The Easiest way to cook a butternut squash (by far) is one my little sister taught me. Slow-Cooker Butternut Squash yields tender, sweet, unbelievably delicious cooked butternut squash and you don’t have to wrestle the big beastly hard raw squash or go anywhere near it with a knife until it’s already practically ready to cut itself. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash for the win!
My little sister and I were having a texting marathon the other day. We were talking food, because that’s what families do. She was telling me the menu she was preparing for a ‘thank you’ party they were throwing for their local friends.
I was chatting about my Roasted Fall Vegetables and Italian Sausage Sheet Pan Meal which contains beaucoup butternut squash. She texted me: “Did you know you can cook a whole squash by itself in a crockpot while you’re at work all day? New favorite meal.”
Excuse me, what? I texted back questions about “Do I jab it?” “Do I halve it?” “Do I do anything to it?” She said, “No! Just put it in there, cover it, and cook it.”
“I DID NOT KNOW THAT! OHMYGAWSH. Where’d you learn that? It’s brilliant.” Her response? “I thunk it. Then tried it. :)” I love having smart siblings.
Of course, you know I had to try this. I ran out the next day -because her text came AFTER I had run my one and only errand of the day and changed into my tatty old yoga pants with the holes in unmentionable places- and snapped up three butternut squash.
Squashes? Squashii? Plural of squash. Three of them. Why three? The plan was to plop one into a slow-cooker by itself to cook à la Christina, and nestle two in a second slow-cooker together for experimental purposes.
I wanted to see whether I could do two at the same time. Why two slow-cookers? I reasoned that if you’re going to cook something in a slow-cooker for 8 hours, you might as well get the most out of those 8 hours.
Unlike the “jab it and nuke it” method, this requires nothing more than stuffing your whole butternut squash (or two) into a slow-cooker and letting it rip. There’s no wrestling with a hard gourd and sharp implement. This is where it’s at.
Because we use cooked butternut squash in a multitude of ways (as a base for a creamy soup, as a purée that we serve like mashed potatoes, or as a substitute for pumpkin in cookies, in smoothies, in cakes, and more) having a goodly amount of it on hand is a real convenience.
If you, like my sis, have a little one at home, it makes a great first food. My nephew Donovan demonstrates the fine art of wearing cooked butternut squash in the above picture. Go on. Take a minute to admire his beauty. I don’t mind. In fact, I insist. No really. I’ll wait here while you admire him.
The beauty of this method is two-fold:
- You don’t have to wrestle a whole squash with a knife and risk taking your fingers off at the knuckles.
- Drop it in and forget it for 8 hours. It doesn’t get much easier than that for a perfect, delicious, healthy side dish to a plethora of fall dishes.
Cook’s Notes:
- Don’t worry about jabbing it with a knife several times (like you do in a microwave or oven baking method). I really mean it when I say drop it in and go. Oh sure, you may want to, say, SCRUB it first, but that’s all the prep required.
- When the squash is done, it’ll be easily pierced with a sharp knife at it’s thickest part. At that point, you can use a silicone oven mitt or a couple pairs of tongs to transfer it to a cutting board. And keep in mind that it might be done in as little as 6 hours but that 2 additional hours won’t hurt it. You could probably even go as long as 9 hours without harm to the finished product. The longer it cooks, the more caramelized the squash becomes. Translation: Sweeter and tastier.
- Cut it however you like, but I find it easiest to slice it in half lengthwise for the purposes of scooping out the strings and seeds. This process, incidentally, is almost infinitely easier AFTER cooking than attempting it before cooking.
- After you’ve scooped the strings and seeds out, use a spoon to scoop the perfectly cooked squash away from the skin. At that point, you can mash it with butter, salt, and pepper (and a glug of dark maple syrup if you know what’s good for you), or put in an airtight container and use within a couple of days. If you want to store it longer than that, mash it well and freeze in ice cube trays. After solid, transfer to a zipper top freezer bag. You can thaw a cube to add to baby’s dinner or use as many cubes as you’d like to flavour/thicken hearty fall soups, add to baked goods, or use frozen in smoothies! Talk about tasty nutrition!
Slow-Cooker Butternut Squash: Easiest Way to Cook a Butternut Squash
Slow-Cooker Butternut Squash yields tender, sweet, unbelievably delicious cooked butternut squash and you don't have to wrestle the big beastly hard raw squash or go anywhere near it with a knife until it's already practically ready to cut itself!
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 whole washed butternut squash
Also needed:
- A slow-cooker
Instructions
- Arrange the butternut squash (or squashes) in the slow-cooker. Put the lid in place and set the slow-cooker to LOW. Cook for 8 hours on LOW or until the squash is easily pierced at the thickest part of the neck with a sharp knife.
- Use tongs or hot pads to carefully transfer the hot squash to a platter. Let it stand 5 to 10 minutes, slice in half lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and strings, then scoop the flesh from the shells.
- You can use the squash in this state or mashed and you can use it immediately or refrigerate or freeze it for later use.
Chris B says
Sheer genius! Thanks for sharing.
jessie says
beautiful pictures!!!!!!!
MTJ says
Oh my goodness, this by far was the most simplistic way for this”no cook” to prepare squash. The slow cooker did the work and I enjoyed the outcome. Absolutely delicious!
Sandii says
Brilliant … and not at all surprising considering the source 🙂 Never realized you could “dry roast” in a slow cooker … always thought liquid/food touching sides was a requirement so it didn’t overheat. My cookers are gonna be working overtime this fall/winter!!
Matt says
Nothing better than butternut squash this time of year and I love this method. Great pics!!
Melissa @ Bless this Mess says
Yum, yum, yum! I just stared cooking pumpkin like this and it changed everything! SO EASY!
Mindy says
Wow! I guess I’ll actually use the butternut I planted this year instead of just thinking about it. 🙂
Millie | Add A Little says
I love squash and slow cooking is the way to go!
Clare says
I’ll be passing this little nugget on to my sister! How do you think a spaghetti squash would do? Hmmm……
Diana says
How did it go with Spaghetti Squash?
Lori says
Trie a spaghetti squash today and it did wonderfully – 2 hours on high with a little water.
Tonia says
I don’t have a slow cooker. . . 🙁
But. . . WAIT. . .!!!!! My mom does!!!! 😀
Rebecca says
SCORE!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
What a great way to come home from work and the squash is DONE. And Donovan is flat out adorable—truly. I am not being merely polite.
Rebecca says
I will keep you, Carol 😀 That’s precisely why my sister does it. She works all day and to be able to come home and have a slow cooker full of one of her favourite thing? Blissful!
Phyllis says
Thanks for the post. Now — that maple syrup has caught my attention. It’s darker than most. Tell us more….
Rebecca says
You have a good eye, Phyllis! That’s Grade B dark maple syrup… it’s the only kind I buy and use. It’s a little tricky to find when you don’t live in maple syrup company, but it can still be ordered (and I think my dear Amazon may even have it… you can use the Amazon search box in the sidebar to check!). If you live in maple syrup country, ask your favourite local syrup producer to hang onto some Grade B dark for you! It’s so much more flavourful and thick!
Jennifer says
This is a fantastic idea! I will definitely have to try it with spaghetti squash as well. I knew you could do potatoes and sweet potatoes (just oil and season if desired, wrap in foil and plop in), so why hadn’t winter squash occurred to me before???
CarrollWC says
Here we go again – I was all set with 2 smallish butternut squash to cook them in my crockpot and they are too big! aaargh! I have a 4 quart crockpot currently – my 5 qt oval is in storage and I miss it terribly. Back to the oven for me.
Crystal Von Buren says
My hands are finally free from the fear of being lopped off! This is an awesome idea! I might add that we lack a slow cooker so I let mine cook on the woodstove for a few hours! Oh the possibilities are so tasty!
Deletha says
You are a genius! I can’t believe you haven’t won a Noble Peace Prize for this.
Lindsey says
We have a couple squash that are too big for the crockpot. Do you think you could cut them up into smaller pieces and cook them that way?
Rebecca says
I imagine that would work just fine! Just watch them, as they’ll likely cook faster if broken down.
Katie says
I’m assuming you can do this with any kind of squash? I have several different sorts and would love to get them all cooked this way over the next week or so!
Rebecca says
Oh yes! Acorn, butternut, anything you can fit into the slow cooker!
Clara B says
Thanks for sharing this idea, can you cook it for a while in the crockpot to soften it, then peel it and dice it up and roast it with garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper? love butternut squash and acorn and spaghetti squash.
Rebecca says
I imagine that would work pretty well, Clara! Please let me know if you try it!
Katie says
Did you add water to the crock? If so, how much?
Rebecca says
No water is needed, Katie! It’s really as easy as plop the squash in the slow cooker and cover!
Katie says
Thank you! This morning I had scrubbed up a butternut squash for tonight’s diner but thanks to finding your article I went home at lunch and put it in the crock pot. Now I’ll have time to go for a quick run after work! 🙂
Rebecca says
That ROCKS!!!! Slow cookers for the fitness win!
nichole says
I cane looking to see if anybody else had tried this! I have cooked my sweet potatoes whole with this method for awhile
Rebecca says
It works like a treat with sweet potatoes, too! You’re absolutely right!
Laura says
Could you cook it on high for a shorter time?
Rebecca says
Hi Laura- The only real difference between HIGH and LOW on a slow cooker is the amount of time it takes to get up to temperature. I haven’t tried it for a lower amount of time on HIGH, honestly, because generally I’m on my way out the door when I am plopping the squash into the slow cooker. I can’t see a reason why NOT to try it, though, so please do let me know the results if you give it a shot! I’m betting other folks are wondering the same thing!
PattyStone says
Your sister is a genius! I threw a whole butternut and two yams in my slow cooker last night adter reading this. This morning I have squash nirvana and my whole day is free from cooking duties. Thank you both for the nap that awaits me.
Rebecca says
My sister is brilliant. 😀
Rebecca says
I’m so glad you liked the short cut to squash! 😀
Mary says
Thank you! I have a Butternut squash sitting on counter, a volunteer from our compost. Tomorrow we shall have Butternut squash with our dupper
M.Rhinehart says
what if you want to add brown sugar to carmalize the butternut squash instead of maple syrup.When should I do that if you say I can and then can I put it in my refrigerator til the next day to carry it to my kids house. Ihave two that I want to do. Great idea. Never heard of it Thank you so much for any answers.
Rebecca says
Hi M! I’d say you’d probably want to split the cooked squash, sprinkle with brown sugar, and then pop it under the broiler!
karikl says
Love the idea. Made a wonderful creamy butternut squash soup…yummy for our cold wintery days in Oregon!
Lisa H. says
Thank you so much for sharing this supremely easy method of cooking a butternut squash. My crockpot has its first of many (I’m sure!) butternut squash in it right now.
Rebecca says
You’re welcome and I’m so glad you like it, too!
Marika says
Have you tried this with Acorn or any other kind of squash?
Rebecca says
Yes indeedy! If it fits, it works. I love it with acorn squash!
G. Bruscher says
Can you cut them in half, clean them out of seeds and cook with butter and brown sugar in the slow cooker?
Rebecca says
Absolutely! I just prefer to plonk them in there whole so I don’t have to wrestle a whole squash. 🙂
Maryanne says
Do you add water to the crock pot with the squash before turning it on to cook it?
Rebecca says
Hi Maryanne! Water is completely unnecessary in the crock pot with this recipe. Just plunk your squash in and let ‘er rip!