Sweet and rich butternut squash fries lightly seasoned with salt and fresh parsley. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these fries are perfect for the fall season.
Now that October is over, and we’re well into November and quickly approaching Thanksgiving, I think it’s time to move from pumpkin to butternut squash. What do you think?
I actually prefer butternut squash over pumpkin because it has that sweet rich taste I just can’t find in pumpkin.
There are so many things you can do with butternut squash. Have you seenmy Baked Butternut Squash stuffed Manicotti? Or my Mushrooms stuffed with Butternut Squash? The photos don’t do them justice. At the time, I was still learning how to take photos. But I promise you that they taste every bit as good as they sound.
In today’s post, I wanted to share with you guys the recipe for Butternut Squash Fries.
Can we just take a moment to talk about how amazingly delicious and addictive these fries are? They’re sitting above sweet potato fries on my list of “To Die For Fries.” I didn’t even think that was possible.
Butternut squash are naturally sweet and rich so I thought it’d be great as fries, especially for the fall. They may even end up on my Thanksgiving table. I’m still working on our family menu. But for sure, I’ll be bringing these to Fiesta Friday.
These butternut squash fries are crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside, which is how I love all my fries. While they don’t need seasoning, I do like my fries a bit salty so they’re lightly seasoned with salt and garnished with finely chopped parsley.
The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the squash. I don’t understand why squashes are so ridiculously tough to cut through. I feel none of my knives are up to the task, which is why most of the time I slowly roast them so I don’t have to deal with the cutting. If you guys have tricks and tips on cutting squashes, I’m all ears.
However, these fries are so tasty that it’s completely worth that extra hassle. Try it and see for yourself!
Preheat the oven to 400oF. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease the surface with nonstick cooking spray or with olive oil.
Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and membrane from the center cavity. I prefer the skins off, so I cut most of it off. But that’s up to you. You can leave them on or cut them off. Slice the squash into about ¼ inch strips. If they’re thin, they’ll cook faster.
One serving is about half a large butternut squash or a whole small one. That may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. They shrink once you take them out of the oven.
But the thing is once you slice the butternut squash into thin strips, they take a lot of space, especially when you want to spread them out in a single layer. You may want to prep two baking sheets so you can bake two batches at the same time.
Place roughly (very roughly since it’s hard to measure something so stiff!) two cups of the butternut squash sticks into a plastic bag. Add cornstarch, and shake the bag until the butternut squash is evenly coated with a light layer of cornstarch.
Place the butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Brush about a tablespoon of olive oil onto the fries.
Bake the butternut squash fries for 15 minutes, then turn the fries, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. You can have two trays baking at the same so that you don’t have to wait.
Depending on the size of the fries, some may be crispier than others.
Repeat this process, until you have the desired amount of fries.
Toss the warm Butternut Squash fries with finely chopped parsley and a pinch of salt to taste.
Enjoy!
Want instant updates? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Bloglovin.
- 1 small butternut squash (or half a large butternut squash)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, more as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray or with olive oil. If you have a second baking sheet, set that up as well. It may be easier to bake two batches at the same time on different racks.
- Slice the butternut squash in half, and remove the seeds from the center cavity. Peel the skin from the butternut squash if desired.
- Cut the butternut squash into ¼ inch strips. Place about two cups (about half) of the butternut squash into a plastic bag, and add one tablespoon of the cornstarch. Shake the bag until the butternut squash is evenly coated with a light layer of cornstarch.
- Place the butternut squash onto the baking sheet, and brush olive oil to cover all surfaces of the butternut squash. This will help the fries become crispier.
- Repeat with the other half, and place on the second baking sheet. Or wait until the first batch is done to bake the second batch.
- Bake one or both batches at 400F for about 15 minutes, then turn over the fries, and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Once the fries have become crispy, remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the fries to cool for a few minutes.
- Toss the butternut squash fries with a little bit of salt and finely chopped parsley.
- Serve warm immediately.
I love this idea! I just this year decided to take leap of faith at the farmer’s market before it closed and bought a butternut squash. I made AutoImmune Paleo’s (Mickey Trescott) butternut squash, pear, and beef stew. OMG it was amazing! This is a great idea and I love the idea of a squash that looks like fries. I’m always sneaking other veggies into my kids diets. But, I must ask…Is there an alternative for the cornstarch? We are paleo and do not use cornstarch. Do you think arrowroot or tapioca starch would work? I can’t wait to try this. And your photos are lovely!
I think tapioca starch would work because my family has used it before as a batter for frying. But I haven’t tried it with these fries so I’m not positive. I hope it’ll work out for you, Ami! And I hope you’ll like the recipe =)
I am liking this recipe a lot. Who would have thought of making fries from butternut squash which seems to be a popular ingredient for many things.
Thanks, Lulu! I hope you’ll like this version of fries =)
Andrea,
Could is it possible substitute the cornstarch for something else? (Corn allergy :))
You can use all purpose flour. If not flour, maybe tapioca starch. But I haven’t tried that.
Brilliant use of butternut squash, Andrea! I love sweet potato fries, and I imagine this butternut squash is just as good…if not better. 🙂 Thanks for sharing these at Fiesta Friday…I bet I’m not the only one who will love them!
You’re welcome, Nancy! Hope you’ll like these fries!
Andrea, I must try this recipe! I love all kinds of squash too, and butternut is one of my favorites to get creative with. Like you, I prefer it to pumpkin, but one of my local farm stands had a squash called “butterkin,” a cross between a butternut and a pumpkin. It’s the same color as butternut squash, but it’s round like a pumpkin and a little more short and squat, and it’s sweet and flavorful. If you find it, try it…I believe you’ll really like it.
As for cutting squash, I find it a real pain, but the key to cutting a large squash is to keep your knives very sharp. The best way is to get a sharpening stone and some honing oil and use it when your knife blades start dragging through difficult foods.
I have never heard of butterkin before and I’m so very intrigued now. Thanks for the tip about cutting the squash. They’re so good but such a pain to prepare!
Yummmmmy!
Thanks, Jodi!
This year is the first year that I tried butternut squash. I always made acorn. I love them because they aren’t as stringy. I am definitely going to make these fries!
I actually haven’t had acorn squash. I think I’ll have to try them now =)
We grow butternut squash and are always looking for new ways to prepare them. Will give this one a try and Ì’ll be back to try a few of the other recipes you mentioned.
I hope you’ll like this recipe and the others that you try =)
Those look delish!
Thank you!