Eating butternut squash pie is like having dessert as a side dish! It has a naturally sweet and unbelievably delicious taste. This recipe is simple and healthy which allows the butternut squash to shine.
Never heard of healthy butternut squash pie?
When it comes to butternut squash pie, it’s very hard to find a healthy one. Most recipes call for heavy cream and lots of sugar. So I never bothered making it because I didn’t want to eat those ingredients.
One time however, I decided to roast butternut squash and have it as a side dish. I drizzled it with some cinnamon and olive oil, and it was delicious. It reminded me of my heavenly roasted sweet potatoes that are naturally sweet. It got me thinking that there’s no reason a healthy butternut squash pie wouldn’t work!
So I got to work on developing a recipe and my assumptions were confirmed. Butternut squash pie doesn’t need heavy cream, whipped cream, or excess sugars. A few natural ingredients with just a little bit of brown sugar will go a long way!
Butternut squash is a healthy carb:
Butternut squash is considered a starchy vegetable because it’s high in carbs. However, carbs shouldn’t scare you off if they are complex carbs. Complex carbs, unlike simple carbs, usually have fiber and nutrients which keep you full for a long time. They are also important because they give you energy.
Simple carbs like white bread and pasta don’t have as many nutrients as complex carbs like butternut squash. This makes butternut squash a great choice when you want to have energy, feel full, and eat some good nutrients.
Getting the butternut squash to be soft:
The first step to a good butternut squash pie is getting the butternut squash to be soft. This way you can mix it easily with the rest of the ingredients. There are a few ways to achieve this:
- Cutting the butternut squash into cubes and roasting them. This is the method I use, but it became a lot easier when I purchased a good chef’s knife. Until then I would use a regular knife and it was pretty arduous. I did a good amount of research and finally chose this knife. It makes cutting things like sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash so much easier.
- Buy pre-cut butternut squash at the store. If you can find it at the store go for it! Anything to make your life easier in the kitchen. It can get pricy though which is why some people prefer to buy it whole.
- Roast the entire butternut squash to get it soft and then cut it up. You can also soften it by placing it in the microwave for a minute or two.
Choose whichever method works for you. Keep in mind that you don’t need to use the same method each time. If you’re pressed for time you may choose to buy the pre-cut butternut squash whereas another time you may not. You get my drift.
Healthy butternut squash pie ingredient List:
- Butternut Squash
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Light Brown Sugar
- Olive Oil
- Eggs
- Almond Milk
Variations and substitutes:
If you’re missing one of the ingredients or don’t like one, here are some things you can do:
- Sweetener: You can use anything from regular sugar to maple syrup, etc.
- Oil: You can use regular oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
- Milk: If you don’t mind making this dairy you can use regular milk. Additionally, you can use any non-dairy milk other than almond milk as well.
Making butternut squash pie ahead of time:
You can most definitely make this pie in advance. The great thing about it is that it can be frozen both before and after it’s cooked.
To freeze it once it’s prepared but not cooked: Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake it, just give it an extra hour of baking time. Alternatively, you can defrost it the night before and bake it for the original amount of time.
To freeze it once it’s cooked: Cover it tightly with foil and freeze it. To warm it up place it in a 350-degree oven for around one hour.
In both scenarios, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the pie before covering it to prevent condensation.
great ways to serve butternut squash pie:
The options are endless when it comes to serving butternut squash pie. Here are some creative ones:
- You can serve it as an appetizer on a small plate. It’s very asthetically pleasing and will leave your guests excited for the meal!
- It can be served as a side dish and pairs nicely with meat, chicken, or fish. The sweet component will go especially well with savory mains and green vegetables.
- If you want to be a little adventurous you can try this with ice cream. I mean sweet on sweet; you can’t go wrong! As I mentioned earlier this pie is basically dessert.
Butternut Squash Pie
Ingredients
- 1 big butternut squash, around 2.5 pounds
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash and peel the butternut squash and then cut it into cubes. You can also buy pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store.
- Place it on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Massage the oil into all the pieces making sure they are evenly coated.
- Roast for around an hour or until you can pierce through the butternut squash with a knife.
- Meanwhile add all of the other ingredients to a bowl and whisk well.
- Once the butternut squash is finished roasting and cooled off a bit, add it to a big bowl.
- Lower the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the liquid mixture on top of the roasted butternut squash.
- Blend everything up using a hand blender or food processor.
- Pour the mixture into a round baking dish and bake for around one hour.
- Allow the pie to cool for around 30 minutes before serving.
More spices besides Cinnamon…Allspice, Nutmeg, Cardamom especially!
Feel free to add those, we’re sure it’ll be delicious!
So my Mom who passed at 93 Apr. 2020 had been making butternut squash pie since about 1995. But used HER recipe (from quite a few generations back) for pumpkin pie. the filling was/is light, smooth and elegant. She used fresh peeled and cubed butternut squash boiled/ steamed in a little water on top of stove…like you would do potatoes for mashed potatoes. She didn’t like store bought pre-cut because it would be too dried out and the frozen cubed would end up being too watery. Then when cooled placed in a cone (chinois)strainer and using a heavy wooden pestel pressed the squash through the strainer. She added some Libby’s canned pumpkin, eggs, milk, vanilla, white granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt and stirred by hand until satiny smooth. Tasted like a pumpkin milkshake! This
pie filling was placed in unbaked pie shells; then she sprinkled cinnamon on top and baked. Variations were mixing ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into squash/pumpkin mixture OR adding some lemon extract.
Sounds delicious!!