This Keto Bacon Roasted Butternut Squash is an awesome side dish, it pairs perfectly with just about any protein for an unbeatable keto dinner.
Man Oh Man we love this Keto Bacon Roasted Butternut Squash, it’s all you’ve ever want in a side dish. Yes, butternut squash is high(er) carb compared to other low-carb vegetables but see our explanation below to see why we think it’s still a great option for ketogenic diets. Other than butternut squash soup, roasting butternut squash with bacon is our favorite way to utilize this winter squash.
For this recipe, we’re roasting the squash with bacon, brown erythritol (we use Swerve), Dijon mustard, garlic, and a few spices. Yum! Seriously, as the bacon renders the squash soaks up all of the delicious bacon grease and the outsides of the squash get a bit crispy as well. This is definitely one of our favorite keto side dishes for fall!
Keep reading for the ins and outs of this recipe!
Is butternut squash keto?
Butternut squash can definitely be eaten on a keto diet. While winter squashes are higher carb than most vegetables they can still fit nicely into a low-carb high-fat diet. My view is that vegetables pack tons of nutrients and I’d rather my carb sources come from nutrient-packed food than processed junk.
There are about 13g net carbs per cup of butternut squash which makes it a fairly high carb vegetable option. However, by pairing it with other very low-carb ingredients you can definitely make it work for a keto-friendly diet.
That being said, to make this recipe work for a 10g net carb meal (this is what we try to stay under for all of our recipes to fit easily into everyone’s diet) I would pair this with a grilled steak or grilled salmon.
What should I serve this Roasted butternut squash with?
See above, steak and salmon are my go-to’s but any grilled or roasted meat dish would be fantastic.
How do I cut a butternut squash?
Ah, cutting butternut squash can be such a pain! If you’re near a Trader Joe’s I would highly suggest picking up a package of their pre-cut butternut squash for ease.
If you would rather buy the whole squash here’s how you cut it:
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cut off the ends – using a large chef’s knife (no pairing or steak knives here for goodness sakes) trim 1/4″ off each end.
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peel – use a vegetable peeler to peel off the outside skin until you get to the bright orange flesh.
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cut in half – stand it on its large base and cut straight down the middle.
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remove the seeds – use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. If you want you can roast these just like you would pumpkin seeds!
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cut into slices – cut each squash half in half width-wise then cut into slices length-wise.
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cube – cut each slice into cubes.
Yeah, see why we opt for pre-cut squash? Ha!
Can I add other vegetables to this recipe?
Brussels sprouts are also delicious with the butternut squash here. Just halve them and throw them into the mix. Please note that this will obviously change the nutritional information as well as the serving size.
What is the nutritional information of this keto bacon roasted butternut squash recipe?
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carb counts) at the bottom of the recipe card. You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients as different brand’s ingredients may have different values. This recipe has 9.1 grams of carbs (net) per serving.
Looking for more keto recipes? Check out these other fall-inspired dishes!
- Spicy Pork Belly Collard Greens
- Keto Dinner Rolls
- “Macaroni” and Cheese
- Chicken “Noodle” Soup
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Keto Scalloped “Potatoes”
- Keto Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin
Keto Bacon Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 12 oz cubed butternut squash
- 4 slices bacon cut in half
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons brown erythritol we use Swerve
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the butternut squash, chopped bacon, and sliced garlic in a large 10.5” cast iron skillet.
- In a small bowl mix together the brown erythritol, olive oil, mustard, salt, and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the squash and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the squash is tender. Serve immediately.
The recipe lists 2 tsp olive oil but the instructions don’t say where to put it in. Do we toss the squash with it or mix it with the topping?
Sorry about that! You mix it with the topping.
Whats the serving size?
I saw the instruction for olive oil but not the paprika! I guess to put in topping
Holy Cheese on a Cracker! That stuff was divine! A friend had given me a 10 oz bag of frozen butternut squash and I was looking for something different to make with it. I added about 1 cup of homemade pumpkin puree, some sliced garlic and fresh ginger. The whole casserole was eaten before the main dish! Thank you. We’ll definitely make this again.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Janice!
Mine is in the oven at this moment! I didn’t have bacon (who doesn’t have bacon -lol) so I used cubed ham; added another tsp of olive oil to make up for the missing bacon fat I took a lesson from the commenter above and added a few grates of fresh ginger. I’m having my squash with a rib eye for tonight’s dinner. I sure hope I love it -I do love the ingredients.
Ohh fresh ginger sounds delicious in this! We must have missed the prior comment mentioning it, thanks for pointing it out again – we can’t wait to try it! Thanks Helen 🙂
Loved this! That Kanye for the great idea. We will be doing this again.
This tasted so delicious! The only modification I made was tossing the squash and bacon in the olive oil, brown sugar crumble.
Very delicious recipes! Little suggestion for prepping the squash.
I cut the ends of with a chefs knife. then I cut it in to inch slices.
I lay the slices on the cutting board and just cut off the outer parts.
‘then i take a grapefruit spoon and take the seeds out. This is all
done in a few minutes without much effort.
Trying tonight. Can you use stevia instead? I don’t have the other.
So easy. So yummy!
This was good. I didn’t think I could have butternut squash on a low carb diet, but the bacon also fills up the volumn. This will be a repeat dish!
Can’t understand why sweetener is added, Butternut squash is pretty sweet anyway so I left it out and recipe was yum. Thank you
rating added
Hi there! Mine is in the oven at the moment, and it smells delicious! I also added dried rosemary. You give the Nutritiional Facts per serving, but please can you tell me how many oz/grams each serving is?
Hi Frances! Unfortunately, that’s not how recipes work. Unlike a packaged food product that is made by a single company, recipes can’t provide reliable serving weights due to the fluctuations in how different people measure and cook. To get a reliable serving size you’ll need to weigh your final dish then divide by the number of servings. You can also simply eyeball 1/4th of the recipe. I hope this helps!
Delicious! My husband and I both wee raving and said this is a new classic for our home. He wants to take the recipe hunting in the Utah mountains with him. He’ll cook it in a Dutch oven. Yummy!!!!
Can I use frozen squash chunks for this recipe?
You should be able to but it may be a bit mushy.
What could you use in place of brown erythritol?
If not low-carb you could use brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup. If low-carb, I would just leave it out as a regular granulated “sugar” wouldn’t be the same as the brown erythritol.
This is so good only change I made was just a tbsp of golden monkfruit its what I had on hand. Thank you delicious!
Delicious. Easy to make and a winner.
This side dish was so delicious & simple. The butternut squash was caramelized and had an amazing flavor. My whole family enjoyed it (kids included). Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe is absolutely scrumptious exactly as written! I made it exactly as described, except I see now that I probably should have chopped my bacon instead of just laying the half-slices across my squash. It doesn’t matter, though, because it was phenomenal even without chopping it up. 🙂 USE THE SWERVE BROWN SUGAR. It is divine! You can find Swerve at tons of stores now, so spring for the good stuff and don’t skip it because it is delicious! Also as a time saver, I bought already-cubed butternut squash from my local Fresh Market, and it was all ready to go when I got home. I used my brand-new Field Company 12″ cast iron skillet and doubled this recipe. I will definitely make this winner again and next time will try it with chopping the bacon, and maybe making extra topping because it was gooooood stuff! 🙂 Thank you for a great recipe that is definitely making the rotation!
I couldn’t find any brown erythritol where I live. Can i substitute it with something else?
I always make butternut squash soup but this is my new favorite way to eat it. I especially liked the cast iron skillet idea made the squash nice and crispy and candied DELICIOUS
What if I don’t have a cast iron skillet – guess a sheet pan will have to work. I need to get a cast iron skillet sounds like.
Hi Dee, any oven-safe pan will work.
Here’s my spin on this recipe. In addition to the squash, my only other ingredients are olive oil, diced pancetta, paprika, diced red bell pepper. that’s it! You need no other salt, no garlic, no sweeteners…keep it simple and fresh. I baked a medium cubed squash in a deep cast iron skillet for 45 min at 425. Heaven!
Absolutely amazing. The savoury of the bacon works wonderfully with the sweet of the brown sugar. This one is a keeper
I love this! It’s easy to make and worth every single bite.