Baked Butternut Squash Fries

4.99 from 318 votes

Crisp-tender baked butternut squash fries are a wonderful low-carb side dish alternative to sweet potato fries with the same great taste!

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These vegan, paleo-friendly Baked Butternut Squash Fries are the real deal! It’s an easy recipe you’ll instantly want to make and instantly love. They are perfectly baked and you need just a handful of ingredients to make this yummy vegetable side dish.

Crispy-tender Paleo-Friendly Baked Butternut Squash Fries are a wonderful low-carb alternative to sweet potato fries with the same great taste!
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It’s time to upgrade your fries! These make a great healthy side dish for black bean burgers or grilled chicken and they’re super easy to make. You can eat these alone, dip them in ketchup, garlic aioli, or whatever you’d like! I had some rosemary garlic vegan mayo that I paired with it.

Ingredients to make these paleo friendly fries

  • Butternut Squash: Packed with fiber, this low calorie vegetables is a great source of vitamins A an C as well as magnesium. They taste like cross between zucchini and sweet potatoes.
  • Corn Starch: A little cornstarch helps to get the fries nice and crispy.
  • Oil: I like to use olive oil, but canola or vegetable will work well too. You just need a little to help them crisp.
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper.

How to make baked butternut squash fries

First, cut the butternut squash into sticks. The thinner you make them, the crisper they’ll be.

Three photo collage showing how to cut the butternut squash into sticks

Place the butternut squash sticks into a large bowl, add the cornstarch and coat well. Then dust off the corn starch – it helps to do it with a colander so you don’t have excess amounts.

Evenly coat the butternut squash with olive oil and seasoning after coating with the corn starch. It’s easiest to use your hands to well coat them.

4 image collage to show the fries in a bowl, then getting tossed with corn starch, then seasoned

Place the fries evenly in a single layer on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Fries on a baking sheet before baking

Tips to make baked butternut squash fries

  1. Remove any excess moisture from the butternut squash fries before coating them with cornstarch. This will help them to get more crisp in the oven.
  2. Don’t over-crowd your pan with the cut fries. That’s the biggest reason fries come out soggy when you bake them, as they steam rather than roast. So, spread out the fries and allow them to get nice and crispy.
  3. Give the fries several good tosses in the oil and seasonings so that they are evenly coated. This will help them to get crisp all over. I find it easiest to use my hands to make sure they’re well coated.
  4. Cut the fries as evenly and thinly as you can. This will help them get more crisp in the oven and ensure that they cook through evenly.
  5. Mix up your seasonings. The herbs and spices I used work together so well, but feel free to add your favorite combination. Red chili flakes are a great option to give your fries a kick of spice.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make them ahead of time?

These fries are best served straight out of the oven so that they don’t lose their crispiness. You can prep the butternut squash a few hours before you need to bake them though, just keep them covered in the fridge.

Are butternut squash fries healthier than sweet potato?

Butternut contains less calories, carbs and sugar compared to sweet potatoes and it is also rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamins E and B6. Swapping sweet potato for butternut squash is a great move!

What does roasted butternut squash taste like?

Butternut squash tastes a little like it’s fall cousin the pumpkin, but a little sweeter. It has a slight nutty flavor and is comparable to sweet potatoes.

What do you serve them with?

I like to serve these with some mayo, with some fresh herbs mixed into it, thyme works really well with these fries. You can use ketchup, ranch or any other dip you fancy. These are great to serve as an appetizer, but you can also serve them as a side with fish, chicken or meats.

Butternut squash fries with mayo thyme dipping sauce

More low-carb fries recipes

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Baked Butternut Squash Fries

Crisp-tender baked butternut squash fries are a wonderful low-carb side dish alternative to sweet potato fries with the same great taste!
5 from 318 votes
Servings 4 servings
Course Side Dish
Calories 204
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Video

Ingredients
  

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper
  • Place the butternut squash sticks into a large bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add the corn starch on top and use your hands to coat the butternut squash completely. Transfer the butternut squash to a colander and shake to remove excess cornstarch.
  • Return the butternut squash fries to the bowl, add olive oil, garlic powder, paprika and thyme. Toss to combine evenly.
  • Transfer the fries in a single layer to the prepared baking sheets, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until tender and crisp. Allow 5-10 minutes to cool. Then serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s best to reheat in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes or in a toaster to crisp them up again.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However you can switch the corn starch to flour and feel free to switch around the herbs.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 204kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 9mg, Potassium: 669mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 20054IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Side Dish

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Comments

  1. These were great! I divided them between two baking sheets and used the airfry setting in my oven. I flipped the fries and rotated the trays halfway through and they were done a few minutes sooner (because of airfry, I’m sure). Excellent recipe and we will be making again for sure! Thank you 🙂

  2. Delish
    I only used half the cornstarch due to reading reviews

    I have these for a party with grilled hamburgers, and the bottom of the gourd. I hollowed out the seeds and put a candle in it.

    Wish I could figure out how to attach a photo. The fries were beautiful.

  3. I was surprised how good these were! I only made a single portion (80g). When I turned them over after about 10 mins they were softening up but didn’t look like they’d ever go crisp but after the full 30 mins they were at least as crisp as sweet potato fries are. What I will do next time is roll them in coarse cornmeal or semolina, which I always do with roast potatoes and have started to do with sweet potato fries, and see if that crisps them any better. Also, I used a tiny pinch of chilli but wouldn’t do that again. I had them as a side with fish and peas and I don’t think it needed chilli. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Thank you for making it, Ned! You’ll have to let me know if you try it with cornmeal or semolina. That sounds interesting!

  4. This was not a hit for me and I won’t be repeating it. I followed the recipe exactly, but the “fries” had no crispiness and the cornstarch seemed a bit sticky. I will go back to my previous way of cooking butternut squash, which is to cube the squash, put some extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper on it and roast at about 450 for 10 to 15 minutes. Exact time depends on size of cubes and water content of the squash. It comes out perfectly roasted…a bit caramelized and tender and delicious.

    1. Oh no, I am sorry to hear that they didn’t turn out as expected. Do you leave enough room on the sheet pan between fries? Due to the high water content in butternut squash, they will steam instead of roast/crisp up if the pan is overcrowded. That could also cause the cornstarch to become sticky.

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