Name: Roasted Acorn Squash
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 acorn squash; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

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This delicious roasted acorn squash is a great side dish! It's a great way to enjoy healthy and hearty winter squash.

You can also roast acorn squash and use it in salads or squash soup. It's incredibly flavorful and hearty.

This recipe is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

Roasted acorn squash on a white serving dish.

Why You’ll Love This Acorn Squash Recipe

This delicious roasted acorn squash recipe is so easy to make! It's a great side dish for fall or winter when winter squash is at its peak.

Often roasted acorn squash recipes contain a bunch of sugar - this recipe is sugar-free but it still has gorgeous flavor from the Chinese five-spice blend.

Five-spice is a deeply aromatic blend that pairs extremely well with the squash.

Two acorn squash, olive oil, Chinese five spice, and salt on a marble background.

Ingredients You'll Need

You don't need much to make an excellent roasted squash. Here's all you'll need:

2 acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

A halved acorn squash with the seeds scooped out on a brown cutting board with a large chef's knife.

How to Make Roasted Squash

It's easy to make this squash recipe. Here's all you need to do.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds (save for roasted squash seeds if you’d like*) and any stringy bits, and then quarter the squash.
Place the squash in a 9x13 baking dish or a parchment lined sheet pan and brush with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the five spice powder and salt across the top.
Roast the squash for 50 to 60 minutes or until it’s caramelized and easy to poke with a fork.
Eat immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

You can eat acorn squash with or without the skin, after it's roasted the skin will become pliant. If you'd prefer to eat it without the skin, just scoop it out with a spoon - it separates very easily.

Quartered acorn squash topped with spices on a parchment lined baking sheet.

More Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love

Roasted Beet Salad - the roasted beets are phenomenal and paired with the creamy cheese and the crunchy pepitas – they’re a real treat.
Fennel Gratin Recipe - a perfect side dish for a holiday dinner or a special meal! It’s deliciously rich and flavorful – the tender fennel pairs perfectly with the panko breadcrumb, parsley, and parmesan topping.
Roasted Squash and Grapes - the combination of the just charred Delicata squash and the juicy and rich flavor of the grape is excellent.
Artichoke Potato Salad - this dish is winter (potatoes) meeting spring (artichokes, dill, carrots). It’s a wonderful appetizer or side dish for four people.

Tips for Making Roasted Acorn Squash

Tips for Choosing Squash - When choosing your squash at the grocery store or farmer's market, you want the skin to be smooth, dry, and crack-free. It shouldn't have any soft spots and it shouldn't be too shiny. When squash are shiny it means they've been harvested too early. The best acorn squash will be a deep green color.

Storing Tips - This recipe will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight container. Squash can be reheated in the microwave or oven.

Alternate Spice Blends - If you'd like to use another spice blend to top the squash, we'd recommend using a baharat, garam masala, or dukkah blend.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings