19 Types of Squash to Round out a Hearty Meal

Butternut squash is a winter squash known for its creamy texture and sweet flavor. It has pale yellow skin and bright orange flesh that turns buttery and smooth when roasted. This squash is perfect for savory dishes and works wonderfully with a touch of olive oil and brown sugar.

Shaped like a giant acorn with dark green skin, acorn squash has a mildly sweet flavor and dense flesh. Yellow acorn squash is a popular variant, offering a slightly nuttier taste. Roast it, stuff it or slice it into wedges for a delicious side dish.

This yellow-skinned wonder gets its name from its stringy flesh, which resembles spaghetti noodles when cooked. It's a great low-carb alternative for pasta lovers and holds up well in dishes with tomato-based sauces.

Also known as Japanese pumpkin, kabocha squash has a thick skin and dark green exterior. Inside, it hides a deep red-orange hue and a rich, sweet flesh that makes it ideal for roasting or blending into soups.

With its pale yellow skin adorned with green stripes, delicata squash stands out on the shelf. It has a thin skin you don’t need to peel and a mildly sweet flavor. Its creamy flesh is perfect when sliced into rings and roasted.

Sweet dumpling squash looks like a mini pumpkin with scalloped edges and green stripes. It has a buttery flavor and is often baked whole or halved. Its compact size and sweet flesh make it a hit for individual servings.

Yellow squash is a summer squash staple. It includes varieties like straightneck and yellow crookneck squash. With its thin skin and mild flavor, it's great thinly sliced in salads or cooked in stir fries.

Zucchini is probably the most recognizable summer squash. With dark green skin and a mild flavor, it’s a go-to for everything from grilling to baking. Round zucchini, ball zucchini and eight ball zucchini are fun, spherical versions that work well for stuffing.

Also known as pattypan squash, these scalloped-edge squashes come in shades of yellow, pale green and white. They have a nutty flavor and a firm texture that holds up well when grilled or roasted. Zephyr squash is a two-tone summer squash with similar characteristics.

This giant squash often sports a thick skin in shades ranging from blue-gray to orange. Inside, it offers sweet flesh with a dense, dry texture. It’s a great substitute for sweet potatoes and ideal for hearty recipes.

Often confused with kabocha, buttercup squash has a squat shape and a dark green rind. It delivers a creamy, sweet flavor and is often used in soups and purées thanks to its dense, orange flesh.

With its teardrop shape and deep red-orange hue, red kuri squash is a winter squash with a flavor profile similar to chestnuts. It’s often used in both savory dishes and baked goods.

A smaller, sweeter cousin of the butternut, honeynut squash has yellow-orange flesh and a rich, buttery flavor. It's a newer hybrid that’s gaining popularity for its compact size and concentrated sweetness.

Also known as vegetable pear, chayote has pale green, wrinkled skin and a crisp texture. Though not a true squash of the genus Cucurbita, chayote is often used like a summer squash in stir-fries, soups and salads for its mild, slightly sweet flavor.

True to its name, banana squash is long and curved with a pale yellow or orange exterior. Inside, it has a sweet, orange flesh that’s perfect for roasting or baking.

Yellow crookneck squash is easily identified by its curved neck and bumpy skin. It’s a classic summer squash with a mildly sweet flavor and tender flesh, often sautéed or grilled.

Cousa squash is a Middle Eastern summer squash with pale green skin and a soft, mildly sweet flavor. It’s great for stuffing and baking due to its short, round shape and delicate texture.

Carnival squash is a cross between acorn and sweet dumpling squash. It features multicolored skin with green, yellow and orange streaks. The flesh is sweet and dense, ideal for roasting.

Named for its shape, turban squash has bright, multicolored skin and a sweet, nutty flavor. It’s often used as a decorative piece but is just as delicious when cooked.

There are many hybrid squash varieties like zephyr squash and honeynut that blend traits for better flavor and texture. Many of these hybrids are bred for a sweet flavor and thin skin, making them easier to prepare and enjoy.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.