Healthy Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe - The Melrose Family (2024)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe is perfect for a fall weeknight dinner side, or as a simple, kid-friendly Thanksgiving side dish. The recipe is both healthy and decadent, and is sure to be a hit with the whole family.

While this mashed butternut squash with brown sugar and honey is on the "sweet enough" side, you can happily serve it to your family without the guilt! We'll offer alternatives below for making this recipe healthier.

Healthy Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe - The Melrose Family (1)

Jump to:

The Perfect Holiday Side Dish
A Healthier Mashed Butternut Squash
🥘Ingredients
🔪Instructions To Make This Mashed Butternut Squash
💭Tips and Tricks
FAQs
Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe

The Perfect Holiday Side Dish

Call me a weirdo (though, rude) but even as a kid Iloved butternut squash. My mom made it pretty much poached in butter and brown sugar, which took it from a "slightly sweet, relatively healthy vegetable" to "this might as well be candy, but I mean, it's a vegetable soooo...". But at that time, no one really cared.

Thanksgiving meals have changed over the years but one thing that was always on the table was that roasted butternut squash. So. Stinking. Good.

Healthy Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe - The Melrose Family (2)

It's a kid-friendly Thanksgiving recipe that was at every fall gathering. My mother would cook the squash down so that the buttery, brown sugar syrup was more of a glaze, and she served it alongside similarly sugary brown sugar-honey carrots.

We didn't mess around on Thanksgiving, guys!

Obviously, I wouldn't call that butternut squash recipe a very healthy vegetable side, but for a once-a-year dish? Ehh, could be worse.

Regardless, I still get a craving occasionally. But Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, and I just can't justify it much more often than that. So I've been on the hunt to find something that was equally as tasty and decadent, but not nearly as coronary-inducing.

A Healthier Mashed Butternut Squash

Thankfully, I came around to this mashed butternut squash recipe - equal parts decadent, relatively healthy and also super kid-friendly.

Like most kids, my boys refuse to eat most vegetables on premise. I've had to learn ways to make veggies more exciting, palatable, and kid-friendly so that the battle isn't so bad. This butternut squash recipe? Totally hits all of the perfect points.

If you're looking for a tasty vegetable side dish for a weeknight dinner or a memorable kid-friendly Thanksgiving side, I've got you!

Healthy Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe - The Melrose Family (3)

🥘Ingredients

Butternut squash
Milk
Water
Butter
Brown sugar
Honey
Cinnamon
Optional: heavy cream

🔪Instructions To Make This Mashed Butternut Squash

Boil chopped butternut squash over medium heat in milk and water until it turns very soft
continue to cook down while mashing.
When most of the liquid is cooked out, add butter, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. Cook another 2-3 minutes. If desired, stir in heavy cream before serving.

💭Tips and Tricks

Add some more savory flavor by swapping out the water with a cup of chicken stock.
Sweetener can easily be reduced or increased - totally work on your family's tastes!
This recipe is for mashed butternut squash with brown sugar, but fee free to use all honey for a more natural sweetener. If you are serving to babies, use all brown sugar and skip the honey.
The large butternut squash I used was about 4 cups, but the bigger the better - it tends to cook down a lot!
This mashed butternut squash recipe doubles easily.
Even better - you can make it ahead of time and reheat. Save room on your Thanksgiving table by making it ahead of time.

I promise - your family is going to adorethis Recipe

FAQs

How to cook mashed butternut squash?

The best way to cook mashed butternut squash is to boil it on a medium flame, it softens the flesh of the squash and speeds up the cooking process. Alternatively you can also cook butternut squash pieces in microwave and mash them later, for this method use a microwave safe bowl covered with plastic wrap and microwave the cut pieces for 5 minutes.

What flavors go well with butternut squash?

Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar go well with butternut squash and elevate its sweetness. But if you want to be more experimental you can also try adding a touch of cayenne pepper to your squash.

How do you thicken mashed butternut squash?

If you end up with watery butternut squash the easiest way to remove excess moisture is to pass it through a sieve and heat it again on medium flame.

Mashed Butternut Squash Recipe

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mashed butternut squash

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash peeled and cut
1 cup milk
1 cup water
3 TBS butter
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS honey
tsp cinnamon
Optional: 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream

Instructions

Boil chopped butternut squash over medium heat in milk and water for 15 minutes (or until very soft)
Remove lid and continue to cook down while mashing.
When most of the liquid is cooked out, add butter, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon. Cook another 2-3 minutes. If desired, stir in heavy cream before serving.

Notes

-You can use salt free chicken stock instead of water.

-Reduce sweetener as desired or substitute with honey

-If serving to babies, use all brown sugar. If looking for all natural sugars, use all honey.

Nutrition

This is definitely a meal your kids can help you make. Feel free to have them mash the butternut squash with a potato masher (keep a close eye and make sure you take it off the heat!) or stir in the butter and seasonings.

Looking for more ways to get all the little hands on deck when cooking this holiday season (and beyond!)?

Looking for more recipe ideas using squash?! We've got you covered. Checkout this savory squash recipe or this slow cooker squash soup recipe.

I hope your kiddos love this recipe as much as mine do. The last time I made this mashed butternut squash recipe, I barely even got a bite between my two guys inhaling it!