Have an abundance of butternut squash? Don't let it go to waste! It's so easy to freeze butternut squash!
I love to buy up all the butternut squash I can when it is in season in the fall. It is a favorite fall/winter squash in our house.
Normally, I can keep it for months in our garage/basement.
My CSA gave me a huge squash and I only needed 2 cups for risotto recipe that I was making. This squash was so big that I only needed to use about half of just the neck of it!
I did a little research and it turns out that it is so easy to freeze butternut squash! Now I have bags of these bright orange cubes of squash goodness in my freezer!
What you need:
Butternut squash.
Vegetable peeler.
Knife.
Parchment paper.
Baking sheet.
Plastic freezer bag or vacuum sealer bags.
Instructions
Begin by peeling the butternut squash. I find it easiest to cut off the neck right before the round part and peel each part separately. You want to peel enough off to get to the bright orange flesh.
I like to freeze mine in 1 inch cubes because this is the size I use most often.
Start by cutting off one 1 inch wedge and cut that into cubes. Now you can turn the rest of the squash cut side down and it holds it steady for you to cut more 1 inch slabs of squash.
Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper and scatter the butternut squash on the tray. They can be touching and a few piled on each other.
Place tray of squash in the fridge and freeze for 24-48 hours.
When frozen, remove them from the tray and place them in a freezer safe bag.
I like to use my food saver. If you use a food saver be sure and do what I do which is label it on the excess bag part on the top. That gets cut off when you open it and makes the bags reusable!
Store in the freezer. They will last for 8-12 months.
I admit, at first I only did this because I had a partial butternut squash that I needed to figure out how to store.
Storing the squash in my basement had always worked fine.
But now that I have bags of these in my freezer, it's so easy to pull them out whenever I want! Peeling and cubing butternut squash can be daunting and time consuming especially if it's a part of a recipe. This way I am ready to go.
It defrosts quickly, meaning I can make this Black-Eyed Peas and Butternut Squash Salad whenever I want!
More food you'll find in my freezer:
Recipe
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Freezing Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash
Instructions
- Trim the top and bottom off of the butternut squash and cut off the neck.
- Peel the neck and the bulb part of the squash.
- Cut into 1 inch cubes (or the size you prefer.).
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for 1 to 2 days.
- Scoop the frozen squash cubes into a freezer bag or vacuum bag. Label and freeze.
Caroline says
Why do you have to freeze it first? Can't you just peel, cube, bag, seal and throw it into the freezer?
Pam Greer says
I freeze it first so that it doesn't stick together. That way I can easily get out how much I want.