How To Freeze Butternut Squash (Raw Or Blanched Cubes)
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If you have a pile of butternut squash on your counter, learning how to freeze butternut squash is one of the easiest ways to save it for later. You’re not alone, either. Our garden gives us 80 or more some years!
So how do you freeze butternut squash? You just peel it, cut it into cubes, and bag it up, raw or blanched. You’ll have ready-to-cook squash for soups and sides all winter. If you’d rather freeze cooked, mashed squash, take a look at my butternut squash puree instead.
We grow a big garden, and butternut squash is one of our family’s favorites. That’s a lot of squash to keep up with, so I preserve it a few different ways. I freeze some as puree for baking. I can butternut squash cubes for the pantry. And a lot of the whole squash goes down to our root cellar.
Frozen cubes fill the gap in between. They’re already peeled and cut, so you can drop them into a pot of soup or onto a baking sheet with no extra work. And if a few squash in storage start to get soft spots, freezing them is a quick way to save them before they go to waste.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
How To Freeze Butternut Squash
Step 1: Wash And Dry The Squash
Wash the butternut squash well and dry it with a towel. A dry squash is a lot less slippery to peel and cut.
Step 2: Peel The Squash
Slice a thin piece off the bottom so the squash sits flat on your cutting board. This keeps it from rolling around while you work.
Then peel it with a sharp vegetable peeler. Go over it a second time if you still see light green lines. Those spots are tougher than the orange flesh underneath.
Step 3: Remove The Seeds
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp with a large spoon.
Step 4: Cut It Into Cubes
Cut each half into even slices, then cut the slices into 1-inch cubes. Try to keep them about the same size. That way, they cook evenly later on.
Step 5: Flash Freeze The Cubes (Optional)
If you’d like the cubes to stay loose in the bag, flash freeze them first. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze them until they’re solid, about 2 to 4 hours.
This step is worth it if you like to pour out just a handful at a time. If you always use a whole bag at once, you can skip it.
Step 6: Bag, Label, And Freeze
Measure the squash into freezer bags in the amounts your family usually uses. Press out as much air as you can and seal the bags. I use a vacuum sealer for my squash. Taking out all the air helps protect it from freezer burn.
Label each bag with the date and the amount. Then lay the bags flat in the freezer until they’re frozen. Once they’re solid, you can stack them however you like.
Do You Need To Blanch Butternut Squash Before Freezing?
No, you don’t have to. You can freeze raw butternut squash without blanching it first.
Blanching stops the enzymes that slowly break down the squash in the freezer. For long-term storage, that can help keep its color and flavor.
But I’ve frozen butternut squash both ways, blanched and raw. I always use up my frozen squash within a year, and I’ve never noticed a difference between the two. I vacuum seal my squash, and that probably helps too. So now I skip blanching and save myself the time.
How To Blanch Butternut Squash For Freezing
If you’d still like to blanch your squash, it’s easy to do. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cubes and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes. Then move them right into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
Drain the cubes and pat them dry with a clean towel. The drier they are, the less they’ll stick together in the freezer. Then flash freeze or bag them just like the raw cubes.
How To Use Frozen Butternut Squash
The nice thing about frozen butternut squash is that you don’t need to thaw it first for most recipes.
- Soups, stews, and chili: Add the frozen cubes right to the pot. They’ll soften as the soup simmers. They’re great in any of these cozy fall soup recipes.
- Casseroles: Use them in place of fresh squash in a casserole like this maple bacon butternut squash cranberry casserole.
- Roasted squash: Spread the frozen cubes on a baking sheet and toss them with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them at 425°F (218°C) for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway, until they’re tender and browned on the edges.
- Mashed squash: Steam or boil the frozen cubes until they’re soft. Then mash them with butter and a little brown sugar or maple syrup.
Cooking from frozen may take a few extra minutes, so check the squash for tenderness before serving.
Frozen squash will be a little softer than fresh once it’s cooked. So it’s best in recipes where you want tender squash, not crisp pieces.
FAQ’s
More Vegetables To Freeze
If you’re filling your freezer this season, here are a few more easy ones:
How To Freeze Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
Instructions
- Wash the butternut squash and dry it.
- Slice the bottom part off so the squash sits flat. Peel it with a vegetable peeler.
- Slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
- Cut the squash into even slices, then cut them into 1-inch cubes.
- Measure the squash and fill your freezer bags, remove the air, and seal or vacuum seal.
- Label and freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
