Roasted Butternut Squash

Learn how to cook butternut squash perfectly every time! Enjoy roasted butternut squash as a simple side dish, or add it to fall soups, pastas & more.

Roasted butternut squash

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already made a few batches of butternut squash soup by the time mid-October rolls around. But while butternut squash soup is hands down one of my favorite fall foods, my love for butternut doesn’t end there. When I’m not making soup, I like to simply roast butternut squash. Golden brown, caramelized, and seasoned with salt and pepper, it has a delectable sweet and salty taste and buttery texture. If you’ve never roasted butternut squash before, you have to try it this fall!

Today, I’m sharing my go-to roasted butternut squash recipe. It’s super easy – it requires 4 ingredients (squash, salt, pepper, and olive oil) and 10 minutes of active prep – but it’s delicious nonetheless. It’s good enough to enjoy on its own as a side dish, but it also amps up the fall flavor in all sorts of recipes – bowls, salads, soups, and more! Let’s cook.

How to peel butternut squash

How to Cook Butternut Squash

Making roasted butternut squash is easy! Here’s what you need to do:

Start by peeling the squash. Peeling winter squash can be intimidating, but don’t let butternut scare you. The skin is smooth and relatively thin, and it isn’t ridged. To peel it, use a good vegetable peeler, and work downwards from the stem, peeling off long strips. Use short strokes to trim off any remaining skin at the base of the squash. That’s it!

Butternut squash

Next, cut the squash. Chop off the stem and slice the squash in half vertically. Set the cut side of the halves facing up, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. If your squash is too hard to safely cut, pop it in the microwave or warm it in the oven for a few minutes until slightly softened.

Scooping seeds out of butternut squash

Discard the seeds, and dice the remaining squash into 1-inch cubes. You might get some funky shapes around the base of the squash, where the seeds were scooped out. Just do the best you can to cut the pieces evenly – the closer they are in size, the more evenly they’ll cook.

How to cut butternut squash

Finally, it’s time to bake! Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle it with olive oil, and toss it with generous pinches of salt and pepper (note: a sprinkle of fresh rosemary or thyme at this step would also be delicious). Make sure to leave a little space between each cube – this way, the squash will get nicely crisp and brown in the oven.

Transfer the baking sheet to a 400° oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is tender and golden brown. Then, enjoy!

How to roast butternut squash

What to Do with Roasted Butternut Squash

Golden brown and caramelized, baked butternut squash is delicious on its own as a simple side dish. Just sprinkle it with chopped parsley, and serve! But your options don’t end there. There are a tons of ways to use roasted butternut squash. Here are a few of my favorites:

Let me know what butternut squash recipes you try!

How to cook butternut squash

More Favorite Roasted Veggies

If you love this baked butternut squash, try roasting one of these vegetables next:

Roasted butternut squash

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Roasted Butternut Squash

rate this recipe:
4.94 from 89 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
Learn how to roast butternut squash perfectly every time! Serve it as a simple side dish, or add it to salads, bowls, soups, and more.

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped, and cubed
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Chopped parsley, optional, for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place the squash cubes on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Roast 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

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55 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Amie
    10.23.2022

    5 stars
    I roasted the cubed squash as simply as possible: olive oil (I cheated and used a spray version), salt and pepper. Half an hour later, I was so thrilled, I didn’t want to share any with my husband! I will definitely make this again.

    • Phoebe Moore
      10.28.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  2. Clifton & Mary Alice Carter
    09.19.2022

    We tried our butternut squash recipe and were
    sadly disappointed (not with the recipe) but with the BLAND flavor of the squash. Not likely to try it again.

  3. Dozer
    03.22.2022

    Anyone do this with an air fryer? Wondering what settings/time.

  4. Trivanks
    03.09.2022

    5 stars
    i’m giving you 5 star this is my first visit to your blog and found fabulous tips to cook butternut squash…

    many thanks jeanine

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.11.2022

      Welcome, I’m so glad the information was helpful!

  5. Pam
    02.05.2022

    2 stars
    I had what looked and felt like a perfect butternut squash. 55 min. later it’s still not cooking like it supposed to.
    What could be wrong? The squash really looked, smelled, felt perfect. So sad

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.08.2022

      Hi Pam, is your oven temperature high enough? or maybe it’s not quite accurate? Cubed squash shouldn’t take 55 minutes.

  6. Dovile
    11.26.2021

    Can I make it ahead of time? Like a day before? Thanks so much

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.27.2021

      Hi Dovile, you can, but it’ll get softer as it sits and as it’s reheated.

  7. Virginia
    11.08.2021

    5 stars
    Really easy and we had great butternut squash when it was done!

  8. Morgan
    10.28.2021

    Hi!
    Do you think this could work with frozen butternut squash?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.29.2021

      Hi Morgan, it’ll be more wet and might brown less. I’d let it thaw on a kitchen towel before proceeding with the oven instructions.

  9. Dorie Kosche
    10.25.2021

    I love the simplicity of this recipe. Wanted to serve with spaghetti and meatballs so wanted to keep the flavor simple. I will roast with a bit of fresh rosemary .

  10. Kathleen York
    10.06.2021

    So simple and easy! I didn’t use parsley. Sprinkled with Maine sea salt with sea veg ( kelp and dulse) yummy!!!

  11. Victoria
    10.04.2021

    Making it tonight. I added sage leaves as that is a classic pairing with butternut squash.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.06.2021

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  12. Varda
    03.26.2021

    Did it with fresh Rosemary leaves, smels great looks wondelful.

  13. Gayle Rorvik
    02.19.2021

    5 stars
    This was so good, we wished that butternut squash was bigger! That was a couple days ago- got a bigger one and it’s in the oven. Will change a bit for variety – will add a couple garlic cloves at the end, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, use rosemary in place of parsley. Great recipe, thank you!

  14. Elizabeth
    10.26.2020

    Don’t discard the seeds, rinse them and toast as you would pumpkin seeds. They are even better than pumpkin seeds!

    • Theresa Capri
      04.20.2022

      Yes that is so true!!

  15. Babs
    05.23.2020

    I make it similar, my local market sells them already cut it’s a bit more expensive but you don’t have to cut the whole thing yourself, I usually have to make the pieces smaller though. I put oil and cinnamon and nutmeg and a bit of salt. I’m allergic to pepper so I avoid it when I can. I usually use a 350° oven but I think I will try the 400° oven next time I make it.

  16. Diane
    12.31.2019

    I roasted the butternut squash then used the ingredients from your butternut squash soup. It was savory and perfect comfort soup!

  17. Lisa
    10.23.2019

    Save those seeds! On impulse, thinking of pumpkin, I did this, and they’re delicious roasted and salted:)

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.23.2019

      good idea! 🙂

  18. Sabrina
    10.19.2019

    great to know the best way to make butternut squash the right way every time, thank you

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.