Mashed Butternut Squash
In a side dish rut? This Mashed Butternut Squash is guaranteed to liven up any meal! It’s smooth and velvety with the savory flavor of garlic and fresh chives. It takes (4) simple ingredients and it’s ready in 30 minutes!
It’s so easy to get into ruts when it comes to meals. I’ve found that meals are a lot more exciting, however, if I simply change up the side dishes.
Yukon gold mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes are tried and true family favorites, but over the years I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with a wide variety of veggies to replace the potatoes.
My parsnip purée and mashed cauliflower recipes are lower carb and so delicious that I never get any complaints!
This Mashed Butternut Squash is my latest creation, and this dish has added plenty of pizzaz to our dinner table.
The color alone is enough to make me happy, but the velvety texture and sweet, savory flavor is why I’ve been making this recipe time and time again lately.
I have no idea why it took me so long to try mashing butternut squash because I’ve loved the velvety texture of my butternut squash soup for so long.
Thankfully when I was developing my post how to cut butternut squash, I made a purée out of my cubed squash and knew I had a new side dish!
There’s no going back now. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- This mashed butternut squash is smooth and velvety with the savory flavors of garlic and chives.
- It’s a festive, easy side dish that’s guaranteed to liven up any meal.
- It takes 15 minutes of prep and it’s ready in 30 minutes tops.
- It’s gluten-free and is easily customized for any special diet.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Butternut squash. This recipe takes 5 cups of cubed butternut squash, or a 2 1/2 lb. whole squash. You can opt to purchase prepped squash, but it’s much more cost effective to do it yourself. You can boil cubed butternut squash or roast a whole squash for this recipe. See the recipe card below for more information.
- Garlic. Butternut squash is nice and sweet on its own, so I added fresh garlic cloves to the squash to make it nice and savory. The garlic is boiled along with the butternut, so the flavor is much more mellow. It can be omitted to make this recipe low FODMAP.
- Butter and olive oil. A bit of butter and olive oil adds nice buttery flavor and makes the texture of the mashed butternut nice and silky. I’ve prepared it with milk or cream, but I prefer this dish without the added richness. This is a personal preference, and you can certainly replace the olive oil with milk or cream. Make this recipe dairy-free by subbing the butter dairy-free butter or coconut milk.
- Chives. The chives are completely optional, but I highly recommend adding them as they add freshness and mild onion flavor. They may be subbed with chopped parsley or your favorite fresh or dried herbs.
How to make this recipe
This savory mashed butternut squash recipe is super easy to make. Simply mash or purée the boiled butternut squash with the other ingredients until smooth and it’s ready to eat!
Pro tip: Prep the butternut squash up to 3 days in advance, or see the recipe card notes below to roast a whole squash instead.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place the butternut squash and garlic in a large pot.
- Fill the pot with enough water to cover the squash by 1″ or so. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender.
- Drain the squash well in a colander.
- Mash or purée the squash using an immersion blender or food processor until smooth and add the rest of the ingredients.
Recipe FAQs
Either method works great in this mashed butternut squash recipe…it’s really personal preference.
Boiled butternut squash requires peeling and cutting the squash into about 1 1/2″ sized cubes. You can also purchase pre-cut squash as a time saver.
I don’t recommend roasting cubed squash for this recipe as it dries out in the oven, so if you prefer to roast it, follow the instructions in my roasted whole butternut squash recipe which is linked in the recipe card below.
Butternut squash has an amazing sweet, nutty flavor that pairs well with both sweet and savory ingredients.
This savory mashed butternut squash includes garlic, butter and freshly chopped chives. Fresh herbs and savory spices are also great additions.
If you prefer a sweeter side dish, consider adding maple syrup or honey, ground cinnamon or orange zest for added flavor.
Serving suggestions
There are so many delicious ways to serve this mashed butternut squash recipe!
- Serve it on busy weeknights alongside air fryer chicken breast or air fryer pork chops.
- It makes a great side dish for Sunday dinner paired with roast chicken or boneless turkey breast.
- This mashed butternut makes the perfect holiday side dish served with slow cooker glazed ham or roast turkey.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prep the butternut squash up to 3 days in advance or use store bought cubed butternut squash to save time. You can also prepare my roasted whole butternut squash if you prefer.
- Check the squash for doneness after 10 minutes. It should be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Avoid overcooking it as it can become mushy or watery.
- Omit the butter to make this mashed butternut squash dairy-free. It may be subbed with more olive oil, dairy-free butter or full fat coconut milk.
- Store leftover mashed butternut squash in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More butternut squash recipes:
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Mashed Butternut Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups cubed butternut squash about 2 1/2 lbs. whole butternut squash; cut into 1 1/2" cubes
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and halved
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened; see notes for dairy-free options
- 2 tablespoons olive oil sub with milk or cream as desired for a richer texture
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- fresh chives, for serving optional
Instructions
- Place the cubed butternut squash and garlic in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover by an inch. Place on the stove top and cover. Cook over high heat until it comes to a boil, then remove the lid and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the squash well in a colander.5 cups cubed butternut squash, 2 cloves garlic
- Place the squash back in the pot and add the butter and oil. Mash with a potato masher until it reaches the desired consistency, or for best results purée with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Season with salt and pepper, adding more as needed, and stir in the chopped chives. Serve immediately and enjoy!3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, fresh chives, for serving
Notes
- Pro tip: Prep the cubed butternut squash up to 3 days in advance following instructions in my post how to peel and cut butternut squash.  You can also use store bought cubed butternut squash to save time.
- Instead of cubing the squash, you can also prepare my roasted whole butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, mash or purée it and add the other ingredients.
- Check the squash for doneness after 10 minutes. It should be easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Avoid over cooking as it can become mushy or watery.
- Omit the butter to make this mashed butternut squash dairy-free. It may be subbed with more olive oil, dairy-free butter or your favorite non-dairy milk.
- Store leftover mashed butternut squash in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
6 Comments on “Mashed Butternut Squash”
Question how much butter and olive oil and why does it have to be unsalted butter
The measurements of the butter and olive oil are in the recipe card. It doesn’t have to be unsalted butter. If you do use salted butter, be careful not to add too much additional salt.
Easy and delicious!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Great recipe with simple ingredients. I made it with vegan butter, so I’ll have a gluten-free, vegan side dish.
I’m glad you enjoyed it Carol and thank you for your review!