Learning How to Roast Butternut Squash is quick and easy. Delicious served as a side or tossed in and among all your favorite fall recipes, Butternut Squash is a fall must-have and an easy substitute for pumpkin. Learn how to cook acorn squash and spaghetti squash in these other easy to follow posts.
Every year around this time I go a little butternut squash crazy. Autumn is just around the corner and this must-have fall and winter vegetable somehow manages to sneak its way onto every meal plan.
Given that the season of the squash is just around the corner, I thought I would kick it off with a back-to-the-basics post. After all, sometimes I forget that it’s the how-to recipes that are most needed. Besides, with so many Butternut Squash Recipes already on this little blog of mine, I figured I should show you How to Roast Butternut Squash, too.
Roasting butternut squash is super easy and definitely worth the extra time. Similar to pumpkins in taste and texture, the butternut squash is easier to roast and puree (mostly because it’s smaller). I often use the two interchangeably in recipes if I don’t have one or the other in the house and don’t feel like running to the market.
Reasons to Love Butternut Squash
- Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and magnesium.
- They can be steamed, sautéed, roasted, toasted, boiled, mashed, pureed, stuffed, twice-baked…
- Which means they are incredibly versatile. Delicious in sweet pies or savory stews, butternut squash is just that good.
- They’re easy to find! And, oftentimes, easy to plant in your very own backyard (although don’t ask me about that last part yet, I’m still working on my green thumb).
New to butternut squash? Check out my post, All About Butternut Squash: How to Pick, Peel, and Prepare for Cooking
What You Need to Roast Butternut Squash
Butternut squash can be roasted halved, in slices or cubed. Depending on the type of recipe you plan to prepare will determine how you want to roast your squash.
In any case, in order to roast butternut squash, you will need an oven, a baking sheet (or two) or baking dish (like the one shown below), and a large sharp knife. If you plan to roast your butternut squash in small cubes then you will also need a paring knife or a high-quality vegetable peeler to slice away the tough skin from the squash.
You will also need the following ingredients:
- Butternut squash
- Olive oil or Butter
For added flavor, try adding one (or a few) of the following:
- Salt and Black pepper
- Fresh herbs (thyme or rosemary)
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon or Nutmeg
- Cayenne powder
How to Pick the Best Butternut Squash
Much like the acorn squash and spaghetti squash, it’s important to look for butternut squash that is heavy for its size. It doesn’t need to be the biggest one, but one that is solid and heavy is a must. You’ll often find me standing at the market picking up all the butternut squash seeing how their weight compares.
Look for squash with a nice beige-ish color. Surface scratches and imperfections are normal, but deep scratching, cuts, or soft spots are not.
Keep your butternut squash in a cool, dry place for up to two weeks until ready to cook.
How to Roast Butternut Squash (Halved)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using a large, sturdy knife, cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from each half and discard (or save for roasting).
- Transfer the butternut squash, cut-side up into a baking dish and brush with olive oil or melted butter, coating the entire surface of the squash.
- Season with salt and pepper and brown sugar (if desired).
- Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft, and fork-tender.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop flesh from the skin and enjoy plain or in your favorite recipes.
How to Roast Butternut Squash (Cubes)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using a large, sturdy knife to cut ends from the butternut squash.
- Use a vegetable peeler to slice the skin from the butternut squash by holding one end of the squash with one hand and slicing with the vegetable peeler in the other.
- Cut the squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from each half and discard seeds (or save for roasting).
- Flip each half over so that it is cut-side-down and cut the squash into slices. Depending on the size needed for the recipe being prepared, cut the slices into small half-inch to one-inch cubes and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Toss with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, if desired.
- Transfer the butternut squash to a lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness.
If you try cooking this butternut squash recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I would also love to hear your favorite way to eat butternut squash- do you enjoy it plain, with cinnamon and butter, blended in soup, or covered in sauce?
More Butternut Squash Recipes,
- Butternut Squash Chia Pudding
- Butternut Squash, Zucchini, and Spinach Lasagna
- Easy 5 Ingredient Herb Roasted Butternut Squash with Pine Nuts
- Sweet Potato + Butternut Squash Hash with Feta and Poached Egg
- Spicy Thai Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Ramen with Chicken
- Arugula Salad with Beluga Lentils, Butternut Squash, and Grapes
- Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Shepherd’s Pie
- Chicken with Mushrooms and Butternut Squash
- Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops with Butternut Squash
DON’T FORGET TO PIN HOW TO ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND USE IN ALL YOUR FAVORITE BUTTERNUT SQUASH RECIPES.
RECIPE CARD
How to Roast Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut squash
- 2 teaspoon olive oil or melted butter
- salt + pepper - to taste
- Brown sugar - if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using a large sturdy knife, cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon and discard or save for later (if you're planning on roasting them).
- Transfer the butternut squash, cut-side-up into a baking dish and brush with olive oil or melted butter, coating the entire surface of the squash.
- Season with salt and pepper and brown sugar (if desired).
- Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft, and fork-tender.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop flesh from the kin and enjoy plain or in your favorite recipes.
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Very easy, I have so much from my garden. I cut the ends off, cut in half, took the seeds out. Brushed with Olive oil. Put in the Air Fryer at 400 for 50 minutes. Came out perfect. I will mash with brown sugar , cinnamon and a little nutmeg. So good.
Thanks Sue 😀
I love making butternut squash ravioli. It is a really nice recipe to make peeling the squash, baking it in a 350F or 375F oven until fork tender with Becel or butter, generously sprinkling cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. You can also roast pine nuts at this time. I then let it cool and make a brown butter sage. While it is cooling, I make ravioli dough and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, it is really easy to roll out the dough into sheets and assemble but putting the dough over the ravioli press, filling each indented ravioli with butternut squash, adding another rolled sheet and pressing it down to seal. Add spices again on top and brush with brown butter sage then bake. Yoy can also refrigerated at this time befire baking and go about enjoying your day.
If you prefer to gently boil the pressed and made ravioli, you skip adding the spices until they are boiled and float to the top, lightly drizzle with the brown butter sage you have prepared, add the spices again and roasted pine nuts and enjoy.
Great recipe
If cutting the butternut squash before cooking is too difficult you can place the whole squash in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. It will soften enough to be cut without much effort.
just wondered if anyone else reacts to cutting up this squash with numbness to the skin- hands & fingers???
I do get some weird sensations, but not necessarily numbness.
You may need a sharper knife…thst maybe the problem
I don’t get any reactions at all, you might have a mild allergy.
Sounds like you are just irritating nerves with repetitive movements. Could be a form of carpal tunnel syndrome, or even arthritis, or just overdoing it at the moment. I have arthritis in my right hand, and I wouldn’t even attempt it anymore.
I roast a butternut squash whole at 350 to 400 for an hour depending on the size. I also have sweet potatoes in there at the same time. Not the recipe but I wanted to add this tip because it’s so easy. The hard part is the wait time while the squash cools so you can cut, scoop and de-seed it. Eliminates the hard and sometimes dangerous cutting.
Hi, I had to comment here. After cutting butternut squash MANY times, I developed a rash. My skin felt dry and tight and the skin peeled off. I found out that it is something that happens with butternut squash. Now I am trying to avoid handling raw butternut squash flesh and when I do touch it, Iwash my hands ASAP.
I also get a reaction when working with butternut squash. My easy solution is to wear gloves when peeling or handling the squash. No more reactions!
Yes! I have those sensations, too. Like dry, tightening skin, particularly on my thumbs. Glad you commented on that. I thought something was wrong with me.
Late reply, but yep! It’s called butternut squash dermatitis. I usually roast butternut squash whole like this and peel it after it’s cooked, or wear gloves if the recipe calls for uncooked, peeled squash.
Sounds delicious
I have made butternut squash for years in this fashion except I put the squash cavity side down with a head of garlic, top sliced off, and a little Lebanese 5 spice sprinkled onto the cut side and into the cavity. Of course I salted the inside and outside. I usually plan on 45 mins, but let it go longer if you need. When it is fork tender, it is done. The cut side down will be slightly carmelized. The garlic will perfume the whole squash and the roasted garlic can be smeared on pieces of toasted baguettes or crusty bread. Yum!
Sounds like what I’ll do next time.
Mine took a little over an hour using this recipe.
No biggie—I figured it would.
It is in the oven now. After 45 minutes it is no where near done. So I will check it every 15 minutes now. But it makes the whole house smell wonderful!
ooh, great idea!! I only googled a recipe to double check I was using the right temp, but I actually jumped up, yanked the squash out, and added garlic immediately upon reading your tip lol! I am stoked! I love garlic but hate mucking around pressing or chopping it, so an easy way to use it really gets my attention! Thanks!
Awesome! This time I mashed it with butter! My 2 year old grandson’s favourite! No need for brown sugar.
Can you freeze butternut squash.
yes
Waste of time …followed instructions for roasting halves and after even 50 minutes at 375 the squash was still nearly as hard as it was when it went in. I had to throw what I could get out of the skin into the pot with the liquids and cook it there until it was soft enough to blend into the soup. This also led to wasting some of the squash since I had to cut away the skin instead of scooping out the flesh.
Wow! Were you cooking the squash uncut? This has been a never-fail for me. Don’t give up!
…..also, was the squash ripe?
I’ve made something similar and just put it straight into soup in the past, but I just basically copied this exactly and I can’t believe just how good it is just by itself – had to stop myself standing and eating it all straight out the over hahaha – amazing 🙌
45 minutes was insufficient time to cook the squash (cut side up). Other recipes call for 1.5 hours.
50 minutes at 400 was perfect for me. I loved it. Probably depends on the size of the squash and accuracy of oven temperature.
Also depends on starting temp of squash. If it comes straight out of refrigerator it will take forever.
Instead of brown sugar, I sprinkled cinnamon after it was cooked. Divine.
I had to bump it up to 400 degrees and cook for over an hour.
I always cooked my butternut squash cut side down. What’s the difference?
Hello, just letting you know that you wrote ‘kin’ instead of ‘skin’ in your recipe instructions.
Butternut squash is my favorite fruit/vegetable. I always thought of it as dessert with dinner. I always either made it as above or peeled, cut up and boiled and mashed like mashed potatoes. I always added butter and brown sugar to either. Walnuts were added for a special treat. I just did it differently for a change and put some honey instead of brown sugar on it. Very good and it was a big hit with the Mrs. who is not the biggest vegetable fan. ( worse than the kids)
What is average time to roast squash (halved in oven) at 400 degrees to get soft? ALso, should you cover with foil?
The recipe above calls for roasting a half butternut squash in the oven at 375 for approximately 45 minutes until soft and tender with a fork 🙂