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This roast acorn squash with maple butter is super easy and life-altering (It’s that good!). With a depth and richness from sweet, real maple syrup and butter, this is a delicious fall recipe for entertaining or family dinners!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- It’s the easiest and simplest roasted acorn squash recipe. Just put it in the oven, and it cooks quite quickly thanks to the high heat.
- The pure maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness of the acorn squash, and the butter enriches the flavor beautifully. Plus, fat + complex carbs = you’ll feel fuller longer! (Not to mention the incredible way it melts in your mouth!)
- If you’re looking for a deelish fall entertaining idea, this is not hard to execute, and is always a hit as a side dish for any old dinner or a complete Thanksgiving feast.
- It can be customized to suit any dietary consideration, like vegan or paleo.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- My preferred way of cooking acorn squash is by baking it in the oven. Since it’s super easy, it’s hard to overbake it. I typically throw it in the oven at the start of my dinner prep and forget about it, just remember to baste the surfaces with the melted sweet maple butter every so often.
- I advise baking this acorn squash roasted dish at around 400º F if you’re making a more involved main course recipe and won’t be paying as close attention; higher heat can produce a more beautiful caramelization, but it can burn if left too long. So, sticking to 400º F works in this case. Otherwise, set your oven to what’s recommended in the recipe below.
- If your acorn squash feels rock-hard (and trust me, they often do), microwave the whole squash for 2-3 minutes first. Pierce it a few times with a knife tip to prevent explosions, then let it cool slightly before cutting. This simple trick softens the skin just enough to slice through safely without wrestling with your knife.
- Once you’re done roasting acorn squash to perfection (test that with a fork), there might be extra caramelized maple butter in the bottom of the pan. Don’t waste it! Drizzle this liquid gold over the squash before serving, or save it to brush on dinner rolls or drizzle over roasted carrots later in the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can slice acorn squash and roast them that way, but I prefer to roast acorn squash in halves. Here’s how: cut the acorn squash down the middle. Be careful, since it’s not the easiest thing in the world to slice through, and you might want to slice off the top with the stem if you have trouble. Slice off a small sliver from the round bottom of the half, allowing it to sit cut side up stably. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membranes in the center cavity.
You can! I typically don’t when I make roasted acorn squash halves, but it’s absolutely edible. I am more likely to eat the skins when I make roasted acorn squash slices, but it definitely won’t hurt you. After roasting this way, too, it becomes quite soft!
Simply replace the butter with vegan butter or coconut oil. I particularly love Miyoko’s cultured butter for a non-dairy butter replacement; it tastes a lot like regular butter and has minimally processed ingredients.
Ghee is the most seamless substitution. It has that same rich, buttery flavor and creates the exact same caramelized effect when it melts with the maple syrup. Use the same amount (4 tablespoons total).
More Tasty Fall Recipes
- Creamy Everything Bagel Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Pork Roast with Carrots, Potatoes, and Gravy
- 15 Bean Soup
- Shrimp and Grits
- Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
- Paleo Pumpkin Breakfast Bake
- Sweet Potato Cornbread with Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Crockpot Turkey and Stuffing
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Red Eye Gravy with Country Ham
- Chicken Divan
- Baked Potatoes on the Grill
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 pieces of medium acorn squash
- 4 tablespoons butter divided, see note for vegan
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup divided
- 1-2 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Prepare your acorn squash: carefully slice 2 pieces all the way down the middle of each acorn squash. Remove stem first if you have trouble.
- You should have 4 halves. Once halved, slice a thin piece off the round bottom of each half. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and membranes; discard or reserve to roast later. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pats (for a total of 4 tablespoons).
- Place cut side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes then remove from oven and place a pat of butter in each half. Measure 1 tablespoon each of maple syrup and pour into the cavity of each half (4 tablespoons divided).
- Continue roasting another 25-35 minutes or until flesh is very soft and easily forced with a fork, basting every 10 minutes or so.
- To baste, pull out oven rack with baking sheet and, with a pastry brush, baste the top edge of each half of squash with the melted maple butter, then return to oven.
- When acorn squash pieces are roasted, the flesh is soft, and the surface is browned with a few dark brown spots, remove from oven, let stand a few minutes, and serve.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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This recipe is very simple. The results are absolutely amazing and delicious!!!
I used brown sugar for many years, but this by far, is tastier and takes away some of that extra sugar taste. Will definitely make this again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
This was great!
Thank you so much!