Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash
This spicy roasted butternut squash is tossed with quinoa and dried cranberries for a fall-inspired recipe with layers of autumn flavor. Enjoy it as a warm salad or a tasty gluten-free side dish.
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If you’re looking for some recipes with a fall vibe, this spicy roasted butternut squash and quinoa will be right up your alley. Craving more fall goodness? Have a look through all of our fall and winter recipes for more inspiration.
Why you will love this recipe
With the fall season in full swing, roasted veggies have moved up the agenda. The cozy, toasty vibe shines through with this oven-roasted butternut squash.
This dish is so well-balanced. From the sweet and spicy crispy roasted squash, to the tart and chewy dried cranberries, and finishing with the texture pop of the earthy quinoa, it just all works really well.
This recipe is also naturally vegan and gluten-free. Bonus!
Ingredients
Find the complete ingredient list, with measurements, in the recipe card below.
- Butternut Squash – You will need four cups of squash cubes, so grab a large squash or two medium-sized ones. Some stores offer pre-cut squash if you want a shortcut.
- Shallots – This adds a gentle onion-like flavor. They get slightly sweeter when roasted.
- Garlic – I’m a garlic fanatic, so I use 6-8 cloves of fresh garlic.
- Olive Oil – This coats the edges of the squash and caramelizes them, giving you that roasty flavor.
- Chili Flakes – Using this is optional if you aren’t a fan of spicy, but we love it, and it contrasts really well with the rest of the dish.
- Salt and Black Pepper – Always a necessity to bring out the best in your ingredients.
- Dried Cranberries – Besides the chewy punch of tart sweetness, these also look fancy with a pop of color on the plate. I look for dried cranberries with no added sugar.
- Quinoa – I like to add tri-color quinoa to give this dish some extra oomph, making it not only a side dish but also a light meal.
Expert Tip!
I recommend using a tri-color blend for the quinoa. The contrast of textures is delicious, and it works really well in grain salads.
Equipment
Vegetable Peeler – This is crucial to remove the skin from your butternut squash. I use a classic peeler, and it does the trick, although I have read that a Y-peeler might be best for this task. Do you use a Y-peeler? Let me know in the comments what you use to peel.
Sharp Knife and Cutting Board – For chopping up your veg. I use a Victorinox chef’s knife and I love it. I have had it for years and take it to be sharpened every 3 months or so.
Large Sheet Pan – I use a standard 18 x 13-inch sheet pan, which gives me plenty of room to spread out the ingredients so they roast evenly.
Parchment Paper – A personal choice, but I like using unbleached parchment for easy cleanup.
With 57% thicker carbon steel, these durable oven trays are constructed from heavy-gauge carbon steel.
Two funny things happened while I was out grocery shopping.
First, I wrote butt nut squash on my list as a short form, and it made me chuckle at the store.
Secondly, every squash I picked up at the grocery store also made me chuckle. I mean, look at this thing!
Instructions
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the FULL recipe details.
Step 1
First, preheat the oven to 400°F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
Then, chop up all of your veggies and smash the garlic. Place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
Step 3
Next, toss the vegetables in the olive oil. Add the chili flakes, salt, and pepper, and toss again to coat everything well. Spread it all out evenly in a single layer on the baking sheet and pop it in the oven.
Step 4
Meanwhile, make your quinoa.
Expert Tip!
I always make Instant Pot quinoa. It is easy and 100% foolproof, turning out light and fluffy every time. You could also follow the package instructions.
Step 5
Once the veggies are roasted, remove them from the oven and toss the mixture into the cooked quinoa. Sprinkle in the dried cranberries and serve warm.
Substitutions and recipe variations
You can swap up the grains as a base by using brown rice or lentils instead of quinoa.
Any dried fruit, like raisins or chopped dates, would work in place of the cranberries.
Boost the protein and make it a filling meal by adding some shredded rotisserie chicken to the mix.
Serving suggestions
Serve this warm alongside some roasted chicken or turkey. It would make a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
I like serving this with a lettuce salad for a bright and tangy contrast that balances the flavors.
It tastes delicious with this oven-baked honey mustard chicken.
FAQS
A lot of spices go well with butternut squash! This recipe is fairly simple with salt, pepper, and the heat comes from the chili flakes. Other great spices for butternut squash include cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, allspice, and cayenne pepper. The sweetness of the squash also goes really well with herbs like fresh rosemary or cilantro.
We are in the middle of it right now. Late summer and early fall are the peak seasons for butternut squash. They can be found all year round, though.
Storage tips
To Store: Cooled leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, covered, for up to three days. Reheat the dish in the oven at 350°F for about 20 minutes. I use a glass dish and cover it with foil.
More healthy squash recipes
If you’ve tried this spicy roasted butternut squash, please give me a rating and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!
*Originally posted January 20, 2014, updated October 15, 2018, and updated again on September 25, 2025*
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Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1-inch chunks of peeled butternut squash *1 large or 2 small
- 3 shallots *cut into quarters
- 4 garlic cloves *peeled and smashed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili flakes
- ½ tsp each of sea salt and pepper
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the veggies by peeling and chopping the butternut squash into 1-inch chunks. Peel and cut the shallots into quarters. Peel and smash the garlic cloves.
- Place the prepped squash, shallots, and garlic on the baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil, chili flakes, sea salt, and pepper.
- Spread evenly and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring it at the halfway point to make sure nothing burns.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package directions.
- Once the squash is cooked and browned, remove it from the oven. Stir the cooked quinoa together with the roasted squash and top with dried cranberries. Serve warm.
I love this recipe, I’ve made it twice, once without the quinoa to use as a side for potatoes and turkey breast.
I love a lot of your recipes, and I’ve added you to my favorites. I have tried some of the almond flour recipes and a few others and loved all of them.
Thanks so much Agnes! I bet this tastes AMAZING with turkey. Great idea! And I love almond flour recipes too. 🙂 I always pick up a big bag at Costco. 😉
Amazing !! this salad looks delicious
Thanks Priya! It’s a Fall fave.
This sounds like easy, home cooking at its best. Yes, butternut (I actually typed in “butterbutt” the first time) squash is just begging to be made fun of, but oh so delicious. I will try this for sure. Still not madly in love with quinoa, but I’m willing to give it another shot. Anything with onions and garlic is a winner in my home. Thanks for sharing!
Not in love with quinoa?! LoL 🙂 Try the tri colour variety and see if the different textures can coax you. We really loved it, although Joe did pick around his quinoa. 🙂
Hahaha, that squash is hilarious! I love it.
Thanks for the shout out lady! Your blog is full of some pretty amazing posts too. 🙂
This one looks particularly scrumptious!
Thanks Sarah! There were a whole bin of these squash and I was dying at the store. Joe had to tell me to move along. 😉
Would like to make this for my dinner party this week. Looks delicious. How much quinoa?
Thanks.
OMG! Thanks for pointing that out! I can’t believe I forgot to put that in. 🙂 1 cup of dry quinoa cooked to the package instructions. I used veggie broth and sliced in 1/4 of an onion in the broth. I’ll update the recipe. Thanks so much for asking or I never would have noticed!
Have fun at the party!
Too funny. They are definitely interestingly shaped. 😀 I do love roasted butternut squash and quinoa. Actually made something kinda similar. Great minds think alike, right?! I love how you roasted it with shallots and garlic…yum!
Thanks Cindy 🙂 I’m definitely doing more cooking with the squash as the man of the house really, really liked it. That’s kind of a rarity! That reminds me … He certainly hasn’t read this post. I know there would have been a comment about the butternut squash/shape innuendo 😉 Busted!
Have a great week 🙂
Great sense of humour – I was thinking the same when I seen your picture.
This looks extremely tasty – are your shallots red onions? Are you baking the garlic pieces whole but smashed then obviously take it out once baked?
This dish looks delish 🙂
Hey Jo! I was dying at the store because there were at least 15-20 of them in the bin. They all looked like that photo!
I used the small shallots that are light purple skinned and the shape of a big almond. If you can’t find these, red onion would totally work. As far as the garlic, I’m smashing each clove and breaking them up a bit when I toss everything before roasting. After they’ve roasted the flavour is much milder so I leave them in when I toss it together with the quinoa. Just make sure if one eats the garlic, all should eat the garlic 😉
Haha! I had to laugh at your insinuation of what the squash looks like (and the name ‘butt nut’). Too funny! This meal looks like a lovely pairing of many of my favorites, and I’m definitely pinning it for later. 🙂
I feel better I’m not the only one with their mind in the gutter 😉 I could not help it! Please.
I hope you love it.
AMAZING!!! Didn’t have shallots but sweet onion worked well. Thank you for an
awesome healthy dinner . Xo
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I love the use of a sweet onion. This recipe is very adaptable. Have a great week 🙂
I totally agree – I feel like by having a blog, I challenge myself to try things I would have never tried before. This looks great!
Right?! I feel like it also helps to keep things so seasonal. Buying in season = better quality and less expensive 🙂
I must be immature too because I laughed. 😉
I love butternut squash though and this salad looks delicious!
Thanks Chels! I’m glad I’m not the only one 😉