Squash vs Pumpkin: Benefits, Differences, and Which Is Healthier

When the calendar flips from October to November, we switch from pumpkins on porches getting carved into jack-o-lanterns to cans of pumpkin puree becoming Thanksgiving pies.

However, pumpkin is not the only fall fruit (yep, it’s technically a fruit!) on the menu—squash also has its time to shine in the autumn and winter months.

But which one is healthier—squash vs pumpkin? And are pumpkins the same thing as squash? In this article, we’ll explore the differences between these two fall superfoods, including their history, nutritional value, and potential health benefits. 

History of Pumpkin and Squash

Squash is one of the oldest crops known to be cultivated by humans, with evidence of its growth and use dating back 10,000 years. With their ultra-hearty exterior and long shelf life, many cultures have relied on squashes to provide much-needed starchy carbohydrates through long winters. 

Both squash and pumpkins have their roots (er, vines?) in Central America and Mexico, making them one of the earliest plants domesticated in the Americas. Archaeologists have found evidence of pumpkin seeds dating back between 8,300 and 10,000 years (6,000-8,000 BC) in the Oaxaca Highlands of Mexico in ancient Mesoamerica. 

Squash was essential to many Indigenous cultures, including the Iroquois, Cherokee, Mayan, and Aztecs. It’s a vital part of the “Three Sisters” agricultural system, where squash is grown alongside corn (maize) and beans—the three “sisters” mutually support and complement one another’s growth and survival. 

Squash and pumpkin also held significance in many Indigenous cultures as a symbol of good harvests and to celebrate the autumnal harvest season. They may also have been used for decoration, rituals, or medicinal purposes. 

As a quick aside, the word squash comes from the Narragansett word askutasquash, while the word pumpkin originates from the Greek word pepōn, meaning “large melon.”

Like many other things, squash made its way to Europe in the late 15th and 16th centuries, but its use wasn’t popularized in the United States until the 19th century when American farmer Elijah Dickinson farmed heirloom pumpkins and bought a cannery for the sweet puree. He later sold the facility to the Libby family (a name which you may notice still adorns many cans of pumpkin puree today).

However, modern squash tastes much different from the ancient small, bitter, and often-toxic Mesoamerican squashes, as centuries of cross-breeding led to the sweet varieties we know today.

Lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t touch on modern-day pumpkins’ claim to fame: the jack-o-lantern! This tradition is based on Irish folklore and the Celtic festival Samhain. Essentially, people would carve scary faces into turnips (or other root vegetables), add candles inside to make them into lanterns, and place them in their windows to scare away evil spirits.

One of these wandering spirits is “Stingy Jack,”—an Irish myth about a man named Jack who tricked the devil for his own gain, so the devil sentenced Jack to roam the earth for eternity. As legend has it, he roamed around holding a carved-out turnip with a burning coal inside, making him “Jack of the Lantern.”

In Ireland and Scotland, people carved demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack or other wandering souls, as Samhain (Halloween) is supposed to be the night when the veil between the living and dead is thinnest, and these souls might be out and about. Then, Irish immigrants started using pumpkins instead of turnips upon moving to the U.S. (and thank goodness for this, as the old carved turnips were way creepier!). 

Varieties and Botanical Classification

Squashes and pumpkins are part of the Cucurbitaceae family (often called “Curcubits”), which also includes gourds, cucumber, watermelon, and cantaloupe. While pumpkins are a type of squash, not all squashes are pumpkins. 

Most of the squashes consumed today come from just five species: Cucurbitaceae argyrosperma, C. ficfolia, C. maxima, C. moscha., and C. pepo. 

Although we think of squash and pumpkins as vegetables, this entire family is actually botanically considered fruits because of their seeds (which anyone who has carved a pumpkin can attest to). However, they are considered vegetables in the culinary sense. 

Types of Pumpkins

Some common pumpkins for eating include:

• Sugar pie pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins or sweet pumpkins): As the name suggests, these are sweet pumpkins that are well-suited for pumpkin pie. They’re small, round, and orange.
• Cinderella pumpkins: This variety is large and flat, almost with a disc-like shape. Cinderella pumpkins are known as Rouge vif d’etampes in France, as they turn bright red when ripe. They can reach 20 pounds and are a bit too watery for pies, so they’re often used in soups, stews, and pumpkin butter.
• Long Island Cheese pumpkins: The “cheese” in Long Island Cheese refers to its shape as a wheel of cheese, not the flavor! They’re pale and peachy in color, medium in size, and flat in shape. These heirloom pumpkins don’t have strings, allowing for a smooth puree. 
• Fairytale pumpkins (also known as Musquee de Provence pumpkins): A rarity in the squash world, as these pumpkins can be eaten raw! They look a lot like cheese pumpkins and turn from green to orange when ripe. 

Types of Squashes

In addition to pumpkins (which, remember, are squashes), there are dozens of types of squashes. 

While “squash” also encompasses summer squash like zucchini and yellow squash, we will discuss just winter squash here.

Some of the most commonly consumed winter squashes include:

• Butternut squash: Well known for its buttery and sweet flavor, butternut squash is a pear-shaped, pale orange squash that’s commonly roasted, pureed, or cubed into fall-themed salads. 
• Acorn squash: A small and round squash (acorn-shaped, if you will) with thicker green skin and sweet yellow-orange flesh. 
• Kabocha squash: Also known as Japanese squash, Kabocha is shaped like a traditional pumpkin and has dark green skin and orange flesh. With its thinner skin, you don’t need to peel kabocha squash before eating. 
• Delicata squash: Another squash with a thin (delicate) skin that requires no peeling, delicata squash is cylindrical, cream-colored, and has green or orange stripes. 
• Honeynut squash: Honeynut is sweeter and smaller than butternut squash, as it’s a hybrid between butternut and buttercup squash (a dark green squash that looks like a pumpkin). While you technically can eat honeynut squash skin, it’s a bit thicker and more fibrous. 
• Spaghetti squash: A low-carb eater’s dream, spaghetti squash uniquely shreds into spaghetti-like strands after cooking. It’s most often bright yellow, oblong, and cylindrically shaped. 

Pumpkin and Squash Nutrition

Most types of squash have similar nutritional profiles, although they will, of course, vary slightly depending on the variety.

In general, most types of squash (pumpkin included) contain (per cup, cooked):

• 50-115 calories 
• 7-30 grams of carbohydrates 
• 1-3 grams of fiber 
• 1-3 grams of protein 
• 0 grams of fat 

Let’s compare the macronutrients of some of the most popular squashes: pumpkin, butternut, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash. 

*All are a 1-cup serving of cooked and cubed squash except pumpkin, which is one cup of cooked and mashed *Fat is not shown because they all contain <1g fat in the flesh.

Squash is also rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—especially beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A. As we’ll see in the next section, beta-carotene is important for vision, immune function, skin health, and cardiovascular health.

All orange-fleshed squash contain beta-carotene, but studies show that pumpkin contains the most, followed by butternut squash, hubbard squash (a large pale blue or green squash with bumpy skin), and acorn squash. For reference, one cup of canned pumpkin contains 17,003mcg of beta-carotene, butternut contains 9,368mcg, hubbard has 7,339mcg, and acorn has 1,200mcg.

The main nutrients and bioactive compounds in pumpkin and squash include carotenoids (like alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin), potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are also nutritious. They provide a low-carb, high-fat snack with minerals like copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin and Squash

Although there aren’t too many studies specifically looking at eating pumpkin or squash and health outcomes, there is research on many of the nutritional components found in these foods—especially beta-carotene. As pumpkin flesh has a much higher beta-carotene content than other squash, it could be said that pumpkin has more potential health benefits. 

Some of the benefits of pumpkin and squash include:

• Immune system health: Vitamin A and its carotenoid precursors are known for supporting immune function, including enhancing immune responses and fighting free radicals and oxidative stress. Vitamin A may also strengthen the intestinal lining, which is an important component of gastrointestinal immunity. Without enough vitamin A, infections are much more common. 
• Cardiovascular and metabolic health: The potassium and antioxidants in squashes may benefit heart health, including blood pressure and blood sugar. Pumpkin specifically has been studied for its role as an anti-diabetic. Squashes are also a good source of dietary fiber, a nutrient known to lower unhealthy cholesterol and help with blood sugar management. 
• Vision and eye health: ​​Carotenoids and vitamin A support vision and eye health by helping the retina absorb light, which protects the retina and lens from UV damage. The antioxidants in pumpkin and squash (mainly beta-carotene) also fight oxidative stress in the eyes, which can contribute to eye diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Vitamin A is also known to fight night blindness (an early sign of vitamin A deficiency) by ​​increasing the production of pigments that allow your eyes to see at night. 
• Skin health: The antioxidants in squash, including vitamins A, C, and E, are beneficial for skin health. Beta-carotene is thought to be photoprotective, meaning it helps to protect the skin from UV damage, which is a significant contributor to premature aging. Vitamin A is also known to promote skin cell growth and repair, helping with collagen production and wound healing. 
• Mood and mental health: The minerals found in squash and pumpkin, like magnesium, have been linked to improved mood and mental health. 

Culinary Uses of Pumpkin and Squash

Although squashes are on the sweeter side, they all can be used for both sweet and savory dishes. 

Pumpkin may be best known for pumpkin spice lattes and pie, but there are many other uses for this fall squash.

Pumpkin (either canned pumpkin puree or fresh, cooked pumpkin) can be used in soups, stews, pasta dishes, curries, and casseroles.

Keep in mind that canned pumpkin (100% pumpkin or pumpkin puree in the ingredient list) is not the same as pumpkin pie filling (or “pumpkin pie mix”), which also includes sugar, spices, and often natural flavors.

On the sweet side, you can use pumpkin in muffins, cookies, breads, pancakes, waffles, and, of course, pumpkin pie!

Squash is often used in pureed soups—especially butternut squash, but you can also try honeynut squash soup. Stuffed acorn squash is great; its sturdy cavity can be filled with grains, veggies, nuts, or whatever you’d like. 

Other uses for squash include mashed butternut or acorn squash, roasted squash, or squash desserts (like pies and breads). 

Spaghetti squash is the most culinarily unique from other squashes, as the flesh is shredded into strands that resemble spaghetti. 

All types of squash (pumpkin included) can be made as a simple side dish—just peel (if necessary), cube, and roast it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and other herbs or spices you prefer (try cumin, garlic, cinnamon, rosemary, or coriander). 

Unlike most other types of squash, the seeds of the pumpkin (pepitas) can also be consumed, commonly eaten as a crunchy snack when dried and roasted. 

If you’re searching for some pumpkin recipes, we’ve got you covered! Check out these healthy recipes: 

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Chai Latte
• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

The Bottom Line

Both squash and pumpkin are highly nutritious foods. Pumpkin itself is a type of squash, but many other types of squash are consumed worldwide. With nutrients like fiber, beta-carotene, vitamin A, potassium, and magnesium, pumpkin and squash are beneficial for immune, skin, heart, metabolic, and eye health. If you typically only eat butternut squash, try branching out to include another squash in your diet to get a variety of nutrients and flavors. Although pumpkin has the most beta-carotene, all these winter squashes are healthy foods to include in your diet—and not just on Thanksgiving.

Squash vs Pumpkin FAQs