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    Butternut Squash Gratin

    November 12, 2025 / By Natalie Mortimer

    This butternut squash gratin recipe belongs on your Thanksgiving or holiday menu this year! Cheesy, creamy and easy to assemble ahead of time, it’s such a win. 

    Butternut Squash Gratin fresh from the oven garnished with pepper and sage leaves, a festive fall or thanksgiving side
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    My butternut squash gratin recipe is such an obvious side dish win for Thanksgiving, or any special holiday meal! With cream, sage, Parmesan and Gruyère cheeses, it’s cheesy, and rich, with the nutty flavor of the butternut squash shining through a silky cream sauce. Best of all? It can be assembled a day ahead of time.  

    Over the years, I’ve shared a lot of gratin recipes with you. If this one isn’t for you, try asparagus gratin, potatoes au gratin, or even broccoli au gratin instead. 

    Ingredients laid out for butternut squash gratin, including cubed squash, Gruyère & Parmesan, sage, cream and nutmeg
    cubed butternut squash being seasoned with olive oil and salt in a baking dish to make creamy & rich butternut squash gratin

    Butternut Squash Gratin Ingredients

    • Butternut squash: For this recipe, you’ll need 1-2 butternut squashes. To save time, it’s fine to buy the pre-cubed butternut squash found in the produce section of the grocery store. For a more dramatic dish (like in the pictures) peel and cut it yourself. 
    • Cream and butter: Heavy cream is key to making a gratin, so in this case no subs will do. I like to use salted butter just to make life easy (and delicious). 
    • Cheese: Parmesan cheese AND Gruyère cheese, both freshly grated if possible. 
    • Herbs and spices: fresh garlic, fresh sage, fresh thyme leaves, nutmeg
    • The staples: Olive oil, salt, pepper
    butter, shallots and spices cooking in a skillet to make rich and creamy cheese sauce for Butternut Squash Gratin
    cream and cheese sauce being made in a skillet for butternut squash gratin, a beautiful fall or thanksgiving side dish
    cream and cheese sauce being made in a skillet for butternut squash gratin, a beautiful fall or thanksgiving side dish
    best ever squash gratin cream and cheese sauce in skillet made with Gruyère, Parmesan, sage, thyme and nutmeg

    Butternut Squash Gratin, Step By Step

    1. Crank the oven to 400°F. 
    2. Roast the squash for 25 minutes in the pan you’ll serve the gratin in. 
    3. Make the cream sauce in a pan on the stove top while the squash roasts.
    4. Make it cheesy! Stir in the Gruyère and Parmesan.
    5. Pour the cheese sauce over the squash. 
    6. Bake for 20 minutes until it’s bubbly on top. 
    silky rich cream sauce being poured over par baked butternut squash in a baking dish to make squash gratin, perfect for fall
    silky rich cream sauce being poured over par baked butternut squash in a baking dish to make squash gratin, perfect for fall

    How To Make It Ahead

    Thanksgiving hosts, rejoice! This butternut squash gratin can be prepped ahead of time! Make it all the way until you pour the creamy sauce over the roasted squash. After you pour the cheese sauce over the squash, let the dish cool. Cover the dish and store it in the refrigerator until about an hour before you're ready to serve it. Let the squash gratin sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake it, uncovered, for 30 minutes. If you’re serving it for Thanksgiving, you could pop it into the oven to bake while the turkey rests. Serve hot!  

    Creamy, cheesy, rich Butternut Squash Gratin fresh from the oven perfect for fall dinners or a thanksgiving side dish

    Tips For Success

    • If you cut the squash smaller, it will roast faster and the whole dish will come together faster. 
    • Whatever size you cut the squash, make them evenly sized so that each piece cooks at the same pace. 
    • Gentle heat is best for cream sauces. When you make the creamy cheese sauce, work over low or low-medium heat so that you don’t overcook the cream.
    Beautiful Butternut Squash Gratin fresh from the oven in a baking dish garnished with black pepper and sage leaves

    More Butternut Squash Recipes 

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    Butternut Squash Gratin fresh from the oven garnished with pepper and sage leaves, a festive fall or thanksgiving side

    Butternut Squash Gratin Recipe

    Published November 12, 2025

    By Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  10 min
    • Cook Time:  45 min
    • Calories:  492

    Description

    This Butternut Squash Gratin is our favorite Thanksgiving side! Roasted squash in creamy Gruyère & Parmesan sauce with fresh sage. Rich, cheesy comfort food. Make-ahead friendly ready in 55 minutes!

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      Ingredients

      • 2 ½ pounds butternut squash, cut into 1½-inch pieces
      • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
      • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
      • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter
      • 2 large shallots, chopped
      • 2 garlic cloves, minced
      • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
      • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
      • 1 cup heavy cream
      • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
      • 1 ½ cups freshly grated Gruyère cheese
      • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
      • Freshly cracked black pepper, for serving
      • Fresh sage leaves, for serving

      Method

      1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position. 

        Ingredients laid out for butternut squash gratin, including cubed squash, Gruyère & Parmesan, sage, cream and nutmeg

      2. Arrange the squash in a single layer in an 8 x 8-inch or 7 x 10-inch baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt until coated. Bake for 25 minutes. 

        cubed butternut squash being seasoned with olive oil and salt in a baking dish to make creamy & rich butternut squash gratin

      3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, nutmeg, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until combined and steaming, about 5 minutes. Add the Gruyère and Parmesan, then reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring, until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. 

        best ever squash gratin cream and cheese sauce in skillet made with Gruyère, Parmesan, sage, thyme and nutmeg

      4. Once the squash has roasted for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, leaving the oven on. Pour the cheese sauce over the squash, then return to the oven. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the squash is tender, about 20 minutes more. 

        silky rich cream sauce being poured over par baked butternut squash in a baking dish to make squash gratin, perfect for fall

      5. Let cool for 5 minutes, then top with the pepper and sage before serving. 

        Beautiful Butternut Squash Gratin fresh from the oven in a baking dish garnished with black pepper and sage leaves

      Notes

      This dish can be assembled a day ahead. Just cover and store in the refrigerator until about an hour before you're ready to serve. Let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until warmed through. 

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      Nutrition Info

      • Per Serving
      • Amount
      • Calories 492
      • Protein 14 g
      • Carbohydrates 26 g
      • Total Fat 37 g
      • Dietary Fiber 4 g
      • Cholesterol 111 mg
      • Sodium 775 mg
      • Total Sugars 5 g

      Butternut Squash Gratin

      Questions & Reviews

      Rated 5 stars by 1 reader

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        Any questions?

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      • Janae

        5-star rating

        This looked amazing so I just tried it out and wow! never knew I could like butternut squash THIS MUCH! Definitely going on my thanksgiving menu, can't wait to make it for my family from out of town.

        Thanks Janae, we are so happy you loved it and so excited it made it in your Thanksgiving line up!

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