Butternut Squash Tots
These tots are packed with creamy butternut squash, shredded carrot and lots of flavourful spices. Make a big batch and enjoy leftovers as a quick snack, side dish or tossed into a salad. They are always a big hit with a crowd and are Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
I’m not too sure what the exact definition of a “tot” is, but in my view it’s a bite sized ball of potato/sweet potato/butternut squash deliciousness that’s slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Most of the tots I’ve ever tried have either been deep-fried or pan-fried to help get that crispy outside shell. I wanted to try to avoid oil and frying for this recipe to keep the tots healthy and light without sacrificing any of the texture.
These Butternut Squash tots are full of rich spicy flavour from the addition of paprika, cayenne and cumin with bits of grated carrot and onion to add texture to the butternut squash puree. The mixture is rolled into balls and baked in the oven for 25 minutes to get a nicely crisp shell. The tots hold together well when baked, just be sure to use a spatula when turning them during cooking so that they do not stick to the tray.
I was amazed at how well these tots lasted as leftover in the fridge and was still snacking on them 3 days later. To really maximize the enjoyment, bake any leftovers in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up before eating.
I like serving these tots with ketchup or chipotle lime mayonnaise.
Here are a few other butternut squash recipes that you will love:
- Mexican Breakfast Hash
- Roasted Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Tacos
- Butternut Squash Noodles with Tahini Lemon Sauce
- Butternut Squash Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Kale Pesto
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Butternut Squash Tots
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/4 cup grated onion
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place the butternut squash cubes on the baking sheet, the should be approximately 1/2 an inch or smaller in size. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes until tender and lightly browned in colour
- Place the cooked butternut squash in a bowl and mash with a fork until a puree is formed and there are no large chunks, the smoother the better
- Add to the puree the grated carrot, onion, parsley, paprika, cumin, almond flour, cayenne and salt and stir until well combined.
- Roll the batter into bite sized balls and place them on the baking sheet which you may want to lightly grease it to prevent sticking.
- Bake the balls in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes, checking and turning every 10 minutes or so to ensure that each side cooks evenly and doesn't burn.
- Serve the balls warm with your favourite dipping sauce
Do you think it would work to make these into more of a patty type of thing? Our son is on a low-protein diet due to a genetic metabolic disorder, so if I sub the flour, this recipe would work really well for him! I’m looking for a recipe that can be used as either a tot/nugget recipe, but also would work as a patty so that when we have a cookout or something and we’re all having burgers, he can have something similar. Thanks!
Yes definitely, I think that it would work well as a patty, just be sure not too make them too big so that they hold together. Let me know how they turn out!
Really enjoyed the flavor and exterior, but not intrrior. I need to try again with a dryer squash or ? Flavor is worth working out texture.
Thanks for the feedback Linda! Maybe cutting the butternut squash into smaller cubes before baking next time to dry the squash out more?
Perfect appetizer… I double the recipe every time
Good call! Leftovers last a few days in the fridge so they won’t go to waste. 🙂
These look amazing! Do you think I could use frozen cubed butternut squash?
Yes you definitely could!
Can I substitute something for the almond flour? I am allergic, but these sound amazing!
Yes definitely, there is so little almond flour required that you could substitute it for any flour of choice and the tots should still hold together when baked.
Just enjoyed these for dinner! Very tasty but I did make a couple changes. The recipe above says 1/2TBS cumin, that seemed like way too much so we used 1/2tsp, and were very happy with the result. We shaped them like crab cakes instead of tots (laziness!). Mine cooked for 35 mins and weren’t anywhere near browning like the pics but we were hungry and ate them anyway. Delish!
Thanks for the feedback! I’m a bit of a cumin addict so its good to hear that you adapted it to your tastes and they turned out well. Happy to hear that you enjoyed them!
What’s a good sauce recipe for these that you can share?
I have to apologize, I completely missed this message! I am going to be posting a recipe for a smoky ketchup in the coming weeks but in the meantime I would recommend in a pot combining one can of tomatoes with 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar and 1/2 cup water and allow it to simmer until the sauce has thickened to ketchup consistency (it will thicken as it cools). Enjoy!
Made today and doubled recipe. Used thyme instead of parsley. Cooking time was approximately 60 minutes. Doubled the cayenne but don’t be doing that again as they were a little too spicy. Will be making again. Would sweet potatoes work instead of the squash?
Thanks for the comment! I’m amazed the cooking time was so long, maybe your tots were a bigger then the ones I made? Yes you could definitely substitute the butternut squash for sweet potato for the same result. Let me know if you give it a try!
Please note that if sweet potato is substituted, the tots will no longer be scd legal.
Correct 🙂
This sounds great – because I use squash quite a bit on the SCD diet, I regularly bake squash and would rather get the squash puree for this recipe this way rather than cutting into cubes. How much squash puree am I aiming for?
Great question Shelley, I would say 2 cups cubed should equal approximately 1 to 1 1/4 cups pureed. Let me know how they turn out!
These look lovely — but onions are right out for me (also garlic). Does the recipe need onions for texture? Could I just leave them out, or add something else?
Thanks Caddie! No there should be no issue leaving out the onions, the tots won’t have that sharp onion flavour but will otherwise turnout the same. I hope you enjoy!