Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and love. Full disclosure here.
Maple Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe with Brussels Sprouts and Apples
When people in your home won’t touch a squash even if it came with a million dollars, you have to find creative ways to get them to eat it. In this case, I got a little sneaky by introducing this delicata squash recipe.
This is how I got them to eat the delicata squash. First, my family was unfamiliar with delicata squash. So the mystery factor helped. Then, I sliced them into thin half moons, added apple slices, pecans, and some maple syrup. Visual appeal was key. I served it and my table critics went quiet. The dish started to disappear quickly. I revealed the main ingredient of the dish once their tummies were full and the praise for the dish was high. My family could not believe they ate squash. Now, it’s a side dish for the ages in my home.
The skin of delicata squash is thin enough to eat, which means no peeling is required and less work for you. Sliced crosswise, it falls into scalloped half moons that caramelize at the edges and softens in the middle. Brussels sprouts roast alongside on the same pan and crisp into little charred leaves.
The apples came last, and they are the reason this dish was irresistible to my family. I used one Honeycrisp and one Granny Smith apple. The Honeycrisp added additional sweetness, where as, the Granny Smith rendered tart. Add the pecans, the cranberries, and the maple glaze, and you have a perfect side dish for the season.
This is the side dish I now make from the first cool week of September through Christmas. It sits on my Thanksgiving table next to the spiced cranberry sauce, and it holds its own beside a pan of buttermilk biscuits at Sunday supper.
Watch me make this step by step, then scroll down for the full recipe and tips.
Maple Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe with Brussels Sprouts and Apples
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 6 servings (scaler on: 1x, 2x, 3x) 1x
Description
This delicata squash recipe roasts on one sheet pan with Brussels sprouts and a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples, then gets tossed in a brown butter maple glaze with pecans and cranberries. No peeling required, and the edges caramelize into something close to candy.
Ingredients
- 2 medium delicata squash (about 2 pounds total)
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 medium Honeycrisp apple, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Maison Gabrielle herbes de Provence, or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/3 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces goat cheese or feta, crumbled (optional)
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Set it to 425 degrees with a rack in the upper third. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
- Cut the squash. Trim both ends, halve lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Lay each half flat side down and slice crosswise into half inch half moons. Leave the skin on.
- Season. Toss the squash, Brussels sprouts, and apple slices together with the olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper until everything is lightly coated.
- Spread. Arrange in a single layer on the sheet pan with the sprouts cut side down. Use two pans if the vegetables touch.
- Roast. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping the squash once at the 15 minute mark. The squash should be tender with deeply golden edges, the sprouts crisp at the leaves, and the apples softened but still holding their shape.
- Brown the butter. While the vegetables roast, melt the butter in a light colored skillet over medium heat. Swirl for 3 to 5 minutes until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn amber, and it smells nutty. Pull it off the heat right away.
- Finish the glaze. Whisk the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and herbes de Provence into the warm brown butter. It will bubble for a few seconds.
- Glaze and serve. Pour the glaze over the hot vegetables directly on the sheet pan and toss gently. Scatter the pecans, cranberries, and cheese over the top, finish with flaky salt, and serve warm.
Notes
Nutritional values calculated with the optional goat cheese included. Without it: 337 calories, 19 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 382 mg sodium, 5 g protein.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 1/4 cups
- Calories: 362
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 420mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
The Story Behind This Delicata Squash Recipe
I found delicata late. For years I bought butternut because it’s readily available in grocery stores. So, every fall I fight with my peeler, struggling to remove the rid rind from the quash. One October, I walked inside a local farm to table market and there it was, delicata squash.
I brought the squash home after learning there would be no extra work in preparing it for dinner. I sliced it into half moons, and roasted with nothing but olive oil and salt. It came out sweeter and faster than butternut.
The brown butter came later, on a Thanksgiving when I had a skillet out and five minutes before guests arrived. Browning butter is a skill I learned from my grandmother Mary, who browned it for everything from green beans to pound cake because she said it made plain food taste good. She was right. This delicata squash recipe glazed with a brown butter maple sauce is way too good to pass up. It is a side that finds its way onto my Thanksgiving table year after year.
Why This Maple Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe Works
- No peeling. Delicata skin softens completely in the oven and adds a faint nuttiness. This saves you time and effort.
- Brown butter, not plain butter. Toasting the milk solids gives the glaze a caramel depth that straight maple syrup can never reach on its own.
- Vinegar in the glaze. One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar keeps the maple from reading as dessert. It is the difference between a side dish and a sugary dessert.
- Two textures on one pan. Squash goes soft and custardy, sprouts go crisp and charred. The contrast is what keeps people going back.
- Two apples, two jobs. Honeycrisp brings the honeyed sweetness and holds its shape. Granny Smith stays firm and tart and keeps the whole pan from tipping sweet.
- It scales. Double it for a crowd across two pans without changing a single time or temperature.
How to Make This Delicata Squash Recipe Foolproof
Buy the right squash. Look for firm delicata with a deep cream base and dark green stripes. A dull, pale squash is underripe and will taste watery. Small ones, around a pound each, have the best sugar concentration.
Cut with a chef knife, not a serrated one. Slice off both ends, halve lengthwise, scoop the seeds with a regular spoon, then lay the halves flat side down and slice crosswise into half inch pieces. Flat side down means the squash cannot roll.
Give it room. This is the mistake I see most often. If the vegetables touch, they steam and turn beige instead of golden. Use the largest sheet pan you own, or use two. A crowded pan is the difference between roasted and boiled.
Sprouts cut side down. Every halved sprout should be face down on the metal. That contact is what gives you the deep brown caramelized face.
Watch the butter with your nose. Brown butter turns from perfect to burnt in about twenty seconds. When the foam subsides and you smell something nutty and toasted, pull the pan off the heat immediately. The flecks on the bottom should be amber, not black. Use a light colored skillet so you can actually see the color change.
Cut the apples thick. Half an inch is the number. Anything thinner collapses into applesauce by the time the squash is tender. Leave the skin on for color and structure, and toss them in with everything else so they pick up the oil and pepper.
Glaze at the end, never before. Maple syrup burns at 425 degrees. The glaze goes over hot vegetables after they come out of the oven. Pour the glaze over the squash and toss right on the pan so nothing is lost.
Air Fryer Delicata Squash
An air fryer handles a half batch beautifully when the oven is full, which on Thanksgiving is always. Toss the squash and sprouts with oil, salt, and pepper, then cook at 380 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, shaking the basket twice. Work in a single layer and do not crowd the basket. Make the brown butter maple glaze on the stove while it cooks and toss everything together in a warm bowl the moment it comes out.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Prep ahead: slice the squash and halve the sprouts up to two days early. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Cut the apples the day of so they do not brown.
- Glaze ahead: the brown butter maple glaze keeps three days refrigerated. Warm it gently to loosen before using.
- Leftovers: four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: spread on a sheet pan at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. The microwave turns this soft and sad, so skip it.
- Freezing: I do not recommend it. Roasted squash releases water when thawed and loses the texture that makes this worth making.
- Serving warm: hold in a 200 degree oven for up to an hour without losing the crisp edges.
Serving and Pairing Ideas
This dish is easy to prepare, make ahead ready, low maintenance, and just delish. This lands is a yearly find on my Thanksgving table and randoms Sundays.
Beyond the holiday, it goes with roast chicken, pork tenderloin, seared salmon, and a simple weeknight steak. For a vegetarian main, spoon it over farro or creamy polenta and add extra goat cheese.
I like to present the dish on a long shallow platter rather than a bowl so the scalloped edges show, then finish with flaky salt and a few extra pecans at the table. I recommend serving either a dry riesling or a lightly chilled pinot noir to complement the flavors. If you are building the whole table around it, my Thanksgiving tablescape post walks through three settings, and the Butter Edit has the brown butter guide that elevates this dish.
What You Will Need
A heavy rimmed sheet pan, a sharp chef knife, a light colored skillet for the brown butter, and a wide serving platter. Nothing specialized. Everything I use for this recipe is in the Kitchen Edit at the bottom of this post.
More Fall Side Dish Recipes
- Thanksgiving Butter Board. Six compound butters on one board, ready an hour before guests arrive.
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce. Fifteen minutes, and it makes the canned version unthinkable.
- Buttermilk Biscuits. Tall, flaky, and the thing people reach for first.
- Citrus Fennel Salad. The bright, crunchy counterweight to a heavy holiday plate.
- Butternut Squash Spinach Lasagna. When the squash needs to be the main event.
- The Butter Edit. Every butter recipe and technique on the site, in one place.
More Recipes, More Moments
Welcome to My Table is my cookbook filled with recipes rooted in connection, flavor, and elevated everyday moments. From weeknight dinners to gatherings worth remembering.
For more of my kitchen favorites, browse the Shop My Kitchen Edit.
Every tool, board, knife, ingredient brand, and beautiful thing I keep on rotation. The pieces that make Sunday dinners feel like an event and weeknight cooking feel intentional.
Are you a delicata convert yet, or are you still peeling butternut every fall? Tell me in the comments, and tell me what you would put on the pan next to it.
FAQ
Do you have to peel delicata squash?
No. Delicata skin is thin, tender, and completely edible once roasted. It softens in the oven and adds a light nuttiness, which is exactly why this delicata squash recipe is faster than anything you would make with butternut. Just scrub the outside well before slicing.
How do you cut delicata squash?
Trim both ends, halve it lengthwise with a chef knife, and scoop the seeds out with a regular spoon. Lay each half flat side down so it cannot roll, then slice crosswise into half inch pieces. You get scalloped half moons that roast evenly.
What does delicata squash taste like?
Sweeter and more delicate than butternut, with notes closer to sweet corn and chestnut. Roasting concentrates the sugars, so the edges caramelize and taste almost like candy while the center stays custardy.
Can I make this delicata squash recipe ahead of time?
Yes. Slice the squash and halve the sprouts up to two days ahead and refrigerate them in an airtight container. The brown butter maple glaze holds for three days. Roast and glaze just before serving for the best texture.
Why is my delicata squash soggy instead of crisp?
The pan was too crowded, or the oven was too low. Vegetables need space and direct contact with hot metal to roast instead of steam. Use 425 degrees, a single layer, and a second sheet pan if anything is touching.
Can I use a different squash
Acorn squash works with the same glaze, though it needs peeling and about 10 extra minutes. Butternut works too, cut into three quarter inch cubes. Delicata is still the one I recommend because of the skin and the shorter cook time.
What apples are best for roasting with squash?
Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, and the combination of the two is better than either one alone. Honeycrisp holds its shape and turns honeyed at the edges, while Granny Smith stays firm and tart and keeps the maple glaze from tipping sweet. Pink Lady and Braeburn also work. Skip Red Delicious and McIntosh, which collapse in the oven.
