How to roast delicata squash – a photo tutorial showing an easy method for oven roasting squash, along with ideas for incorporating delicata squash into your meals.
Delicata squash is a type of winter squash that takes the form of a long cylinder shape, light in color with green and orange stripes and comes with a variety of health benefits.
High in dietary fiber for great digestion and blood sugar regulation, winter squashes like delicata are a smart choice when adding whole foods to your diet.
They are high in carotenoids, Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which support immune health. Not to mention, they are a great source of carbohydrates and taste delicious for balanced meals!
So, is delicata squash good for you? Based on its nutrient profile, the fact that it is low in calories and packs a nutritious punch, it is easy to say delicata squash is good for you.
For those following a low-carb diet, winter squash varieties are not advised depending on your total daily carb intake.
Most grocery stores carry a variety of winter squashes, including delicata squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, kabocha squash, pumpkins, and of course, butternut squash.
Do to its health benefits, attractive taste, and ease of preparation, delicata is often my favorite squash to cook in its whole form for a great side dish to any healthy dinner.
Are you curious about delicata squash (or any other variety of winter squash for that matter), but are a bit timid to dive in? Never fear!
The process or preparing most varieties of winter squash is roughly the same across the board. Basically, if you’ve ever roasted one type (butternut squash, for instance), you’ve roasted them all!
When stored in a dry place, an added benefit of winter squash is that it lasts for weeks, and sometimes months, ideal for winter storage.
And if you’ve never prepared winter squashes in your life, no worries! We’re talking all about how to roast delicata squash in this post.
First things first, let’s talk flavor.
What Does Delicata Squash Taste Like?
I find the flavor of delicata squash to be extremely pleasing! It is very sweet and buttery in flavor and is nice and creamy in texture.
Is delicata squash sweet? Yes! To me, it tastes even sweeter than acorn squash and butternut squash and has a similar sweetness to kabocha squash.
Ideal for enjoying as is or adding to various recipes, this simple delicata squash recipe is incredibly versatile.
So let’s roast it!
How to Roast Delicata Squash:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place delicata squash on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to carefully cut the tips and tails off of the squash.
Cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and innerds with a metal spoon.
I find it’s easiest to get everything out when you scrape the spoon along the flesh. This helps release the delicata squash seeds and the fibers holding them in.
Drizzle squash with avocado oil (or olive oil or high-temperature cooking oil of choice) and use your hands to spread it all over the exposed flesh so that it is well-coated. Sprinkle the flesh with sea salt.
Place squash cut-side down on a large baking sheet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until squash is very soft when poked with a fork.
Once roasted, you can sprinkle cooked delicata squash with brown sugar or pure maple syrup and melted butter. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon and/or ground cardamom is amazing too!
Serve squash with your favorite main entrée!
This is a great method to use for cooking delicata squash in its whole form, but you can absolutely cook it after it has been chopped up as well.
Can I Chop Delicata Squash into Cubes or Slices Before Roasting It?
If you’re looking for cubed or sliced roasted delicata squash, no sweat!
You can cook chopped squash with the skin still on or the skin peeled off. To peel the skin, simply use a quality vegetable peeler to carefully peel the skin off of the squash before chopping it into cubes or slices and roasting it.
Halve the squash, scrape out the insides, then cut each squash half into 1/2-inch thick slices. Drizzle the squash slices (or cubes) in olive oil or avocado oil and spread them into a single layer on a large baking sheet.
If you go this route, roast at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes. Or, check out my Maple Cinnamon Roasted Delicata Squash.
So, what can I do with delicata squash? Here is the fun part, my friends! There are endless options for enjoying delicata squash.
How to Eat Delicata Squash:
Once you have roasted (or steamed, pressure cooked, etc) delicata squash, you can use it in innumerable ways. Here are some ideas!
- EAT IT AS IS: I enjoy delicata squash so much that I love consuming it fresh out of the oven alongside some animal protein and a side salad. I just sprinkle it with sea salt and use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the peel. You can also drizzle it with pure maple syrup, sprinkle it with ground cinnamon, and/or add butter. It’s just so dang good!
- ADD IT TO SOUP: You can make a creamy soup out of it by adding it to a blender with broth, onion, garlic, and coconut milk (or cream if you aren’t dairy-free) – just be sure to remove the outer peel first! If you’re looking for a recipe to go off of, you can follow my Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup recipe, using delicata squash instead of sweet potato. It can also be added to soup in its chopped form for those who like chunky soups instead of creamy soups.
- ADD IT TO SALAD: Love adding roasted vegetables to your salads? ME TOO! If you add delicata squash to a salad, be sure you peel the squash before roasting it and chopping it into cubes for ease of consumption. Just have a look at my Roasted Butternut Squash Chicken Spinach Salad for example.
- MAKE IT BOOZY: Many moons ago, I posted a recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash with Bourbon Butter and Honey. Just typing the words makes my mouth water! The bourbon seriously does magical tricks to the winter squash. You can apply the same concept here!
- STUFF IT!: My favorite method of eating winter squash aside from just straight out of the oven with a spoon is stuffing it with a meat, rice, and/or vegetable medley. Check out my Stuffed Delicata Squash with Ground Beef , Ground Turkey Stuffed Delicata Squash, and my Taco-Stuffed Delicata Squash.
- PANCAKES: You think I’m joking, but I’m not! Most types of winter squash work marvelously in baked treats and pancakes. Follow my recipe for Butternut Squash Pancakes or my Sweet Potato Rolled Oat Protein Pancakes using roasted and mashed squash.
- PIE IT UP: If you enjoy pumpkin pies or even sweet potato casserole, there’s no reason why you can’t swap cooked delicata squash for pumpkin. Make my Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars or my Sweet Potato Casserole with Streusel Topping.
And so much more!
Can I Eat Delicata Squash Skin?:
Yes! You can safely eat delicata squash skin as there is nothing toxic in it.
In fact, all winter squash skin is edible, it’s just a matter of whether or not you like it. The edible skin can be a little challenging to chew and for some, the texture isn’t favorable.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the texture of the skin, so I choose not to eat it. Many people eat the skin simply because they like it, or because it is simply easier to eat the squash skin-on.
And that’s it!
The next time you’re looking for a healthy side dish for fall or winter during squash season, roast up a whole squash to enjoy with your meal!
Find it at the grocery store, farmer’s market, or grow them in your garden!
If you’re looking for more healthy side dish ideas, also try out these reader favorites.
More Healthy Side Dishes:
- How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Crock Pot Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Creamy Cauliflower Casserole
- Creamy Kabocha Squash Mash
- Maple Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Let me know how you like to eat your delicata squash!
Roasted Delicata Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 delicata squash
- 1 to 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place delicata squash on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the tips and tails off of the squash. Cut each squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and innerds with a metal spoon.
- Drizzle squash with avocado oil (or high-temperature cooking oil of choice) and use your hands to spread it all over the exposed flesh so that it is well-coated. Sprinkle the flesh with sea salt.
- Place squash cut-side down on a large baking sheet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until squash is very soft when poked with a fork. Serve squash with your favorite main entree!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains a few affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Yum! Easy to get to fully cooked. Tasted wonderful just like that. Works with other winter squash as well. I do use parchment paper to keep cleanup simple.
For a change of pace, I add a tiny bit of onion powder and garlic powder and ground ginger along with oil and salt, but that is because after it is cooked I sometimes stuff it with ground chicken or pork, harissa spice blend, and diced carrots, onion, and bok choy vegetables (all cooked in a sauté pan while squash is in oven), add to squash and top with a bit of shaved parmigiana melted in residual heat from oven. Note: if you decide to stuff, I add a little bit vegetable or chicken stock to ground chicken or pork at end of sauté cooking to keep it moist.
All of that sounds amazing, Sandi! Thanks so much for sharing your creations – I’m so thrilled to her you’re enjoying delicata squash!
Can you sub coconut water in the recipe for Delicata Soup?
Hi Carol! I’ve never tried making a soup using coconut water, but I imagine it would work great! I assume the flavor would be nice and sweet and creamy. I’d say it’s worth a try! Hope you enjoy!
I was the same way. Didn’t care for the texture. With the skin.
Thank you for the recipe. I loved the squash. I liked it with just salt and pepper, butter. I ate two whole ones. In one meal. They were so good.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Diana! xo
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Much better roasting it whole instead of slicing, it came out tender and creamy. I’m glad I bought it again considering it turned out kind of dry the last time. This is the way I will roast it from now on. Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed it, Pat! xoxxo
We made our Delicatas following these instructions and they turned out perfectly! I will admit that they accidentally got left in the oven for a total of 45 minutes, so they were a bit softer than some might like, but the flavor was all caramelized and perfect. My husband even ate the skin- which never happens! Next time I’ll make sure they’re out at 30-40 minutes. Thank you for posting this; it’s hard to find times for the whole delicata- what’s posted everywhere is the time for them cut into slices. You rock.
I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoy it! It truly is a marvelous squash. I hope it turns out even better on the next round! xoxo
Definitely no to baking at 350. After 30 mins I checked and they weren’t even close, checked another recipe that said bake @450 for 35-45 mins so that’s what I’m doing
@Lisa, Hi Lisa, it could have been that the size of your squash was fairly large. I have seen them very petite, up to the size of a small spaghetti squash! Good luck to you! I’m sure it will be delicious.
Tried this squash for the first time. I loved it and my husband didn’t. My girlfriend who was eating dinner with us loved it too. I will try it again with more ingredients. Hopefully that’ll do the trick for him to like it.
I’ve found the trick to getting folks to like winter squash who aren’t used to it is slathering it with butter and drizzling it with pure maple syrup or honey and a little sprinkle of sea salt 😉
I use coconut oil add a bit of real maple syrup and cinnamon ???
Ooh la la! I love it! Thanks for the idea!
Also, If you have a little extra time and energy. The seed are yummy. I always clean them off and roast them. Then I add them back to the squash and eat up all of it !!
Oooh, yes! I love that idea! Roasting the seeds would be brilliant 😀
Great post. One thing though… I always eat the skin! It’s edible and adds some fiber 🙂 Not sure this post conveys that to readers
Thanks for the input, Hillary! That’s a great point! Sometimes I eat the skin as well…I don’t love the texture, but you’re correct, it is edible! 😀 xo
@Hillary, thx good to know!