I am so excited to share today’s Butternut Squash Dip! This creamy Vegan Appetizer is the perfect Holiday dip, because it’s full of flavor, vegetables, and it makes enough to serve a crowd. It’s full of nutrient dense ingredients and it’s low calorie!
What Is Butternut Squash Dip:
Vegan Appetizers can get old quickly. Raise your hand if you’re sick of hummus and potato chips *hand raises*. I completely understand that non vegans don’t want to eat vegan versions of their favorite foods. I love making vegan versions of classics. However i love making completely new recipes that are naturally vegan and can be enjoyed by both vegans and non vegans alike!
This Butternut Squash Dip is one of those recipes. Not only is it naturally vegan, but it’s naturally healthy! It’s made with simple whole foods plant based ingredients. It’s the perfect recipe to keep your health conscious relative(s) happy during the holidays.
Butternut Squash Dip is different than other dips. It’s not like hummus, and it’s not like cheese, it’s somewhere in between. However unlike those types of dips, this recipe is low-calorie and nutrient dense.
The texture of this dip is super smooth and creamy, but it is not soupy. It’s thick and stable. It’s best served with pretzels, pita bread/chips, fresh vegetables like celery, or cucumber, and even carrots!
Ingredients For Butternut Squash Dip:
- Butternut Squash – Make sure that you are using a large butternut squash, or two smaller ones. Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall vegetables. It’s creamy, slightly sweet, and so healthy.
- Bell Peppers – I recommend using red, orange, or yellow bell peppers. Do not use green bell peppers, because it will cause the dip to be bitter, and change the color of the dish.
- Sweet Onion – Any onion variety will work, however I strongly recommend using a sweet onion variety. This will help elevate the sweet flavor of this dip.
- Garlic – I recommend using fresh whole garlic cloves. Pre-minced cloves lose a lot of flavor, and have added preservatives, so I find it best to avoid using them.
- Vegan Cream Cheese – This is important. Make sure to use the Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese. I have tried a lot of vegan cream cheeses, and this is the only one that is made with whole foods plant based ingredients, and tastes like real cream cheese. It’s smooth, super creamy, and perfectly tart.
- Paprika – You can use regular paprika, or smoked paprika for a more savory dip. I usually always prefer smoked paprika, however I went with regular paprika for this Butternut Squash Dip recipe, because I wanted it to be on the sweeter side.
- Coconut Aminos – If you have never used coconut aminos, you are missing out. If you’re looking for the perfect oil-free substitute for roasting vegetables, it’s coconut aminos. It’s slightly sweet and salty, and is perfect for caramelizing vegetables in the oven.
- Chives – No dip is complete without a garnish. This recipe pairs perfectly with some fresh chives on top.
- Sesame Seeds – These are completely optional, however I find that they give a nice texture to the dip.
How To Make This Butternut Squash Dip:
This Butternut Squash Dip is the perfect vegan appetizer for the holiday’s. It’s super easy to make, healthy, and so delicious that even the non vegans will be asking for the recipe.
To make this dip, begin by preheating the oven to 400. Next peel and dice the butternut squash and add it to a large baking sheet. Roughly chop the onion and bell peppers and add to the baking sheet. Peel the garlic and add as well. Drizzle coconut aminos on top and toss until the vegetables are completely covered. Place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Do not turn the oven off.
Once the vegetables are done, add to a high speed blender along with the vegan cream cheese and paprika. Blend until smooth. Pour into an oven safe bowl, or cast iron skillet. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, or until the top crisps up.
After the dip has baked, remove from the oven and top with sliced chives, additional paprika, and sesame seeds. Serve with pretzels, crackers, cucumbers, and celery. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Butternut Squash Good For Weight Loss?
If you’re looking for more fall vegetables to include in your diet for weight loss, you should consider butternut squash. Butternut squash is one of my favorite vegetables, not only because it tastes delicious, but also because it is great for weight loss and weight management.
It is a high volume, low calorie dense food. Butternut squash only has about 65 calories per cup. This means that you can eat large servings of it and still be in a calorie deficit.
Can This Butternut Squash Dip Be Served Chilled?
This Butternut Squash Dip is a great vegan appetizer, because it can be enjoyed both warm and cold. i personally love it warm, because I hate being cold, and love warm dishes in the fall/winter. However it tastes great chilled as well.
If you’re planning to bring this to a relatives house, or to a Holiday party, you can bring it chilled and it’ll be enjoyed by all. Or simply reheat it in the oven upon arrival and enjoy it warm!
Can I Use Pre-cooked Frozen Butternut Squash For This Butternut Squash Dip?
This Butternut Squash Dip is incredible. However it is slightly time consuming to make. Roasting squash takes time. Is there a way to speed this recipe up? If you are looking to cut down on cooking time for this dip, you can use pre-cooked frozen butternut squash. However I do not recommend it.
For whatever reasons pre-cooked squash can become quite watery. Therefore if you do use pre-cooked, I recommend still roasting it and not heating it in the microwave. I also recommend patting away any excess liquid with a paper towel before adding it to the blender.
If you have the time to use a fresh butternut squash, I strongly encourage you to use that instead.
Related Vegan Appetizers Recipes:
- Plant Based Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Buffalo Jackfruit Dip
- Air-Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Quinoa Cowboy Caviar
- Raw Vegan Pea Pesto Hummus
Butternut Squash Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 sweet onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 8oz package vegan cream cheese I recommend using Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup chives
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 400. While the oven is preheating, peel and scoop out the seeds of the butternut squash. Dice into cubes and place on a baking sheet.
- Roughly chop the onion and bell peppers and peel the garlic cloves, place on the baking sheet. Cover all the vegetables with coconut aminos and toss. Place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly crispy.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, pour into a blender with the vegan cream cheese, and paprika. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into an oven safe dish and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top gets crispy.
- Chop the chives and sprinkle on top along with the sesame seeds and additional paprika.
- Serve with pretzels, crackers, celery, and cucumbers, enjoy!
Excellent use for the butternut squash languishing on the counter, my family loved it! Then the cold leftovers made a great next-day lunch, too.
This looks amazing, and I’m thrilled to find a dip that’s actually healthy! Butternut squash just got added to my grocery list!
What a unique and beautiful dip! So festive for the holidays! thank you!
Love this idea! Such a fresh take on dip and its great on crackers!