An easy recipe you’ll instantly want to make and instantly love. These vegan, paleo-friendly Baked Butternut Squash Fries are the real deal! They are perfectly crispy and you need just a handful of ingredients to make this yummy vegetable side dish.
It’s time to upgrade your fries! These make a great healthy side dish for 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 Chipotle Lime mayo that I thought would go perfect with these because the mayo was also paleo-friendly (wink).
Paleo friendly vegetable fries
What is paleo-friendly? It’s part of a new Paleo diet, which is also called the caveman diet or the primal diet. The goal is to basically eat how cavemen once did, including anything you can hunt or find – meats, fish, leafy greens, fresh fruits, regional vegetables and nuts/seeds.
Although I’ve never done the paleo diet, I know many people swear by it and it has helped them lose weight and feel great! If you are trying a paleo diet and want a low-carb substitute for sweet potatoes, these Baked Butternut Squash Fries will hit the spot!
How to Make Baked Butternut Squash Fries
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and cut the butternut squash into sticks. Place the butternut squash sticks into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, chili, smoked paprika and salt.
Evenly coat the butternut squash with the olive oil and seasoning then place the fries evenly in a single layer on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until tender and crispy.
Top tips to make baked butternut squash fries
- If you’re trying this recipe, a key thing to keep in mind for the crispy factor is not to over-crowd your pan with the cut fries. That’s the biggest reason fries come out soggy when you bake them. So, spread out the fries and allow them to get nice and crispy.
- Give the fries several good tosses in the oil and seasonings so that they are evenly coated.
- Bake in a pre heated oven and serve immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make these butternut squash fries 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 do roasted butternut squash fries 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.
Ok, enough about paleo, shmaleo, let’s get to the easy recipe and make these babies!
More low-carb fries recipes
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feelgood Butternut Squash Fries recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Baked Butternut Squash Fries
Ingredients
- One large butternut squash cut into sticks
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash sticks into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, chili, smoked paprika and salt.
- Evenly coat the butternut squash with the olive oil and seasoning.
- Place the fries evenly in a single layer on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Be sure not to over-crowd the pan, because that will create too much steam, which is often the reason the fries come out soggy when baked. This is the reason I use two baking sheets instead of one.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until tender and crispy.
