Mildly sweet and nutty butternut squash is one of many reasons that I look forward to fall produce every year. Here are 15 wholesome vegan butternut squash recipes that celebrate this versatile and nutritious ingredient!

There’s nothing that makes me more excited for fall cooking than the site of winter squashes piling up at farmers markets. There are many wonderful varieties to choose from, but butternut squash will always be a favorite.

Butternut squash is so versatile. As I was rounding up the recipes below, I came across plenty of soup, which is how I first got comfortable cooking butternut squash.

Over time, however, I’ve started to use this type of squash in a broader array of recipes. Pizza? Check. Risotto? Check. Even nachos—yes, check!

I love surveying the many ways that butternut squash can brighten recipes with its golden color and contribute to their wholesomeness with its good nutrition.

Butternut squash health benefits

Butternut squash, like carrots, sweet potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables with orange color, butternut squash is an excellent source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted in the body to Vitamin A, at which point it acts as an antioxidant.

Vitamin A plays an important role in cell growth. It’s associated with eye, heart, lung, and skin health and function.

In addition, butternut squash is a very good source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C, along with the Vitamin A that beta-carotene is a precursor to, supports immunity

Butternut squash is also rich in electrolytes, including magnesium and potassium. These minerals play a role in hydration status and muscle function.

Lastly, butternut squash has dietary fiber, which helps to keep our digestive tracts and cardiovascular systems strong.

How to break down butternut squash

Health benefits, sweet flavor, tender flesh—butternut squash has so much to offer. But it comes with a considerable downside, which is that it’s a bit of a pain to break down and cube.

Most of my butternut squash recipes call for peeled and cubed squash. (You don’t actually have to peel the squash, but I find it a lot more appealing from a texture and appearance perspective to do it.)

It’s possible to purchase pre-peeled, cubed squash in a lot of grocery stores these days. When that’s not an option, it’s time for some squash butchery. This post is a good primer on how to break down butternut squash for recipes.

How to roast butternut squash

Many of my recipes, including some of my salads, call for using roasted squash.

My roasting process in most of these recipes is the same: preheat your oven to 400F. Coat the squash in oil (I use olive or avocado oil for roasting vegetables) and place it on a lined baking sheet.

Bake your squash cubes for 25-35 minutes, stirring them on the sheet once halfway through baking. When the roasted squash is ready, the cubes will be lightly browning along the edges and fork tender.

15 Wholesome vegan butternut squash recipes

Once you have a squash cut and seeded and ready to go, you can use it in any one of these seasonal, satisfying, wholesome vegan butternut squash recipes.

Vegan butternut rice recipe

This gingery, savory, salty sweet vegan butternut rice is an old recipe. Like, 2011 old!

I loved the rice when I first made it. And when I made it again last week, for the first time in a while, I was still a huge fan. In spite of the fact that my cooking has changed a lot in the last ten years, this recipe has stood the test of time.

To make the rice, you’ll roast butternut squash and apple together, along with onion. It’s one of those sweet and savory pairings that I love so much.

The roasted vegetables and apple are folded together with cooked rice and bright green peas. (I always have a bag of frozen peas in my freezer, so it’s easy for me to use them even when they’re not in season).

I originally used pink rice, which I had just tried for the first time, in the recipe. Now when I make the dish I tend to use short or medium grain brown rice. However, you could use pink rice, wild rice, black rice, or white rice and the dish would still work.

A little dressing of oil, tamari, rice vinegar, and apple cider vinegar bring the butternut squash rice to life. As does some fresh ginger, which I use to roast the vegetables. These seasonings elevate an otherwise simple grain dish, making it more than the sum of its parts.

I hope you’ll think so, too. The rice can be enjoyed as a side dish, or you can have a larger portion and add something else—maybe some greens, maybe a plant protein you love—to make it a meal.

I hope you’ll have a chance to try some of these satisfying, cozy vegan butternut squash recipes while the energy of harvest season is still all around us! Enjoy them, friends.

xo