Butternut Squash Chips Baked in the Oven

By
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith is a food writer and certified botanist who has written five books on foraging and preserving food.
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Updated on 12/22/22
Bowl of homemade butternut squash chips in a wooden bowl

bhofack2 / Getty Images

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 3 servings
Yield: 2 to 3 cups

Skip the expense and grease of deep-fried versions. Baked butternut squash chips are a crunchy, delicious snack that is both savory and naturally sweet. They don't take long to make in your oven and are much healthier than conventional chips. 

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 400 F / 204 C.

  3. Cut off the round, seed-containing part of the squash and reserve it for another recipe. Cut off the stem end of the squash's neck. Slice off the thick skin.

  4. Cut the butternut squash into very thin rounds or slices. They should be almost transparent. You can use a mandoline, the slicing blade of a food processor, a vegetable peeler, or a knife (be careful!) to do this.

  5. Toss the squash slices with the oil, if using. Use your clean hands to separate the pieces and coat each of them with the oil.

  6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange the butternut squash slices on the baking sheets in a single layer (make sure none of the slices overlap).

  7. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes until the chips are curling up but still bright orange and not at all browned.

  8. They may not seem fully crisp while they are still warm—take them out of the oven and let them cool off at room temperature for 10 minutes. They will crisp up the way cookies do after they come out of the oven.

  9. If after the cooling off period they still aren't crisp, put them back into the 400 F/204 C oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

  10. Sprinkle the salt, if using, over the chips.

  11. Eat immediately or transfer, once cooled to room temperature, into airtight containers.

  12. Enjoy.

Tips

  • The chips will retain their crunch for up to a week but can be stored for up to a month. If they start to lose their crispness, put them into a 250 F / 120 C oven for 5 minutes.
  • Try this recipe with other varieties of winter squash. Pumpkin and acorn squashes work well. Thinner fleshed winter squashes such as delicata are tasty but don't yield as many chips for the same amount of prep time. The only winter squash that is a total no-go for chips is spaghetti squash.

Recipe Variation

  • Play around with seasonings in addition to, or instead of, the salt. Add a sprinkle of ground cayenne pepper if you like it spicy. Try a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a savory, cheesy flavor. Dried sage goes well with butternut squash. A pinch of curry powder is also good.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
181 Calories
0g Fat
48g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories 181
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 18mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 48g 17%
Dietary Fiber 15g 52%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 68mg 342%
Calcium 186mg 14%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 1288mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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