Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries

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If you haven't had butternut squash fries but love sweet potato fries, you will love these crispy air fryer butternut squash fries! They're an easy air fryer recipe and make a great healthy side dish.

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air fryer butternut squash fries on a plate, sprinkled with parsley, and served with dipping sauce. plates, linen, and more parsley around it.

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Why You'll Love Butternut Squash Air Fryer Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
How to Peel & Cut a Butternut Squash
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries
How to Make Butternut Squash Fries in a Conventional Oven
Variations & Substitutions
Pro Tips
Serving, Storing, & Reheating
Recipe FAQ
Other Recipes You May Like
Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries Recipe

Why You'll Love Butternut Squash Air Fryer Fries

These air fryer butternut squash fries are much healthier than regular french fries. They're air fried, so they're lower in fat and overall calories. Plus butternut squash is a complex carbohydrate, meaning it contains fiber. This helps to prevent rapid blood sugar fluctuations that can lead to inflammation and weight gain.

This air fryer butternut squash recipe is one of my favorite air fryer recipes! It calls for simple ingredients and a great way to switch up your usual sweet potato recipes. It's a healthy side dish the whole family will love!

a plate of air fryer butternut squash fries with a fry dipping into a honey mustard dipping sauce.

Equipment

Cutting board - a sturdy cutting board is important for cutting the squash
Chef's knife - a high quality chef's knife will make cutting the squash so much easier (and safer)!
Spoon - a regular kitchen spoon is perfect to remove the seeds from the bottom "bulb" of the butternut squash
Large bowl (5-quart) - you want enough space to toss the squash, oil, and seasonings!
Air fryer with an air fryer basket - you want air to fully circulate around the fries for optimal crispiness!
Tongs - these are helpful for laying the squash sticks out in an even layer on the air fryer basket, as well as flipping them halfway through cooking

Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Butternut squash - a medium (~3 pound) butternut squash is perfect. Butternut squash is a complex carbohydrate, meaning it contains fiber. It's also a rich source of vitamin A, which is good for our vision, and beta carotene, which is an antioxidant compound in the vitamin A family. It's good for skin and fighting inflammation!
Corn starch - this coats each piece of butternut squash and helps to absorb moisture, which will allow the pieces to get nice and crispy!
Avocado oil - rich in unsaturated fats, this oil also helps to crisp up the butternut squash fries in the air fryer. It has a high smoke point, so I like to use it in recipes where the temperature is pretty high (like in this recipe!).
Seasonings - seasonings like salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper add an amazing savory flavor to these fries!

How to Peel & Cut a Butternut Squash

Peel

Butternut squashes are tough to peel and cut. Start by cutting the top and bottom stems off and discard them. I recommend peeling the "bulb" section first with a vegetable peeler, while gripping the longer top part of the squash. Then peel the longer part while resting it on a cutting board.

Cut

Once the squash is peeled, turn it on it's side on a cutting board. Carefully cut the squash in two with a chef's knife to separate the bulb and longer part. It's really important to use a sharp knife! The squash is pretty hard so a dull knife will be harder to use (and more likely to cause injury). Then, cut the bulb in half. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out and either discard or put in a strainer to rinse the flesh off to roast later! Keep reading for further cutting instructions.

*If it's too hard to cut, you can pop it in the oven whole (on a baking sheet) at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes to soften.

How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries

a butternut squash on a cutting board, with the top and bottom removed and cut in half.

1: Peel squash with a vegetable peeler and cut in half where the bottom "bulb" starts. You can use just the top for more uniform regular fries and save the bottom half for another time! *See above for more instructions on how to peel and cut a butternut squash.

butternut squash on a cutting board, with the bottom half cut in half and seeded.

2: Remove the seeds with a spoon (if you're using the bottom).

butternut squash on a cutting board being cut into "fry" sticks.

3: Slice into ¼" slices.

raw butternut squash "fries" tossed in cornstarch.

4: Place squash sticks in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle corn starch. Toss until evenly coated.

raw butternut squash "fries" tossed in cornstarch, oil, and seasonings.

5: Drizzle avocado oil and seasonings. Toss again until evenly coated.

raw butternut squash "fries" placed in an even single layer on an air fryer basket.

6: Spray air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray and spread squash fries in an even layer using tongs. Be sure to leave some space in between the fries for optimal crispiness!

air fryer butternut squash fries on a wire air fryer basket.

5: Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, flip the fries with tongs (or toss around in the basket), and cook another 10-15 minutes, or until crispy.

How to Make Butternut Squash Fries in a Conventional Oven

The best way to make butternut squash fries is in the air fryer but you can make them in the oven if you don't have an air fryer! Follow the recipe as-is, but you can use a conventional oven instead of an air fryer. I would line a large baking sheet with parchment paper instead of the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. Be sure to watch the fries as they bake and remove them once they turn golden brown and have tender insides!

Variations & Substitutions

You can substitute sweet potatoes for sweet potato fries!
While these are on the savory side, you could also sprinkle some cinnamon on them before air frying, and then a little bit of brown sugar or drizzle with pure maple syrup afterwards to make them a sweeter side dish!
You can cut the squash into any french fry shapes you like. I've found sticks are the easiest but you can get creative!
If you don't have avocado oil, you could use regular olive oil. I prefer avocado oil because it has a high smoke point and can get pretty hot without smoking (which causes the fats to oxidize and become pro-inflammatory)!

a close up of a plate of air fryer butternut squash fries sprinkled with chopped parsley

Pro Tips

Be sure to spread the butternut squash sticks into an even single layer in the air fryer basket. This will maximize the surface area for crispiness and even cooking!
Spraying the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray before spreading out the fries will prevent them from sticking and becoming difficult to get off.
I use the whole butternut squash because I hate food waste but if you really want the sticks to be perfectly uniform, you can just use the top part of the butternut squash and save the bulb for a later use! It would be great roasted and turned into a butternut squash pasta sauce.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to make a few batches to make sure the fries are in a single layer. Be sure to re-spray with nonstick cooking spray in between batches to prevent sticking!

Serving, Storing, & Reheating

Serving

These butternut squash air fryer fries are the perfect side dish to really any main dish. You can serve them with your favorite dipping sauce (I love serving them with a honey mustard dipping sauce or garlic aioli) after sprinkling fresh chopped parsley!
They are a great easy side dish to serve during the holiday season to switch up any traditional recipes!

Storing

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Reheating

If you have any leftover fries, simply toss back in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown!

a plate of air fryer butternut squash fries sprinkled with parsley and served with a honey mustard dipping sauce

Recipe FAQ

Why are air fryer fries not crispy?

I would check to make sure they're in the air fryer basket in a single layer with minimal touching. I would also be sure to toss them in cornstarch before adding any oil/seasonings and cooking to absorb excess moisture and allow them to crisp up!

Why toss fries in cornstarch before air frying?

This will help absorb extra moisture from the butternut squash to let the fries get nice and crispy.

How do you cut the butternut squash in uniform shapes?

The top part of the squash is fairly easy: I cut it into thirds (vertically if it's standing straight up) and then each third into pieces that are ~¼ inch thick. The bottom half is a little trickier. I'll cut it in half and then put the flat side down on the cutting board, and cut ¼ inch slices. I'll then keep slicing each piece until they look like uniform fries, trimming as needed.

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