Here's How to Avoid Picking a Dry, Flavorless Butternut Squash at the Store (2024)
Updated: Aug. 25, 2022
Our tips on what to look for when choosing the perfect butternut squash for your fall cooking.
Shutterstock / Svitlana Pimenov
There’s so much to love about fresh fall produce. It’s more than just pumpkin spice everything. It’s also all the delicious seasonal squashes—acorn, spaghetti and, most importantly, butternut. Get our best slow cooker squash recipes here!
Butternut squash is an essential ingredient for crisp autumn days. It’s a big player in comforting soups, stews and sautes. But finding the right one can be difficult. If it’s underripe, the squash won’t have developed its signature taste. If it’s overripe, it may be dry, mushy or flavorless. Follow these tips the next time you’re at the grocery store or farmers market to find the perfect recipe-ready butternut squash.
Pick it up to feel its weight. A ripe butternut squash should be hard and heavy for its size. What exactly does that mean? Use your best judgment and pick up other squashes to get an idea of the average weight. If a squash is too light, it’s not ripe enough yet. You can also do the tried-and-true knocking test. Tap the outside of the vegetable. If it sounds hollow, it’s ready to eat.
You want a butternut squash with a full stem that’s firm to the touch. When the stem is intact, your squash will keep longer. If the stem is missing, it may have popped out because the squash is past its prime. Look at the color of the stem, too. The perfect hue? Deep brown.
The deeper the hue, the better. A butternut squash should be dark beige. Green spots or streaks mean the squash isn’t fully ripened. But that pale spot you might see? That’s OK—it’s just where the squash was lying on the ground in the field.
There’s a trick to choosing the best pumpkin, too.
Inspect the Skin
Ideally, your butternut squash will not be shiny or waxy (a sign it was picked too early). Look for one with a matte finish, with color that’s even across the entire surface. The thickness of the shell is equally important. Use your fingernail to try to gently prick the surface. If your nail goes through easily, it’s not a good squash. You want one with a hard exterior.
Now you know how to assess a butternut squash’s weight, color and texture—but don’t stop there. Stay away from any squashes with obvious cuts or soft spots that might lead to rot or mold. Brown marks, usually caused by frost, are a sign the squash won’t last as long or will have an undesirable texture. Have squash you need to use fast? Try one of our favorites: Butternut Squash Apple Bake.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll find a butternut squash that’s ready for dinner tonight. And remember, if you’re at a farmers market and still unsure about your squash, ask the farmer! (They know best, after all.)
Ready to start cooking your perfect butternut squash? You have a world (or, well, a kitchen) of opportunity, from savory soups to delicious desserts to creamy casseroles. Ah…fall is in the air!
According to the horticulture experts at Iowa State University, "butternut squash are mature (ready to harvest) when the skin is hard (can't be punctured with the thumbnail) and uniformly tan in color." If the skin is easy to pierce, the squash is not ripe and will taste starchy, flavorless, and sometimes even bitter.
When choosing one at the store, be sure to select one with a creamy tan color. Light surface scratches are normal, but avoid choosing one with soft spots, bruises or cuts. Butternut squash should also have a matte finish. If it's shiny, it means it was picked too early.
Most squashes are at their "driest" immediately after harvest... not in terms of their moisture content, but in their cooked consistency. At this point (provided the squash was fully ripe) the starch content is very high, and the cooked texture will resemble mashed potatoes.
The skin of a ripe butternut squash can also be described as an orange-ish tan. Also, choose a squash with a uniform color. The darker the color of the squash the better. If the squash is a light-yellow color or if you see green patches or lines on its exterior, it isn't ripe yet.
No doubt, squash's flavor issues stem from the fact that it's mostly water. Being as much as 95 percent H2O, it's no surprise that it tastes a lot like water, which is to say, bland.
Avoid squash with soft spots, pits, blemishes or mold, or squash with soft rinds, which aren't ripe. Store squash only if it has a stem attached, as stemless squash won't keep well. Use stemless squash immediately.
I asked for help at the squash bin, and was told to look for a squash with a nice deep green colour to the skin. If it is too light, it's not really ripe enough. Then, check the stem. A dry stem on the top should indicate that the squash will be drier on the inside.
Look for firm, vibrantly colored squash. A few nicks and scratches on a squash's thin skin are to be expected. But avoid wrinkly skin, which is a sign of age, or soft and wet spots, the first signs of rot.
Store whole butternut squash in a cool, dry and well-ventilated area. The ideal temperature for butternut squash (and any winter squash) is between 50℉ and 60℉, so a cool pantry or cellar would work best.
Butternut cultivars are pretty consistent when it comes to flavor. All have richly sweet, nutty flesh favored for all kinds of fall and winter cookery. The compact variety C.moschata 'Butterbush' (75 days) is short-vined and bears small butternut squash that are dark orange, dense and very sweet on the inside.
Keep your eye out for any brown spots or blemishes; these can indicate the start of spoiling. Any soft spots or slimy areas are also a sign that your squash has gone bad. Old squash tends to have soft flesh, leathery skin, and a hollow feel. And, of course, any spots of mold mean it's time to toss your squash.
Add cubed apples, herbs, curry powder, or any of your favorite spices. The sky's the limit! Nicole tops her butternut squash soup with fresh chives (green onions will also do the trick) and a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream.
Sweet, moist and nutty tasting, the flavor of butternut squash is a bit like sweet potatoes—or, some say, butterscotch. Because it's so dense, you get more servings per fruit than you might with other squash varieties. The rind is edible (once cooked), but it's more commonly peeled away.
Young plants will need protection from slugs, snails and aphids after planting out. Later in the season, butternut squash can succumb to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus. Keep plants well-watered and look for varieties that have good disease resistance.
If your squash plant produces ample flowers but never bears actual fruit, or it bears fruit that stops growing when it's very small, then you're likely dealing with a pollination issue.
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Shutterstock / Svitlana Pimenov