Have a green squash or green pumpkin on your hands but not sure what to do with it? Or you’re wondering what the name of your squash might be?
I have you covered with this list of nearly two dozen green winter squash, green pumpkins, and green summer squashes – with a photo and information for each one!
More Reading:
- Difference between squashes and pumpkins
- Difference between winter squash and summer squash
- Ultimate Types of Squash Guide (over 70 different types of squash & pumpkins!)
Table of Contents
- Green Winter Squash (Including Green Pumpkins)
- Acorn Squash
- Black Futsu Squash
- Blue Ballet Squash
- Blue Doll Pumpkin
- Buttercup Squash
- Cushaw Squash
- Kabocha Squash
- Kakai Pumpkin
- Lumina Pumpkin
- Marina Di Chioggia Squash
- Naples Long Squash
- Queensland Blue Pumpkin
- Silver-Edged Pumpkin
- Starry Night Squash
- Sweet Meat Squash
- Triamble Squash
- Yokohama Squash
- Green Summer Squash
- Partially Green Squash
Green Winter Squash (Including Green Pumpkins)
Acorn Squash
Acorn Squash is one of the most classic squashes around! It is, indeed, shaped like an acorn, with a pointed bottom and deep lobes that run vertically from top to bottom.
There are SO many varieties of acorn squash, but the most common is green in color, often with some gold or orange mottling.
A common way to prepare acorn squash is by cutting it in half, removing the seeds, brushing it with butter, sprinkling on salt, pepper, and often brown sugar, and then roasting it cut-side down.
Acorn squash is a member of Cucurbita pepo (Acorn Group).
Black Futsu Squash
Black Futsu Squash is a squash that ranges in color from orange with a hint of gray-green to deep forest green.
This Japanese heirlooms squash is quite small, weighing in just a pound or two. It’s also known as Black Futsu Pumpkin.
Black Futsu is a part of the Cucurbita moschata group.
- Learn more in the Black Futsu Squash Guide.
Blue Ballet Squash
Blue Ballet Squash is considered more of a ‘blue’ squash, but it definitely skews blue-green in color. It’s super pretty! Blue Ballet is a descendent of Hubbard.
It’s teardrop-shaped and medium-sized (4-6 pounds) with smooth blue skin. This squash is known for being easy to grow and a long storer (though to be honest, I tried to grow this in my own garden, and it was a bust!)
Cucurbita maxima (Hubbard group).
Blue Doll Pumpkin
Blue Doll is one of my favorite pumpkins! It’s a big one (about 15-20 pounds) that’s deeply lobed and blocky in shape. I love the dusty blue-green hue – it’s excellent for fall displays. It’s good eating, too, popular for both pies and soups.
Blue Doll resides in the Cucurbita maxima group.
Buttercup Squash
If you have a small green squash on your hands but you know it’s not Kabocha, it might be a Buttercup Squash! Buttercup are smaller in size (around 3-5 pounds), with a slightly flattened round shape and a corky stem. It’s emerald green in color, slightly mottled, with paler green vertical stripes.
One of the telltale signs you have a buttercup squash is the round “button” on the bottom of the squash. I need to take another photo of buttercup that shows this button and it’s on my list, but meanwhile, I’ll describe it: The round bottom is lighter green than the rest of the squash, protrudes slightly, and has a corky circle around it – and you can’t miss it.
Buttercup is a member of Cucurbita maxima (Buttercup Group).
Cushaw Squash
Cushaw Squash can come in white, ivory, various shades of green, or can be green striped. They’re also known as Cushaw Pumpkins, though they’re not very pumpkin-shaped! They’re oblong, with bulbous bottoms and curved, crooked necks. Cushaw are medium to large in size, from seven pounds all the way up to 25.
Cucurbita argyrosperma (Callicarpa Group).
Kabocha Squash
Kabocha Squash, also known as Japanese Pumpkin, is one of the most common green winter squash. It’s on the small side and is deep forest green in color. It’s revered for its dry, nutty, sweet flesh.
Kabocha comes in various varieties including Blue Kuri and Red Kabocha, but the classic Kabocha Squash is a deep, forest green.
Cucurbita maxima.
- Read more in the Kabocha Squash Guide.
Kakai Pumpkin
If you have a medium-sized mottled green pumpkin on your hands, it might be a Kakai Pumpkin! Kakai Pumpkins are a gorgeous Japanese pumpkin with green and orange markings and slightly raised, vertical ribs.
Kakai Pumpkins are known and grown for their hull-less seeds (the green pepitas you typically see in stores.)
Cucurbita pepo.
Lumina Pumpkin
This squash is BARELY green, but enough of a hint of the color is there that I thought I should include it! Lumina Pumpkins are white in color, but there is a tint of blue-green there too.
Lumina is a big one, weighing 10-15 pounds (about the size of a volleyball).
Cucurbita maxima.
Marina Di Chioggia Squash
Marina Di Chioggia Squash is one of my favorites! This blue-green, warty squash hails from Italy and is named for the Marina Di Chioggia fishing port near Venice, Italy. Often referred to as Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin.
They’re medium in size and revered as much for ornamental displays as they are for eating (it’s reportedly excellent in pumpkin ravioli and makes a fine pumpkin gnocchi!)
Cucurbita maxima (Turban group).
Naples Long Squash
If you have a massive squash that’s green in color, it might be a Naples Long Squash! These oblong squash, shaped sort of like a lumpy green traffic cone, weigh from 20 to 50 pounds. The color is a deep, rich green.
Cucurbita moschata.
Queensland Blue Pumpkin
Queensland Blue Pumpkin is a dusty blue-green color, blocky in shape, and so perfect in fall displays! It’s similar to Jarrahdale Pumpkin (and also Australian in heritage) but, at 6-8 pounds, smaller than Jarrahdale.
Great for fall displays and has a long shelf life. The vibrant orange flesh is very sweet tasting.
Queensland Blue is a member of the Cucurbita pepo species.
Silver-Edged Pumpkin
Unique, silvery-green striped Silver-Edged Pumpkin is a Mexican heirloom.
It’s small to medium in size with vertical green stripes. It’s grown for ornamental displays, but its unique characteristic? Silver-edged seeds! And now you know how it got its name.
The seeds are famously hulled and roasted or ground into a sauce called “pipian sauce,” a Mexican sauce made with pumpkin seeds, chiles, and greens.
Cucurbita argyrosperma (Silverseed Group).
Starry Night Squash
If your squash looks like an Acorn Squash but is smaller in size with yellow or orange speckles, it might be a Starry Night Squash! Starry Night is a relative of Acorn, but is slightly smaller, and, with less stringy flesh, is considered to be better eating than traditional Acorn.
Cucurbita pepo (Acorn Group).
Sweet Meat Squash
Sweet Meat Squash is a big squash, 10-20 pounds. This squash is more of a blue-green in color than true green. Sweet Meat is an heirloom that originated in the mid-1990s. It’s said to taste similar to a sweet potato – and to also make a great pumpkin pie.
Cucurbita maxima.
Triamble Squash
Triamble Squash is a unique greenish blue squash with three distinct lobes (each one is filled with its own chamber of seeds!) It’s medium in size.
This unique squash is also known as Shamrock Squash or Triamble Pumpkin.
Cucurbita Maxima.
Yokohama Squash
Also called Yokohama Pumpkin, this Japanese squash is so deeply green that it’s almost black! Just 3-4 pounds in size, Yokohama has great flavor with its dark orange, fine-grained, sweet flesh.
Cucurbita moschata (Japonica Group).
Green Summer Squash
Chayote Squash
Chayote Squash is a petite one – you can hold this pale green-colored squash in the palm of your hand. Mexican in origin, Chayote is a summer squash with one large seed inside instead of several smaller ones.
Chayote is not your typical summer squash. To prepare, remove the touch peel with your veggie peeler and dice or julienne the flesh of your squash (removing the pit). Many enjoy this one raw as well as cooked.
Cucurbita ficifolia.
Cousa Squash
If you have a pale green, squat zucchini, it might be a Cousa Squash (also spelled Kousa Squash.) This Middle Eastern squash is a variety of zucchini that’s widely prepared as whole stuffed squash in Lebanese cooking.
Cucurbita pepo.
Eight Ball Squash (Round Zucchini)
Eight Ball Squash, also known as Round Zucchini, is a small ball-shaped summer squash. It’s great for stuffing but I also like cutting it into slabs and making little zucchini pizzas with them!
Eight Ball Squash are usually green, like zucchini, but there is a yellow variety, too.
Cucurbita pepo (Zucchini Group).
Pattypan Squash
Little scallop-edged Pattypan Squash are so dang cute! They come in a variety of colors – yellow, orange, white, and green. Green Pattypan Squash can range from pale to deep green, and some are even striped.
Pattypan Squash tastes best when harvested and eaten small.
Cucurbita pepo (Scallop Group).
Tromboncino Squash
This summer squash is an Italian heirloom and is super narrow, best harvested young around 10 inches long. Tromboncino Squash is pale green in color, and looks like it should be related to zucchini, but it’s actually a member of the Cucurbita moschata family (the butternut squash family).
Zucchini
If your green-colored squash is a zucchini, you probably know it – they’re the most common, popular green squash of all!
Green and cylindrical in shape, zucchini (more commonly called courgette in the UK and Australia) is a versatile summer squash that is great baked into chips, stuffed and made into “zucchini boats,” fried, sautéed, shredded and added to baked goods (like this amazing one-loaf, one-bowl zucchini bread recipe!
Cucurbita pepo (Zucchini Group).
Partially Green Squash
Above I’ve covered many different types of squash that are pure green, but here are some other squash that are partially green:
- Carnival Squash – mottled hues of white, orange, yellow, and green
- American Tondo Pumpkin – gold with green stripes
- Delicata Squash – Creamy white or yellow with green stripes
- Jester Squash – Ivory with green striped ribs and yellow speckles
- Musquee De Provence Pumpkin – large pumpkin that’s musky orange with splotches of green.x
- Stripetti Squash – Orange or yellow with green stripes
- Sweet Dumpling Squash – Creamy yellow with green stripes
- Turk’s Turban – orange and olive green
- Zephyr Squash – Half yellow, half green summer squash