Roasted Butternut Squash is such an easy and delicious vegetable side dish. Roasted cubes of squash with cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper, finished off with a drizzle of honey. This squash goes wonderfully with just about any dinner, even a holiday meal!
If you love squash of all kinds, try this Acorn Squash Recipe with a nutty, sweet center, or this creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole with gruyere cheese and bacon.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe
Not only are we excited to share this Roasted Butternut Squash recipe with you, we have lots of helpful tips and details to make this recipe look and taste it’s best!
However, if you’re ready to dive right into making this roasted squash, scroll down to the recipe card or click the “jump to recipe” button above the first photo.
- Easy To Make: After peeling and dicing the squash, just season and roast in the oven.
- Make Ahead: Easily make this recipe ahead of time and warm up when you need it.
- Customizable: Switch up the flavors to your liking using different spices and herbs.
- Versatile: Butternut squash has a delicious, sweet flavor that most will love. It can be served as a side dish or as part of the main course.
How To Roast Butternut Squash
Start by grabbing a butternut squash, cutting the ends off and peeling it. Fun fact, you actually don’t have to peel butternut squash to eat it, but we like ours peeled so it’s super soft when roasted.
- STEP 1 – Cut the ends off the squash, peel and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
- STEP 2 – Slice the squash into thick strips and then dice into 1 1/2″ cubes, about the size you see above.
- STEP 3 – Drizzle the squash cubes with olive oil and then season with salt, cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. We like to add fresh thyme to ours, but if you want to keep it simple you can leave it off.
- STEP 4 – Roast the squash for 25 minutes at 400 degrees until tender. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey (optional).
Can Roasted Squash Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Yes! You can do this one of two ways. Peel and dice the squash, get it on a baking sheet and season it. Let it hang out at room temperature until you’re ready to cook, then just pop it into the oven for 25 minutes.
Or cook the roasted butternut squash all the way through, let it cool to room temperature and then store it in the refrigerator. Then you can reheat the squash right in the microwave or back in the oven until warmed through.
What Other Types Of Squash Can Be Roasted?
Try acorn squash, kabocha or pumpkin. You can even use this roasted butternut squash recipe and make it with Yukon gold potatoes or sweet potatoes instead.
Butternut squash is definitely our go to for this recipe because it’s sweet in nature already and it roasts up tender and caramelized in just under 30 minutes.
Variations
You can add to, swap out or fancy up this butternut squash as you choose, and/or depending on what you’re using it for. Side dish options can be more bold in flavor, or if you’re using this squash as part of a bowl or a main course you might want to keep the flavors more simple.
- Fresh Herbs: If you don’t like thyme, try rosemary, oregano or even just fresh parsley.
- Seasonings: Many different seasonings can be used to flavor this squash. Anything that you like, from Italian seasoning or cumin, or keep it simple with just salt and pepper.
- Add Ons: Toss in crumbled bacon or feta cheese, roasted chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts, even a few mini marshmallows for a sweet potato casserole feel.
Looking For More Vegetable Sides?
- Air Fryer Zucchini
- Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potato Souffle
- Cheesy Roasted Asparagus
- Honey Glazed Carrots
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Roasted Butternut Squash has a sweet has spicy flavor! Cinnamon and a dash of cayenne finished off with a drizzle of honey!
Ingredients
- 2 small-medium butternut squash (you’ll need about 8 cups cubed squash)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, leave out if you don’t want any heat)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- Honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut both ends off of the squash. Peel the squash, the cut into strips and then into cubes. Try to get the cubes of squash roughly the same size so that they cook at the same time. Refer to the photos in the post for reference.
- Add the squash cubes to a baking sheet in a single layer. If your baking sheets are smaller, use two so that the squash has room to roast and caramelize. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and then season with salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper if using. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and then toss to evenly distribute the seasoning.
- Roast the squash 15 minutes then remove from the oven and toss. Return the squash to the oven for another 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. We find that 2 tablespoons is usually sweet enough, but you can add as much or as little as you like.
Recipe Notes
Store: Store cooled down, cooked squash in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Reheat cooked squash in the microwave until warmed through.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
