This super Simple Air Fryer Patty Pan Squash is a favorite fall side dish that is quick to make and tastes so delicious you will wish they were out all year long!
Using the Air Fryer for side dishes saves time and space in your busy and chaotic kitchen during the dinner hour. These appliances were set up for just these dishes and they come out perfectly every time.
This is so simple that it is more of a quick “how to” than anything else. It is also an easy way to confirm you can cook just about anything and make it amazing by putting it through an Air Fryer.
🍽️ Why This Works
Simple | These are such simple veggies to whip up for a quick side dish any night of the week. Add extras like onions or other veggies to make it a mix your family loves.
Quick and Easy | The prep on this one is so quick that you will have no reason to NOT make these all the time.
Healthy | These are a great healthy side dish for your family that everyone loves. It is extra special that they only come out for a couple months of the year.
🥘 Ingredients
- Patty Pan Squash
- Fresh Herbs
- Sweet Onion
- Oil
- Salt and Pepper
🔥 Instructions
This recipe is so simple and easy, which will make a family favorite for those crazy weeknights where you want to serve something healthy and need it in a flash.
Step One: Set the Air Fryer to 390 degrees.
Step Two: Cut up the Patty Pan Squash into one inch cubes. If there are seeds in your squash (there are some and we found some didn’t have hardly any!) then remove them.
Step Three: Cut up the onions into quarters and put in the bowl.
Step Four: Add in the rosemary, thyme and spray olive oil and toss to cover. Try and evenly coat so you get a mix of flavors in each bite.
Step Four: Add the Patty Pan mix to the Air Fryer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Every Air Fryer is different so start checking at 10 minutes but it can easily take up to 15. This is also a great time to decide how firm or soft you would like your squash. Also, make sure to stir or rearrange at the halfway point.
Serve hot and enjoy!
❗ Expert Tips
Every Air Fryer cooks slightly differently. When trying out a recipe for the first time, always cook at the minimum time and then adjust. We’d hate for you to overcook these!
Use the spray olive oil here as you just want it to lightly cover the squash and not saturate them.
🍽️ Substitutions
You can make so many great substitutions here that will allow you to mix it up several ways so you are never tired of the simple concept of air frying your squash.
- Change up the herbs
- Toss parmesan cheese on top when it comes out
- Use the same recipe and try zucchini or yellow squash
- Add in red or yellow peppers in with the mix
You get the idea. If you only have one Patty Pan squash, look in your veggie drawer and see what else you can mix in. Be creative and enjoy the process.
🍲 Meal Prep
We made a batch of these Air Fryer squash and my husband mixed it in with scrambled eggs to make a wonderful breakfast hash.
You can meal prep these by cutting up the squash and the onion on Sunday so you can simply toss with olive oil and herbs the day of cooking. This recipe is quick and simple but if you can cut down more chaos on busy nights, why not?
Recipe FAQ
Patty pan squash are a disk shaped mini squash that are so fun to serve up. Green or yellow in color, and loaded with nutrients.
Remove the step and the bottom edge, and then slice into wedges. The goal is you will want to cut your squash into similar sized shape, as it will cook evenly in the air fryer.
Some patty pan will have some seeds, if you happen to see seeds, simply remove them. Smaller squash will have fewer seeds and the ones they do have are super soft and edible. Then slice and cook as directed below in the recipe card.
During the summer months you can find this squash next to other squash produce in your grocery stores, or even at your local farmer’s market. Or if you harvest your own squash, then head to your garden!
Yes! The skin is edible. Smaller squash will have a similar texture to zucchini. Larger squash might have a thicker skin. But, I have not had to peel the skin off of these before cooking, which is why it is one of my go-to veggies in the fall!
Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Air Fryer Patty Pan Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Patty Pan Squash chopped up into one inch cubes
- ½ Sweet Onion quartered
- 1 tsp Rosemary chopped, fresh
- 1 tsp Thyme chopped, fresh
- Spray Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut up the patty pan squash into one inch cubes. **Some patty pan squash have seeds, so remove them and cut around them. Cut up the onion in quarters and put in a bowl.
- Add the rosemary, thyme and spray olive oil and toss with your hands to fully cover.
- Set air fryer to 390 degrees and cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on your air fryer. All air fryers are different so start checking at 10 minutes.
Notes
- Change up the herbs
- Toss parmesan cheese on top when it comes out
- Use the same recipe and do zucchini or yellow squash
- Add in red or yellow peppers in with the mix
Nutrition
Hi!
Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.
I had these with my salmon bowl and OMG! So perfect