Yes, You Can Eat the Skin of Acorn Squash and Other Winter Squashes—Here's How (2024)

Like nearly everyone else, we love butternut squash, acorn squash, and other winter squash varieties. In fact, we love every bit of them, including the flesh, skin, and seeds. Sure, you know about the delicious orange flesh of winter squash—but the skin? In case you didn't know, all winter squash skins are edible, and full of fiber and vitamin A to boot. Whether or not you should eat the skins of every type of winter squash is its own question.

The Best Winter Squash Skin to Eat

It's important to remember that edible is not the same as tasty. The skins of some types of winter squash are far more palatable than others, says food stylist and recipe developer Riley Wofford.

Always: Acorn, Delicata, Honeynut

Wofford and our test kitchen editors will leave the skin on delicata, acorn, and honeynut squash to save time, add nutrients, and reduce food waste. These varieties have thin skins that soften readily when cooked.

Next time you slice a delicata into rings ready to roast, don't peel it. Looking for an easy side dish? Our Roasted Delicata Squash with Garden Herbs is a great one to start with. Then, work your way up to eating the skin of half an acorn squash.

Sometimes: Butternut, Kabocha

When it comes to squash with thicker skins—such as butternut or kabocha—our food editors say they usually peel the skin because it's tougher. Still, Wofford notes that when cooked longer, those skins become more tender and may be soft enough for you to want to eat them.

Also consider the size: Big squashes tend to have tough exteriors, but their pint-size versions have chewable ones. If you find miniature butternuts or kabochas, grab a few, and enjoy them in their entirety.

Never: Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a different matter (in so many ways). Its skin is tough and doesn’t become tender when roasted, so skip the skin of a spaghetti squash when you tease out its cooked strands of pasta-like flesh.

Don't Forget the Squash Seeds

While we're enjoying the whole squash, it's a good time to remind you not to overlook the squash seeds. Yes, we eat them too, which makes winter squash a very cost-effective food.

Roast the seeds as you would pumpkin seeds, and enjoy them as a healthy snack, or scatter them on a salad for a crunchy topping.