All You Need To Know About Butternut Squash Juice

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is well known as an autumn vegetable. It belongs to the same squash family as pumpkin and calabaza. Originally, butternut squash came from Central and South America, but nowadays, it is known worldwide, among the regions with long and hot summers. In Australia and New Zealand, Cucurbita moschata is called gramma or butternut pumpkin.

The cultivation history of butternut squash goes back to the 1940s and the Stow town in Massachusetts, where the man named Charles Laggett developed the first fruit. To dispel the doubts, we must say that butternut squash is classified botanically as a fruit, not a vegetable, as most of us assume. Two essential facts support this classification, it contains seeds and comes from the flower.

Interesting fact: The word squash came from the Narragansett language, which means eaten raw or uncooked. 

Contents:

1. Can you juice butternut squash?

2. How to juice butternut squash?

3. Butternut squash juice nutrition value and its benefits

4. Juice recipes with butternut squash

1. Can you juice butternut squash?

It is widespread to eat butternut squash cooked, baked, or roasted in soup, puree, or as grilled starch for meat. However, juicing butternut squash is not a very popular usage of this valuable product. If you wonder if butternut squash can be juiced, here is the answer:

It is recommended to juice the butternut squash. When juicing raw, butternut squash preserves its vitamins (A, C, E, B vitamins), minerals (Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Zinc), and other valuable components, like beta-carotene.

2. How to juice a butternut squash?

To make butternut squash juice, you need a quality juicer. Some vegetables can be juiced without a juicer; however, it is not the case with butternut squash. Unfortunately, because of its though structure – manual power is not enough. The best choice will be the masticating juicer, which will not destroy the fruit’s nutrition value while juicing. The juicier should also be durable enough to handle this relatively hard product. 

Before juicing, remove the stem, wash the fruit properly and cut it into small pieces. Use a strong and sharp knife to do it, as the skin can be quite hard to cut. It will cost you quite an effort but believe – it’s worth it. Don’t forget about removing the seeds from the inside. You can save them for later because the butternut seeds are edible.  

It is better to juice butternut squash with the skin on, because the skin itself and parts of the fruit just near it are very rich in valuable components. Remove the skin only if the juicer you have is not strong enough to juice the fruit with it. Most of the modern juicers available on the market are mainly designed to deal with hard vegetables, so cutting the product into small pieces in the shape of cubes or rectangles is enough.

The next step is juicing. The flavor of butternut squash juice is very refreshing, smooth, and somewhat sweet. It is very similar to cantaloupe, melon, or even watermelon for some people. 

Try to mix the butternut squash with other components to get a more enjoyable taste. Don’t hesitate to combine it with your favorite fruits and vegetables. 

Helpful tip – when juicing squash with another product, start with the softer fruit, like apple or orange, and then put the hard one. 

3. Butternut squash nutrition value and benefits

Butternut squash in around 86 % consists of water. It is hard to believe that, because the fruit doesn’t look juicy at all. To check it, try to squeeze a piece of it with your bare hand…Only 1% of butternut squash is proteins and 12% carbohydrates. The amount of fat in one fruit is barely noticeable. It is also very low in calories. With its excellent nutrition value, nothing stands in the way of including butternut squash juice into your diet. 

As we already mentioned before, squash juice is rich in various vitamins. In 100 ml (3.5 oz) of the juice, 67 % of daily Vitamin A dose, 25% of Vitamin C, and 12% B6 Vitamin daily value. Moreover, it has around 10-8% of the daily portion of Vitamins: E, B1, B3, B5, B9, and 2% of Vitamin B2.

Butternut squash juice also contains a decent portion of minerals. The first place goes ex aequo to Magnesium and Manganese with around 10% of DV. The runner up is Potassium (7%), and the third-place goes to Calcium, Iron, and Phosphorus with 5% of DV. Last but not least is Zinc, with 2% of the everyday portion of this mineral.

Drinking Butternut juice regularly can have a very positive output on your health. It is an excellent source of antioxidants that boosts the immune system and helps the body function properly. It works anti-inflammatory and lowers the risk of heart diseases and cancer. A portion of squash juice can improve the work of your brain, sight, kidneys, and lungs.

4. Juice recipes with butternut squash

Check out our favorite recipes, which include butternut squash. Try to juice it by mixing it with other seasonal fruits and vegetables. Always nice addition to it is the seasoning, like cinnamon, ginger, or turmeric. Your juice will gain a pleasant, warming flavor ideal for cold autumn and winter evenings by including them.

Ideal couple squash & potato

½ of butternut squash

1 medium-size sweet potato

1 lime without skin

A pinch of turmeric

We hope we managed to convince you to start juicing the superfood – butternut squash. Juicing it will be without any doubt a nice change to the forms in which we usually consume it (puree, grilled). Keep in mind that it is way more beneficial to drink its juice or consume it raw than after the thermal treatment, during which it loses valuable components. 

If you are interested in juicing not ordinary products visit our blog and find some more inspiring articles:

Surprisingly Healthy Products You Didn’t Juice Before

Investigating Broccoli Juice and Its’ Benefits

Good luck with juicing the butternut squash.

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