How to Peel and Dice a Butternut Squash

Butternut squashes are one of those foods that don’t seem like they would be challenging until you are wrestling one in your kitchen, desperately trying to get the skin to come off and it just won’t. That’s why I’m going to let you know exactly how to peel and dice a butternut squash the easy way. Just a warning you should plan on having about 15 minutes to get it all done before you need to have the diced squash, so plan accordingly.

The first step is to poke the squash all over with a fork, just like you would a baked potato. Also like a baked potato you are about to microwave the squash for a few minutes to soften it up. After you have poked a decent amount of little holes, you can pop it in the microwave for 5 minutes. 

Do not try to start peeling it as soon as it is done microwaving, It will be very hot! Give it at least 5 minutes to cool off before you try to peel it as you are going to need to hold it with your non-peeling hand. 

Once the squash is cooled to a workable temperature, take a “Y” peeler and peel off all the skin. Don’t worry too much about the ends as you will be cutting those off anyway. The skin should come off very easily at this point. 

Once the squash is peeled, cut it in half long ways and scoop out the seeds. I usually just end up throwing them away, but if anyone has a creative way to re-purpose them let me know!

After you have scooped out the seeds turn the pieces over and slice into evenly sized pieces for whatever the recipe calls for. If it doesn’t specific I usually cut it into 1″ pieces. The squash is now ready to be used. 

If you are like me and you really hate cutting squash most stores carry pre-diced butternut squash. It is usually in the prepared produce section. It’s great in a pinch! But unfortunately it doesn’t work well for roasting so stick to slicing your own for anything like that.

What other vegetables have you puzzled? Let me know and I will post an explainer to show you how!