Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash (30 Minute Recipe)

Spaghetti squash halves on a white plate after cooking.

Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash (30 Minute Recipe)

Air fryer spaghetti squash is a quick and easy way to cook spaghetti squash without spending forever waiting for it to roast in the oven. The strands come out tender without getting mushy and are perfect as a simple vegetable side dish, mixed with pasta or topped with your favorite sauce.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer spaghetti squash, easy spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash air fryer

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 150kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Equipment

Air fryer

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
1 pinch salt (optional)

Instructions

Start by piercing the squash with a knife 1-2 times (like a baked potato) so you can microwave the squash to soften the skin. This is an optional step.
Microwave the squash whole, 4 minutes on high. If you don't want to use the microwave you can also put the squash in a preheating oven for 5 minutes or so. This is an optional step.
Once the squash has cooked in the microwave, carefully remove it (it may be hot).
1 spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
Cut the squash in half from the stem to the bottom, starting in the middle of the squash. Cut in small pieces (the skin is thick) from the middle down towards the bottom of the squash. Work your way around the squash, stop at the stem.
Use your hands to pull the squash apart, don't try to cut through the stem. Once you have two halves of the squash, use a spoon to remove the seeds.
Place the squash cut side up, skin side down in the air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer like I do, you may have to stack the squash on top of each other. You want the bottom half to be skin side down, and the top half to be skin side up.
Place in the air fryer and cook at 375F for 25 minutes. If you have to stack the spaghetti squash, you will want to pause cooking after it's been cooking for 15 minutes. Carefully flip the squash so that the one on the bottom is now on the top. Continue cooking.
After 25 minutes, carefully remove one half of the squash from the air fryer (use tongs, an oven mit hand or 2 forks). Take a fork and scrape the flesh, starting where the seeds once were and working your way towards the skin. You will see that noodles are forming. Take a bite of one of the noodles to see if the squash is cooked through. If it still tastes like raw squash, you will need to cook it about 5 more minutes.
If needed, place squash back in air fryer and cook 5 more minutes at 375F.
After done cooking, carefully remove both halves of the squash and scrape the flesh, creating the spaghetti squash noodles. Add salt as needed.
1 pinch salt (optional)

Notes

Be careful handling the squash. It will be hot after microwaving and very hot after air frying. Use oven mitts and tongs as needed.
Start checking for doneness after 25–30 minutes. Rake a few strands with a fork and taste them. If they're still too firm, air fry for another 5 minutes.
Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your spaghetti squash and your air fryer.
If the halves have to be stacked in a basket air fryer, switch their positions after about 15 minutes so they cook more evenly.

Storage:

Store cooked spaghetti squash in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or in the air fryer at 350°F for about 5 minutes.

If you only want to cook half of the spaghetti squash, cover the uncooked half and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze cooked spaghetti squash for up to 3 months. Scrape the strands away from the skin before freezing and store them in a freezer-safe container. The squash can release some water as it defrosts, so the texture will be a little softer than when it’s freshly cooked.

Nutrition