19 Common Types of Squash—From Acorn to Zucchini

Acorn Squash

This stunner, with its mesmerizing dark green skin, is mild in flavor and has a creamy, tender flesh. The thick skin is not worth peeling since, once cooked, the flesh separates easily from the skin and can be eaten directly from the shell.

How to cook it: The most popular preparation is halving the squash, removing the seeds, and then roasting cut-side down, or stuffing and baking, like in this weeknight-friendly Goat Cheese and Mushroom–Stuffed Acorn Squash. It's also common to slice into wedges and roast, simply seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Look out for other types of acorn squash such as orange/golden or white. They're mighty pretty!

Buttercup Squash

Buttercup squash is a sweet winter squash, with bright orange flesh and edible, pumpkin-like seeds.

How to cook it: Acorn squash recipes work beautifully with the buttercup squash, too. You can roast it, stuff it, or turn it into a soup.

Butternut Squash

A favorite for a reason, this go-to winter squash is widely available and easy to handle. Cut the neck from the rounded bottom for easy prep, and work with the two parts separately.

How to cook it: It's best enjoyed peeled, halved, and seeded, and then roasted, simmered, or steamed. Butternut squash not only makes a great soup or a star veg tossed in a medley of roasted vegetables, but it also makes for a stellar pasta sauce. Its orange flesh is sweet, but plays nicely with a range of flavors and spices. This punchy Ginger-Coconut Pork With Butternut Squash made in a slow-cooker is proof.

Carnival Squash

This relative of the acorn squash has an exterior that changes color at it ripens—from a green and white stripe to bold orange. It has a sweet and creamy flavor and a golden-colored flesh.

How to cook it; Like most winter squashes, carnival squash are great roasted, stuffed, or pureed.

Chayote Squash

This pear-shaped summer squash hails from the hottest parts of North America, and adds a mild, cucumber flavor to your dishes.

How to cook it: As a summer squash, chayote is pretty versatile. You can cook it or serve it raw, and the skin is edible. You can use a number of different cooking methods: boiling, frying, baking, sautéeing, steaming, and stir-frying. You can try it in this tasty chicken, rice, and vegetable soup.

Crookneck (Yellow) Squash

Much like its name suggests, this yellow squash has a curvy, tapered neck and a bulbous body. Although its skin can be bumpy, it's thin and edible and its pale flesh has a buttery flavor.

How to cook it: It can be cooked just like zucchini, so feel free to swap it in recipes.

Delicata Squash

Like a work of art, this oval winter squash with pale yellow skin and green stripes has a mild, golden flesh that tastes like sweet potato and butternut squash had a baby. The peak season for delicata squash is from late summer through late fall. It's the most perishable winter squash of the bunch due to its thin, yet edible skin.

How to cook it: Slice delicata squash crosswise before roasting, searing, or steaming to show off its scalloped edges for a show-stealing side dish. Fold the rings into a creamy pasta recipe, or layer it with winter greens, nuts, and cheese in a salad.

Eight Ball Squash (or Round Zucchini)

This ball-shaped squash, also known as round zucchini, is very similar in texture and taste to zucchini and can also be spotted in green and yellow. Smaller squash tends to be sweeter, yet larger ones still offer a mild flavor. It's mostly found at farmer's markets during the peak summer season.

How to cook it: It can be cooked like other summer squash, or try cutting it into wedges and pickling it for salads or snacks.

Honeynut Squash

This hybrid of butternut and buttercup squash is a relatively new breed of winter squash. It looks like a mini butternut squash, but with darker, orange skin, and a sweeter, more concentrated flavor.

Find this cutie of a squash at grocery stores and farmer's markets from September through December. Hint: it makes for a gorgeous holiday side or veggie main.

How to cook it: Cook it just like you would butternut squash, but note that it favors roasting, as that cooking method enhances its nutty sweetness.

Simply slice in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of cinnamon or ground coriander (or both!). After roasting, hit it with a bit of cayenne pepper and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Eating squash with the skin on is a matter of personal preference, but the skin of honeynut squash is thin enough so that it doesn't have to be peeled, and it is edible.

Hubbard Squash

One of the largest winter varieties, Hubbard squash can weigh up to 20 pounds and ranges in color from bright orange to grayish-blue, and even dark green. Hidden beneath the hard, bumpy skin (this is what helps it keep for so long—up to eight months!) is a sweet yellow-orange flesh.

You'll find Hubbard squash in stores from early September to March. Choose a smaller squash (no more than four pounds) as it's best for cooking.

How to cook it: The flesh is high in sugar but sometimes mealy, which means it's best puréed (as a pie filling) or mashed.

Kabocha Squash

Also known as Japanese pumpkin, this winter squash with a green rind and lighter green streaks has an earthy nuttiness, it's only mildly sweet, and has a subtle starchy yet smooth texture. On average, most weigh between two and three pounds, but can weigh as much as a whopping eight pounds.

How to cook it; Cook green kabocha like acorn squash—steam or braise it—it absorbs flavors incredibly well. The skin is edible, albeit tough looking, but be sure to halve and seed the squash. Kabocha squash lends well to both savory and sweet recipes: Try wedges of kabocha squash seared and simmered in an umami-bursting soy and mirin sauce or in these delectable sticky buns.

Pattypan Squash

This might be the cutest squash you'll ever see. It looks like a cross between a UFO and a spinning toy. Its skin is similar to other summer squashes—shiny, thin, and soft—and while yellow might be the most common variety, you can find pattypan squash in green and white too. Reach for smaller ones to enjoy their subtly sweet, buttery taste, as the larger they get the more bitter they might be.

How to cook it: Simply cut the squash in half or into quarters and sauté in butter and olive oil, or try grilling it, and sprinkle with fresh herbs like basil or tarragon before serving.

Red Kuri Squash

Red kuri is a Hubbard variety with a starchy flesh and distinct chestnut-like flavor. It's considerably smaller than Hubbard squash and easier to peel.

How to cook it: You can follow the same cooking methods as you use for a Hubbard squash, including roasting.

Spaghetti Squash

This winter squash that is now available year-round is the most fun one of the bunch. After cooking, its mild and pale flesh turns into spaghetti-like strands when scraped with a fork. Some home cooks love to use this squash as a delicious substitute for pasta.

How to cook it; Most recipes call for baking or roasting the squash until it's tender, before taking a fork to it. Try this recipe for Spaghetti Squash Parmesan and you'll be a convert. Or try a cacio e pepe version by tossing the strands with butter and lots of grated pecorino and freshly ground black pepper.

Sugar Pumpkin

This variety of pumpkin is a member of the gourd family, which actually includes all other varieties of squash as well. Its flesh is creamy and sweet, perfect for use in baking and creamy soups. Skip the orange pumpkin that you're more likely to pick up for decorative carving purposes, as its flesh is bland and stringy.

How to cook it: It's great for baking, and its flesh is creamy and sweet. Not only is it a flavorful pick, but its skin is easier to peel than larger varieties. Reach for smaller ones up to 5 pounds, and make your own purée for your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. Or go savory and use it in stews and soups. This Pumpkin-Leek Soup is a classic.

Sweet Dumpling Squash

This pretty and petite winter squash has a sweet, delicious flavor. (Fun fact: sweet dumpling squash is related to the delicata squash, but with a squat and round shape.) While the skin is on the tougher side, it's edible (which is great, because those pretty ridges can be hard to peel).

How to cook it: You can sub this into recipes that feature other winter squashes. You can roast it, steam it, and include it in a number of dishes, including stews, soups, and purees,

Turban Squash

This distinctive winter squash is famous for its unique, turban-like shape and its colorful exterior. It's a sizable squash, and can weigh up to 6 pounds each. It has a delicate, slightly nutty and sweet flavor.

How to cook it: Turban squash can be swapped into butternut squash recipes, and can be roasted, pureed, steamed, or baked.

Zephyr Squash

This two-tone beauty is a hybrid stemming from the crookneck variety, and it is also mild in flavor with a creamy, sweet flesh.

How to cook it: Swap it in for zucchini or crookneck squash for a punch of color.

Zucchini

Bountiful in the summertime and available year-round, both green and yellow zucchini are versatile summer squash that are tender and mild in flavor. Their shelf-life is shorter than winter squash, and so is the cooking time. The yellow zucchini variety can sometimes be referred to as summer squash, yellow squash, or golden squash, and can be found to be slightly sweeter than its green sibling.

How to cook it: There is no need to peel the smooth skin of this squash, and zucchini can be enjoyed raw or cooked in a multitude of ways, such as stir-fried, sautéed, steamed, grilled, roasted, turned into noodles—or even baked, as a stand-in for fruit like apples in baked goods. Try both green and yellow squashes roasted along chickpeas in this healthful Summer Squash Farro Bowl, or to try raw zucchini, slice it very thin and season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for a quick side or starter.