These sweet-and-spicy butternut squash fries are packed with flavor from yummy sriracha. Oven baked, and made with just three simple ingredients, they're so much healthier than traditional fries!
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I am perpetually counting calories. Which is a whole lot of fun! Perhaps this is just my perception, but it sure seems like the food blogging world is full of the "Oh gosh-I just eat whatever I want, and I never workout!" types who weigh 110 pounds and post six dessert recipes a week, usually involving Rolos and/or several heaping cups full of Nutella and I resent them and their amazing metabolism.
I am not one of those bloggers. Nope. I have to watch every single thing I eat. So butternut squash fries make a frequent appearance on our dinner table.
Ok, now that I have that off my chest, let's move on to the fries!
If I'm making veggie burgers or grilled cheese or something else that's a little bit high in calories, butternut squash fries are a good low calorie side dish to balance that.
And they're filling! And delicious! And healthy! Butternut squash is high in fiber, beta carotene, potassium, and Vitamins C & B6. So in addition to having fewer calories than potato fries, they're more nutritious too.
Lower calories! More nutrition! Really, you can't go wrong with butternut squash fries.
These Baked Butternut Squash Fries are:
- Packed with spicy flavor from sriracha.
- Easy to make with just 3 ingredients!
- Low calorie and healthy.
- Vegetarian.
- Vegan.
- Gluten-Free.
- A tasty snack the whole family will love!
Food Blogs and Calories
Tips & Tricks
Okay, there's one slight downside. Butternut squash fries are not as crispy as regular fries. But if you want them as crispy as possible, make sure you cut the fries nice and thin!
You can create your own variations of these basic butternut squash fries by changing up the seasoning. I used to alternate between sprinkling them with chipotle powder and sprinkling them with cinnamon, but my new thing is sriracha. These Baked Sriracha Butternut Squash Fries are now my favorite butternut squash fries!
To me, they're just spicy enough, but you can always drizzle some extra sriracha onto the fries after they're done baking to increase the spice level.
And if you love these butternut squash fries, be sure to check all the other fries you can make out of fresh veggies!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut, vegetable, canola or any other neutral-flavored oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into evenly-sized steak fries
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Whisk together oil and sriracha in a large bowl. Transfer butternut squash fries to bowl and toss to coat. (It's messy, but use your hands-it works best!) Pour fries onto a rimmed baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully flip fries over using tongs or a spatula. Sprinkle with additional salt and bake for 20 minutes more or until tender and browned on edges.
mjskit says
Oh you know how I love spicy and these spicy squash fries sound like a perfect treat for me!!! Great idea!
Natalie says
I am so with you on this! I mostly blog about cakes and other sweet baked goods, but I only get to eat them (in tiny portions) because I religiously calorie count everything I eat and make my main meals as healthy as possible!
I'm a big fan of using butternut squash in place of sweet potato to cut calories, and will definitely give this recipe a go.
So pleased to have discovered your blog, look forward to browsing more of your recipes!
Kiersten says
Yeah, when I do a sweet recipe, I usually take a small portion for myself and my husband gets the rest. Which works well for him because he can eat insane amounts of food and never gain an ounce! So jealous. 🙂
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
This looks amazing and I'm going to try this tomorrow with extra rooster sauce.
Kiersten says
Yeah, my husband puts extra sriracha on his too. 😀
Genevieve says
I love sweet potato fries but I can't remember if I've ever tried baking butternut squash as fries...I know I would love these though! Like you, I usually go for either hot spices like chili powder or the sweet variation like cinnamon, so it would be nice to change things up and try baking my fries with sriracha next time!
Kiersten says
These are pretty similar to sweet potato fries, just a little bit softer and less starchy. Squashier, I guess. 🙂
debra pearlstein says
You just have no idea how much I love this idea! And yours look like perfection. I am going to try this!
Kiersten says
I hope you like them! I am totally burnt out on butternut squash at the moment, but I still love the fries. 😀
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Haha, I got a kick out of your perception of other food bloggers. I feel the same way. But I can guarantee you I am totally not that way. I've had an awful cold for a week so I've been planning my return to working out. After cookie week on the blog, I need it! Haha. I LOVE squash fries. Sure, they're soft, but they're yummy. And being in fry form they are way easier to feed to the kids, hah!
Kiersten says
I have an awful cold too. 🙁 I hope you feel better soon! I'm not working out this week, but I think my lack of appetite will help make up for it...
Brandi says
You should really try Jojo's Sriracha (bought here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/loveofjojo, but more on her and the sriracha here: http://foodcurated.com/2012/11/jojos-sriracha-bringing-more-hot-pepper-flavor-to-the-party/). Pure, clean ingredients and AMAZING product. Every one really does taste slightly different. No preservatives like the other stuff. And, super fun to support a small business/craft food maker. Plus, guessing it'd taste amazing on these 🙂
Kiersten says
Thanks for the recommendation! It must be popular--it looks like she's sold out!
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete} says
My husband is a hot sauce addict! He would absolutely die for these fries. Thanks for a great recipe idea.
Heather says
Sounds yummy! How many fries are in a serving and how many calories?
Thanks! 🙂
Kiersten says
The number of fries depends on the exact size and shape of the squash--I get about 36. I'm not sure how many calories are in a serving.
She Rocks Fitness says
Cannot wait to make this, because I have all the ingredients! YES! I also love the simplicity of this. Glad I stumbled upon your blog! 🙂
Kiersten says
I hope you enjoy the recipe! 😀
Jordan says
This looks awesome! Just wanted to let you know I included you in my sriracha recipes roundup. Have a great day 🙂 http://smilesandwich.com/2013/11/07/healthy-recipes-with-sriracha-sauce/
Kiersten says
Thanks for the feature! 🙂
Sierra says
I am munching on my test batch right now and I have to say..OH my gosh are these good!! I don't really like squash but these are amazing. the sweet and salty with a bit of heat is just perfect. The only thing I did different was to add a little peanut butter to give it a bit of a szechuan flavor. Yum!
Kiersten says
Ooh, I like the idea of adding peanut butter! I am intrigued. 🙂
Laura @ FitMamaLove says
Just made this tonight. So yummy! My one- and three-year-olds liked it too!
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad they were a hit!
Lynn Meadows says
I love Sriracha and never considered adding it to fries. This Butternut Squash fries recipe is perfect! The instructions were very easy to follow thank you for sharing =)