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Acorn squash is roasted in the oven then topped with butter and brown sugar for the perfect squash side dish! This acorn squash recipe is so fast, easy, and healthy. Acorn squash is cheap and abundant in the autumn, so here’s an easy recipe to show you how to cook acorn squash.
You can also try simple honey and cinnamon roasted butternut squash or a maple roasted butternut squash if you are looking for more squash recipes! This recipe was one of the very first recipes on my website around 11 years ago, so we’ve redone it with all new photos!
How to Cook Acorn Squash, Step by Step
It may seem redundant to a lot of people reading this blog, but we all had to learn somehow. Everyone has to learn sometime, and every time I go to post a how-to post I have to remind myself: someone, somewhere, truly doesn’t know how to do it. So every time I go over a basic recipe or kitchen task, I am going to try and post it more. I know there are a lot of university kids reading my blog and I’m always trying to remember that there are so many people learning still, so many younger AND older adults yearning for more knowledge in the kitchen. And hey, I can’t count the times I google things myself, but that’s just old age and a lack of memory kicking in.
So the other night I made a simple, easy acorn squash recipe to take advantage of the bounty of the season.
It doesn’t get easier than this, cheaper, or a better way to sneak in a large serving of vegetables. The total cost at Superstore was about $1.45 a squash, each one serving two people. Two! If my math serves me correctly, that makes each serving about 73 cents. A very hearty serving, I might add. You hear that, university kids? Seventy-three cents. Split with a roomie.
Ingredients Needed:
- acorn squash
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- salt
- pepper
How to Clean Acorn Squash
Acorn squash is so easy to clean compared to other squash such as pumpkins! They are a snap!
- Cut each squash down the center lengthwise, you don’t want to cut them in half width-wise, leaving a top and a bottom otherwise they are odd to cook that way.
- Take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and strings until the center is completely cleaned out.
How to Cook Acorn Squash
- Using a nice sharp knife, cut the squash in half. Clean out the seeds and stringy bits, so that it’s clean. You want to scoop them out well as shown in the photos above.
- Place cut side down on a baking sheet with water on it.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until they are soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place them on top of the stove. Turn on the broiler in your oven.
- Take your butter and place in the center of each. If you are going for sweet, add the brown sugar. Sprinkle with salt.
- Return to the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, melting the butter/sugar, browning the edges slightly and
Flavor Variations
You can choose to make this sweet or savory squash whichever you prefer! Try some of these on the squash:
- honey instead of the brown sugar
- cinnamon or nutmeg – or a combination of the two for a sweet version
- maple syrup instead of the sugar
- red pepper flakes – very good with sweet squash and also a savory version
- curry – also really good with honey
- paprika, garlic, oregano – any herb or spice that you like you can skip the sugar and make this savory
Tips and Tricks
- Placing the squash cut side down on the baking sheet ensures that you aren’t drying out the squash. When you roast squash open-faced for 45 minutes, it can dry out and the inside can form “strings” in the squash. I’ve tried baking it open-faced and there really is a texture difference, you are keeping that moisture inside and not drying it out.
- Steam the squash by adding enough water so that it slightly covers the sides of the squash. I find this way you end up with amazingly soft squash that hasn’t dried out in places or burnt in others. It cooks them uniformly. Steam is a wonderful thing and it actually helps cook these faster than plain roasting.
- Broil it at the end to get those lovely browned bits on the edges. You don’t have to bake it and dry out your squash for 40 minutes to achieve this, just give it a quick broil.
With this recipe, you end up with a lovely, soft bowl of squash with a pool of sugary butter that is so soft you can eat it with a spoon, but still has some crispy roasted edges. It really is the best of all worlds!
If you want a really unique acorn squash recipe try my Acorn Squash Pie! It is really fantastic and a great change from pumpkin! Happy cooking you guys! I hope this recipe helps you all out, learning how to cook acorn squash is really easy AND delicious!
Karlynn
How to Cook Acorn Squash
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 209
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar divided
- salt
- pepper
- water for baking sheet
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Using a nice sharp knife, cut the squash in half. Using a spoon, clean out the seeds and stringy bits, so that it's clean inside.
- Place cut side down on a baking sheet then add enough water so that it slightly covers the sides of the squash.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until they are soft.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on top of the stove.
- Turn on the broiler in your oven. Turn the squash over on the pan.
- Take one tablespoon of butter and place in the center of each squash. If you are going for sweet, add 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar to the center of each squash as well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Return to the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, melting the butter/sugar, browning the edges slightly.
- Remove and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Dennie says
Thank you K- I made my acorn squash tonight using your recipe.
I’m 52 and been doing it wrong all these years ? ?.
Thank you! My squash which I have been craving for weeks – surpassed my expectations!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
donald jezequel says
thanks for your very helpful instructions
Tara says
This is EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you for being so detailed, it’s appreciated.
Karlynn Johnston says
Glad I could help!
angela hammill says
i could eat this all day !!!
KathyVentura says
Thank you, very good. I really like the way you write it
Averil says
5 stars!
Dennie says
BrookeLalaurie says
Amazing! THANK YOU !
RonBooth says
One helpful step I find missing in many acorn squash recipes is to take a slice off each side of the squash so that when its turned over round side down it wont roll around. But at the end of the day this is one great way to get those hard to feed kids (even older kids) to eat their veggies.
ShannonBarill says
So easy even I can do it!! Thank you!!
kolttee371 says
I love this method using it for a carnival squash. Minus the sugar as I love squash just the way it tastes with butter salt and pepper. A Red Hubbard squash is so so sweet you wont need sugar. Very hard to cut. Try one. Thanks Blessings
GillianSullivan says
Hey, I just wanted to say that I am one of those uni students who can kinda cook but really doesn’t know the half of it. I just got married to a great guy who can cook and loves to, but there are foods he doesn’t like and nights he isn’t around for dinner.
I have loved squash forever. I can remember my mum making it once or twice a month (a bit of a treat) and I adored it. So, naturally, when I saw it in the grocery store after not having any for a long while, the craving kicked in. I eagerly selected the one I liked the look of best and payed for it without giving it a second thought… Only to get home and realize I actually don’t know how to cook one and Mr Man doesn’t like squash. Boo. I do know you have to roast it… somehow… but have no clue as to the actual process and steps required to successfully roast, well anything, but specifically squash.
The long and short of all this is Thank you!
thekitchenmagpie says
GillianSullivan Awesome! You are so very welcome!
Cate Robinson says
I’m 43 and I don’t really know how to cook. I want to learn, but a lot of times it just seems so overwhelming. So please never feel like you’re being redundant by posting basic techniques, there are those of us out there who appreciate it! By the way, I’d never even attempted to cook acorn squash until about 6 months ago so you never know! :)
thekitchenmagpie says
@Cate Robinson <3 Aw thanks! I am so glad that you found my site!
Sasha Purton says
Sadly to say I am 51 & learning from you how to cook squash. My mom cooked differently… structured so I am not aware of this lovely new food I have found. I thank you for explaining evrything so simply. Young or old we can all learn from each other….thanks :D
wc says
Thank you for the amazing step by step and the pictures. It was amazing and will place this new found treat in my everyday life.
Thanks again
MrsWBL says
We finish ours with a cinnamon & sugar mix. Since I follow low carb, substitueing sweetener keeps it healthy at 10 carbs per half.
ANE says
Thanks for the info, I’m married 58 yes and never cooked an acorn squash .Someone dropped one off so here I go . Never too old or late to try something new. Will check on you again.
Amadea says
Thanks for this recipe. Here’s another one …. I like to cut them sideways, instead of stem to stern. That way you get a beautiful flower-like presentation. My Dad’s Pennsylvania Dutch recipe calls for cooking them upright, having filled the middle with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, a small dab of butter, and then topping up with real cream. Bake for 45 minutes. When you serve, put it on a small plate that can fit beside the dinner plate, and you can dip forkfuls of squash in the cream mixture for added YUMMY.
thekitchenmagpie says
Amadea These look great!!
MrsTaylor says
I’m using this recipe right now! Acorn squash is in the oven with 4 minutes left and I can’t wait to try it! I’m a newly wed 24 year-old so anything easy, cheap, and simple is my kind of recipe! (which is why I chose this recipe over the other ones online) Thank you!
SteveMancini says
Im liking the
“Kick the tires and light the fires“ quote, hilarious!
Recipes good too. Cheers
thekitchenmagpie says
SteveMancini 🙂 glad you liked it! Welcome to the site!
Mike says
One of my favorites!
MelanieJohanna says
You can also use maple syrup instead of brown sugar!
Sofia says
Thank you for the helpful post. I consider myself an average baker but there are so many basic things I still need to learn!
Melissa says
I am new to cooking, and have always walked by acorn squash at the store and been curious. I finally decided to look up how to cook them and came across your site! Thank you for posting “the easy” recipes that many others don’t bother with. Newbs thank you! I will try cooking one tonight 🙂
Karlynn Johnston says
So good to hear! I love comments like these, they make my day Kelly!
Kelly says
I had never cooked nor eaten acorn squash before but bought them at the market b/c they were cheap! I googled and found this recipe and made it for my family exactly as you’ve described and it was outstanding!! I am so excited to make it again! Thank you for your ‘back to basics’ instructions! There ARE people out there who have never done these things! Thank you!
Karlynn Johnston says
Glad you had success Julie!!
Julie says
Thank you so much! My first success with acorn squash after 2 previous fails! I needed acorn squash purée today, so I followed your baking instructions exactly except for the broiling step. I scooped out the inside easily after cooking. When I knew I had enough, I scooped out the rest and ate it straight up! I didn’t think there was any chance of it being tasty without seasoning. I will be saving this and making the full recipe for friends.
Eli says
Very delicious! We made this recipe tonight. Great idea to add the water to the baking sheet. For an extra dose of delicious, add a little real maple syrup into the mix. You won’t regret it.
Karlynn says
Maybe when you don’t cut the squash in half already one might pierce holes in it, but piercing it just lets MORE moisture out, we’re trying to keep it in, with the pan of water. This cooks up perfectly.
bakeyb says
Most people pierce the body of the squash first.
sugarnflowers says
@bakeyb, that I believe is done if the squash is whole to let steam escape. If they are ‘cleaved’ it is not necessary….and would lead to your fabulous squash bowl leaking.
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says
Looks delicious! I love squash.