Tender and delicious Roasted Red Kuri Squash baked with an ancho chili powder -maple rub. A perfect fall and winter side dish. Easy to make with very little hands-on time. Vegan and Gluten-free.
Red Kuri Squash has this glorious earthy nutty flavor. Originating from Japan, Kuri actually translates to chestnut. The texture is tender yet firm- in a good way, smooth and creamy.
It is so amazing roasted, bringing out all the sweetness and creaminess.
Here we rub it with coconut oil, dried ancho chili powder, a little maple syrup and salt these flavors all marry perfectly creating an addicting side dish that is quick to throw together, cooks for about 30 minutes in a preheated oven.
Can you eat roasted Red Kuri Squash skin?
Similar to Kabocha and delicata squash, the skin softens with cooking and is totally edible! This makes it so easy to prep and so nutritious as many vitamins are found in the skin.
Be sure to wash the outside of the squash before slicing, using a scrub brush if needed.
What you’ll need
- Red Kuri squash (or use delicata or kabocha)
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- ancho chili powder or sub regular chili powder
- coriander
- salt and pepper
How to make Roasted Red Kuri Squash
Step one
Mix together coconut oil, maple syrup, ancho powder, coriander, salt and pepper until a paste forms and set aside.
Step two
With a sharp knife cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
Step three
Lay the half on the cutting board with the skin side up and slice into roughly 1″ width strips.
Step four
The best way to distribute the rub is with your hands. Rub each piece until mostly evenly coated.
Step five
Lay slices in one layer on a sheet pan.
Step six
Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for about 25-30 minutes.
More recipes you may enjoy
- Roasted Root Vegetables
- Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
- Roasted Kuri Squash Soup with Harissa & Crispy Chickpeas
- Roasted Butternut Squash (Three Ways!)
- Roasted Delicata Squash with Hazelnuts
- Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Parsnip and Sage
Roasted Red Kuri Squash
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: side dish, vegan, fall recipes
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Tender and delicious Roasted Red Kuri Squash baked with an ancho chili powder -maple rub. A perfect fall and winter side dish. Easy to make with very little hands-on time. Vegan and Gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 red kuri squash or kabocha, cut into 3/4-inch slices ( 2–2 1/2 lbs)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened but not melted
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder (or sub regular chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2–1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Wash the outside of the squash before slicing, using a scrub brush if needed.
- With a sharp knife cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay the half on the cutting board with the skin side up and slice into roughly 1″ width strips.
- Mix together coconut oil, maple syrup, ancho powder, coriander, salt and pepper until a paste forms.
- Combine paste and squash in a bowl, using your hands rub evenly until the squash is covered.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet in one layer.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until tender and looks slightly toasty.
Notes
Delicata or honeynut work great in this recipe as well. Adjust cooking time to the thickness of the squash.
For more spice, add a few pinches of chipotle powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes or Aleppo.
Toss any leftovers in soup, also makes a delicious addition to breakfast scrambles.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 82
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Fat: 4.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.4 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Is the skin tender enough to eat sliced and baked as recipe calls for
Yes, Sandy, the skin is tender enough to eat. Thinner than a butternut!
This was surprisingly and amazingly delicious! We got a donation of kuri squash at the food kitchen where I volunteer, and we made this dish for about 60 guests. Rave reviews all around. I’ll definitely be making this at home!
Love it Lynette! So glad all enjoyed.
Absolutely delicious. Love this recipe so much thank you.
Great to hear James!
So great! Substituted olive oil for coconut oil and 1 tsp chipotle powder for 2 tsp ancho chili as that’s what I had on hand. First time I’ve had red kuri squash. It’s amazing!
Great to hear Carol!
Simple but absolutely delicious recipe! I will be making this again!
Awesome to hear!
Awesome!
I’ve made this with both red kuri squash and honeynut (the former is my fave), but with same amount butter instead of the coconut and it is delicious!!! Yup, I ate the whole squash in one sitting both times. Ahhh, the bachelorette life. Might become a weekly meal. Thank you for the recipe!
Haha…sounds like my kind of meal! Butter is always good.
By far one of my new favorite squash recipes. So darn good.
Added this to my little favorite recipes book. I love growing (and eating) winter squashes especially red kuri and butternut. This recipe is super easy, delicious, comforting on cool autumn and cold winter days. Definitely a multiple repeat dish now for my family.
Awesome!
Delicious !
Good to hear!
Delicious!!
Great!
Soooo good!! Made it exactly as recipe specified. Never had tried red kuri squash before but my husband bought one and it was delicious. Thanks!!
Yay, awesome Emily!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. We replaced the coriander with Annatto, since that is what I had available, and my pumpkin was larger and the slices thicker so I ended up adding an extra 10min of cook time, and flipping at that point. My teenage son went back for extras and ended up eating half the Kuri by himself.
We harvested the seeds to try and start growing this at home now too. Thanks for the recipe!
That is awesome Kymberly!
Outstanding combination of flavors and simple to make! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed!
Followed the recipe exactly with the ancho chili and it was really good. Quickly became one of our favorite way of roasting squash. Highly recommend.
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed!
Delicious even without coriander and chili powder.
Glad you enjoyed. I mean the squash really speaks for itself doesn’t it.
Made red kuri and sweet potato mashed and followed this cooking recipe.
Yum!
I made a bbq sauce out of pomegranate molasses, garlic powder, smoked paprika, soy sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard and roasted sesame oil, and cooked as you suggested. The result was vegan bbq ribbs!
Wow, yum!!
I found this recipe today and made it tonight with our homegrown Red Kuri Squash. It was absolutely delicious! We could have eaten it all, but I saved a few pieces to add into breakfast as you mentioned. I’m pretty sure I’ll be an early riser tomorrow. I harvested my seeds because this squash will forever be in my harvest. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Glad you enjoyed this!
That was my question, “can the seeds be saved, dried, and planted?” Thanks for answering before I even asked!
I was wondering what to do with the beautiful squash I found at the farmer’s market when I came across your recipe. It was delicious! Even my husband loved it and he says that he doesn’t like squash 🙂 I will definitely be making it again. Thank you.
Love it Donna, so glad you all enjoyed!
Hi Tonia: What temperature would you recommend for roasting the squash in EVOO? We don’t care for the taste of coconut oil. Thanks for the recipe!
It should be fine at the same temperature.
This year my garden produced one Kuri squash and I’m incredibly thankful I tried this recipe with it. The flavors are beautiful!!
Amazing! I am so happy it worked for your one precious squash!