This Air Fryer Acorn Squash recipe is coated in a brown sugar & butter glaze and is absolutely delicious! It makes the perfect Fall side dish idea and it cooks in 30 minutes. This easy squash is always a must have recipe at our family's Thanksgiving dinner table.
This is one of the recipes I can remember from my childhood. Of course there were not air fryers back then, but it tastes really similar to it being cooked in the oven. The best thing is that it bakes in half the time in the air fryer.
The glaze on the squash literally tastes like candy. In fact, I spent more time than I should have getting small spoonfuls out of the skillet and eating them as the squash finished cooking. You know what they say? A good cook always tastes when they are cooking.
If you love squash, don't forget to try my Air Fryer Butternut Squash too!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's so easy to make in the air fryer.
- This recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving and you don't need to worry about oven space!
- The final product is sweet, buttery and amazing!
- It will go perfectly with all of those Thanksgiving side dishes, like these Whipped Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole and Honey Glazed Carrots.
Ingredients:
Acorn Squash: Roasts to perfection in the air fryer and has a creamy texture with a subtle sweet flavor.
Olive Oil: Used to brush onto the acorn squash to help in the roasting process.
Butter, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Salt: Creates the brown sugar & butter glaze to add that candy like taste! It is incredible and brings in so many great flavors of Fall.
See full recipe ingredients and quantities in recipe card below.
Love Air Fryer Recipes? Try my Air Fryer Turkey Burgers, Parmesan Breaded Zucchini, and Air Fryer Salmon Bites!
How to Make Air Fryer Acorn Squash:
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise, so you cut down through the center of the stem. Scoop out all the seeds and discard. Brush all of the light colored squash with olive oil.
Step 2: Once the air fryer is preheated, cook face down for 25 minutes until it is tender. Poke with a fork to test. If it's still very firm, cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Melt the butter in a skillet or microwave. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to create a glaze. Remove from heat.
Step 4: Once the squash is finished, cut a checkerboard like pattern in it, being careful not to slice through the skin. Fill the squash halves with the brown sugar glaze. Lay each halved squash on a piece of the foil and carefully wrap up the squash, keeping the top open. Think of the squash as a bowl and the foil is helping to protect it from dumping out any of the brown sugar mixture. Air fry for another 5 minutes.
Step 5: Cool for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
Be careful when cutting the squash in half. They can be really hard and difficult to cut through.
After the squash is cooked, use a paring knife to cut the gridlines in the squash, so it's easier to be accurate. Be careful not to cut into the skin.
Don't skip the foil when adding the glaze into the squash. This can create a big mess in the air fryer.
Recipe FAQs:
Absolutely! I've made a video to follow along for an oven baked acorn squash you can check out. The recipe instructions are in the description of the video.
I personally don't, but it is totally fine to eat if you like the taste.
What to Serve with Acorn Squash?
My favorite way to eat Acorn Squash is on the Thanksgiving table. It tastes amazing with the turkey and all the fixings like, Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice, Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes!
For an easy weeknight meal, pair this acorn squash with my Sautéed Chicken Breast or Panko Baked Chicken recipe.
Storage and Reheating:
Store the leftover squash in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It tastes great reheated. Warm up in the microwave for a minute or in the oven at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes.
More Air Fryer Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Acorn Squash Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Air Fryer Acorn Squash
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This Air Fryer Acorn Squash recipe is coated in a brown sugar & butter glaze and is absolutely delicious! It makes the perfect Fall side dish idea and it cooks in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 sheets of aluminum foil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise, so you cut down through the center of the stem. Scoop out all the seeds and discard. Brush all of the light colored squash with olive oil.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, cook face down for 25 minutes until it is tender. Poke with a fork to test. If it's still very firm, cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a skillet or microwave. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to create a glaze. Remove from heat.
- Once the squash is finished, cut a checkerboard like pattern in it, being careful not to slice through the skin. Fill the squash halves with the brown sugar glaze.
- Lay each halved squash on a piece of the foil and carefully wrap up the squash, keeping the top open. Think of the squash as a bowl and the foil is helping to protect it from dumping out any of the brown sugar mixture.
- Air fry for another 5 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Be careful when cutting the squash in half. They can be really hard and difficult to cut through.
After the squash is cooked, use a paring knife to cut the gridlines in the squash, so it's easier to be accurate. Be careful not to get into the skin.
Don't skip the foil when adding the glaze into the squash. This can create a big mess in the air fryer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dishes
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: thanksgiving
Keywords: air fryer acorn squash, acorn squash air fryer, acorn squash air fry, acorn squash recipes, brown sugar acorn squash
Holly
So delicious..tastes like dessert
★★★★★