Honeynut Squash Pie Recipe

Prep Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs

Servings:

10 to 12

Yield:

1 9-inch pie

Ready for a Thanksgiving dessert that’s fresh yet still familiar and absolutely delicious? Try our honeynut squash pie. It stars the new darling of the winter squash family, the dainty but flavor-packed honeynut. This delectable chiffon-like pie is a tasty take on the traditional sweet potato or pumpkin. The squash mingles with maple syrup, nutmeg, and cloves in the silky filling and we use our go-to all-butter pastry for the crust. All this sublime pie needs is a dollop of maple-flavored whipped cream for serving. We predict it will become a must-make for your holiday feast.

What Is Honeynut Squash?

Honeynut squash is a smaller, sweeter, more intensely orange take on butternut squash. It’s actually a hybrid of the butternut with the buttercup squash, and it took about 30 years to perfect. The petite treat began showing up at farmers markets about a decade ago and has steadily gained in popularity. Today, honeynut is relatively easy to find between October and December. It’s rich flavor is packed in a diminutive package—at least compared to other winter squash. It’s also easier to handle than it’s larger kin, but chefs particularly love it for its concentrated flavor when cooked—it’s tender and creamy with a sweet, nutty, caramel, and malt-like taste.

It's often used as a simple side dish, cut in half lengthwise to make a serving and roasted. It also aces in other savory recipes and can be boiled, baked, sauteed, or steamed.

If you can't find honeynut squash at your grocery store, make this pie with butternut squash instead.

Directions

Preheat oven; roll dough, fit to pie plate and crimp:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out dough to an approximate 11-inch round. Transfer to a standard 9-inch pie dish. Trim edges with kitchen shears, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold and tuck overhang under so it’s flush with pie dish. Crimp edge of dough as desired or leave unadorned.
Blind bake crust:

Line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights or dry rice and beans. Bake until crust is dry and set on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment and continue baking until crust is golden, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool completely.
Steam squash; drain and cool:

Meanwhile, bring one inch of water to a boil in a pot lined with a steamer basket. Add squash, cover, and steam until very tender, 17 to 20 minutes. Drain and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.
Blend squash, then add butter, egg, some maple syrup, sugar, and spices:

Transfer squash to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add flour, butter, egg, 1/3 cup maple syrup, sugar, nutmeg, clove, and salt; pulse to thoroughly combine.
Whisk 1/4 cup cream with baking powder and add to filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup cream and the baking powder. Add cream mixture into squash mixture and pulse a few times until smooth.
Reduce oven temperature and add filling to crust:

Reduce oven to 350˚F. Pour filling into cooled crust, smoothing top with an offset spatula.
Bake and cool:

Bake until filling is puffed slightly and set at the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Whisk cream with maple syrup and serve with pie:

In a bowl, whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups cream with remaining 3 tablespoons maple syrup to soft peaks. Serve with pie.

Can You Make This Pie Ahead?

We think this pie is best eaten the day it’s made, but can be refrigerated, loosely covered, for up to 1 day. (Only top the pie with whipped cream right before serving.)

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store honeynut squash?

Store honeynut squash at room temperature, away from bright light and heat. It does not need to be refrigerated unless cut into. As it has a a thinner skin than butternut squash, it will not last as long as other winter squash. It should be used within two weeks of purchase.
Is honeynut squash a good substitute for pumpkin in pie?

No, honeynut squash is not a good substitute for pumpkin in pie. While honeynut squash is similar to pumpkin, there are distinct differences. If your recipe calls for pumpkin, it probably uses canned pure pumpkin puree, which has a more vegetal taste than cooked, pureed honeynut squash and a wetter texture. If you use honeynut squash in a pumpkin pie recipe, the filling may be too sweet or too dry. That is why we developed this recipe for a pie using honeynut squash.
What flavors pair with honeynut squash?

Many flavors pair well with honeynut squash. In addition to sweet flavors like maple syrup, brown sugar, and warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg, it works with creamy dairy or alternative dairy flavors. On the savory side, chiles and smoky or spicy flavors are good foils for its sweetness. We also like honeynut squash with nuts or toasted seeds and with goat cheese.

5 Other Pumpkin and Squash Pie Recipes to Try

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

243	Calories
18g	Fat
21g	Carbs
3g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 10 to 12
Calories 243
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 3g	5%
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 11g	54%
Cholesterol 70mg	23%
Vitamin A 726mcg	81%
Vitamin C 14mg	16%
Vitamin D 1mcg	3%
Vitamin E 2mg	11%
Folate 25mcg	6%
Vitamin K 2mcg	2%
Sodium 148mg	6%
Calcium 104mg	8%
Iron 1mg	5%
Magnesium 32mg	8%
Potassium 320mg	7%
Zinc 0mg	4%
Vitamin B12 0mcg	7%
Omega 3 0g