6 Winter Squash Varieties + How to Cook Them (Free Cookbook)
Discover 6 winter squash varieties with pictures, a comparison chart, easy cooking tips, nutritional benefits, and a free cookbook!
Winter squash varieties are gorgeous, but they can be mighty intimidating to cook. Those mounds of colorful, tough-skinned squash at the grocery store aren’t quite as approachable as their thin-skinned summer cousins, zucchini and summer squash. Am I right?
Here’s the good news. Underneath that bumpy, colorful skin is nutrient-dense squash that’s easy to cook once you know what to do with it.
In this guide, I’m sharing 6 of my favorite types of winter squash with pictures, what each tastes like, and how to cut and cook it. Stick around to the end for my free 25-recipe winter squash cookbook too!
Following a low FODMAP diet? Check out the section on low FODMAP winter squash varieties!
What is Winter Squash?
Winter squash, along with pumpkins and gourds, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Despite the name, it doesn’t grow in winter. It grows all summer, gets harvested in late summer and fall, and earns its name because its thick skin lets it keep for months, well into winter.
Look for it at grocery stores and farmers’ markets from late summer through the colder months.
With just the right amount of starch for a creamy texture, winter squash makes creamy soups with little added fat. Straight-up roasting is always delicious too. And some varieties have thin skin you can eat, so no peeling required!
Winter Squash Varieties Chart
Here’s a quick look at how the 6 types of winter squash in this guide compare.
| Squash | Flavor & texture | Eat the skin? | Best for… |
| Acorn | Mild, less sweet, nutty | Yes, after roasting | Stuffing, roasting |
| Butternut | Sweet, nutty, smooth | No | Soup, curry, roasted, smoothies |
| Delicata | Mild, nutty, sweet | Yes | Roasted half-moons, salads |
| Kabocha | Very sweet, dense, fluffy | Yes, once cooked | Soup, roasted, curry |
| Spaghetti | Mild, slightly sweet, stringy | No | Low carb pasta swap |
| Sugar pumpkin | Sweet, earthy | No | Puree, baking, hummus |
6 Winter Squash Varieties (With Pictures)
Acorn Squash
Acorn squash ranges from dark green to tie-dyed green with orange patches. The flesh is less sweet than kabocha and is more yellow than orange. One cup gives you about a quarter of your daily vitamin C.
To prepare: If your squash is hard to cut, warm it in the oven for a few minutes to soften the skin. Trim the top, set it cut side down on the cutting board, and slice from the bottom to make two halves.
Scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the halves with olive oil and a touch of maple syrup and roast at 400°F for 40 to 45 minutes, until fork-tender, for an easy side dish. You can also slice it into half-moons for roasting.
Try it in my Stuffed Acorn Squash with Tart Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Quinoa Pilaf pictured above. So yummy!
Butternut Squash
With its pale tan skin and vibrant orange flesh, butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squash varieties. Its nutty sweet flavor pairs well with other veggies and warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice.
I use it in everything from soups and salads to curry, and in one of my personal favorites, my protein-packed Nutter Butter Butterscotch Pudding Smoothie. Trust me, you have to try it!
To prepare: Peel it with a sturdy vegetable peeler and trim both ends. Cut where the neck meets the round bottom, halve the bottom, and scoop out the seeds. Cube and roast at 400 °F for 25 to 30 minutes, or simmer it into soup. Need ideas? You’ll love these gluten-free soup recipes.
Delicata Squash
This thin-skinned squash has orange or green stripes on its long, cream-colored body, and it’s on the top of my list for easy prep! Delicata squash has a nutty, mild flavor, firm flesh, and thin edible skin.
Preparing it couldn’t be simpler: Rinse, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and slice into half-moons. Toss with olive oil and salt, then roast at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway, until lightly caramelized and browned. Delicious enough to eat on its own as a fiber-rich snack!
Kabocha Squash
Also known as Japanese pumpkin, kabocha has dark green (or sometimes red-orange) skin, bright orange flesh, and a squat pumpkin shape. It has a nutty, earthy flavor and gets super sweet and fluffy when cooked. It’s also rich in beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A.
To prepare: Place the whole kabocha squash in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes to soften the skin. It makes cutting, peeling, and chopping much easier and safer. Tip! Try using kabocha in place of butternut squash in your favorite soup.
Spaghetti Squash
While I’m very much in the “I love pasta” camp ( 30 Gluten-Free Pasta Recipes That Are Actually Good for you), spaghetti squash is an awesome low-calorie, low-carb swap for spaghetti noodles. This oval squash has bright yellow skin, and once cooked, its flesh magically pulls apart into tasty spaghetti-like strands.
Try it with a bit of butter on top for a simple side dish. Or, pair it with meatballs for a low cal, low carb twist on your favorite spaghetti and meatballs.
To prepare: Score the sides of the squash with a sharp knife, lengthwise. Microwave 4-5 minutes on high or bake at 350°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes. Carefully slice off the stem, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds.
Season with salt and pepper, then bake again. Either in the microwave, cut-side down in a baking dish with water, for 6 to 10 minutes on high. Or in the oven on a parchment lined tray at 400°F for 20 minutes. Use a fork to spread out the flesh into spaghetti strands and serve as desired. More of a visual learner? Watch the video below!
How to Cook Spaghetti Squash (Video)
Sugar Pumpkin
Sugar pumpkins look a lot like carving pumpkins, so pick ones marked for cooking. They’re much sweeter than the pumpkins grown for jack-o-lanterns. The best way to cook the flesh is to roast it whole, which keeps the flesh moist and helps the natural sugars develop.
To prepare: Remove the stem, rinse, and make several slits through the skin with a sharp knife. Bake at 350°F for about an hour, then let cool. Cut off the top near the stem, remove the seeds, and scoop out the sweet flesh.
Add it to hummus, stir it into yogurt for a nourishing snack, or blend it into this High Protein Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce. Of course, you can always use it for pumpkin pie too!
Or make this fun fall appetizer pictured below: Pumpkin Pesto Crostini w/ Creamy Goat Cheese
More Types of Winter Squash To Try
Once you’ve tried the six above, keep an eye out for these winter squash varieties at the farmer’s market or grocery store.
- Banana squash: Long, with pale pinkish-orange skin, and often sold cut in chunks. Use it like butternut squash.
- Blue Hubbard: Big, bumpy, and blue-gray. Its thick shell keeps for months, and the sweet, dry flesh is great for pies.
- Buttercup: Dark green and squat, often with a little cap on the bottom. Its dense, sweet flesh is alot like kabocha.
- Carnival: Looks like a confetti-speckled acorn squash, with a mild, sweet flesh.
- Honeynut: A mini butternut with deep orange skin and even sweeter flesh. The skin is thin enough to eat after roasting.
- Red Kuri: Teardrop-shaped with red-orange skin and a chestnut-like flavor. The skin softens nicely when roasted.
- Sweet Dumpling: Small and cream-colored with green strips, perfect for single-serving stuffed squash.
Winter Squash Nutrition Benefits
Each type of winter squash has a slightly different nutrition profile, but many are rich in antioxidant vitamins A and C, vitamin B6, and potassium, all in a relatively low-calorie package! Orange-fleshed varieties like butternut, kabocha, and pumpkin are especially rich in beta carotene.
Even better, including different varieties of winter squashes in your diet is a delicious way to eat more plants (and fiber!) for better gut and overall health. Each new variety caounts towards your 30 plants per week!
Which Winter Squash are low FODMAP?
If you’re doing the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet, the following types of winter and summer squashes are low FODMAP at the serving sizes listed/suggested, based on Monash University testing as of 10/17/26. Always consult your updated Monash app for the most up-to-date information.
- Acorn: 1/3 cup, raw
- Butternut: 1/3 cup, raw
- Delicata: 1/3 cup, raw
- Kabocha: 1/3 cup, raw
- Spaghetti: 1/2 cup cooked
- Sugar pumpkin: 1/3 cup, raw
Don’t forget about the seeds!
Are squash seeds edible? You betcha’! If you love pumpkin seeds as much as I do, add roasted squash seeds to your snacking routine.
A 1-ounce serving of whole roasted pumpkin and squash seeds (about 85 seeds if you’re counting) has 126 calories, 5.5 grams of mostly unsaturated fat, 5.2 grams of protein, and 15 grams of carbohydrates, and about 5 grams of fiber. Here’s how to roast your own:
- Rinse any remaining flesh from the seeds and lay them on paper towels to dry.
- For savory, toss with a drizzle of olive oil, your favorite seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste.
- For sweet, toss with melted coconut oil, a touch of maple syrup, cinnamon or another spice, and a pinch of salt.
- Roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Get your free Winter Squash Recipes Cookbook!
Now that you’ve upped your winter squash I.Q. by several points put it to work in the kitchen and download your FREE 25 Nourishing Winter Squash Recipes Cookbook! It’s an instanst download, no sign-up needed. But if you want to sign up for my newsletter, I’d love for you to join The Spicy RD Community!
Let’s Chat! What’s your favorite winter squash variety? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to know how you cook it!
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