How to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash

If the distinctive orangey color and silky skin of the butternut squash makes an impression on you, you’re not alone. The butternut is probably the most popular squash on dinner tables nationwide. With a bit of know-how and our Classic 8-Piece Professional Knife Set, squash prep is quick and easy.

Best knives for how to dice butternut squash with precision

Cut a Butternut Squash Like a Pro With Seido Knives

Why Butternut Squash Is Worth the Effort

Once you taste the warm, comforting flavor of a butternut squash, you’ll know the prep time is well worth it. This tasty favorite is healthy too. Being high in beta-carotene and other antioxidants, butternut squash provides nutritional support to your eyesight and your immune system.

Essential Tools You'll Need to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash

If you want to streamline butternut squash preparation, be sure to have the necessary tools on hand. Although you will only need three basic tools, you must use high-quality implements designed for each task.

Chef Knife

A professional cutting tool, such as our Inferuno Gyuto AUS 10 Steel Damascus Chef Knife, is your best bet for ease of preparation. With an ergonomic handle and a precision-balanced steel blade, this type of knife is essential to a working kitchen. The double-beveled edge makes it an ideal knife for right-handers and left-handers alike.

Inferuno Gyuto AUS-10 Chef Knife slicing and dicing a butternut squash

Cutting Board

When using a Seido chef knife, be sure the quality of your cutting board is equal to the task. Our Gourmet Acacia End Grain Cutting Board is a perfect match. Acacia wood has a unique, light and dark grain that is both beautiful and durable.

The end of grain wood is especially dense and self-healing, so it stands up to daily use, even heavy chopping. The board has no-slip rubber feet to keep it in place while you are preparing your butternut squash. To clean the board later, you only need a sponge and soapy water.

Gourmet Acacia Cutting Board used to dice butternut squash

Peeler

For many recipes, such as squash soup, a peeler is ideal for prep work. The skin of the butternut is not particularly thin, so your peeler should be sharp and heavy-duty.

Peeling Butternut Squash

You don’t always have to peel your squash because you can enjoy it halved lengthwise and roasted in its jacket. Many delicious recipes call for peeling and cubing it, however.

Preparing the Squash: Cleaning and Stabilizing

Squash grows on vines and often touches the ground, so be sure to clean and rinse it well before you begin preparing it. A handheld vegetable scrubber and cool, fresh water will do the trick.

Because of its distinctive shape, there is no way to balance the squash whole while you peel it, so try one of these methods for stabilizing it before peeling:

Cut a slice off the top and bottom of the vertical squash. This creates stable, flat surfaces for sectioning the squash.

Cutting the ends of a butternut squash to prepare for peeling and dicing

Use your chef’s knife to split the squash lengthwise, then place each half cut-side down for peeling.

How to cut a butternut squash into halves for easy peeling

Peeling Techniques: How to Safely Remove the Tough Skin

If you have halved your butternut, scoop out the seeds. Then, peel the skin off the squash with a heavy-duty, sharp vegetable peeler. Stabilize your halves or whole squash with one hand while peeling downward with the other.

How to Cut a Butternut Squash

How do you cut a butternut squash? Many cooks have their own opinions. One of the easiest ways includes sectioning, scooping out the seeds, and then chopping the squash.

Sectioning the Squash

The first step is to cut the squash into several sections. Using your chef’s knife, chop off the bulb of the squash. Halve the bulb and the neck lengthwise.

Dicing butternut squash on a cutting board for meal prep

Removing the Seeds

Use a tablespoon to remove the seeds and fibrous flesh in the bulb.

Removing seeds and fibrous flesh from a butternut squash with a tablespoon

Cutting Techniques: Cubing, Slicing & Dicing

Place each section of squash on its flat side. Slice it horizontally, then turn the cutting board 180 degrees and cut across the slices to create cubes. Cutting the cubes into smaller pieces is how to dice a butternut squash.

Dicing butternut squash by slicing horizontally and cubing

Tips for Smooth and Safe Cutting

A sharp, balanced knife is the safest tool for cutting your butternut squash smoothly. Practice normal safety precautions as you chop.

Mastering Butternut Squash Preparation

Once you experience the smooth, rich flavor of a well-prepared butternut squash, you’ll be hungry for more. Before you know it, you will master butternut squash preparation. The secret lies in the right technique and using the right tools from Seido Knives.

Shop Chef Knife for Butternut Squash →