Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

Simple roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, brown sugar and a little cayenne. We love butternut squash and this recipe is our favorite way to cook it!

Watch the Video

Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe Video

How to Roast Butternut Squash (My Favorite)

We love butternut squash around here. When we aren’t making a batch of this dreamy roasted butternut squash soup, we are roasting cubes of squash with cinnamon and brown sugar until tender and lightly caramelized. Cinnamon and cayenne add warmth while brown sugar sweetens things up a little. This is the perfect fall side dish, and can even be served cold on top of salads for lunch.

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

We just love roasted winter squash. If you don’t have butternut squash, you can always substitute other winter squash varieties — like delicata squash — in our recipe below.)

Tip #1: Cut the Squash into Evenly Sized Pieces

We know cutting up winter squash, especially butternut squash, can be tricky. (Don’t worry, in our recipe below, we share how we do it and you can watch us do it in the video.) We find that separating the thinner end from the round, wider end makes things much easier.

How to cut butternut squash into cubes

In our roasted butternut squash recipe below, we call for 1-inch cubes. You could choose to make the chunks smaller or larger, just keep everything similar in size. This way, all the squash pieces roast evenly. As for peeling, you could leave the peel on. We prefer to remove it, but it’s fine to eat and some prefer the chewiness of the peel when left to roast.

Tip #2: Don’t Crowd the Squash

When you’re roasting vegetables, it’s important to give them a little space. Without some room, vegetables tend to steam instead of roast. When that happens, you can say good-bye to the golden brown and caramelized edges we love so much.

When roasting butternut squash, use two baking sheets.

Tip #3: Roast Butternut Squash at a High Temperature

After trying a few different oven temperatures, we’ve settled on 425 degrees F. The squash becomes tender and the edges get a chance to brown a little. If you’re roasting something else, say chicken, at the same time you do have some leeway. Stick close to 425 degrees F and you should be just fine.

What To Serve This With

Try serving roasted butternut squash with our Rosemary Roasted Chicken or Perfectly Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples.

More Winter Squash Recipes

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash

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Not only is roasted butternut squash a perfect side dish, it’s perfect to add to rice bowls or to top hearty salads. We enjoy it cold and often save some for the following day to add to salad for lunch. If you’ve got lots leftover, make soup. Throw leftover roasted squash into a blender with a splash or two of stock and blend. This recipe can be used for other varieties of winter squash. Simply substitute other winter squash varieties for butternut squash in our recipe below.

Makes 4 servings

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 pounds or 8 cups, cubed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dash cayenne, optional

Directions

    1Heat oven to 425 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

    2Toss squash cubes with olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and the cayenne until well coated. Tumble coated squash onto baking sheets and spread into one layer. Try not to crowd them too much or else they will not brown.Cinnamon-Roasted-Butternut-Squash-Recipe-Step-2

    3Bake squash, turning once and rotating pans once, until edges are lightly browned and centers are tender; 40 to 45 minutes. (Since ovens can often run hotter than you have heated them to, check the squash every so often to make sure they are not roasting quicker than expected).

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • How to Cut Butternut Squash into Cubes: Cut off the stem and bottom ends of the squash so both ends are flat. Slice the squash in half, just where the thinner end begins to widen. Use a heavy-duty peeler to peel away the skin. If you notice green streaks remaining on the squash as you peel, peel those away as well until only orange flesh remains (they can be a little tough). Cut the larger end in half and spoon out the seeds. (Save the seeds – look for instructions for how to roast them below). Cut each piece into 1-inch-thick sticks then slice into 1-inch cubes.Cinnamon-Roasted-Butternut-Squash-Recipe-Step-1
  • How to Roast Butternut Squash Seeds: Remove pulp and fibrous threads from seeds. Simmer seeds in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Toss seeds with olive oil and lightly season with salt. Roast in a 325 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The seeds will not change much in color, but will crunch when done.
  • We love cinnamon for this recipe, but using this pumpkin pie spice blend is excellent.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Calories 203 / Protein 3 g / Carbohydrate 37 g / Dietary Fiber 6 g / Total Sugars 11 g / Total Fat 7 g / Saturated Fat 1 g / Cholesterol 0 mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher

Recipe updated, originally posted November 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. – Adam and Joanne

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201 comments… Leave a Review
  • Vickie October 8, 2021, 12:45 pm

    Love love love!! baked butternut squash recipe

    Reply
  • Diane Deming October 3, 2020, 11:07 am

    Looking forward to your recipes and cook book! Thank you!

    Reply
  • Jenny July 4, 2020, 11:11 pm

    I’ve never liked butternut squash until I found this recipe – it’s totally addicting! Love how it caramelizes and becomes so sweet. This is my go-to recipe, and I always make sure I have plenty of butternut on hand. So happy I found this recipe!

    Reply
  • Margo Yager June 17, 2020, 3:11 pm

    These recipes look great!

    Reply
  • Kris May 20, 2020, 11:37 am

    Really good! Just the right amount of sweetness.

    Reply
  • Karen COBB October 20, 2019, 6:11 pm

    It was absolutely perfect.

    Reply
  • Janiene Pape October 6, 2019, 6:55 pm

    Made this tonight to go with the pork tenderloin and apples. Excellent flavor. I allowed mine to get crispy on the edges and I could have eaten them all like popcorn. Delicious. I did go ahead and mix this recipe in with wild rice and pecans, a little butter (fake butter) and salt to try out for a potential gluten free thanksgiving side dish. A definite thumbs up. Thank you much for the recipe!

    Reply
  • Diane Willis August 23, 2019, 11:40 pm

    Great recipe. Very happy and the taste very good. Second recipe for sugar cookies I have tried and you don’t disappoint.

    Reply
  • Brenda Mickens February 17, 2019, 6:59 pm

    Delicious! Parchment worked great.

    Reply

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