This Maple Roasted Butternut Squash recipe is the perfect autumn side dish! Simply toss butternut squash cubes with maple syrup, cinnamon, and sea salt. Then roast the squash to create a delicious and aromatic dish. This irresistible and easy baked squash recipe is caramelized on the outside, tender and sweet inside. What a treat!
One of my favorite things about autumn is the appearance of winter squash on market shelves. Roasted butternut squash is a particular favorite vegetable in our family. It’s naturally sweet, low in calories, and full of vitamins A and C.
In this very simple baked squash recipe, I toss butternut squash cubes with extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, and seasonings. Overall this creates a sweet, salty medley of flavors. The cinnamon and cayenne give this side dish a little spicy kick– just enough to make it interesting.
At first glance, this may seem like a lot of squash. But when you roast butternut squash, the pieces tend to shrink up quite a bit. In addition, this maple roasted butternut squash is so delicious, you’ll be glad you made a little extra. If you’re only making dinner for two, you can easily halve the recipe if you wish. But I could honestly eat half the recipe by myself in one sitting. It’s that tasty and quite possibly the best butternut squash recipe!
As I have noted in the recipe below, you don’t need to pay a premium for pre-peeled and seeded butternut squash. While pre-cubed squash is convenient, it’s not that hard to prepare a butternut squash yourself. In fact, my How to Cook Butternut Squash tutorial offers a detailed introduction to the process, as well as more butternut squash recipe ideas.
This baked squash recipe is vegan, dairy free, gluten free, healthy and nutritious. Roasted butternut squash is perfect for fall holidays like Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot. Best of all, it’s easy. Enjoy!
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Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 8 cups butternut squash (peeled and seeded) cut into 1-inch cubes, about 3 lbs of peeled cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper (optional – adds a touch of heat)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you are breaking down a whole butternut squash for this recipe rather than buying the prepared, peeled cubes, you will need a large squash (or two smaller squashes) totaling about 3 lbs. 3 oz. in weight to produce the correct amount of peeled cubes. For details on how to peel and prepare squash for roasting, see this post.
- Line each rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. This lining step is optional, but recommended– it will protect the baking sheet as the sugars caramelize, so it will be easier to clean. It will also make it easier to release the roasted butternut squash from the pan. Spread out the cubes on the baking sheets.Spread out the cubes in a single layer. Drizzle the squash on each baking sheet of squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup total).
- Sprinkle each baking sheet evenly with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 pinches of cayenne pepper total).
- Toss the squash on the sheets with clean hands to coat evenly. Roast the sheets of squash for about 30 minutes, switching the baking sheets on their racks halfway through cooking, until the largest piece of squash is fork-tender all the way through. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and turn on the broiler. If you used parchment paper, slide the squash cubes off of the paper onto the baking sheet for this final step – parchment should not be placed under the broiler.
- Take turns placing each baking sheet under the broiler for 1-2 minutes longer to caramelize. The squash should be golden brown– careful, it will brown very fast. Don't let it burn! Serve warm.
Nutrition
Delicious! I’m looking for recipes to add variety to my family meals, and this was perfect.
Wow ? This was really Delicious ?! Thanks for sharing this recipe… will make it again!!!
Well I never had butternut squash or acorn squash before so I found this recipe and thought I’d better try it before my squash went bad and I did everything it said but I did not have any cayenne pepper and oh my God it is the most unbelievable thing you’ve ever put in your mouth it is like eating candy it is so naturally sweet and I cut back on the maple syrup anyone who’s thinking about trying this recipe by all means do
it is a keeper thank you for sharing
I had invite for Thanksgiving, when i asked what to bring she said squash. “My family doesn’t eat it so don’t make a lot”. I’m like you never know they just might enjoy it! I will make this it sounds wonderful n I’ll be adding nuts to it. Will let you know how it gos
Enjoy Mikki!
How far ahead can this recipe be made, and how should it be reheated? (Trying to prepare as much as possible ahead of Thanksgiving so I’m juggling fewer side dishes the day of.). Thank you!!
Hi Ginny, you can make it up to 24 hours ahead, but roasting it just before serving will maintain any crisp edges… if you roast ahead of time you may lose those as it sits due to the squash’s moisture. It will still taste great though. You can reheat the squash on a lightly greased or parchment-lined roasting sheet at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or so until heated through.
These were absolutely awesome!!! My husband loved them!!!
Best roasted squash recipe I’ve ever made! I simplified the prep by putting the cut-up squash, oil, syrup, spices in a large ziplock bag & mixing them around until well coated. Then I dumped them out on to the parchment paper, spread them out a bit from one another & baked. I needed 35 minutes to cook. I re-stirred them in the liquid of the pan & then broiled. Fantastic….almost dessert!!! My guests ate every bite & were looking for more!
I followed the directions to the letter but the squash stuck to the foil and the broiler burned the tops and set the fire alarm off. I agree with Deby that all sides should be coated before any of it goes on to the pan.
Very good, but stuck to the foil in spite of xtra oil.
You can go light on the EVO because Parchment paper is the no stick trick w these
Awesome! Perfect fall recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. I especially liked your link re how to peel a squash. My squash cooked very quickly; when I checked it at 30 minutes it was very mushy. I then put it under the broiler and watched it carefully but I can’t say it really carmelized. When it started to char I took it out. If I make this recipe again, I will start checking for doneness at about 15 minutes. I would probably also kick up the seasoning–for my palate, it was very mild.
Made this today… to bring to a friends house. It came out amazing! I added some toasted walnuts in the end.. Definitely going to make again!
Toasted walnuts are a great addition!
I’m planning on taking roasted butternut squash to a Thanksgiving gathering and using this recipe. I like the addition of the walnuts. Do you have any tips on transporting this side dish and did you reheat it before serving? Thank you
After 30 minutes, my butternut squash was completely burnt (blackened/charred). That has never happened to me. I wonder what I did wrong. Has anyone else had that issue?
I’m still giving 5 stars because I don’t think it was the recipe fault for burning the squash. My squash has never been this burnt. It must have been a fluke.
That is really odd Heather, especially since so many others have had it work out at this temperature. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. It’s possible your oven runs hotter than others. You might want to test it via an oven thermometer to see if something is off, heating elements can malfunction. Also whenever roasting anything I always recommend checking it every 10 minutes or so.
My family likes this recipe. This was our first experience cooking butternut squash! My husband asked me to save the recipe!
Very good,will cook again. Agree, the prep time was about 30 minutes. Kept changing my knife to get the task done. It was worth it!
ah but they used pre cut squash in this recipe. presidents choice has them fresh or find them in the frozen isle.
I actually poke my squash with a knife a few times & then put the whole squash in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Not long enough to cook it but enough to soften it for cutting. This also cuts down on the roasting time. Every time I do this it comes out great plus it saves my older hands from having to try & cut it raw.
Made this today and brought it to a potluck with my children’s homeschool group. It was a hit! So easy to make and so delicious. Added some cranberries when it came out of the oven and it will now be a staple at our house! Thank you!
I made this recipe just as written and it was really delicious, sweet and savory with a nice kick from the cayenne! I think I will actually up the cayenne level next time I make it since I like spicy flavors. I bought the pre-cut squash and used the foil on the pan as suggested, made prep and clean up a breeze. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I think the maple glaze might be good on sweet potatoes too, will give that a try!
Great, receipe. I’ll be trying it tonight. I would suggest tossing the cubes in a large bowl and then placing them on the tray, so they are coated evenly.
I tossed them right on the tray and then rinsed my hands!! They came out pretty even!
Also delicious! I didn’t have to put under the broiler – just turned off the oven and let the squash sit a few minutes while I dished up the rest of the meal – perfect.
This recipe is so good, even my husband was eating the roasted butternut squash direct from the pan, and he’s not a veggie person. Thanks for sharing the recipe and instructions on how to peel the squash!
Absolutely delicious!!! Even my husband loves it and requests me to make it.