These baked maple syrup and cinnamon butternut squash cubes make the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or just a weeknight meal! This recipe is very simple to prepare and full of delicious flavors.
Happy Monday, Veg World! I feel as though we’ve lived a year in the past week, and I’m very excited to get back to business on the blog today.
With Thanksgiving under three weeks away, I’m coming at you with my first new side dish recipe for the holiday season–cinnamon butternut squash! This one is incredibly delicious, easy to prepare, and makes a reasonable amount so that you’re not left with tons of leftovers during a year when your family gatherings may be smaller than usual.
If you missed my post on How to Cut Butternut Squash into Cubes, be sure to check it out (there’s a video included!) to learn how to prep perfectly diced squash for this recipe. But if you really want to save time, you can even buy pre-diced squash at the store. Your secret will be safe with me…I promise.
Now let’s chat about the flavors in this dish. It turns out that butternut squash and maple syrup are a fantastic pair, and the touch of cinnamon brings out the sweet flavors even more. PLUS, this one is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and paleo. It’s a versatile option that you can serve to all guests, even those with dietary restrictions!
What are the benefits of eating butternut squash?
Now that I’ve convinced you to try this roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, let’s talk about the health benefits! Butternut squash provides generous amounts of the provitamin A carotenoid beta carotene, which acts as an antioxidant and may help prevent cancer and heart disease.
It’s also rich in fiber, which improves satiety and keeps bowels regular. Finally, a cup of butternut squash has more potassium than a banana! Getting enough potassium is critical for maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
How to Make Cinnamon Butternut Squash
- Dice the squash into cubes.
- Add the squash to a mixing bowl, and toss with maple syrup, cinnamon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the squash in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Cook until tender, flipping halfway through.
Expert Tips
- For a sweet and spicy variation of cinnamon butternut squash, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder before roasting.
- If you don’t have maple syrup, sub the same amount of brown sugar.
- Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- As I mentioned above, use pre-cut butternut squash to save time!
- You can also use frozen butternut squash cubes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (instead of 400) and cook right from frozen (do not thaw).
More Squash Recipes
For other delicious recipes like this baked cinnamon butternut squash, check out the Vegan Butternut Squash and Pear Soup, Spiced Oat and Butternut Squash Muffins, and Whipped Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Dip.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Cinnamon Butternut Squash Cubes
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash - about 2.5 to 3 pounds; peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 5 to 6 cups
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Add the butternut squash cubes to a large mixing bowl with the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Toss until coated, then transfer to the baking sheet and spread out the cubes in a single layer.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the squash is tender. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- To save time, use pre-cut or frozen butternut squash cubes. If using frozen cubes, preheat the oven to 450 degrees instead of 400 and cook straight from frozen.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave until warmed through.
- You can sub the same amount of brown sugar for the maple syrup in this recipe. For a sweet and spicy variation, add a pinch of cayenne or chili powder.
- For tips on cutting butternut squash, check out my tutorial.
Mary Kingsbury
I used frozen butternut from the grocery store as this recipe indicated would work fine. It cooked into heaps of mush squash. The cubed form was lost but the flavor of the mush was good.
I suggest not to bake frozen butternut squash. Try to cook it on the stove and mash it.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Mary, I’m sorry to hear you had this issue. I have not had a problem roasting frozen butternut squash cubes, so I’m not sure what happened that led to the issues you stated. Did you increase the oven temperature? Also, did you roast it straight from frozen or let it thaw first?
It also may be important to note that even when roasting fresh squash, it doesn’t become crispy in case that was what you were expecting. The texture of roasted squash is typically still soft enough that you could easily smash it between your fingers or with a fork.
Melissa
Yum! Tried this today because had some frozen squash to use up. It was a small bag of frozen cubed butternut squash I bought from the store. I used only half the 12 oz bag, so baked the frozen cubes in my toaster oven and just added the ingredients to my liking. Omg, it came out so good, enjoyed for my breakfast today!!! I added locally foraged pecans and broiled for 2 minutes.
Thank you!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Yum!! I’m so glad this recipe turned out well for you, Melissa! Love the addition of pecans.
Pat
It would be nice to have a gram weight or pound weight for the 1 butternut squash. Butternut squash varies in weight.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
I usually use a 2 or 3 pound butternut squash. That’s about the average size of one in grocery stores.
Pete
I’m not a vegan, in fact, I’m a huge carnivore but this is an amazing side dish for my blackened chicken. Very delicious and healthy.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Pete, I’m so glad you enjoyed this side dish!