You have got to try this 15-minute Spiced Butternut Squash recipe with Chinese 5-spice powder. It's bursting with flavor, vegan and made in an air fryer.
Thanksgiving and fall are one of my favorite times of the year. There are always so many delicious recipes popping up that it makes it hard to choose which one I'll be making next. This Spiced Butternut Squash was something I had been wanting to try and boy, I'm glad I did.
I will definitely be making this Spiced Butternut Squash, again and again, this fall. It was far too delicious and far too easy to not make a few more times. It works as a great side dish, however, it also works great as a snack by itself.
Air Fried Spiced Butternut Squash
If you don't own an Air Fryer, I urge you to get one. They make recipes so easy, not to mention, much healthier. I couldn't believe how amazing recipes turned out when I first started using it.
This Spiced Butternut Squash recipe is another winner when it comes to the Air Fryer. I couldn't help but steal bites as we took photos. It was just too delicious to look at and not eat.
What spice did you say you used?
What? You were expecting some traditional version of Spiced Butternut squash from me? You're surprised I want to use Chinese 5-spice powder instead?
Clearly, you haven't looked around my blog enough if that's the case! You should start with my recipe index here and play around, to find different cuisines, and recipes to suit different diets here.
Chinese Five Spice Powder is a blend of star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and sometimes ginger. It has a lovely sweet, hot flavor that is like no other. It's pretty easy to find in stores, but you can also get it on Amazon.
Can I make this Spiced Butternut Squash in the oven?
Yes! All you need to do is spread it on a baking sheet into a single layer, cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and then broil on high for 3-4 minutes to finish it off.
Why make this in the air fryer?
You'll notice with the oven you have to dirty a big sheet pan and add the step of broiling after baking. With the air fryer, you only need to dump the butternut squash into the air fryer basket and let it cook. The air fryer just makes things faster and more efficient, so it's my first choice!
What flavors pair well with butternut squash?
Butternut squash has a slightly sweet flavor naturally. When you think of things to pair well with it, going savory is a great tip. Apple, bacon, and ginger all pair well with butternut squash.
If you're needing a new side dish for Thanksgiving or for your fall dinners, this Spiced Butternut Squash would be perfect. It's the epitome of a fall recipe and is sure to please everyone at the dinner table. It's one of our favorite dishes!
Want some more easy squash recipes?
- Butternut Ginger Soup - Super easy to make and great for a fall or winter day!
- Keto Zucchini Bread - this bread is incredible and you'll never guess it's Keto-friendly!
- Butternut Apple Soup - this is another great butternut squash soup - and even better because it has bacon!
- This Farro Risotto With Butternut Squash gives you the savory and sweet flavors of fall in one delightful dish!
Every one of the recipes in this book can be made in an hour or less, and many are on the table in as little as 30 minutes. You won’t find “cream of anything” cans in the ingredient list: instead, you’ll start with fresh ingredients–healthful meats and vegetables–and let the air fryer do the hard work.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below! Just click on the stars in the recipe card to rate.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups (560 g) chopped butternut squash, about 1 inch squares
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Oil
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) truvia, or 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Chinese 5 spice powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the butternut squash, oil, Truvia or sugar, and the Chinese 5 spice powder.
- Place the squash in the airfryer basket. Set the airfryer to 400F for 15 minutes.
- Yeah, that's seriously all that there is to it. You're done. Eat.
- To make this in the oven, cook at 400 for 15 minutes, and then broil on high for 4-5 minutes.
- Coat your butternut squash evenly to maintain even spice distribution, or you could get a mouthful of Chinese 5 Spice!
Joanne
This is so good. Every recipe of yours I have tried have been so fantastic. Our favs are the butter chicken and the chicken tikka. I also have your cookbook, my favourite go to.
I bought online the Chinese 5 spice brand you recommended but I’m sure it was for another recipe that I cannot find after the spice arrived in the mail. Any chance you remember it?
URVASHI PITRE
I do! Vietnamese bo Kho uses it
Joanne
Thanks a million!
Vicki Walter
Can I cook this recipe at the same time as roast potatoes.
URVASHI PITRE
Yes you can! Great idea.
Trudy
Delicious and easy!
Janet Hubbard
This was a total disaster. 400 degrees for 15 min in the air fryer burned almost every piece to a cinder....and there was thus no point in broiling it! So next time I will try 380 degrees for perhaps 10 minutes. And I WILL report back.
URVASHI PITRE
What brand of air fryer do you have? Curious why that happened for you.