Easy Gochujang and Honey Glazed Roasted Butternut Squash
The gochujang and honey glazed roasted butternut squash is a simple yet impressive side dish that can be made in just 30 minutes using only 4 ingredients. The glaze is rich in flavor, combining gochujang, butter, and honey.
Roasted butternut squash has a comforting sweet, nutty, and buttery taste and texture. The gochujang chili paste adds a spicy kick and umami taste, that complements the squash’s natural sweetness and the added honey. This dish highlights the versatility of butternut squash, elevating it from a mild and neutral base to a vibrant and intricate side dish. During the roasting process, squash will become tender on the inside. Honey will help it caramelize and create a delicious sticky glaze.
This Gochujang and honey glazed roasted butternut squash is a quick, easy, and flavorful side dish that’s perfect for any occasion. It’s also great served over rice, or in a sandwich, as a quick weeknight meal. It pairs well with most proteins, including eggs, chickpeas, tofu, seitan, and tempeh.
If you love cooking with gochujang, you should also try:
- Easy vegan tteokbokki – with kimchi
- Gochujang Kimchi
- Kale and Chickpea Salad – Dressed in Dreamy Gochujang Tahini
- Quick And Easy Vegan Kimchi Stew (Vegan Kimchi Jjigae)
What you’ll need to make Gochujang and Honey Glazed Roasted Butternut Squash
- Butternut squash – A winter squash with a naturally sweet flavor and dense buttery texture. It’s a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (see more on its nutritional profile here).
- Gochujang paste – A savory, sweet, and mostly mildly spicy fermented chili paste that popular in Korean cooking. We love it because it has a lot of umami, is not too spicy, and can therefore easily be incorporated into many dishes. This gives most of the flavor to the Gochujang glaze.
- Honey – Helps to caramelize the squash, and will create a sticky glaze, together with the chili paste.
- Butter – Adds creaminess and mellow the spiciness of the gochujang. We use vegan butter, but you can use any butter you prefer.
How to make the Gochujang and honey glazed roasted butternut squash
The hardest part is slicing the squash. Cut the squash into slices or wedges, that are about one cm (half an inch) thick. We find it easier to peel the pumpkin once it has been cooked, so we leave the peel on.
Melt the butter first, and then mix it with the gochujang paste and honey. If using oil, simply mix it with the other two ingredients.
Place the squash on a baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean up and brush it with the marinade from both sides. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit), using a fan-assisted oven. Enjoy as a side, over rice, ramen, or in a sandwich.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, and eaten cold or heated up. Leftovers can also be eaten in a sandwich.
Recipe variations
- Customize the glaze with additional ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, or ginger.
- Glazed roasted butternut squash pairs well with most proteins, including chickpeas, tofu, seitan, and tempeh.
- It can also be added as a ramen topping.
- To make this side dish more substantial, serve it with rice, quinoa, roasted vegetables – such as broccoli or cauliflower.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, fried onion, or chili oil.
This melt-in-your-mouth roasted squash only takes four ingredients, and 20 minutes to cook, so go try it out!
Gochujang pepper and honey roasted butternut squash
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cooking brush
- 1 Small sauce pan
Ingredients
- Half Butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang paste
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 2 tablespoons Butter or oil
Instructions
- Cut the squash into slices or wedges, that are about one cm (half an inch) thick. We find it easier to peel the pumpkin once it has been cooked, but you do you.
- If using butter, melt it first, and then mix it with the gochujang paste and honey. If using oil, simply mix it with the other two ingredients.
- Place the squash on a baking tray with a parchment paper and brush it with the marinade from both sides. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit), using a fan-assisted oven. Enjoy!
Notes
- Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, and eaten cold or heated up. Leftovers can also be eaten in a sandwich.
- It’s a great side dish, but it can also be served as a main together with some rice. Rice would be a great absorbent for the sticky glaze. Chickpeas or tofu would be a great source of protein to add.
Nutrition
Photos in this post were taken by Lana Špiler.
We love this Gochujang and honey-glazed butternut squash when we’re short on time but craving something tasty with big flavor. If you try it, let us know how it goes — leave a comment and a star rating! We’d really love to hear from you.