Baked buttercup squash is a delicious yet overlooked winter squash that is delightful to make during the fall season. When you bake buttercup squash with chopped apples, butter, honey, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, you will have a sweet yet savory side dish that's also super easy to make. If you are looking for a new and unique vegetable side to wow your family, this one is it!
I like to make this squash with roasted turkey and mashed potatoes during the fall season.
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Buttercup squash is a winter squash that looks like a green version of a pumpkin or larger acorn squash. When you bake it in the oven, it will come out sweet, creamy, and caramelized!
I like to stuff the buttercup squash halves with chopped apples, honey, salt, butter, and pumpkin pie spice to make the ultimate fall vegetable side dish. This recipe is ready to serve in under an hour, so it's a great side to make for any weeknight meal.
🥘 Ingredients
You may need to go to a local farmer's market during the fall season in order to find a buttercup squash. This unique squash is less common than other winter squash like butternut, spaghetti, or acorn, but totally worth it!
- Buttercup Squash - 1 pound of buttercup squash (1 small squash, halved and seeds removed).
- Apples - 1 cup of apples (cored and chopped semi-sweet apples).
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon).
- Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Honey - 2 tablespoons of honey.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Bake Buttercup Squash With Cinnamon Apples
The hardest part about this recipe is cutting the squash, after that everything else is simple. Set out a cutting board, a chef's knife, and a 9X13 baking pan to get started.
My baked buttercup squash recipe will make 2 servings. Plan to buy multiple squashes if you have a larger family or want leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and cut your 1 pound of buttercup squash in half carefully. Remove the seeds and place each top and bottom half of the squash into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Stuff squash halves. Chop the 1 cup of apple(s) and toss with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice then transfer into the squash halves. Place a tablespoon pat of 2 tablespoons of butter onto each squash with apples, then drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Bake. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 35-40 minutes or until your apples and squash are tender. *If the apples start to get too toasty and browned, place a sheet of aluminum foil over your dish.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and serve immediately when done.
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- Use 1 large apple or 2 smaller apples. A tart or semi-sweet apple variety with a firm texture is best for baking. Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, and Jonagold are great apples for this recipe.
- The pumpkin pie spice can be swapped for apple pie spice or a mixture of cinnamon and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
- You may use some foil to cover the tops of the squash to prevent the squash from drying out.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
To store any leftovers, wrap the squash with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you want to freeze leftovers, wrap the squash with plastic wrap and place it into an airtight container. Squash will last up to 10 months in the freezer.
Reheating
To reheat wrap in foil and bake it at 400°F (205°C) until it is heated to your liking.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
No, I would recommend not peeling the skin on this squash. Instead, you will just cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds before baking.
Buttercup squash has a sweet and creamy orange flesh. It is considered to be one of the sweeter winter squashes. The flesh does tend to be on the dryer side, so baking is an excellent way to ensure that it is caramelized and softened.
This type of squash can be hard to cut into, so be really careful and use a sharp knife. Cut directly into the middle and work your way around the squash so that you have a top and bottom half to bake. Once the squash is cut, scoop out the seeds before stuffing them with apples and seasonings.
😋 More Delicious Squash Recipes
- Instant Pot Acorn Squash- This instant pot acorn squash is the perfect sweet and savory side dish made in only 12 minutes.
- Roasted Butternut Squash- A 4-ingredient butternut squash recipe that is great for any holiday meal in the fall.
- Grilled Yellow Squash- If you are firing up the grill, go ahead and prep some yellow squash to make the easiest vegetable side.
- Zucchini Squash Casserole- A delicious zucchini and yellow squash casserole with a creamy cheese sauce and Panko breadcrumbs.
- Baked Parmesan Yellow Squash- Crunchy and cheesy yellow squash rounds that will go with any main course.
- Honey Roasted Acorn Squash- Make this tasty honey acorn squash when you are needing a new side dish to try.
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Buttercup Squash With Cinnamon Apples
Ingredients
- 1 lb buttercup squash (1 small squash, halved and seeds removed)
- 1 cup apples (cored and chopped semi-sweet apples)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C) and cut your buttercup squash in half carefully. Remove the seeds and place each top and bottom half of the squash into a 9x13 baking dish.
- Chop the apple(s) and toss with salt and pumpkin pie spice then transfer into the squash halves. Place a tablespoon pat of butter onto each squash with apples, then drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 35-40 minutes or until your apples and squash are tender. *If the apples start to get too toasty and browned, place a sheet of aluminum foil over your dish.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately when done.
Notes
- Use 1 large apple or 2 smaller apples. A tart or semi-sweet apple variety with a firm texture is best for baking. Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, and Jonagold are great apples for this recipe.
- The pumpkin pie spice can be swapped for apple pie spice or a mixture of cinnamon and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
Dot B says
Very good, my husband loved this! Lovely and flavourful. Followed the recipe pretty much. Basted the edges with the juice several times. Will definitely make again.
Anonymous says
Great flavor however the bake time was inaccurate.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The buttercup squash can vary greatly in size which would affect that. Was your baking time under?