Butternut Squash Fries: Quick & Easy Recipe
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There’s nothing more tempting than driving past a fast food restaurant and getting hit by the smell of fries wafting through the air. But anyone who’s keen on eating clean knows that pulling into the drive thru for a bag of hot fries isn’t exactly the healthiest choice. But what’s a fry lover to do? Answer: Bake your own healthy, super yummy butternut squash fries.
This recipe is perfect for kids and the kid in all of us. It only requires a few ingredients, and it can be ready in 45 minutes!
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Butternut Squash Fries
Ingredients
- Parchment paper
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 small butternut squash approx. 2lbs.
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. ground paprika
- Sea salt (or Himalayan salt) and ground black pepper to taste; optional
Instructions
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Heat oven to 400° F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray; set aside.
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Remove peel from squash using a vegetable peeler. Cut off stem, then carefully cut in half. Scoop out seeds; discard. Cut squash into 3-inch by ½-inch-thick batons.
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Place squash in large bowl. Drizzle with oil; toss gently to coat.
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Season with paprika, salt, and pepper; toss gently to coat.
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Spread squash in single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and tender.
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Serve immediately, or store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days.
Recipe Notes
The Nutrition Facts box below provides estimated nutritional information for this recipe.
Butternut Squash Nutrition
Fries made with potatoes? So last millennium. Butternut squash is a great alternative when you want to make healthier fries.
Dense and filling, butternut squash is chock-full of potassium, and vitamins A and C, and is a good source of fiber, magnesium, and iron. It also boasts a low glycemic index, meaning that the carbs in butternut squash don’t drastically spike blood sugar levels.
And one serving of our butternut squash fries (which is about a cup) has less than 150 calories, only 7 grams of naturally occurring sugars, and 5 grams of fiber. Sounds like a solid snack to us!
Potatoes vs. butternut squash
There was a time when the potato was king of fries, but butternut squash can be a great alternative, especially if you’re looking for something with a lower glycemic index. Recent research also shows that eating potatoes and French fries, especially in place of whole grains, may promote unhealthy blood sugar levels in women.
That’s where baked butternut squash fries step in to solve your snack needs. After just 30 minutes in the oven, you’ll be munching on this crispy and satisfying recipe you can feel good about.
Which is better — butternut squash or sweet potatoes?
At first glance, these two orange, cold-weather veggies both seem like great additions to your healthy diet — and they are! They’re low-fat foods that will give you a boost of vitamin C.
However, when you dive into the details, there are some differences between butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Butternut squash has fewer calories (34 vs. 86 in a 100 g serving), carbohydrates (9 g vs. 20 g), and sugars (2 g vs. 4 g). But sweet potatoes do have slightly more protein (0.9 g vs. 1.6 g), fiber (1.5 g vs. 3 g) and beta carotene (4,226 mcg vs. 8,509 mcg) than butternut squash.
At the end of the day, either vegetable you choose will make your homemade baked fries a better choice for healthy snacking. For this recipe, we prefer butternut squash, but hey — variety is never a bad thing!
Photography by Anguel Dimov, AB Creative
