✔ Updated · 40 squash varieties, what they taste like and the best way to cook each one
Squash is so much more than butternut and zucchini, and this guide covers 40 varieties you can actually find and cook. Each one gets a quick note on flavor and my favorite way to cook it.
Squash falls into two groups. Winter squash is harvested mature, with a hard rind and dense, sweet flesh that stores for months: butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, kabocha, Hubbard, honeynut and pumpkins. Summer squash is picked young, with thin edible skin and tender flesh that keeps about a week: zucchini, yellow crookneck and straightneck, pattypan, cousa and zephyr. Chayote, luffa and opo are close relatives often sold as squash.
- Most popular winter squash: butternut, acorn, spaghetti, pumpkin
- Most popular summer squash: zucchini and yellow squash
- Sweetest: honeynut, kabocha, delicata, sweet dumpling
- No peeling needed: delicata, honeynut, red kuri and all summer squash
Winter Squash vs. Summer Squash
| Winter squash | Summer squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Harvested | Fully mature, late summer to fall | Young, early to late summer |
| Skin | Hard rind, often peeled | Thin and edible |
| Flesh | Dense, sweet, starchy | Tender, watery, mild |
| Storage | 1 to 3+ months whole in a cool, dry place | About 1 week in the fridge |
| Best cooking | Roasting, soups, mashing, baking, pies | Sauteing, grilling, raw, quick bakes |
| Examples | Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, kabocha, pumpkin | Zucchini, yellow squash, pattypan, cousa |
Winter Squash Varieties
1. Butternut Squash
The all-rounder: pear-shaped, tan skin, smooth sweet orange flesh. Easy to peel and great in soups, risotto and roasts.
How: Peel, cube and roast at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes until caramelized.
2. Acorn Squash
Small, ribbed and dark green, with mild, slightly nutty yellow-orange flesh. Its shape makes perfect edible bowls.
How: Halve, scoop and roast cut-side up with butter and brown sugar at 400°F for 45 minutes.
3. Spaghetti Squash
Oval and bright yellow. Once cooked, the flesh pulls into mild, noodle-like strands, a popular low-carb pasta swap.
Get the recipe →
4. Honeynut Squash
A mini butternut bred for flavor: deeply sweet, with thin skin you don't need to peel. One half is one serving.
How: Halve and roast at 425°F for 25 to 30 minutes; eat it skin and all.
5. Delicata Squash
Cream with green stripes and thin, edible skin. Sweet, a little like sweet potato, and the easiest winter squash to prep.
How: Slice into half-moons, toss with oil and roast at 425°F for 20 minutes.
6. Kabocha Squash
Japanese pumpkin with green skin and fluffy, chestnut-sweet orange flesh. Fantastic in tempura, curries and soups.
How: Cut into wedges (skin on) and roast or simmer in dashi with soy and mirin.
7. Buttercup Squash
Squat and dark green with a little turban-like cap. Dense, dry, sweet flesh that's great for mashing and pies.
How: Bake halves at 400°F for 45 to 50 minutes, then scoop and mash with butter.
8. Hubbard Squash
Huge, warty and gray-blue or green, with a very hard shell. The dry, sweet flesh is a pie maker's favorite.
How: Break into pieces (carefully!), bake until soft and puree for pies or soup.
9. Banana Squash
Long and banana-shaped with pale pink or blue skin, often sold in wedges. Sweet, fine-textured orange flesh.
How: Roast chunks at 400°F for 30 minutes, or use in place of pumpkin in baking.
10. Carnival Squash
A colorful acorn-sweet dumpling cross, speckled green, orange and cream. Sweet and buttery, and pretty as decor too.
How: Roast halves like acorn squash with maple and butter.
11. Sweet Dumpling Squash
Small, round and cream with green stripes. The flesh is tender and very sweet, perfect for stuffing as a single serving.
How: Hollow out, stuff with sausage or rice and bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.
12. Red Kuri Squash
Also called Hokkaido squash: teardrop-shaped, bright red-orange, with chestnut-like flesh and edible skin.
How: Cube unpeeled and roast, or simmer into a silky soup.
13. Turban Squash
Looks like a squash wearing a striped hat. Mostly sold as decor, but the yellow flesh is mild and good in soups.
How: Roast whole until tender, then scoop the flesh out for soup.
14. Gold Nugget Squash
A small, bright orange, pumpkin-shaped squash with mild, sweet flesh. Easy to grow and easy to cook whole.
How: Pierce and bake whole at 375°F for about 1 hour.
15. Butterkin Squash
A butternut and pumpkin cross with flat, pale orange skin and smooth, sweet flesh. Great for pies and puree.
How: Halve, roast cut-side down and scoop for puree.
16. Cushaw Squash
Long-necked, green-striped and big. Mild, slightly sweet flesh that's a Southern favorite for pies and butter.
How: Peel, cube and steam or roast, then season sweet or savory.
17. Calabaza
West Indian pumpkin, sold in wedges in Latin and Caribbean markets. Firm, sweet and great in stews and soups.
How: Peel and simmer chunks in stews, beans or soup until tender.
18. Tromboncino
A long, curvy Italian squash. Eat it young like zucchini, or let it mature into a butternut-like winter squash.
How: Young: slice and saute. Mature: peel and roast like butternut.
Pumpkin Varieties
Every pumpkin is a winter squash. These are the ones you'll most often meet. For baking, I always reach for a small sugar pumpkin over a carving one.
19. Sugar Pumpkin
Also called pie pumpkin: small, round and sweet, with smooth flesh that's far less stringy than carving pumpkins.
How: Halve, roast cut-side down at 400°F for 45 minutes and puree for pie.
20. Jack-o'-Lantern Pumpkin
The big orange carving pumpkin. Edible but watery and bland, so roast the seeds and carve the rest.
How: Rinse the seeds, toss with oil and salt, and roast at 325°F until golden.
21. Atlantic Giant Pumpkin
The variety behind giant contest pumpkins that can top 2,000 pounds. Grown for size, not flavor.
How: Not for cooking; a fun fall centerpiece.
22. Cinderella Pumpkin
Rouge Vif d'Etampes: flat, deeply ribbed and red-orange, like Cinderella's carriage. Moist, mild flesh for soups.
How: Roast in wedges, then blend into soup.
23. Fairytale Pumpkin
Musquee de Provence: flat, ribbed and tan when ripe, with deep orange, very sweet flesh. A French favorite.
How: Roast wedges or use the puree in pies and custards.
24. Long Island Cheese Pumpkin
Flat and pale tan, like a wheel of cheese. Sweet, smooth, non-stringy flesh and a classic heirloom pie pumpkin.
How: Roast, scoop and puree for pumpkin pie or bread.
25. Jarrahdale Pumpkin
An Australian heirloom with blue-gray skin and bright orange flesh. Sweet, dense and gorgeous on a porch.
How: Roast in wedges or simmer into soup.
26. Lumina Pumpkin
A ghostly white pumpkin with orange flesh. Popular for painting and decorating, and good for cooking too.
How: Roast and puree like a sugar pumpkin.
27. Peanut Pumpkin
Galeux d'Eysines: pink-peach skin covered in peanut-like warts. The flesh is sweet and great for soup.
How: Peel, cube and simmer into a velvety soup.
Summer Squash Varieties
28. Zucchini
The most popular summer squash, also called courgette. Mild, tender and endlessly useful, from grilling to baking.
Get the recipe →
29. Yellow Straightneck Squash
Smooth, bright yellow and straight, with buttery, mild flesh. Sold simply as yellow squash in most stores.
How: Slice into rounds and saute with butter and onion for 5 minutes.
30. Yellow Crookneck Squash
Yellow, with a curved neck and sometimes bumpy skin. Slightly sweeter and nuttier than straightneck.
How: Great in Southern squash casserole or simply grilled.
31. Pattypan Squash
Flying-saucer shaped with scalloped edges, in yellow, green or white. Tender and a touch sweeter than zucchini.
How: Halve small ones and roast, or hollow out bigger ones and stuff.
32. Round Zucchini
Ball-shaped zucchini, like Eight Ball, with the same mild flavor. Made for stuffing.
How: Slice off the top, hollow out, fill with rice and meat and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
33. Cousa Squash
Lebanese or Middle Eastern zucchini: short, pale green and thin-skinned, with sweeter, more delicate flesh.
How: Core and stuff with spiced rice and lamb (kousa mahshi), then simmer in tomato sauce.
34. Costata Romanesco
An Italian heirloom zucchini with pale ribs and stripes. Nutty, firm and many cooks' pick for the best-tasting zucchini.
How: Slice lengthwise, grill and finish with lemon and olive oil.
35. Cocozelle
Italian striped zucchini with dark and light green stripes. Firm, sweet and holds its shape well when cooked.
How: Cut into batons and stir-fry or roast at 425°F for 15 minutes.
36. Zephyr Squash
Yellow with a pale green tip, as if dipped in paint. Nutty, firm and less watery than regular yellow squash.
How: Slice and saute or grill; it stays firm.
37. Tatume Squash
A round to oval Mexican summer squash, green with faint stripes. Used in calabacitas and stews.
How: Dice and simmer with corn, tomato, chile and onion for calabacitas.
Squash Relatives Often Called Squash
38. Chayote
A pale green, pear-shaped gourd with crisp, mild flesh like a cross between cucumber and jicama.
How: Eat raw in salads or slaws, or saute and stuff like summer squash.
39. Luffa Squash
Yes, the bath sponge plant! Eaten young, angled and smooth luffa are tender and mild, popular in Asian stir-fries and soups.
How: Peel the ridges, slice and stir-fry with garlic or add to egg drop soup.
40. Opo Squash
Also called bottle gourd or calabash: long and pale green with mild, zucchini-like flesh. Common in Asian cooking.
How: Peel, slice and simmer in soups or stir-fry with shrimp.
Bonus: Squash Blossoms
Not a variety, but a treat from every squash plant: the bright yellow flowers. They're delicate and mildly squashy, and I love them stuffed with ricotta and herbs, lightly battered and fried. Use them the day you buy or pick them.
How to Pick and Store Squash
- Winter squash: choose one that feels heavy for its size, with a dull, hard rind, no soft spots and a dry stem. Store whole in a cool, dry, dark place (50°F to 60°F) for 1 to 3 months; once cut, wrap and refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Summer squash: choose small to medium, firm and glossy ones. Larger ones get seedy and watery. Refrigerate unwashed in a bag and use within about a week.
- Freezing: cooked winter squash puree freezes well for up to a year. For zucchini, see our guide on freezing courgettes.
- Cutting safely: microwave a hard winter squash for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the rind, then slice with a heavy knife on a board that won't slip.
More Vegetable Guides
Turn that sugar pumpkin into dessert with our copycat Costco pumpkin pie. For more colorful produce, browse our lists of pink vegetables and red vegetables, or learn how to cook spaghetti squash.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of squash are there?
There are well over 100 squash varieties grown around the world, from five main cultivated species of Cucurbita. In US grocery stores and farmers markets you'll mostly see about 20 to 40 of them, split between hard-skinned winter squash and tender summer squash.
What is the difference between winter and summer squash?
Summer squash is harvested young, so its skin and seeds are soft and edible, and it keeps about a week in the fridge. Winter squash is harvested fully mature with a hard rind and dense flesh, and keeps for 1 to 3 months or more in a cool, dry spot.
Which squash is the sweetest?
Honeynut is usually the sweetest, followed closely by kabocha, delicata, sweet dumpling and red kuri. Butternut is sweet and mild. Spaghetti squash and summer squash like zucchini are the least sweet, which makes them good for savory dishes.
Is pumpkin a squash?
Yes. Pumpkins are winter squash from the same Cucurbita family as butternut and acorn. For cooking, choose small sugar or pie pumpkins, which have sweeter, less stringy flesh than big carving pumpkins.
Can you eat squash skin?
You can eat the skin of all summer squash and of thin-skinned winter squash like delicata, honeynut, red kuri, acorn (once roasted) and kabocha. Thick, tough rinds like butternut, Hubbard and large pumpkins are best peeled or scooped out after cooking.
