Butternut Squash Fritters
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You’re going to love these delicious butternut squash fritters. They’re baked (not fried!), a bit crispy on the outside, soft inside, and flavorful. This easy and economical butternut squash recipe is perfect for the whole family.
Published on February 2019 /Updated on Nov 2024
I published this butternut squash fritter recipe in 2019, but now that butternut squash is in season, I’ve decided to re-share the recipe, adding a little twist and more photos.
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Butternut squash is one of my favorite winter vegetables. And when I’m not making butternut squash soup, I make these oven-baked fritters on repeat for the rest of the season!
They are soft yet lightly crisp and yummy. They taste a bit sweet, as sweet as squash, but the garlic, herbs, and parmesan mellow that out, so they taste more savory than you’d think.
They’re also pretty light, making them a veggie-packed, kid-friendly snack and side dish. We love them!
Grab a big butternut squash at your local market, grate it, combine it with the rest of the ingredients, and bake dozens of these delicious oven-baked butternut squash fritters for the whole family.
I recommend doubling the recipe to make a big batch. You’ll end up with a stack of crispy fritters that are so delicious that you can’t stop eating them. They are great for dinner, snacks, and packed lunches.
Seriously, eating just one is impossible!
List of the ingredients
- Butternut squash
- Eggs
- Parmesan cheese
- Flour
- Garlic
- Dried sage + Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper
How to make butternut squash fritters
(Note: this is a quick explanation; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Preheat the oven to 410℉/210℃.
- Peel and grate your butternut squash. Using a food processor takes no time, but a mandoline slicer or a box grater will work, too.
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Grease a non-stick baking pan or line with parchment paper.
- Shape the mixture into patties and spray with olive oil (optional). I use an oil sprayer; it works well, and I can fill it with my favorite olive oil.
- Bake them until brown and crispy, about 12-14 minutes per side.
- Enjoy them while still warm and crispy but not super hot.
RECIPE NOTES
Butternut squash fritter ingredients
Butternut squash: Choose butternut squash that is fresh, firm, and deep orange in color. To save time, you can use pre-cut butternut squash from the veggie department at the supermarket.
Egg + plain flour: They act as binders and give structure. All-purpose, whole-wheat, or self-raising flour works just fine.
Garlic: For more flavor. Please don’t skip it.
Dried herbs: I also add dried sage and Italian herb seasoning. They add earthy notes and pair beautifully with the delicate butternut squash flavor.
Parmesan cheese: The savory, nutty Italian cheese maximizes the flavor. Yep, this is a staple ingredient for me! : )
Salt & pepper: To make the flavor pop.
Storage Tips & leftovers
These butternut squash fritters are best served fresh from the oven, but leftovers can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They are also freezable. To reheat fritter leftovers, pop them on a rack in a hot oven (250C/480F) for 5 minutes or pan-fry them in a little oil until slightly crisp and warm.
If you make these butternut squash fritters, let me know. Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
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Butternut squash fritters
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 lb/450 grams) Butternut squash, grated
- 2 medium-sized eggs
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ¾ cup (90-100 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- olive oil, for spraying (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410℉/210℃, and grease or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel the butternut squash, chop it in half lengthways, remove the seeds, and grate it using a food processor or grate boxer. Measure 4 cups, lightly packed.
- Add the shredded squash, eggs, dried herbs, garlic, flour, parmesan, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix well until combined.
- Grab small handfuls of the mixture and place them on the baking sheet. Next, keeping your hands wet as the mixture is sticky, try to shape the small patties, flattening them slightly so that each piece is about ½-inch thick. Spray with olive oil (optional).
- Bake the fritters in the hot oven for about 12 minutes. Next, turn them over using a spatula and bake again for 12 minutes. You might need to prolong the baking time a bit until the fritters are golden and crispy.
- Serve while they're still warm from the oven. They are great with a salad on the side. Enjoy!
I will start off by saying that I used this recipe as a guide to make an entirely different fritter due to substitutions and I acknowledge that any funky results are 100% on me. I needed something to help me use up some acorn squash and this recipe seemed not only delicious but well within my limited skills. It turned out awesome and I am thankful that you posted it! I did have to add significantly more flour as the acorn squash I had was very wet but 1 1/4 cups worked out about right with roughly 12-15 mins per side.
My substitutions were: 3 cups baked acorn squash (it was what I had) plus 1 cup grated raw carrot. I also substituted 1tsp of dried chives for sage. Again totally different fritter because of the substitutions, but your recipe helped tremendously. Apologies for the super long comment.
That’s fantastic, Amerea!
I love your comment, and I’m so glad the recipe was a good inspiration for “different” yet delicious fritters! : )
Can I freeze these after baking?
Hi Danielle! I’ve never tried to freeze them, but I think should be fine. x
Mine are currently in the oven right now, and I had to extend it by 5 mins AT LEAST. Still waiting for them to be crispy. Maybe I had to squeeze out the moisture from the grated butternut squash? But they didn’t seem to be that wet, and it wasn’t mentioned in the recipe….
Hi Laura, usually butternut squash contains minimal moisture, in this case they will be fine if you keep them a bit longer in the oven. Thanks for your feedback and please come back to let me know how they turn out : )
Can you use gluten free flour?
Hi Joanne, gluten free flour works too. Cheers x
This is a lovely recipe…BUT…3 eggs (not 2) are required for the fritters to stick together. Otherwise, it is perfect!
Thanks for your feedback, Myrna! I’m so glad you liked it, and I’ll be happy to test the recipe again to make sure about the sizes of the eggs 🐣 x
These look terrific and I love the idea of baked not fried. However, how much baking powder? It is mentioned in the directions but not Ingredients.
Morning Laurel! Ops, I tested the recipe a few times and baking powder is not essential, that’s why I removed it from the ingredients, though I forgot to modify the directions 😉 I’ve done it now. Thanks for your question x