Making raw veggies taste their best is kind of my thing. Everyone loves my buttery maple roasted carrots, and my honey roasted parsnips are always a hit around the holidays. I always make sure to have a platter of these colorful Oven-Roasted Root Vegetables at Thanksgiving and Christmas, too. They taste indulgent but are actually so healthy!

I went with a combination of sweet potatoes, carrots, red onion, and beets tossed with olive oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper for this easy side dish. Just take these veggies as a suggestion, though. You can easily use parsnips, rutabaga, or even winter squash and swap the herbs or spices to suit your taste buds.

From the gorgeous colors to endless ways to customize them, these roasted winter vegetables are so simple to make and are a must-have for any cold-weather meal. One bite and you’ll understand why I can’t stop making them!

Roasted Root Vegetable Ingredients

Root vegetables – Of course! I used sweet potatoes, carrots, red onion, beets, and garlic. All of these veggies are super hearty and roast in the same amount of time.

Olive oil – Coating the vegetables in olive oil encourages browning and helps them taste their best. You can technically skip the oil if you’d rather keep the recipe oil-free, but the veggies won’t be as caramelized or flavorful.

Herbs and seasonings – The vegetables are seasoned with a blend of salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme.

This list provides further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list. 

Variations

• Change the vegetables – Feel free to add parsnips, rutabaga, turnips, and celeriac to the sheet pan if you want. Winter squash (butternut, delicata, honeynut, etc.) technically isn’t a root veggie, but it will fit right in with the others.
• Seasoning ideas – You can season the vegetables with a sprinkle of smoked paprika, cumin, curry powder, or a pre-mixed blend. Herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or chipotle blend would all be delicious.
• Different herbs – Use sage leaves, fresh oregano, or tarragon instead of rosemary or thyme.
• Garnish ideas – Once they’re out of the oven, garnish the vegetables with chopped nuts or seeds (almonds, walnuts, or pepitas), crumbled feta or goat cheese, a drizzle of lemon juice, honey, or balsamic glaze, or spoon my lemon yogurt sauce over top.

How to Roast Root Vegetables 

Step 1: Coat. Toss the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, beets, and garlic with olive oil and salt until coated. 

Step 2: Roast. Lay the vegetables in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then roast in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Step 3: Finish. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and sprinkle the fresh herbs over the top. Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting until the veggies are fork-tender and lightly golden around the edges. Serve hot and enjoy!

Erin’s Tips and Tricks

• Don’t overcrowd the vegetables. If necessary, roast them on two pans instead. Giving them all a little breathing room will allow the hot air to circulate and caramelize every edge.
• The veggies are done roasting when they’re fork-tender. I like to do a quick “taste test check” at the 35-minute mark; if the veggies are sweet, crisp-edged, and melt a little on your tongue, they’re done.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables FAQs 

Storage

Make ahead: You can chop your vegetables and refrigerate them in a resealable bag for up to 24 hours before roasting. 

Refrigerator: Transfer any cooled leftover veggies to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Reheating: For the best texture, reheat roasted veggies in the oven or air fryer at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re hot and crisp again. The microwave will also work, but it will make the vegetables soggy.

Every day is a good day for this easy Butternut Squash Bread. It’s made with real butternut squash and chopped pecans to give it a slightly nuttier taste than my pumpkin bread. But with the same cozy vibe and classic autumn flavors, it’s still a treat you’ll crave throughout fall.

What I love most is that I can customize the bread every single time I make it! It’s easy to make it gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or vegan without losing any of its decadence. 

Just like my gluten free banana bread, this is the kind of loaf I like to have on my counter all week long. It’s perfect for pairing with a cup of coffee in the morning and comes in handy when I want something sweet after dinner.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Bread

Butternut squash – My favorite winter squash (sorry, pumpkin)! I peeled, deseeded, and chopped a medium squash into small cubes, then zapped them in the microwave to quickly soften them for a homemade mash.

Oil – I went with avocado oil rather than melted butter here for a slightly healthier option. Canola oil or melted coconut oil both work well as substitutes.

Winter spices – I used a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. You could easily replace the individual spices with 3 ¼ teaspoons of pumpkin spice.

Pecans – I love their warm flavors and crunchy texture. Feel free to swap them with walnuts instead.

Glaze – A simple glaze made from powdered sugar and milk will make this not-super-sweet quick bread even sweeter. If you don’t need the bread to be very sweet, just skip the glaze! 

This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list. 

Variations

• Squash substitute – This bread can be made with an equal amount of sweet potato mash or plain pureed pumpkin.
• Gluten-free – I only tested this recipe with regular flour, but a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour mix should work as a substitute. Let me know if you try it!
• Nut-free – Omit the pecans from the recipe or replace them with pumpkin seeds.
• Dairy-free – This recipe will work just as well with the non-dairy milk of your choice.
• Vegan – I haven’t tested vegan butternut squash bread, but if you’d like to try it, replace the eggs with 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed meal + 5 tbsp water) and the dairy milk with dairy-free milk.
• More mix-in ideas – The pecans can be substituted for chocolate chips (regular or dairy-free), another nut or seed, or dried fruit (like cranberries or chopped dates).

How to Make Butternut Squash Bread

Step 1: Soften the squash. Microwave the chopped squash until it’s softened. Mash the squash until as many lumps as possible are gone.

Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. Whisk the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Stir in the mashed squash.

Step 3: Add dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice together. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Finish by folding in the pecans.

Step 4: Bake. Pour the batter into a prepared bread pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

Step 5: Make the glaze. While you wait for the bread to cool, whisk the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. Drizzle it over the cooled squash bread, top with extra pecans, slice, and enjoy!

Erin’s Tips and Tricks

• You can save time by using pre-cubed butternut squash instead of cutting the squash yourself.
• Gently mix the dry and wet ingredients together to avoid overmixing the batter. That delicious, moist crumb comes from mixing the batter just until the flour is absorbed.
• If you don’t have a 9×5 bread pan, you can use a smaller 8×4 pan instead. Just bake the bread for 60 to 65 minutes instead.
• Swap the pecan topping for a streusel topping! The sweet streusel from my vegan coffee cake recipe—sprinkled on top of the bread before it goes into the oven—would be so delicious.

Butternut Squash Bread FAQs

Storage

Room temperature: Store the bread in a sealed container on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days.

Refrigerator: You can store it in the fridge for up to 1 week, but it will dry out a little.

Freezer: This fall quick bread also freezes well for up to 2 months. Wrap the loaf or slices in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container or bag.

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If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!