Vegan Butternut Squash Hash with Tofu
4.38 from 8 votes

Strengthen your vegan breakfast game with this high protein vegan butternut squash hash. It’s made with tofu and shaved Brussels sprouts, and it’s loaded with sweet, savory, and smoky flavors.

A round, white plate serves a slice of bread and an orange-colored butternut squash hash.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit how often, when I’m midway through making a recipe, I need to do a little Googling in order to confirm that I know what the recipe is actually supposed to be. What can I say: no matter how much I cook, I’m always a student in the kitchen.

Anyway, that’s how it was with this smoky butternut squash, tofu & apple breakfast hash. I was about to plate it when I realized that my definition of hash was slightly hazy. A breakfast dish with chopped ingredients, usually involving potatoes?

I was pretty close. According to Wikipedia:

Hash is a culinary dish consisting of diced or chopped meat, potatoes and spices that are mixed together and cooked by themselves or with other ingredients such as onions. The name is derived from the French: hacher meaning “to chop”.

I’ve only ever made vegan hash, but any time I try my hand at the dish I try to include a vegan meat or another hearty protein source, preserving the meat portion of the original recipe. And while I’ve often made hash with sweet potatoes, this time I wanted to try it with another root vegetable, butternut squash, and some onions and apples for one of my favorite, seasonal sweet/savory combinations.

The big liberty I took with this recipe was to roast the squash and apples, rather than cooking them in a skillet, which is the traditional way with hash. I like this because it’s slightly more hands-off, and also because the squash gets crispier when I cook it this way than it does when I make it on the stovetop.

I still use the stovetop, though, to sauté other ingredients. Shaved Brussels sprouts for a little green, onions for savoriness and flavor. And tofu from Nasoya.

An angled photo of a round, white plate that's piled with a vegan breakfast dish and toast. It rests on a white surface.

I roasted the squash and apples first, and then—while the squash was getting nicely crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—I sautéed the tofu cubes with smoked paprika and coconut aminos. I added onion and Brussels sprouts, and by the time everything was tender, the squash and apples were practically ready. I folded everything together, added a pinch of salt and a splash of apple cider vinegar, and voilà—a beautifully autumnal, simple, flavorful breakfast dish.

It doesn’t have to be a breakfast dish, of course. I’ve been serving it with toast or a sprouted English muffin and a little Earth Balance in the mornings, but I’ve also had it with brown rice for dinner. The dish is rich in protein (something I’ve noticed really does make a difference in my morning energy levels) and easy to customize with different or additional veggies. I’d love to try it with parsnips, rutabaga, or the addition of some collard greens.

Making it so far, I’ve kept the hash mild, which is what works for me at breakfast. If you’d like to kick up the spice with a nice pinch of cayenne or a drizzle of hot sauce, I’m sure that would be delicious, too. Here’s the recipe.

A breakfast plate holds sliced toast and a butternut squash and tofu hash. A silver fork rests on the plate.
A round, white plate serves a slice of bread and an orange-colored butternut squash hash.
4.38 from 8 votes

Vegan Butternut Squash Hash

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 4 generous servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or refined avocado, divided
  • 1-1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 large or 2 small apples, any variety, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 8 ounces cubed, extra firm tofu (1/2 of a 16-ounce block—you can save the rest for tofu scramble, baked tofu, or any other recipe you like)
  • 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or low sodium tamari
  • 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
  • 12 ounces about 3 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Salt
  • Black pepper or cayenne pepper, to taste
  • Toast, an English muffin, a whole grain, hot sauce (optional, for serving)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Toss the squash and apple with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and add salt and pepper. Roast the squash and apples for 35 minutes, or until tender and crisping at the edges.
  • Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes, smoked paprika, and coconut aminos or tamari. Cook the cubes, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes, or until they’re getting crispy. Add the onion. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently, or until the sprouts are crisp tender.
  • When they’re ready, fold in the roasted squash and apples. Add the vinegar. Stir everything well, then taste and add salt and pepper (black or cayenne, depending on how hot you want the hash to be) and additional vinegar as needed. Serve with toast, a grain, and hot sauce if you like.
A round, white dinner plate holds two slices of bread and sautéed vegetables with tofu. It rests on a white surface.

I’ve been relying a lot on baked oatmeal lately for portable/quick breakfasts, but making this dish reminded me of how lovely it is to have a great, savory breakfast at the ready. Savory breakfasts used to register as a weekend brunch treat for me, but I’ve warmed up to them a lot in recent years, relying on them as often as I do the sweet options. This hash is a nutritious new favorite, and it keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge, which means it’s perfect for advance meal prep.

As always, so glad to have convenient, healthful plant-based products available these days, so that cooking something tasty can feel just a little more accessible, even when life is moving fast. Hope you enjoy this smoky, sweet, savory meal—and wishing you a wonderful rest of the week.

xo

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are my own, and I love this go-to brand of tofu and other creative soy products! Thanks for your support.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.

Categories: Recipes, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Scrambles & Hashes
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Ingredients: Butternut Squash, Tofu
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep

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    8 Comments
  1. Just made this and it was delicious. Will definitely be making it again!

  2. I’ve been baking make ahead tofu based frittatas for a long time for grab and go breakfasts but i’ve never made tofu hash! This sounds delicious, although i’m actually not a fan of fruit in savory dishes- should i just swap in a different veg instead of the apple? Would parsnips work?

    Ps
    I finally found the new nasoya dumplings and they were so good in my dumpling bowl i made!

  3. This looks sooo good– like the perfect Thanksgiving brunch! I haven’t seen the pre-cut tofu cubes where we live yet, but I love Nasoya’s pre-pressed extra firm tofu. It makes it so much faster to make dinners and tofu scrambles!

  4. Gena,

    Well, this is fate I think. Yesterday I bought a package of tofu and received some new-to-me apples in my CSA box. This hash is meant to be! I’ll be eating it for breakfast as part of my new savory in the AM plan. Thank you! Hope your week is going well:)
    Libby

  5. 5 stars
    This sounds delicious. But in spite of you casually throwing off the instruction to peel and seed the squash before cutting into ½-inch cubes, I find that to be a rather difficult task. In fact, I normally roast my squash when it’s been halved just so I can avoid trying to peel or chop it raw. Do you think that’s an option for this recipe?

    • Hi Patricia,

      I definitely think it’s an option! Just chop the squash after roasting and add it to the pan with the other ingredients. I’d roast the apple on a separate tray, or add to the hash with the onion in the skillet rather than baking. I hope this helps.

      G