Stuffed Air Fryer Acorn Squash {Slow Cooker option}

a half acorn squash air fried with a sweet nutty stuffing and drizzled in maple syrup and orange zest

Stuffed Air Fryer Acorn Squash {Slow Cooker option}

A stuffed acorn squash recipe made with fresh-squeezed juice, panko, maple sugar, and pecans with cooking methods for the air fryer or slow cooker.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 212kcal

Author Amee

Ingredients

1 Acorn Squash
¼ cup panko bread crumbs can use gluten-free panko
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoon maple sugar can swap with brown sugar or coconut sugar
1½ tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
olive oil spray
½ teaspoon orange zest for garnishing

Instructions

Rinse squash and pat dry
Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and score the flesh.
Stir all remaining ingredients together, except olive oil and orange zest.
Place the squash flesh side down in the air fryer basket. Cook at 325-330 (depending on your air fryer temp settings) degrees F for 20 minutes.
Flip over, spray with olive oil spray, raise the temp to 400 degrees, and cook for 10-12 minutes more (depending on the size of your squash), adding the filling for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. *Note: you can add the filling after flipping and place a small piece of foil over just the filling mixture for the last 10-12 minutes. This creates a crispier filling texture just make sure that it's covered so it doesn't burn.
Carefully remove the squash from the air fryer onto a plate. Drizzle with a little maple syrup, and sprinkle with orange zest and a pinch of coarse salt. Slice halves into two slices and serve.
Slow Cooker Method:
Place the squash in the slow cooker, spoon the filling in the middle, and drizzle with olive oil
Cook 5-6 hours on Low, or 3.5 hours on High, until squash is tender.

Notes

Tips:

Use finely chopped nuts. To create a filling with a crumble-like consistency, make sure the nuts are chopped as finely as possible.
Zest using a microplane. I love using this microplane to zest an orange for garnish before juicing it for the filling. It really helps the flavor pop.
Line with foil or parchment. Consider lining the air fryer basket with aluminum foil or parchment to catch any filling and make cleanup easier.
Don’t overcrowd the basket. One average-sized 4-5” wide acorn squash should fit halved in an air fryer basket, but my squash was larger, so I had to cook it in two batches. Keep this in mind when planning your meal.
Oven method: If you do not have an air fryer or slow cooker, here’s how to cook stuffed acorn squash in the oven: Brush the flesh with olive oil and roast cut-side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375°F for 50-60 minutes, adding the filling and returning to the oven during the last 5-10 minutes.

Nutrition