How Many Cups of Cubes or Pureed Sauce in Acorn Squash?

To add variety to our meals, I enjoy trying some of the many different acorn squash recipes available. However, it is often hard to figure out just how many acorn squashes to purchase at the market to make a new dish. Sometimes the recipe calls for 3 cups prepared cubes or 2 cups cooked or even mashed squash to go into a soup. How much does a whole acorn squash weigh? How does that relate to the produce sold at the store?

To answer how many acorn squashes to buy for 3 cups prepared raw cubes we went to the grocery store to see what was available in the produce section. Compared to other winter squash, an acorn squash is relatively small and round. On average it weighs between 1½ to 2 pounds with the diameter about 4 to 5 inches across. We selected normal sized 1½ pound acorn squashes to use for our samples.

Acorn squash has distinct ribs that run the length of its thin but inedible hard blackish-green or golden-yellow skin. This needs to be removed before eating. When cooked, the sunny-colored firm flesh becomes soft with a mildly sweet, nutty, buttery flavor combination.

After the skin and seeds were removed, our 1½ pound whole acorn squash now weighed a little over 1 pound. We cubed the prepared raw sample and ended up with about 3½ cups which cooked down to 2 cups of squash pieces. When mashed, the volume dropped to a generous 1 cup.

So if you wanted to serve 4 people with a ½ cup portion, you need to purchase 1 whole 1½ pounds acorn squash for cooked cubes or 2 squashes for cooked and mashed portions.

Did you know that the acorn squash, also known as the Danish squash has been a meal time favorite since 4,000 B.C. when it was baked whole in outdoor clay and brick ovens. If acorn squash is hard to cut, you can bake, steam, or microwave the whole squash for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the rind just enough to make it easier to cut.

When selecting an acorn squash to purchase, look for a firm to the touch one that feels heavy for its size. The smooth skin should look dull and be free of bruised spots. Shiny skin indicates that it was picked too early.

So now whether you need fresh acorn squash cubes or puree you'll be able to easily figure out how much is in a pound of squash. You can also use our conversion tool below for any custom how many cups in a... measurements you need.

Custom Conversions for Acorn Squash

One Acorn Squash Equals

• There is 1 Cup (237 mls) of Peeled, Cooked and Mashed Acorn Squash in a Acorn Squash
• There is 2 Cups (473 mls) of Peeled, Cubed and Cooked Acorn Squash in a Acorn Squash
• There is 3½ Cups (828 mls) of Raw, Peeled and Cubed Acorn Squash in a Acorn Squash

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How to Store Acorn Squash

General Winter Squash Info

Winter squash includes the following vegetables: Acorn, Amber Cup, Autumn Cup, Banana, Butternut, Buttercup, Carnival, Delicata (Peanut), Fairytale Pumpkin, gold Nugget, Hubbard, Kabocha, Spaghetti, Sweet dumpling, and Turban squashes.

General How to Store Acorn Squash Info

Choose squashes that are heavy for their size with hard, thick shells. Avoid those with any signs of decay, soft spots or cuts in the shells.

Short Term Acorn Squash Storage

Acorn squash can be stored whole & unwashed in a cool 50 to 55°F (10 to 12.8°C) dry place such as the basement or garage for up to 3 to 4 months. Remember, warmer temperatures will reduce the effective storage time.

Refrigerate cut squash pieces in an airtight plastic container for up to 5 days. Cooked squash should be stored in the refrigerator and then used within a week.

Acorn Squash Long Term Storage

To freeze winter squash, wash and cut into small pieces, remove seeds and peel. Cook until soft, then mash pulp or put through a sieve. Once cooled, place in an airtight freezer container with ½ inch of head space and freeze at 0°F (-17.8°C); winter squash will keep for 1 year.

Acorn Squash Recipes

Sous Vide Acorn Squash Puree Recipe

Acorn squash has a great flavor combination of sweet, nutty, and buttery, then when you combine it with some spices and maple syrup, they really intensifies the flavor. Making sous vide acorn squash holds in more moisture while still fully tenderizing it, resulting in a perfect texture for a puree. I love to serve this with roasted meat, rich sausages, or even with turkey for a lighter dish.

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What is the Produce Converter?

One of the biggest hassles when cooking and working in the kitchen is when a recipe calls for "the juice of 1 lime" or a similar measurement. Often times when cooking people use bottled juices, pre-sliced vegetables and other convenient cooking time savers. Produce Converter will help you convert the "juice of 1 lime" and other similar recipe instructions into tablespoons, cups and other concrete measurements.

Produce Converter can also be used to figure out how many vegetables to buy when you need, for instance, "A cup of diced onion." You can use our easy conversion tool to figure out exactly how many onions you need to buy at the store in order to end up with the amount you need for your cooking.

We hope you enjoy Produce Converter and if you have any suggestions for how we can improve it and make your cooking easier please let us know.

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