Creamy Garlic Butternut Squash Noodles (Whole30)

Creamy garlic butternut squash noodles are the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal! Butternut squash noodles are a healthy alternative to pasta and are just as filling and delicious! This recipe is vegan, dairy free, gluten free, paleo and Whole30 friendly!

butternut squash noodles with a creamy garlic sauce with arugula in a cast iron skillet
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Why this recipe works

  • Butternut squash noodles are made by spiralizing a butternut squash. These noodles are nutritious, packed full of vitamins and minerals and are just as delicious as regular pasta!
  • The creamy garlic sauce is allergy friendly and dairy free! All you need is 4 ingredients to make this sauce!
  • This recipe is naturally gluten free, dairy free and Whole30 friendly! Add your favorite protein (like this ranch chicken or shredded chicken thighs) to make it even more filling!

How to make butternut squash noodles

  • To make butternut squash noodles, you will first need a spiralizer! I recommend this spiralizer– it’s easy to use and super sturdy.
  • Next, peel the butternut squash and trim away the top stem and the bottom bulbous part. You will be spiralizing just the long neck part of the squash.
Peeled butternut squash on a cutting board

TIP: When shopping for butternut squash to spiralize, look for one with a long neck, this way you get more noodles!

  • Set the spiralizer to the thickest noodle blade and secure the spiralizer to the countertop. Make sure you have a cutting board or your sheet pan under the end of the spiralizer to catch the butternut squash spirals.
  • Place the butternut squash on the spiralizer and press the tongs at the end firmly into the end. Spiralize the butternut squash into long noodles.
  • Trim the noodles down into more manageable pieces.
Butternut squash noodles being made on the spiralizer

How to cook butternut squash noodles

Cooking spiralized butternut squash in the oven

My favorite way to cook butternut squash noodles is in the oven.

Spray the pan with non-stick. Make a thin layer of the noodles (divide between 2 pans if needed). Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes.

Butternut squash noodles on a baking sheet before cooking

Don’t overcook the noodles or they will easily crumble when tossing them in the sauce. Check at 12 minutes.

Cooked butternut squash noodles on a baking sheet with tongs

Cooking spiralized butternut squash on the stove

You can also sautee butternut squash noodles in a large saute pan with 1-2 tablespoons of oil or ghee for 7-10 minutes. The noodles do tend to break the more you stir them so it’s best to use tongs. Do this in batches if the pan is overcrowded.

The butternut squash noodles can also be boiled. The noodles can quickly over-cook with this method so stay vigilant. Cook for 2-3 minutes in boiling water.

butternut squash noodles with a creamy garlic sauce with arugula in a cast iron skillet

How to make the creamy garlic sauce:

Combine hemp hearts or soaked cashews, water, garlic olive oil and salt in a high speed blender. I use a bullet blender for this. Blend on high for 1 minute.

Creamy garlic sauce in a blender

If you don’t have hemp hearts on hand, you can also use soaked cashews. Not sure how to soak cashews? See my tips on how to soak cashews!

If you love this creamy garlic sauce, you should try vegan spinach artichoke dip or spinach artichoke stuffed mushrooms!

How to make creamy butternut squash noodles

  • Step 1: Peel the butternut squash
  • Step 2: Spiralize the butternut squash.
  • Step 3: Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets. Add the butternut squash noodles into a single layer.
  • Step 4: Bake the butternut squash noodles in the oven at 400F for 12-15 minutes.
Steps 1-4 on how to make creamy garlic butternut squash noodles
  • Step 5: While the squash is baking, make the garlic cream sauce.
  • Step 6: Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 1 bag of arugula or spinach and a pinch of salt. Add a lid and wilt the arugula (or spinach).
  • Step 7: Once the arugula is wilted, remove from the heat. Add the butternut squash noodles and stir to incorporate.
  • Step 8: Add the garlic cream sauce and stir well with tongs. Don’t over mix.
Steps 5-8 on how to make creamy garlic butternut squash noodles

What if you don’t have a spiralizer?

If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can also find butternut squash noodles in many grocery stores now. Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other stores now carry them in the refrigerated produce section of the grocery store.

What if the butternut squash is not easy to spiralize?

A tip is to place the squash in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to soften it, making it easier to spiralize.

butternut squash noodles with a creamy garlic sauce with arugula in a cast iron skillet

Can you store butternut squash noodles in the fridge?

Yes, after cooking you can store this in the fridge for 3-4 days.

You can also peel and spiralize the butternut squash and store it in an airtight container 5 days before cooking it. This is great for weekend prep!

butternut squash noodles with a creamy garlic sauce with arugula on white plate with fork

More Spiralized Veggie Recipes

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butternut squash noodles with a creamy garlic sauce with arugula on white plate with fork

Creamy Garlic Butternut Squash Noodles

This creamy garlic butternut squash noodles recipe is going to be your new go to pasta recipe! It’s Whole30, dairy free, paleo, vegan and allergy friendly! 
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: butternut squash noodles, butternut squash pasta, butternut squash spirals, creamy garlic sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, spiralized - see notes in post on instructions
  • 1 tbs avocado oil
  • 4 cups arugula - or fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Creamy Garlic Sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F
  • Peel and spiralize the butternut squash
  • Divide the butternut squash between 2 baking sheets (lined with parchment paper) and bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes
  • While the butternut squash noodles are baking, make the sauce
  • Place all the ingredients for the Creamy Garlic Sauce in a high speed blender and blend for 1 minute (I used our Ninja bullet)
  • Heat up a cast iron skillet or large pan. Add 1 tbs. avocado oil and the organic arugula. Season with salt and saute 1 minute. 
  • Cover arugula with a lid and cook 1 minute, until wilted. 
  • Add the butternut squash noodles to the arugula and pour the sauce onto the noodles. Stir well
  • Serve hot

Equipment

  • Spiralizer

Notes

For tips on how to soak cashews, check out this post! 
If you don’t have garlic infused olive oil, add 1 tsp of garlic powder to 2 tablespoon of olive oil. 
TIP: If you cannot easily spiralize your butternut squash, microwave it for 2-3 minutes first. This will make it easier to spiralize. 
If you do not have a spiralizer, you can buy spiralized butternut squash at the grocery store. Check the refrigerated produce section. Sweet potato noodles could also be used here. 

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
327
Fat
 
22
g
Carbohydrates
 
24
g
Fiber
 
4
g
Sugar
 
4
g
Protein
 
11
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in January of 2018, but was published again in June 2019 to include step by step directions, recipe notes and video.

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19 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    DELICIOUS! I absolutely loved this recipe. I made a couple of small changes….used frozen butternut squash noodles, roasted a clove of garlic for 10 mins before blending it with the other sauce ingredients and I sautéed the spinach in coconut oil for extra flavour….such a yummy recipe and soooo easy. This will definitely be on repeat for me.

  2. 5 stars
    This is ridiculously delicious!! I don’t generally like the texture of squash, so baked spiralized noodles is a great way for me to eat this healthy food. And the creamy sauce … O M G. I did a half recipe of the sauce with 10 oz of buttoodles (butternut squash noodles), and added 2 cloves of raw garlic. (Because it never hurts to have vampire-repelling breath!)

    Thank you, thank you! This will be a regular thing in my house from now on.

  3. 5 stars
    Just made this… and,
    Oh.
    My.
    God.
    The simplicity of the cashew cream is so deceiving! This was my first experience cooking an entirely “vegan” meal and now definitely not my last.
    Thank you for such a delicious, clean and easy recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    I cannot thank you enough for sharing this recipe. This recipe alone made me realize that I am totally capable of making something incredibly tasty and so healthy. I feel so excited. Thankyou!

  5. 5 stars
    I tried this recipe last night. The garlic sauce was fantastic. Question for you, actually 2, how long will the sauce keep in the fridge if i don’t use it all and what else do you put it on. ?

    Tracey

    1. You could use cashews that have been soaked in hot water until softened. Normally at least 2 hours but if you need them quicker you can microwave the cashews with the water for 2 minutes. let sit for 5 minutes and they should be soft enough.

    1. I don’t know off hand. It was the noodles from a large butternut squash. I’ve made this many times with various sizes of squash and it always turns out amazing. Hope this helps

  6. 5 stars
    Finally found a winning recipe for butternut squash pasta. Instead of garlic infused Olive oil I roasted a few heads of olive oil, used 1.5 for bread spread and 1/2 for the olive oil. Amazing! Hemp hearts! Who knew?

  7. Hi! I used a hot cast iron pan and tossed in coconut oil, butternut squash noodles, mushrooms, then used roasted garlic tahini paste with a dash of olive oil and water when they were toasty. Topped with fresh herbs from the garden and scallions- wow!! So tasty!! Great idea!

  8. I never comment on anything but this strange idea actually tastes like a creamy garlic sauce. I’m not vegan and will be adding Parmesan cheese when I serve this over the butternut squash noodles I bought and pork meatballs I made. But I’m impressed with the flavour. Maybe could use less water but hopefully it thickens up. I didn’t have garlic oil so I did oil and garlic. I blended a little longer to try to cook out some of the raw garlic flavour. Which worked. Thanks.

  9. 5 stars
    Congratulations!
    Your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week and I just pinned it! Thanks so much for sharing with us and hope you will come back soon!
    Miz Helen

  10. This looks amazing, never thought to use butternut squash to make noodles….very creative, and that creamy garlic sauce…wow

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