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Home » Food

Your New Favorite Butternut Squash Recipe

Modified: Aug 24, 2026 · Published: Nov 9, 2015 by Emily Cooper, RD

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Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

Howdy friends!

And a happy Monday to you.

I spent my weekend attending a concert ( and not Amy Schumer, dammit), watching Ina make a how simple was that!? smoked salmon crustini with a full on chorus line and floral arrangement, and getting back to that #pancakesunday grind.

IMG_2497

from sinfulnutrition instagram

Oh, and crafting up one of the many Thanksgiving recipes before we all keep calm and gobble on in...

17 DAYS. Can someone please replace the last 12 weeks of this year, because I seem to have missed them. K Thanx.

Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

Why is it that  sweet potatoes always get the sugar-coated goody gumdrop spotlight? I mean, they've already got sweet built into their namesake, why do we feel the need to coat them in fifteen forms of sugar?

...And then top them with marshmallows. Face. Palm.

Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

So I thought I'd give the spotlight to Butternut, or as it's referred to on the streets, B-Money Squizz-ash. Minus a diabetic coma, pounds of butter, OR (sigh) marshmallows.

The two things you'll need to successfully peel and chop a butternut squash without creating your own B-Rated slasher film is

A really sharp chef's knife.

A good veggie peeler.

Or in the wise words of Ina Garten, precut and peeled is fine.

Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

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Candied Butternut Squash Recipe -- A crowd pleasing side dish for your Thanksgiving spread. Everyone always asks for seconds!

Candied Butternut Squash


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Sinful Nutriton
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel and cube squash, and place into a large bowl.
  3. Add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, apple cider, maple syrup, and oil.
  4. Stir until fully combined.
  5. Transfer to a large cast iron skillet or baking sheet.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
  7. Transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with cranberries and pecans if using.
  • Category: Vegetables, Sides, Thanksgiving

Did you make this recipe?

I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or rating below.

[Tweet "You're new favorite way to cook butternut squash for Thanksgiving! #vegan #paleo"]

I'll just try to ignore the fact that butternut squash gives me worse food babies than cabbage, and continue to torture myself by eating almost the entire recipe in less than a day. All in the name for good food folks.

Make it a great day!

What's your favorite way to eat butternut squash?

What's the best part about Thanksgiving?

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Reader Interactions

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  1. rachel @ Athletic Avocado

    November 09, 2015 at 7:18 am

    this is like butternut squash served thanksgiving style! yum!

    Reply
  2. Kelli @ Hungry Hobby

    November 09, 2015 at 8:25 am

    This looks delicious Emily! I tend to stock up and freeze the pre cut butternut squash from Costco so I definitely have enough to give this a try!

    Reply
  3. The Food Hunter

    November 09, 2015 at 9:49 am

    Sounds very tasty!

    Reply
  4. Kat

    November 09, 2015 at 11:01 am

    Oh man this sounds so dang good!! I'm actually doing a butternut squash side dish for Turkey Day - with butternut, cranberries AND feta! Walnuts are a great addition too though. YUM!

    Reply
  5. Liz @The Clean Eating Couple

    November 09, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    So funny.. I just bought something similar to this from Whole Foods last week and I was wondering how I could recreate it! You must have read my mind 🙂

    Reply
  6. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine

    November 09, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    I love just roasting butternut with thyme, sage, and rosemary! Makes the house SMELL like holidays and Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  7. Elizabeth Shaw

    November 09, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Oh my goodness, this looks heavenly! I fell in love with winter squash only recently so I love this idea. Plus, it looks like it would most certainly satisfy my sweet tooth!

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      November 11, 2015 at 7:41 am

      Perfect timing! 🙂 Thanks Liz!

      Reply
  8. Min

    November 10, 2015 at 8:43 am

    I love the sound of #pancakesunday!! Once we are all settled into our new home, we need to establish all kinds of traditions ;). Sweet potatoes (and pumpkins) do get all the love around this time of the year so I'm glad you gave some of the spotlight to the Butternut squash!! Yum!!

    Reply
  9. Jenn - a traveling Wife

    November 10, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    This sounds amazing. Who wouldn't love candied butternut squash?!

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      November 11, 2015 at 7:41 am

      Thanks Jenn! I know I sure do. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Rachel @ Delicious Balance

    November 11, 2015 at 9:47 pm

    These sound perfect! I might be adding them into my fall comfort food rotation 😉

    Reply
  11. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious

    November 12, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Yum! This looks so delicious. I could eat it for dessert. Well, if there were marshmallows on top. JK! ;-P

    Reply
  12. Carol Cronin

    November 17, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    What is a food baby?

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      November 17, 2015 at 2:41 pm

      When food leaves me so bloated that I look 6 months pregnant. 🙂

      Reply
  13. Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

    November 18, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    Oh yum!! Anything candied...I'm in!! Thanks for letting me know about this recipe so I can include it in my thanksgiving sides round-up! <3

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      November 19, 2015 at 11:35 am

      Thanks lady! Glad to be a part of your roundup! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Eileen Hirschfeld

    October 14, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    This recipe looks so good that I will make it for Thanksgiving.
    But - HOW much oil do you need ? The recipe calls for oil but the amount is not listed . Can you help me soon??

    Reply
  15. Eileen Hirschfeld

    October 16, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Please let me know how much oil to use in recipe. Recipe specifies "oil" to place in dish but does not list it in ingredients. Have been checking similar recipes but nothing is exactly the same although I could doctor one up.
    Eileen

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      October 26, 2018 at 5:56 pm

      Sorry Eileen! And thanks for pointing that out. 🙂 1 tablespoon of oil!

      Reply
  16. Winky Staton

    July 16, 2019 at 12:22 pm

    I'm thinking that 14 cups of pecans was meant to be 1/4 cup maybe.

    Reply
    • Emily Cooper

      July 22, 2019 at 11:36 am

      Ha definitely! Thanks for catching - all updated!

      Reply
  17. Ellen Braun

    November 13, 2025 at 8:17 pm

    Have not tried this, but would like to make in a slow cooker. Any ideas if I need changes

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Little Somethin' Sunday #12 - Sinful Nutrition says:
    November 15, 2015 at 6:35 am

    […] Candied Butternut Squash […]

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  2. Thanksgiving Stuffing Drop Biscuits Recipe - Sinful Nutrition says:
    November 21, 2015 at 8:32 am

    […] Candied Butternut Squash […]

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Emily Cooper Sinful Nutrition Headshot

Hi there! I'm Emily, a registered dietitian (RD), food lover, and peanut butter enthusiast. I'm here to show you that eating & living healthy doesn't have to be boring, expensive, or difficult. I share my passion for cooking with quick & healthy recipes made with simple and affordable ingredients. Learn more!

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