Butternut squash can be frozen and preserved for later use. It helps reduce food wastage and you can enjoy the squash even months later. Cut butternut squash can be frozen for about 6 months.
Having frozen cut butternut squash handy, reduces a lot of time that would go into peeling, removing the seeds, and cutting it. With frozen butternut squash cubes you can easily use it to make your favorite recipes.
Instructions
Butternut squash can be frozen after blanching or raw. Blanching is more tedious in which you have to boil water, put the cut pieces in boiling water for a minute and then put it in ice cold water immediately. It helps preserve the texture.
However, to keep things easier, I like to freeze the butternut squash pieces raw without blanching by following the below steps.
- Choose a firm butternut squash which is fresh and avoid the soft or squishy ones.
- Rinse it thoroughly well and get rid of any dirt.
- Peel the skin using a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the butternut squash lengthwise using a sharp knife.
- Scoop out the seeds using a spoon.
- Cut the butternut squash into pieces of about 1-2 inches.
- Portion them by weight like 12 oz. and 26 oz and place into Ziplock bags or freezer safe containers. Frozen squash is available in these quantities and recipes would likely use this amount.
- Label them with item name and date and freeze them for up to 6 months.
Peel and cut butternut squash into cubes. Remove the seeds.
Name, label, and store the butternut squash.
Storage choices
Depending on your lifestyle needs, budget, and space in the freezer, various options are available for freezing butternut squash.
- Freezer safe bags - Ziplock bags are one of the most convenient and economical choice for freezing butternut squash and you can freeze different quantities in different sizes of bags. However, they may take up a lot of space in the freezer.
- Freezer safe containers - containers like Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Pyrex, and others made from porcelain are great choice. They are reusable as well as can be stacked in the freezer for optimum space utilization.
- Vacuum sealed bags - they are a great choice and they prevent freezer burns. It also extends the duration and butternut squash can be stored unto a year. The only con is it can be expensive.
How to use frozen butternut squash?
There is no need to thaw frozen butternut squash before using it. You can use it as is in soups, stews, or roast it in the oven or an air fryer.
Depending on the recipe, if you do need to defrost the frozen butternut squash then you can place it at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Frozen butternut squash.
Use as much frozen butternut squash as needed.
Duration
Frozen butternut squash can be frozen for up to 6 months and if you use vacuum sealed bags then up to a year.
Upon freezing for longer time, you will see more ice crystals, you can remove it with a fork or a spoon.
Top tip
Use a sharp knife to make it easy to cut the butternut squash.
More freezing hacks
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