Smoked butternut squash is an easy, flavorful fall side dish to make on a Traeger or any pellet grill. The natural sweetness caramelizes beautifully while it smokes, creating tender, smoky squash that pairs perfectly with turkey, chicken, or steak.
Just a couple minutes of prep, and you’re ready to pop your butternut squash on the Traeger. Smoking butternut squash packs a big layer of smokey flavor that is perfect for any smoker meal.
See how to make it in this quick video…
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS TRAEGER SMOKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
- Works on any pellet grill.
- Sweet, smoky, and tender.
- Not a lot of prep work involved! Start by cutting the squash in half lengthwise. Deseed, score, and season. Then you’re ready to smoke the squash.
- Simple seasonings. In this recipe, we kept the seasoning simple (oil, salt & cinnamon). For example, you can amp it up with the addition of brown sugar which you see in a lot of butternut squash recipes.
- Perfect smoked side to serve with turkey, chicken, or steak.
- It’s versatile! You can eat smoked butternut squash right out of the peel. It will pull away. Take the smoked squash, cut it into smaller pieces to top in a salad. It’s delicious!
- Use it as a base to make smoked butternut squash soup.
See my complete collection of Traeger recipes.
INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you need to make Smoked Butternut Squash.
- Butternut squash
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Cinnamon
Also see how to cook smoked acorn squash.
See the best game day smoker recipes…
HOW TO SMOKE BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Here’s the step-by-step recipe…
Quick look at Smoked Butternut Squash recipe
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F and prepare the butternut squash with seasoning.
- Smoke butternut squash for 2.5 – 3 hours.
- Finish smoking butternut squash when it’s fork tender and remove it from the smoker.
- Enjoy.
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
- Prep butternut squash for smoking. Slice it in half, lengthwise with a sharp knife. Be careful, they are a bit difficult to cut. Then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Score butternut squash with a knife in 1 inch squares.
- Season butternut squash before smoking it. I like to set out a sheet tray to do this. Add butternut squash to the tray, inside halves facing up. Drizzle with olive oil and use a brush to spread it all over the cut side surface of the squash. Then sprinkle on the seasonings (salt, cinnamon).
- Smoke butternut squash directly on the grill grates, cut side facing up for 2.5-3 hours, until it’s soft enough to pierce with a fork. If it’s taking too long to become soft, crank up the temperature of the pellet smoker to 300 degrees F to finish it.
- Finish smoked butternut squash by cutting off the skin / peel and dicing it up. Use it for smoked butternut squash salad or puree it with chicken broth for smoked butternut squash soup. Enjoy.
Serve this Traeger smoked butternut squash with a main dish like these Traeger beer can chicken, tender smoked pork chops, or this smoked spatchcock turkey recipe.
FAQs
When smoking squash at 225 degrees F, it will take ~ 3 hours to finish. If you find that time is too long and you want to speed it up, then I recommend increasing the smoker temperature to 300 degrees F.
Yes, you can definitely smoke butternut squash. The end result is super tasty! You get this smoky flavor that is great stand alone or transformed into a butternut squash soup.
I used pecan pellets for this smoke and it tasted great. You could also use applewood or oak as other options. They are a little bit lighter in flavor which is better for smoking vegetables like squashes.
If you have leftovers, you should store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They will last just a few days though, so add them to a salad if you’re looking to use them up.
No, you do not remove the butternut squash skin before smoking it. You should leave it on and smoke the butternut squash with the cut side facing up. Keeping the skin will hold it together and will protect it from the direct heat below.
See how to get more smoke flavor from your favorite Traeger dishes and check out these game day smoker recipes.
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Smoked Butternut Squash – Easy Traeger Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt kosher or sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
- Prep butternut squash for smoking. Slice it in half, lengthwise with a sharp knife. Be careful, they are a bit difficult to cut. Then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Score butternut squash with a knife in 1 inch squares.
- Season butternut squash before smoking it. I like to set out a sheet tray to do this. Add butternut squash to the tray, inside halves facing up. Drizzle with olive oil and use a brush to spread it all over the cut side surface of the squash. Then sprinkle on the seasonings (salt, cinnamon).
- Smoke butternut squash directly on the grill grates, cut side facing up for 2.5-3 hours, until it’s soft enough to pierce with a fork. NOTE – If it’s taking too long to become soft, crank up the temperature of the pellet smoker to 300 degrees F to finish it.
- Finish smoked butternut squash by cutting off the skin / peel and dicing it up. Use it for smoked butternut squash salad or puree it with chicken broth for smoked butternut squash soup. Enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.
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