Go Back
Print this page

Food + Cooking

Squash 101

A complete guide to fall and winter squash, from Acorn to Turban

Acorn

Small, round, and acorn-shaped with deep grooves running its length. Green, golden or multi-colored with sweet, nutty-tasting, fibrous orange flesh. Good for baking.

Ambercup

Resembling a miniature pumpkin, Ambercup flesh is bright orange in color, finely grained, sweet and fragrant. Similar in taste to a sweet potato. Excellent cubed and roasted.

Australian Blue

Heirloom squash introduced from Australia in the 1930s. Smallish in size, gray in color and deeply ribbed with dry, sweet, orange-colored meat.

Autumn Cup

Small and round with faint stripes over dark green skin. Intensely flavorful yolk-colored flesh that is sweet in taste and velvety in texture.

Buttercup

Similar in coloring to Acorn squash but with a bulbous turban shape, Buttercup is on the sweet side and owes its name to its creamy texture.

Butternut

Beige in color with a nutty sweet flavor many liken to butterscotch. Packed with vitamins and nutrients, the non-stringy flesh of Butternut makes it perfect for soups and stews.

Carnival

Best in late summer or early fall, carnivals get their name from their festive green, orange and cream-colored stripes. Yellow meat is creamy in texture.

Delicata

Also known as Peanut or Bohemian squash, the Delicata is an heirloom squash with a distinct creamy pulp reminiscent of corn and sweet potatoes.

Hubbard

A large squash with extra-hard gray bumpy skin, Hubbards are dense, moist and sweet, with orange flesh that has a grainy texture.

Kabocha

Also known as Japanese pumpkin, Kabocha is squarish with a jade green rind and light streaks. Its dry flesh is sweet and somewhat flaky when baked.

Red Kuri

Originally from Japan, this small, orange pumpkin-shaped squash has very firm flesh that has a savory chestnut-like flavor and is ideal for less sweet recipes.

Spaghetti Squash

Getting its name from the stringy nature of its meat, Spaghetti squash is an ideal pasta substitute. Yellow with a light and nutty flavor, it's also delicious as a lightly seasoned side.

Sweet Dumpling

A small green and beige-colored squash with sweet buttery flesh that is perfect for baking. Often served stuffed with rice and other savory vegetables.

Turban

Orange, green and yellow in color, this strange looking squash has a distinctive cap. The flesh is golden yellow, firm and moist, with a hazelnut flavor. Best in early fall.