grapefruit spoon to scoop the seeds and membrane out of each half Then the halves go insides-down on a cookie sheet in the oven at 450º until they're soft enough that I can peel the skin off in one fell swoop.

Easy as pie, and only three cuts with the knife.

I personally love the baked skin. Just bake a good-sized skin-on chunk of butternut squash at 375 until slightly charred...yum!

You lost me at "Lay the squash flat on the cutting board". If I could lay it flat, I wouldn't need to read how to cut one!